Longest Tenured Coaches without a BCS Bid (2008 Edition)

Have you ever wondered....Who are the longest currently tenured coaches at a BCS Conference school that haven't guided their current program to a BCS bowl game? Well, I'm glad you asked. Last year, we published this list, and I wanted to take a moment to update it for 2008.

Here's the 2008 Top 10:

1. Tommy Bowden (Clemson) - 1999
2.(T) Mike Leach (Texas Tech) - 2001
2.(T) Al Groh (UVA) - 2001
2.(T) Greg Schiano (Rutgers) - 2001
2.(T) Gary Pinkel (Missouri) - 2001
6.(T) Jeff Tedford (Cal) - 2002
6.(T) Bobby Johnson (Vandy) - 2002
8.(T) Rich Brooks (Kentucky) - 2003
8.(T) Mike Riley (Oregon State) - 2003
10.(T) Sly Croom (Miss State) - 2004
10.(T) Mike Stoops (Arizona) - 2004

Off the list this year:

1. Houston Nutt - Arkansas' former coach previously held the #1 position having been with the Hawgs since 1998. However, his move to Ole Miss starts his clock all over again. Tom O'Brien of NCSU is in a similar situation. He started at Boston College in '97, but his move to the Wolfpack in '07 started his egg timer again.

2. Chan Gailey - Chan was tied for 7th place last year, but his dismissal from Georgia Tech eliminates him from consideration.

3. Mark Mangino - The Kansas Pretty Boy worked his way off the list via an appearance in the Orange Bowl.

Just off the list:

• Jim Leavitt (USF since '96) and Randy Edsall (UConn since '99) are in purgatory for the purposes of the list. Both are entrenched at their schools, but neither has been in a BCS conference for very long. Edsall will probably make the list next year...if he's still at UConn.
  
  
• Guy Morris (Baylor '03) and Karl Dorrell (UCLA '03) both missed by virtue of getting canned.
  
  
• With a couple of terminations or break out season at the top of the list, you might find Steve Spurrier breaking the Top 10 of this prestigious gathering of coaching futility. Dave Wannstedt (2005), Greg Robinson (2005) and Ty Willingham (2005) are also aggressively stalking the list.

The Camel Club:

• Phil Fulmer continues to rule this category with an iron fist. The Camel Club recognizes coaches who've "gone without" the longest. The Vols haven't been to a BCS game since their trip to the Fiesta Bowl following the 1999 season. No other active coach has tasted the thrill of BCS success followed by a longer dry spell than Fulmer.
  
  
• Joe Tiller (Purdue) comes closest to Fulmer with his Rose Bowl appearance following the 2000 season.

How Long to Wait?
Every school's situation is different, but how long should a program give a coach before making a BCS game? Over the past 10 seasons, 36 different BCS schools have made BCS appearances. There are only 65 schools in BCS conferences.

ACC Teams*	Big 12 Teams	Big 10 Teams
Florida State Maryland Virginia Tech Wake Forest	Texas Texas A&M Oklahoma Nebraska Kansas State Kansas Colorado	Michigan Ohio State Wisconsin Iowa Illinois Purdue Penn State
Big East Teams*	Pac 10 Teams	SEC Teams
Miami Pitt Syracuse West Virginia Louisville	USC UCLA Washington Washington St. Oregon Oregon St. Stanford	Florida Tennessee Georgia Alabama Auburn LSU
Others: Notre Dame Utah Boise State Hawaii

*Note: Obviously, teams like Miami and VT moved from conference to conference. I could have listed them in both slots, but that's not really the point.

Any teams or coaches on that list surprise you? Did I overlook anyone?

PWD

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