How Alabama and Clemson use assistant coaches in different ways to create College Football Playoff teams: College Football Survivor Show

Listen to Doug Lesmerises and Shehan Jeyarajah break down the college football playoff contenders on The College Football Survivor Show
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COLLEGE FOOTBALL, USA -- On the bonus episode this week of The College Football Survivor Show, Doug Lesmerises and Shehan Jeyarajah discuss assistant coaches and pick the four best for the assistant football coach Mount Rushmore of the playoff.

They have done the same with running backs, receivers, quarterbacks, defensive linemen, linebackers and defensive backs, giving them 24 Rushmore-worthy players. Head coaches will be up next. But it was time for the guys in the middle to have their day.

Alabama has made the College Football Playoff in seven of the eight years the playoff has been around. In those seven years, there were 66 assistant coaching spots at Alabama -- nine in 2014 through 2017, and 10 in 2018, 2020 and 2021.

There were 37 different coaches who filled those 66 spots. That included 17 who were part of one playoff, 13 who were part of two playoffs, five who were part of three playoffs, and two who were part of four playoffs.

Is there an assistant in that group who will make our playoff Mount Rushmore? Is it one of the five offensive coordinators or one of the four defensive coordinators that have been part of the Crimson Tide’s success?

Meanwhile, Clemson has made six playoff appearances, with 57 assistant coach spots. Only 13 assistants have filled them, including six that were around for every playoff appearance for the Tigers. That’s changing, with long-time coordinators Tony Elliott (Virginia) and Brent Venables (Oklahoma) taking head coaching jobs.

But which Tigers assistants belong in this discussion and on this mountain?

Two successful programs, two distinct assistant coaching models.

Thirty-seven coaches in 66 spots is 1.78 playoff appearances per assistant for Alabama.

Thirteen assistants in 57 spots is 4.38 playoff appearances per assistant for Clemson.,

In between is Ohio State, with four playoff appearances, 38 spots and 21 different assistants in them. That’s 1.81 appearances per assistant.

So which programs get an assistant in this mountain? Find out on the latest bonus episode for Apple Podcast subscribers. You can sign up at Apple for $2.99 a month to get four bonus episodes, which is less that $1 per listen. And don’t forget the other episode of The College Football Survivor Show each week which is available to everyone wherever you listen to podcasts.

PREVIOUS BONUS EPISODES OF THE COLLEGE FOOTBALL SURVIVOR SHOW

Mount Rushmore Defensive Linemen

What the NFL Draft told us about the College Football Playoff

Mount Rushmore Defensive Backs

20 teams we’d like to see Nick Saban coach to the College Football Playoff

Mount Rushmore receivers

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