Billy Napier, Mark Stoops are both elite in close games

Former NFL head coach Bill Parcells once famously said, “You are what your record says you are.” At the end of the day, winning games is what matters most. There is no such thing as winning pretty. In college football, close game record is what separates coaches with great job security and ones who are forced to move constantly.

The best way to establish a program and keep building success is by winning games when the opportunity presents itself. Unless your program recruits at a top-five level, you will ultimately be defined by what happens in close games.

In Saturday’s contest against Kentucky and Florida, the two head coaches on each sideline are among the best in college football at managing close games.

Mark Stoops is 20-9 in one-score games since 2016

In his first three seasons at Kentucky, Mark Stoops had his work cut out for him. The former Florida State defensive coordinator inherited a bad roster situation and a program that needed major facility upgrades. Those all came, but the wins took a while to arrive.

They started to come consistently once Stoops figured out his winning formula as the Wildcats began to stack up wins in close games.

After a 4-7 start in one-possession games in his first three years, Stoops is 20-9 in one-score games since 2016 as Kentucky has amassed a 48-29 since the start of that season. Last fall, Kentucky finished 5-1 in one-score squeaking out tight wins against Florida and Iowa.

Kentucky’s rise under Stoops has been directly tied to winning close games as this program has continued its rise up the SEC ladder.

Billy Napier has won 12 consecutive one-possession games

Billy Napier is now in his fifth season as a head coach and already owns 41 career wins. As the former Arizona State offensive coordinator built a championship-caliber program in the Sun Belt at Louisiana, Napier leaned on close game success to help the Ragin’ Cajuns rise.

During his stay in Lafayette, Napier logged an impressive 16-3 record in one-score games. The Cajuns were an absurd 7-0 in 2021 on their way to a 13-1 record with an unblemished mark in conference play. That success is quickly carrying over to Florida.

In the season opener, Florida made more clutch plays down the stretch to take down top-10 Utah. Napier is currently riding a 12-game winning streak in close ballgames as the 43-year-old coach remains elite at doing just enough to come away with victories.