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National publication ranks all 130 FBS football coaches. Here are the highlights.

In this Jan. 8, 2018, file photo, Alabama head coach Nick Saban celebrates after overtime of the NCAA college football playoff championship game against Georgia, in Atlanta. More than a decade after Nick Saban took over as the coach of Alabama, the rest of the Southeastern Conference is still trying to figure out how to consistently beat him.
In this Jan. 8, 2018, file photo, Alabama head coach Nick Saban celebrates after overtime of the NCAA college football playoff championship game against Georgia, in Atlanta. More than a decade after Nick Saban took over as the coach of Alabama, the rest of the Southeastern Conference is still trying to figure out how to consistently beat him. David J. Phillip Associated Press

Athlon Sports ranked all 130 college football coaches recently.

As expected, Alabama's Nick Saban took the top spot. Former Florida Gators head coach Urban Meyer, who is at Ohio State now, was No. 2.

But what about former UCF head coach Scott Frost (now at Nebraska), new Florida State coach Willie Taggart, former FSU coach Jimbo Fischer (now at Texas A&M) and the rest of the SEC?

Here's a look at Athlon's rankings, starting with the top 10:

  1. Nick Saban, Alabama

  2. Urban Meyer, Ohio State

  3. Dabo Swinney, Clemson

  4. Chris Peterson, Washington

  5. Gary Patterson, TCU
  6. Jimbo Fisher, Texas A&M

  7. Mark Dantonio, Michigan State
  8. James Franklin, Penn State
  9. Jim Harbaugh, Michigan
  10. Kirby Smart, Georgia

On Fisher, a coach Florida State fans weren't enamored with, Athlon wrote the following: "Fisher had a tough assignment at Florida State, replacing legendary coach Bobby Bowden in 2010."

Other than Saban, Fisher and Smart, no other SEC coaches made the top 10.

Here are the rankings for SEC coaches (overall ranking in parenthesis):

  1. Nick Saban, Alabama (1)
  2. Jimbo Fisher, Texas A&M (6)
  3. Kirby Smart, Georgia (10)
  4. Dan Mullen, Florida (17)
  5. Gus Malzahn, Auburn (20)
  6. Will Muschamp, South Carolina (50)
  7. Mark Stoops, Kentucky (66)
  8. Chad Morris, Arkansas (71)
  9. Joe Moorhead, Mississippi State (72)
  10. Ed Orgeron, LSU (81)
  11. Barry Odom, Missouri (90)
  12. Derek Mason, Vanderbilt (92)
  13. Jeremy Pruitt, Tennessee (94)
  14. Matt Luke, Ole Miss (97)

On Smart, Athlon wrote, "After two years, it's clear he's on a fast track to a place among the top coaches in the nation and has Georgia [his alma mater] poised to contend for a playoff spot once again in 2018."

On Mullen, Athlon wrote, "Mullen finished his tenure at Mississippi State with a 69-46 overall mark and 33-39 record in SEC play. Those marks are even more impressive when you consider Mississippi State is the toughest job in the SEC West."

On Malzahn, Athlon wrote: "[He] is one of college football's top minds on offense and heads into 2018 armed with a new seven-year, $49 million dollar contract."

University of Miami head coach Mark Richt talks about his concerns with the offensive line after the teams spring game at Hard Rock Stadium.

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So what about Florida State, Miami, UCF, USF and former UCF coach Scott Frost's ranking?

Here's a look at them (overall ranking in parenthesis):

  1. Mark Richt, Miami (13)
  2. Scott Frost, Nebraska (23)
  3. Willie Taggart, Florida State (36)
  4. Charlie Strong, USF (64)
  5. Josh Heupel, UCF (117)

On Richt, Athlon wrote, "[He] has already made a difference in just two years at Miami."

On Taggart, Athlon wrote, "[He] is 47-50 overall as a head coach but didn't inherit the best situations at WKU and USF. He should have no trouble elevating Florida State back into contention for the ACC title in the near future."

On Heupel, Athlon wrote, "[He] has one of the toughest jobs for any first-year coach in 2018."

Send Florida State, UCF and USF story tips to @Jason__Dill on Twitter.

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