Kirk Herbstreit reveals top-performing coaches from Week 9
Following an exciting Week 9 schedule, ESPN College GameDay host Kirk Herbstreit has revealed his top-performing coaches from this past weekend.
From shocking upsets to shutting out a ranked opponent for the first time in program history — here are the seven coaches that made this week’s list:
Dan Lanning, Oregon
Oregon has outscored its opposition 73-30 since losing on a last-minute score to undefeated Washington. While the two-score victory over Washington State was expected, Saturday’s 35-6 curb stomping of Utah completely blindsided the Utes, and college football fans around the country.
After head coach Dan Lanning’s decison-making was called into question over the last few weeks, Lanning more than proved what he’s capable of when his offense and defense play a complete game.
Lance Leipold, Kansas
Lance Leipold has turned a once dead-end program into one of the most exciting teams in the Big 12. Kansas‘ 38-33 victory over the previously undefeated Oklahoma Sooners is all you need to see to know how much the Jayhawks have grown under the third-year head coach.
Now, Kansas is ranked No. 22 ahead of the first College Football Playoff Top 25 rankings and is a 2.5-point betting favorite against Iowa State on the road this weekend. Five years ago, saying Kansas would be in this type of position would be welcome by any Jayhawk fan.
Brent Key, Georgia Tech
If it weren’t for the Jayhawks’ massive victory, Georgia Tech‘s 46-42 victory over North Carolina would have been the talk of Week 9.
Head coach Brent Key has now led the Yellow Jackets to two upset victories over ranked ACC opponents this season, and has led Georgia Tech to an 8-8 record over the past 16 games since taking over from former head coach Geoff Collins.
Jedd Fisch, Arizona
Arizona is one game away from bowl eligibility after eight games this season, and now they have two-straight ranked victories under their belt against Washington State and Oregon State, respectively. Before that, the Wildcats took USC to triple overtime and Washington could only slide past them by a touchdown.
Jeff Brohm, Louisville
Jeff Brohm has had instant success since taking over the head coaching duties at Louisville early last offseason. Defeating Duke 23-0 at home, Brohm led the Cardinals to its first shutout against a ranked opponent in school history on Saturday.
Now, the Cardinals are 7-1, sit in second place in the Week 10 ACC standings and have a legitimate shot of winning out the rest of the regular season with no ranked opponents on the docket. Next up for Louisville is a 4-4 Virginia Tech team at home.
Dave Doeren, NC State
Most people figured that when NC State benched quarterback Brennan Armstrong in favor of sophomore MJ Morris, head coach Dave Doeren was throwing in the towel for the season.
Ever since, the Wolfpack are 2-1 and just took down former ACC powerhouse Clemson 24-17 at home in a game that meant more than just a record next to their names. Now, NC State has defeated Clemson in two of the last three seasons after suffering eight-straight losses to the Tigers.
Kenny Dillingham, Arizona State
Kenny Dillingam’s offense put up 509 yards en route to earning Arizona State‘s second win of the season over a previously-ranked Washington State team. Defeating the Cougars 38-27, it was the most points the Sun Devils have scored in a single game this season.
ASU has three ranked opponents on the docket over the next three weeks against Utah, UCLA and Oregon, respectively. They will have to win out to earn a shot at qualifying for a bowl game.