The option offense has always been fascinating. Few teams have stuck with it and even some coaches have let it come and go. Usually coaches like Jim Tressel or Joe Paterno or even Bear Bryant tailored their offenses to their talent. That has certainly worked for these respective coaches and others, but a coach that sticks with his system and tailors his players to it, is truly impressive. Obviously it takes a certain degree of talent to run a triple or spread option and the below coaches have found a way to get the most out of their players within option offenses. Let’s be honest, you don’t see Rich-Rod throwing a guy like Sweet Steven Threet or Nick Sheridan out there to juke guys out of their jockstraps. Oh wait…

On to the Countdown:

5 – Rich Rodriguez

All jokes aside, this guy is a real innovator. Last year at Michigan was a unique year for Rich-Rod. He didn’t have the talent to run his offense, but he sacrificed last year and stuck with his offense, knowing that his personnel would get better and the more reps in his system, the better off the future would be. Rich-Rod’s track record speaks for itself. He led the charge of implementing the spread option out of the shotgun (along with the late Randy Walker (RIP) and Urban Meyer. Rodriguez helped lead Tulane to a 12-0 record as Offensive Coordinator in 1998 and as OC at Clemson , he put Woody Dantzler in the right spots to rank 16th on the all-time career QB rushing list. His move to WVU took it to a new level. In his 2nd year, the Mounts won six more games and Rasheed Marshall emerged as one of the top duel threats in the country. Rodriguez recruited a special player in Pat White in 2005 and the rest is history. Literally. The devastating White/Rodriguez combo won 4 straight bowl games and White is the all-time leading rusher in college QB history. Currently at Michigan, Rodriguez now uses the two-headed freshmen monster of Tate Forcier and Shoelace Robinson en route to another successful season.

4 – Darrell Royal

Considered one of the granddaddy’s of the wishbone formation that was prevalent in the 1960s, Royal coached his Texas Longhorns to three of their four national championships. His star QB James Street was 20-0 as a starter and fueled Texas victories over Arkansas in one of the too-frequently used “Game of the Century” and also over Notre Dame for the 1970 title. Royal put Texas on the proverbial map of college football and there’s a reason their massive stadium bears his name.

*Fun facts: James Street threw 2 no-hitters for the Longhorn baseball squad and also fathered fellow Longhorn and Colorado Rockie Pitcher Huston Street. Royal also played QB and DB at rival Oklahoma and holds the record for most career interceptions (18).

3 – Fisher DeBerry

Wait…the guy from Air Force with the sweet name? Yes indeed. DeBerry is the epitome of a tried and true option coach. No matter the year, the competition, the Falcons themselves, they are running the option. A look at the NCAA record book for single-season and career rushing leaders is littered with blue and white zig-zags. Chance Harridge, Beau Morgan, Dee Dowis, and Dr. Pancake’s fellow high schooler Shaun Carney are all among the top 20 leaders in career rushing yards for QB. Joining them in the top 20 best individual seasons are Rob Perez and Keith Boyea. Clearly, the Commander in Chief had a hand in this.

2 – Barry Switzer

The longtime Sooner and more recent Dallas Cowboy mastered the option. His Sooner teams won three national titles and QB Billy Sims won the Heisman in 1978 and led the nation in rushing with 1,896 yards. Perhaps Switzer’s greatest talent at QB was Jamelle Holieway, who led his Sooners to a national title and executed the option as well as anyone. His career was cut short by an ACL injury. As evidence of Switzer and Holieway’s creativity with a little help from Sooner great Keith Jackson (and legendary broadcaster Keith Jackson), let’s go to the video:

1 – Tom Osborne

Cool and calm and oft-ridiculed for his performance in bowls. His performance speaks for itself. He won two national titles, shared another, and was a missed field goal from his first in 93. Osborne turned Eric Crouch into a Heisman. Tommie Frazier and Scott Frost tore up the record books. A great o-line and fast Rbs contributed, but look at Nebraska now. They fight just to remain relevant. The Huskers under Osborne were a fixture in the top 10 and dominated college football. Check this awesome clip of Frazier bulling through the Florida Gators in the Fiesta Bowl: