There are nine head coaches in the FBS who have just completed their 11th season coaching college football and seem like they’ll keep their job after the bowl games. Mark Richt got fired by Georgia after 15 years, making the list short by one, leaving just one SEC coach on there (Les Miles), while four (Bob Stoops, Bill Snyder, Mike Gundy, Gary Patterson) come from the Big 12.
Les Miles, LSU – 11
For now, it seems Miles is staying at LSU. No one is firing him, and there’s no Michigan vacancy. The 62-year old who was an offensive lineman for the Wolverines 40 years ago has been with the Tigers since 2005, winning 111 games (77.6%) and going 61-27 in the SEC. LSU have won national championship with Miles (2007), two SEC titles, have gone bowling every year and have finished in the AP Top 10 five times.
Frank Solich, Ohio – 11
After six mostly successful seasons with Nebraska, Solich found himself in the MAC with the Bobcats, where he has compiled a 80-60 record (57.1%), including 53-35 in conference play. He has never won the conference title with Ohio, but has finished just twice with a losing record and has already taken them to six bowl games. In 2015 it’ll be the 7th time after an 8-4 season.
Kyle Whittingham, Utah – 11
Whittingham actually coached one game in the 2004 season, winning the Fiesta Bowl for the undefeated Utes after Urban Meyer left for the Florida gig. He’s been in Utah since 1994, serving in different positional coaching gigs and a defensive coordinator before getting the HC job. Utah have moved to the Pac-12 from the MWC under Whittingham, and he’s 94-46 overall (67.1%) and 55-38 in conference play. Utah went undefeated in 2008, finishing with a Sugar Bowl win over Alabama.
Bronco Mendenhall, BYU – 11
From Utah to their arch nemesis that Mendenhall has been coaching since 2005. He has a 99-42 record with the Cougars (70.2%) and while they were in the Mountain West, BYU won 39 of 48 games under Mendenhall. Since becoming Independent, they’ve won 10 games in a season just once. They’ve won their conference once under Mendenhall and have been ranked by AP at the end of the season four times, but not since they left the MWC.
Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State – 11
A man who is still in his 40’s, Gundy has spent most of his adult life either playing or working for the Cowboys, taking over in 2005, his only losing season in Stillwater. He’s gone 94-46 through 2015 (67.1%) including 56-37 in the Big 12. Oklahoma State have won the conference once (2011, winning the Fiesta Bowl too), have just won 10 games in a season for a fourth time in six years and have finished ranked four times, including #3 in 2011, when many feel they were robbed by not being put in the BCS national championship game vs LSU.
Gary Patterson, TCU – 15
Patterson has been with the Horned Frogs since 2000 (coaching them for just one bowl game), which means a lot of conferences, a lot of winning seasons. Their first two years in the Big 12 were rough (11-14) but they’ve won 22 games in the last two years. TCU are 142-47 under Patterson (75.1%), winning six conference titles (including one, shared Big 12) and have 10 finishes in the top 25, including four times in the top 10.
Bob Stoops, Oklahoma – 17
Stoops has just won his ninth Big 12 title since becoming the head coach of the Sooners in 1999, a year before winning the BCS National Championship. He’s 179-45 (79.9%) at Oklahoma, including 112-29 in the Big 12. The Sooners have gone bowling every year with Stoops and have finished in the AP Top 10 nine times, and this year should be the 10th.
Kirk Ferentz, Iowa – 17
Ferentz has been hearing calls for him to be fired for a very long time. This year there’s finally some silence in that regard with Iowa going 12-0, their second 8-0 conference record under Ferentz, who led the Hawkeyes to a couple of Big Ten titles in 2002 and 2004, both shared. He’s 127-85 at Iowa (59.9%) and 76-60 in the Big Ten. In 2015 he won more than 10 games for the fifth time (last one was in 2009) and Iowa haven’t won a bowl game under Ferentz since 2010, although have missed Bowling season just four times. They’ve been ranked five times at the end of the season (last in 2009), including four top 10 finishes.
Bill Snyder, Kansas State – 24
The only coach on this list with two separate tenures at the same school. Snyder coached the Wildcats from 1989 until 2005, when he retired following two disappointing seasons. In 2009 he returned, now coaching in a stadium named after him. Kansas State have gone 192-100-1 (65.5%) with Snyder, including 111-77-1 in the Big 8/12. After four mediocre seasons to start his HC time with them, the Wildcats won nine games or more in ten out of 11 seasons from 1993 to 2003. Since his return they’ve had three nine-win seasons, and overall has won the conference twice. His teams have been ranked 13 times at the end of the season, including five times in the top 10.