Kirk Herbstreit ranks top 8 coaches from college football Week 9

Week 9 was an action-packed one in college football, setting the stage for what should be an interesting November. Not too many big-time games were played but some of the results certainly have shaped the rest of the season.

To celebrate, ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit decided to recognize a few coaches for their displays over the weekend. He named eight top-performing coaches from Week 9 of the 2024 season, all of which come from power conferences.

You can check out the full list of seven from Herbstreit down below, beginning with what Texas A&M was able to do against LSU on Saturday night in Colleg Station — a game the ESPN commentator called.

1. Texas A&M HC Mike Elko / OC Collin Klein

LSU appeared to have all the momentum at Kyle Field, finding offensive success while limiting the Texas A&M offense. Elko then made the bold decision to make a quarterback change, bringing Marcel Reed in for Conner Weigman.

Once Reed was in, the Aggies were nearly unstoppable on the ground. Klein called a great game to the QB’s strengths and scored on every full drive Reed was out there. A big-time victory for Texas A&M.

2. Colorado HC Deion Sanders

Plenty of doubters remained with Colorado following the loss to Nebraska. But the Buffaloes have been playing quality football since then, only having one other blemish on the schedule. For the first time since 2020, Colorado is bowl-eligible.

As for this week specifically, Cincinnati came to Boulder in what was an important one in the Big 12 race. Colorado left Folsom Field with a double-digit win in an all-around great performance for the program.

3. Oregon DC Tosh Lupoi

Illinois might not be the best offense in the Big Ten but Oregon never gave them a chance to get going on Saturday. Lupoi’s unit gave up just 293 yards and was dominant at the line of scrimmage.

If the Oregon defense can perform at a high level, there might not be a team in college football better than them. Just what you expect from a group led by Lupoi and overseen by Dan Lanning.

4. Notre Dame DC Al Golden

Ask any defensive coordinator out there, defending the triple option is never easy. Navy has added in an explosive passing game too, making it an even tougher assignment for Notre Dame.

A week of preparation paid off and then some, forcing six turnovers and completely dominating the game. Golden gets a tip of the cap from Herbstreit to keep the Fighting Irish’s season alive.

5. Pitt DC Randy Bates

For No. 5 on his list, Herbstreit went back to Thursday night when Pitt got a massive win against Syracuse in the ACC. Eight turnovers is an incredible number, no matter the level of competition, let alone a conference foe.

Kyle McCord threw five interceptions and three of them went the other way for a touchdown. If Pitt did not send their offense out there for a play, they still would have wound-up winners.

6. Alabama DC Kane Wommack

The defensive performance from Alabama against Missouri was one we would see from a Nick Saban team, earning a shutout against a ranked opponent. Wommack made sure a goalline stand kept a zero on the scoreboard too late in the fourth quarter.

Missouri played most of the game without Brady Cook, suffering a hand injury on top of his already-known ankle problem. Even so, Alabama dominated from start to finish, the best performance of Wommack’s small tenure in Tuscaloosa.

7. Penn State DC Tom Allen

The defensive love from Herbstreit concludes with Allen, having Penn State playing great on the road in a hostile environment. A three-game win streak from Wisconsin saw them average 39 points per game but only scored 13 against the Nittany Lions.

What changed the game was a pick-six from Jaylen Reed, giving Penn State a 14-10 lead. They never looked back, gave up just another field goal, and won by two scores.