RESUME: Ferentz is in his sixth season as Iowa's coach. During his tenure, the Hawkeyes have become a national force. His 11-2 record in 2002 and 10-3 last season are the school's best consecutive seasons. Iowa is 5-2 this season and likely headed to another bowl game. Ferentz led the 2002 Hawkeyes to their first Big Ten title since 1990 and the most wins (11) in school history. The Hawkeyes aren't flashy. Iowa plays old-fashioned power football, similar to Tennessee.
WHY IT WORKS: Recruiting in the Midwest against the likes of Michigan and Ohio State to the east and Oklahoma and Nebraska to the west isn't easy, but Ferentz has assembled a fine program.
Urban Meyer
AGE: 40.
RESUME: The Utah coach began his career in 1986 as a graduate assistant for Ohio State and has had stops at Colorado State, Notre Dame and Bowling Green, where in 2001 he earned his first coaching job. Meyer's worst record: 8-3 in his first season there. Last fall, his first at Utah, the Utes went 10-2. This season, they're 7-0 and ranked No.9.
WHY IT WORKS: Florida president Bernie Machen hired Meyer at Utah. Meyer, who learned from the likes of Sonny Lubick and Lou Holtz, is seen as a rising star. His teams score points and are fundamentally sound.
Bobby Petrino
AGE: 43.
RESUME: He has Louisville in position for a major bowl, and it nearly won at unbeaten Miami Oct. 14. The Cardinals scored 38 against a Miami defense that stuffed Florida State earlier in the season. In 2003, Petrino led the Cardinals to a 9-4 record with an offense that set numerous school records. Louisville averaged 36.2 points and 489.2 yards. Petrino once was an assistant with the NFL's Jaguars.
WHY IT WORKS: Florida faithful love offense, and Petrino seems capable of giving it to them. At every stop, his offenses have produced.
Bob Stoops
AGE: 44.
RESUME: Stoops' 2000 Oklahoma squad won the national title after beating Florida State in the Orange Bowl. He was the 2000 Associated Press coach of the year. He has four seasons of 10 or more wins, and his current team is undefeated and ranked No. 2. Stoops was Florida's defensive coordinator in 1996, when it won its only national title. He arguably was the program's most popular assistant.
WHY IT WORKS: Stoops and Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley are friends, and Stoops has said he was fond of his time in Gainesville. Stoops not only is a proven winner, but he knows the lay of the land. He also knows how to beat Florida State, Georgia and Tennessee.
Jeff Tedford
AGE: 42.
RESUME: The coach resurrected California by winning more games (15) in his first two seasons than any Golden Bears coach in the past 55 seasons. The Bears, ranked No.7, have lost only to No.1 Southern Cal but were 9 yards from the go-ahead touchdown with 1:27 left.
WHY IT WORKS: Like former Gators coach Steve Spurrier, Tedford is one of the game's offensive masterminds. His 2002 and '03 teams scored a combined 884 points, more than the previous four Cal squads (810). Cal is among the top academic institutions in the country, where many believed a coach couldn't win. Florida president Bernie Machen wants UF to compete at the highest of levels in athletics and academics. Tedford has proved he can do this.
OTHERS TO WATCH
• Chuck Amato, N.C. State coach and former FSU assistant • Butch Davis, Cleveland Browns coach and former Miami coach • Rich Rodriguez, West Virginia coach and former Clemson assistant
Kirk Ferentz
Urban Meyer
Bobby Petrino
Bob Stoops
Jeff Tedford
