Only four active college football coaches have won titles; who is next?

Paul Myerberg | USA TODAY Sports

Show Caption Hide Caption Early preseason top 10 college football teams for 2017 The college football season doesn't start until the fall but it's never too early to start looking ahead.

Bob Stoops’ abrupt retirement after 18 years at Oklahoma drops the number of active head coaches with a Football Bowl Subdivision national championship to just four: Alabama’s Nick Saban, Clemson’s Dabo Swinney, Florida State’s Jimbo Fisher and Ohio State’s Urban Meyer.

Combined, these four have claimed each of the past six national titles, eight of the past nine and nine of the past 11. That’s dominance.

So the race is on to become No. 5. Which active head coach is the most likely addition to join the club? That’s the topic of this week’s top 10 list.

1. Jim Harbaugh, Michigan

Harbaugh has yet to finish higher than third in the Big Ten’s East Division. But it’s plainly clear that Michigan is making steady progress toward a national title — it’s not inevitable, particularly with Ohio State in the way, but a spot in the College Football Playoff and an eventual charge at the championship seems in the cards for Harbaugh and the Wolverines.

2. Chris Petersen, Washington

Petersen already has led Washington into a national semifinal, and did so in just his third season with the program. The ceiling is a title, obviously, as the Huskies’ staff continues to add talent, depth and athleticism to a roster already gifted enough to win the Pac-12 and compete with the nation’s best.

3. David Shaw, Stanford

There remains a significant subset of college football fans — or even Stanford fans — who refuse to give Shaw full credit for Stanford’s current standing as one of the best programs in the country. Maybe a national title would fix that? He needs a great quarterback, but Shaw and the Cardinal eventually will reach a semifinal.

4. Clay Helton, Southern California

Helton proved himself by leading USC through an ugly start to last season. There’s never been any question about the Trojans’ talent. With a steady hand on the sidelines, the program may be ready to win a title as soon as 2017.

5. Mark Richt, Miami (Fla.)

Richt couldn’t get Georgia over the hump. But everything seems to be coming together for Richt with the Hurricanes — in recruiting, most of all. Miami currently has the nation’s best class, though there’s a long way to signing day. Richt is clearly refreshed by the change in scenery.

6. Gary Patterson, TCU

Patterson has drawn TCU close to a title, including during the first year of the Playoff, and has led the Horned Frogs to six top-10 finishes — two as members of the Big 12 — and nine seasons of 11 or more wins. Most of all, the program has grown accustomed to competing on the Power Five ranks after dominating the Mountain West.

7. Tom Herman, Texas

Let’s keep in mind that Herman has been a head coach for just two years, so it’s hard to predict with any great certainty that’s he destined to excel with the Longhorns. Still, consider: Herman’s clearly a very gifted coach and a terrific offensive mind, and Texas has every asset at its disposal to annually put forth a team worthy of competing for the title.

8. James Franklin, Penn State

It won’t be easy for Penn State to win another Big Ten title — not just in 2017 but period, thanks to annual matchups against Ohio State and Michigan for a divisional crown alone. But last year’s step forward paints PSU as a program on the upswing, obviously.

9. Brian Kelly, Notre Dame

Kelly brought the Irish within one win of a title before. Can he do it again? Ignore last year’s 4-8 record, which will be an aberration, and focus on a track record of success, recruiting that ranks among the best in the country and the sort of annual schedule that will always give Notre Dame the benefit of the doubt in the Playoff chase.

10. Kirby Smart, Georgia

Here’s the wild card. An SEC program other than Alabama has to win a title again, right? So this spot could conceivably go to another option — maybe Gus Malzahn or Jim McElwain — but let’s go with Smart, largely due to Georgia’s ability to recruit at an obscenely high level and Smart’s credentials as one of top defensive coaches in college football.

PROJECTING THE PRESEASON TOP 25