The Great Debate: Pete Carroll Verdict  

OK so the bantering is over and now it's time for a verdict. Is Pete Carroll the best coach in college football? Well if I might borrow a quote from Reverand Lovejoy of the Simpsons "Short answer no with an if, long answer yes with a but."

First the short answer. Pete Carroll is a great coach and there is no doubting this. Yet he is not the best coach in college football IF the measure is a coach's entire body of work. Carroll has had six magical seasons in the land of Troy, but he has not sustained his success for long enough to be mentioned in the same breath as guys like Bobby Bowden, Joe Paterno, Steve Spurrier and even Jim Tressell. Not only has Carroll not yet exhibited that type of staying power, but his spotty coaching history in the NFL casts doubt on his inclusion in such a list.

Now the long answer. As previously stated Pete Carroll is not the best coach in college football, BUT there may be no coach in a better situation to cement himself on that lofty pedestal in the immediate future, and right now, no one is doing it better than Pete. He's at the top of the class right here, right now. Carroll has proved in his first six seasons that he has the coaching and recruiting ability to dominate the college game. No one has had more success over the past six seasons. Pete Carroll has a better resume over his six seasons as a college football coach than anyone else during that span. USC is a perfect situation for him and there is absolutely no reason to expect Carroll or the Trojans to drop off at all in the foreseeable future. They are positioned to win another national title in 2007, and have the recruits to make title runs for the next 4 years. If Carroll pockets a couple of more national championships there will be no doubt that he's the best coach in college football at present, and the debate will be just how well he stacks up against some of the all time legends.