They all have "it," the good ones.
The little extra something that gets their teams to push just a little bit harder.
You know Pete Carroll has it. Urban Meyer has it.
Steve Spurrier used to flaunt it before he lost it on the way to the Washington Redskins in 2002. Bobby Bowden used to have it too, but I suspect he forgot what it was during one of his midday catnaps.
You know who else has it? Les Miles. He not only has it, but he's got some big huevos to boot, and that's never a bad combination.
He may not be the best coach in the country (that distinction belongs to Carroll) or even the best guy in the Southeastern Conference (Nick Saban looks like he's reclaiming his title from Urban), but he's damn good at what he does.
And before I go on, I must admit I have a man-crush on Les. LSU games are a joy to watch, because he coaches his team and takes the type of risks you and your buddies take when playing NCAA Football 2009.
The fact that he actually went for five fourth downs against the Gators last season is impressive enough. That the Tigers actually converted all five is amazing and makes him my favorite college football coach.
I know you're going to say UF's defense was porous last season, so it wasn't that hard. Yes, the Gators defense played poorly last year, but converting fourth-and-ones has to be the most difficult thing to do in a college football game because everyone knows a run up the middle is coming.
Remember Tim Tebow against Mississippi two weeks ago? Actually, Gators fans, I'm sorry I reminded you about that.
It's the fact that his team converted so many big plays down the stretch of tight games that makes me believe that he has it. A coach can be the difference between a talented but mentally flawed five-loss team and a national champion.
This is why we saw Ron Zook, who doesn't know what "it" looks like, continuously blow games down the stretch with some of the best talent in the country, while Meyer - with the key additions of Tebow and Harvin - coached them to a national title.
This isn't the unimpressive Larry Coker nearly leading an NFL team in disguise to two national championships. This is a dude with moxie and presence leading an oft-injured team to a national title in 2007.
Fourth downs be damned. He made Jacob Hester a household name in Gainesville with Hester's key fourth-down conversions.
"Get in there, Jacob, we've got a national championship to win and ulcers to hand out to every opposing team this season."
As much as the talent on the field will be fun to watch, the coaching duel between Miles and Meyer will be equally entertaining.
They are two guys who aren't afraid to take risks, two guys who ooze "it."
