Coach David Shaw by Daniel Hartwig / Coach Bob Stoops by Flickr user Billy A
Who would you rather have coaching your college team: David Shaw (Stanford) or Bob Stoops (Oklahoma)?
The Wall Street Journal had an interesting article on college coaches and who were the best against the best competition (see full article); the best competition being defined as teams ranked in the AP top 25. They choose David Shaw and Bob Stoops based on winning percentage and number of AP top 25 matchups. They ranked David Shaw 1st with a 14-4 (.778) record vs. AP top 25 teams and Boo Stoops 2nd with a 50-23 (.685) record vs. AP top 25 teams. Shaw had the best percentage, while Stoops (by far) played the most games with a high winning percentage vs. AP top 25 teams.
Stanford is David Shaw’s first head coaching job in college. His record is 34-7, his teams have won two Pac-12 Championships, and he has won Pac-12 Coach of the year twice. He played wide receiver at Stanford from 1991 to 1994. After college football he immediately went into coaching and has coached for 20 years; this season will be his 4th at Stanford as head coach.
By contrast Bob Stoops is older and has a much longer coaching career; he is entering his 16th season as Oklahoma’s head coach. His overall record is 160-39; his teams have won one National Championship and eight Big 12 Championships; in 2000 he won the AP Coach of the Year, and has won the Big-12 Coach of the Year three times. Coach Stoops is 53 and played defensive back at Iowa. He has been coaching for 32 years and makes $5,250,000 per year.
So there you have it; two very good coaches, their overall records, and their records vs. the top 25. Which coach do you take to lead your college team and why? Please comment by clicking the button below.