re: So we are #4 in the first playoff poll

When Saban and Urban aren't winning it, Mack Brown, Gene Chizik, Les Miles, Lloyd Carr, Phil Fulmer and Larry Coker all managed to win a title.

Average coaches win titles all the time. Just have to recruit the requisite amount of talent, which I think he could do if he gets to 11-1 this year. And that's allowing for the assumption he (and his staff that does the a fair portion of the work) is average at best. I'd argue it's a pretty strong group of coaches.