Back because you simply can't live without it, we present the 2019 edition of the college football Most Intriguing lists. First up: Most Intriguing Coaches.

[More Most Intriguing lists: QBs | Non-QBs]

1. Dabo Swinney, Clemson

Is he the new straw boss? The pulverizing of Alabama and His Majesty Nick Saban in last year’s national championship game suggests that a transition is happening. Swinney’s 2019 Clemson team returns 100 percent of its passing yards, 84 percent of its rushing and 81 percent of its receiving from that four-touchdown walloping. That will get you the richest contract in the history of the sport (10 years, $92 million).

2. Ryan Day, Ohio State

The last time Ohio State hired a permanent head coach who had not previously been a permanent head coach at the college level was 1946. His name was Paul Bixler, elevated from offensive coordinator just like Day, and he went 4-3-2 in one season before downsizing to Colgate. Suffice to say, expectations are set for a longer and more successful tenure for Day. Is he Lincoln Riley 2.0, or will the shadow of Urban Meyer swallow him?

3. Lincoln Riley, Oklahoma

He’s been a head coach for two seasons, he’s 24-4, and his quarterbacks have won two successive Heisman Trophies. Now Riley will try to make it an unprecedented Heisman hat trick with a third different QB, Alabama transfer Jalen Hurts. With returning star power at running back, receiver, tight end and on defense, do the Sooners have what it takes to close the gap on Alabama and Clemson and elevate Riley to the top coaching echelon?

4. Jim Harbaugh, Michigan

Has a four-year losing streak to Ohio State and a three-year bowl losing streak taken some of the sass out of Harbaugh? Aside from churning out a weekly podcast, he stayed off-radar for a long time — fewer stunts, fewer Twitter barbs — and then pointed out that former nemesis Urban Meyer is a controversy magnet. So maybe Sassy Harbs is back. With Meyer cleared out and the Buckeyes coming to Ann Arbor, it would seem a perfect time to win the Big Ten. Anything less would be a disappointment.

5. Tom Herman, Texas

He’s been the superstar coach future bet for five years, since calling plays for Ohio State’s 2014 national championship team with three different starting quarterbacks. Is the future now? Herman’s second Texas team won 10 games, including an authoritative Sugar Bowl beating of Georgia, and returns productive quarterback Sam Ehlinger. But much of the rest of the starting units need to be rebuilt. Does he have enough to unseat Oklahoma in the Big 12?

6. Nick Saban, Alabama

Never in his powerful Alabama tenure has Saban had his nose bloodied the way it was in Santa Clara last January by Swinney and Clemson. Saban raised eyebrows at SEC media days by saying his coaching staff lost focus late last season — earning him points for candor or criticism for excuse-making, depending on your viewpoint. Saban’s Crimson Tide program always reloads and remains at the forefront of the sport, but his primacy is directly threatened now. What will the response be from ‘Bama this year? Will a third straight season replacing both offensive and defensive coordinators catch up with the Tide?

7. Clay Helton, USC

The hottest seat in college football is also one of its most glamorous, as Helton’s fifth season takes on highest urgency. Kliff Kingsbury was hired to save the offense, then that backfired — now it’s up to fellow Air Raid disciple Graham Harrell. But not only is Helton’s future uncertain; the same can be said for his boss, Lynn Swann. The Trojans’ first half of the season is as follows: Fresno State (12-2 last year), Stanford (9-4), at BYU (7-6), Utah (9-5), at Washington (10-4) and at Notre Dame (12-1). By mid-October, Helton’s fate could be sealed and Urban Watch could be kicking into high gear.

8. Kirby Smart, Georgia

He’s been agonizingly close to slaying the Saban dragon the past two seasons. What will it take to get it done? Smart has piled up stellar recruiting classes, and Georgia returns the nation’s most underappreciated quarterback in Jake Fromm. The general consensus is that the Bulldogs are the closest thing to a longterm peer with Clemson and Alabama, and simply need to win the big one(s) to prove it. The schedule sets up nicely for another SEC championship game collision course with the Tide.

Story continues