Coaches / Head coach / Phil Bennett
Career
51
not coaching now
Rating57recent
Peak57best 5 yrs
Career51whole career
confidence
Phil Bennett
Head coach
Headline rating: as head coach. Every role he has been rated in is below.
Chemistry
—
index in development
Seasons here—
Programs5
Stints6
Career path
Head-coaching stints since 1936; assistant roles since 2016
As head coach
Rating57Peak57Career51
2002–2022 · 8 seasonsRecord 19-53National titles 0Great seasons 0 (top ~7% of all teams that year)
- Rating 57: his whole career, recent seasons weighted most, measured as how far his teams stood above their era, crediting him with half of what each program already was when he arrived (about the share that, historically, follows a coach to his next job), fading as the program becomes his own.
- Peak 57: best five-season stretch, 2005–2022 at SMU and Pittsburgh and North Texas (13-24).
- Career 51 (#457 since 1936): total accomplishment over 8 seasons (19-53), 0 national titles, 0 elite seasons; full credit for the program he inherited.
Rating = who he is: his whole head-coaching career (since 1936), weighted toward recent years — how far his teams stood above their contemporaries, how much he lifted programs, his great seasons and titles. Form = the last two seasons. Career = the all-time ranking number.
| Season | Team | Record | Season rank | vs contemporaries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | North Texas | 0-1 | #82 | -0.44 SD |
| 2010 | Pittsburgh | 1-0 | #35 | +0.63 SD |
| 2007 | SMU | 1-11 | #112 | -1.46 SD |
| 2006 | SMU | 6-6 | #86 | -0.67 SD |
| 2005 | SMU | 5-6 | #88 | -0.62 SD |
| 2004 | SMU | 3-8 | #106 | -1.40 SD |
| 2003 | SMU | 0-12 | #113 | -1.99 SD |
| 2002 | SMU | 3-9 | #110 | -1.73 SD |
Season rank = his team among all major-college teams that year; vs contemporaries = how far above the average team (in standard deviations).
As defensive coordinator
Rating60Peak67
His defense against its preseason projection (value over expectation) and the unit's opponent-adjusted quality.
| Season | Team | Unit (EPA/play) | Over expectation | Season score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | North Texas | -0.09 | -0.06 | -0.95 |
| 2021 | North Texas | -0.03 | 0.05 | 0.28 |
| 2017 | Arizona State | -0.03 | 0.01 | -0.06 |
| 2016 | Baylor | 0.02 | — | 0.08 |
Season score: 0 = an average season in this role; positive = better.