20 for 2020: Nos. 1-5 of CFB's most important people this fall

There are plenty of important people in the college football ecosystem. We picked out who we believe to be the top 20 for the 2020 season. Here is a look at Nos. 1-5 as we close out this series.

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COUNTDOWN: Most important countdown, Nos. 16-20 | Nos. 11 - 15 | Nos. 6-10

CLASS OF 2020 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State

CLASS OF 2021 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State

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Meyer was a head coach for 17 years at four different schools and he never had a losing season. He won three national championships, he finished 83-9 at Ohio State and in seven years with the Buckeyes he lost only four Big Ten games, never more than one in a season. By any measure, whether on the field or in recruiting, Meyer is one of the best college football coaches of all-time.

During the last coaching carousel, Meyer was tied to the USC job, although it never opened. He was also rumored to be interested in the Dallas Cowboys position and said as much on at least one radio show. Meyer has dealt with some serious health issues in recent years, but he’s just 55 years old. He’s also highly competitive and has an insatiable work ethic.

As long as college football is around, Meyer will be one of its faces. New jobs will open in 2020 and Meyer will be mentioned. Will he ever coach again? Opinions vary.

Farrell’s take: You think Meyer will be in the news a few times this upcoming season? As the USC job goes so will the Meyer mentions and if things get ugly for Clay Helton then USC will make a strong run at Meyer. And imagine Meyer and his recruiting ability at USC, where he could recruit like Pete Carroll did. I don’t know if Meyer will return to college football or not, but talking about it constantly makes him very influential.

Swinney has constructed arguably the nation’s best college football program, a recruiting powerhouse that has translated to two national championships in the last four seasons, and it does not look to be slowing down anytime soon. The Tigers are landing numerous five-star prospects, developing them with a no-nonsense – yet fun and enjoyable – atmosphere inside the program and then pumping out NFL players almost every season.

In 12 years as Clemson’s coach, Swinney has never lost more than two ACC games in one season except for in 2010. The Tigers have lost only five games in the last five years and only two conference contests in that time. That’s an incredible run.

Also important is Swinney’s message this week that he has “zero doubt” that football will be played this season in light of the coronavirus pandemic. A motivating speech – if not fully vetted by the medical community – it’s that positive attitude that has allowed Swinney to be so convincing on the recruiting trail.

Farrell’s take: Dabo has become one of the top two coaches in college football and boasts national titles. As a result, everything he says and does is national news. Recruiting is off the charts, Clemson owns the ACC and has a clear path to the playoff each year and he should win a few more titles before all is said and done. And look for Dabo-to-the-NFL rumors to start or even Dabo-to-Alabama if Nick Saban retires.

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The top-rated prospect in the 2018 class, Lawrence is arguably the No. 1 recruit in Rivals history because of his high school evaluation, his outstanding performance at Clemson so far and his projections into the NFL. There has already been a healthy debate whether Lawrence would have gone No. 1 overall in the draft if he could have come out this year, and he’s definitely high on the radar of many NFL teams heading into his junior season.

Lawrence won a national title in his freshman year and then played for another in his sophomore season, but lost to LSU in what was the first defeat the five-star has suffered as a college quarterback. That makes him 29-1 as a college quarterback so far. In two years, Lawrence has completed more than 66 percent of his passes for 6,711 yards with 66 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

Farrell’s take: Lawrence is the face of college football these days from a players' perspective, and there will be plenty of talk of NFL teams tanking so they can draft him No 1 overall. Lawrence will also make a Heisman run, a national title run and will likely be scrutinized like no other quarterback since Peyton Manning. Buckle up.

Saban will go down as arguably the best college football coach in history, the owner of an unbelievable record in so many categories and he’s set so many marks that might never be toppled again. His longevity is only part of what makes him so special and his utter dominance at Alabama will go down as one of the greatest accomplishments in all of sports. Bear Bryant will always be an Alabama icon. Saban is absolutely in the same breath for many Crimson Tide fans.

He’s won six national titles, eight SEC championships and there are currently 63 former Alabama players on NFL rosters. Since being hired in 2007, Saban has also won eight team recruiting titles on Rivals, by far the most by any coach in company history.

However, there are also challenges. Georgia has won the last three team recruiting titles, the longest dry spell for Alabama in the Saban era. The Crimson Tide also did not make the College Football Playoff last season as LSU won it all and other national contenders – namely Clemson, Georgia, Ohio State and Oklahoma, all with much younger head coaches – could be emerging in the coming years.

Farrell’s take: Saban is still the king of college football, and Alabama is still the focus of the national title hunt each and every year. The Tide didn’t make the playoffs last season and that’s a big deal, so one can assume he will be back with a vengeance. How much longer will Saban coach? No one knows, but as long as he’s in charge at Alabama the Tide will set the standard in college football.

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When this series was started, No. 1 on the list was NCAA president Mark Emmert, but after talking to numerous coaches and other media members, it’s clear that Emmert is the face of the NCAA and will have a strong voice in opening college football back up, but he won’t be the only one.

Discussing this topic with more people seems to breed only more confusion and questions like what happens if the Big Ten wants to play, but the governor of Pennsylvania or Ohio or Michigan says no way? Who has the final say when it comes to opening up college football in Baton Rouge or a domed-game in Atlanta or if there’s a spike in coronavirus cases in Los Angeles? Will players and coaching staffs be comfortable traveling on planes and staying in hotels in less than six months?

There are no clear-cut answers as to whether the conference commissioners make these determinations or the school presidents or the mayors of college towns or the governors of states or the NCAA.

Saban and Swinney and Lawrence and Ed Orgeron are all crucial to the game of college football. Most important, by far, though are the people in high places who will make these choices in the coming months as to whether the games are even played.

Farrell’s take: This is by far the most important group in college football, but it's also a puzzling No. 1. Who is it? It starts with Emmert and the NCAA who canceled March Madness and lost billions and it remains to be seen if the NCAA could survive a football shutdown. Who knows what will come of all of this. If it becomes a showdown of states vs. the NCAA, then things will get messy. I assume the NCAA will follow the NBA, MLB and NFL as they try to return to work, but things are murkier when talking about student athletes who are not professionals.