Best Coaches of Each NCAA D-1 FBS Conference (ACC-Big 10)

I decided to make a run down list of each conference and their star coaches. This was entirely for fun and there may be some errors, so feel free to let me know what you guys think and I'll make the changes accordingly. This will be split up into three different posts, so stay tuned!

I allowed three coaches to be named per conference, but I made as many Honorable Mentions as I saw fit. It's really kind of the first stringers and the red shirts. I did make a few rules as to who could be named as one of the Star Coaches for your conference, but there's not really too many rules for the honorable mentions. The rules for the Star Coaches were the following:

• Had to at least have been the Head Coach for two FULL seasons
• Depending on conference, had to have made either a bowl appearance or a bowl win
• Only three slots are allowed per conference to title a coach a  'Star' 
• Coaches can only be given merit for time spent with a certain conference; therefore, if they have coached at two teams within the same conference, then they will get credit for both tenures
  

Conferences and coaches names are in alphabetical order:

ACC

• Frank Beamer, Virginia Tech: Beamer has been the Head Coach for the Hokies since 1987. They were an independant team when he first started there, but after only four mediocre years under Beamer they were invited to the Big East where in 13 years the Hokies made 11 bowl appearances and won 3 Big East titles. After the 2003 season, the Hokies were invited to the ACC where they have gone to a bowl game every season since and won an additional 3 conference titles.
• Bobby Bowden, Florida State Seminoles: Bowden has been the Head Coach of the Seminoles since 1976. Bowden has taken the Seminoles to an overwhelming 30 bowl appearances where their record is 20-9-1. The Seminoles have won two National Championships under Bowden.
• Jim Grobe, Wake Forest: Jim Grobe has been the Head Coach at Wake Forest for eight seasons where their record is 54-44 and they have gone to four bowl games, winning three.

Honorabla Mentions

• Butch Davis, North Carolina
• Ralph Friedgen, Maryland

Big 12

• Mack Brown, Texas: Brown has been the Head Coach of the Longhorns since 1998. Brown has taken his team to a bowl game every season and won 8 of those. Brown's Longhorns have been their conference division champions four years, and won the National Championship once under him.
• Mike Leach, Texas Tech: It was a tight one between Leach and Pinkel, but Leach won out. The Red Raiders have gone to a bowl game all 8 years Leach has been there. They have won six of those games and once been named their divisions leader. Leachs overall record at TTU is 76-39
  
•  Bob Stoops, Oklahoma: Stoops has done some impressive work for Oklahoma in the nine years he has coached there. While his Sooners have only won 4 out of 9 bowl games, two were National Championship games where his record is 1-1. Stoops ball club has been conference champs five times. His record at Oklahoma is 109-24.

Honorable Mentions

• Mark Mangino, Kansas
• Gary Pinkel, Mizzou

Big East

• Brian Kelly, Cincinnati: He's only been there three years, but he has mad Cincinnati legit. In two seasons plus a bowl game of another, Kelly has taken the Bearcats to 3 bowls and won 2. They have also been conference champions once. Their record is 21-6
• Jim Leavitt, South Florida: Leavitt first became the Head Coach for the Bulls in 1997 when they were merely a D-1AA Independent and has brought them all the way to a legit force in the Big East. The Bulls are 2-2 in bowl games under Leavitt and have an overall 87-52 record.
• Greg Schiano, Rutgers: While the Rutgers have still struggled in their conference, they have been able to come away with 3-out-of-4 bowl wins under Schiano.
  

Honorable Mentions

• Bill Stewart, West Virginia
• Dave Wannstedt, Pitt

Big 10

• Kirk Ferentz, Iowa: In 9 seasons the Hawkeyes have gone 70-53, gone 4-3 in bowl games, and won two conference titles.
• Joe Paterno, Penn State: Joe Pa has been the Head Coach for the Nittany Lions since 1966! In those 42 years, Joe Pa has taken his team to a bowl game 36 times and they've gone 25-11-1. The Nittany Lions have won two National Championships and three additional conference championships. Paterno's overall record is 383-127-3.
• Jim Tressel, Ohio State: Tressel has been the head man for the Buckeyes since 2001. In those eight years, the Buckeyes have gone 83-19, won 5 conference titles, one national championship plus an additional two more national championship appearances. The Buck Eyes are 4-4 in bowl games under Tressel.

Honorable Mentions

• Mark Dantonio, Michigan State
• Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern
• Ron Zook, Illinois 

Coming up will be C-USA-Pac 10.