Before the 2015 college football season kicked off, we held a competition of football coaches. The competitors were not limited to SEC coaches, however, and the results bared that out. Round 2 began this morning and is thick with competition. In addition to round 2, though, a ‘Best of the Rest’ poll will also be running until September 14 to determine the final coach that will make it to round 3. These coaches lost their heads up competition in round one, so this is their one shot at redemption.
Some, like Derek Mason, were throttled in their first round matchup and have little hope of advancing here. Others, like Dan Mullen, received more votes than most of the coaches that moved on to round 2 and should be considered favorites. Before we get to the actual poll, let’s first review the round 1 results:
1. Butch Jones (97%) defeated Derek Mason
2. Jimbo Fisher (52%) defeated Jim McElwain
3. Gary Pinkel (93%) defeated David Beaty
4. Kevin Sumlin (76%) defeated Charlie Strong
More from SEC Football
- SEC Football: Rattler, Cook, Mertz Rise in Week 4 QB Power Rankings
- 2023 Week 4 AP Poll Top 25: Every SEC team’s highest, lowest spot on ballot
- SEC Football: Florida, LSU rise in Week 4 2023 power rankings
- 4 SEC football picks to hammer and one to avoid in Week 3
- After down Week 2, Week 3 provides another opportunity for SEC football
5. Dabo Swinney (59%) defeated Steve Spurrier
6. Paul Johnson (94%) defeated Mark Richt
7. Les Miles (61%) defeated Bret Bielema
8. Hugh Freeze (69%) defeated Dan Mullen
9. Nick Saban (65%) defeated Guz Malzahn
10. Mark Stoops (70%) defeated Bobby Petrino
These results left us with 10 winners that automatically moved on to round 2 to form 5 matchups. As previously stated, the final entry to round 3 will be through this ‘best of the rest’ poll. This will give us 6 remaining competitors for round 3.
The ACC had a very strong showing in round 1, so their coaches should be viewed as serious contenders in this poll. The BIG 12 failed to pull any similar upsets and appear to have no coaches that have a chance at moving on to round 3 of this competition. Then again, stranger things have happened.
Finally, the favorite in this poll is Dan Mullen. The MSU faithful tried to rally around their head man and push him ahead of Freeze, giving him thousands of votes more than his nearest competitor in the loser’s bracket. But those votes don’t transfer to round 2.
Without further ado, the Best of the Rest poll:
Can’t get enough of rivalries? Check out Saturday Down South’s article on SEC rivalries here.
More from Southbound and Down
- Texas A&M vs. Auburn: Line, Prediction, TV Channel & Live Stream for SEC Football
- 3 Up’s, 3 Down’s from Georgia’s 24-14 Win Over South Carolina
- Ole Miss Football: Looking back at the Rebels career of Zedrick Woods
- Alabama vs. Ole Miss: Line, Prediction, TV Channel & Live Stream for SEC Football
- “Horns Down” will not be a Penalty in the SEC