The dog days of the offseason are upon us. Spring football is over and fall camp is months away. It creates a perfect time to daydream about the storylines that may shape the 2018 season. Today, we do so in the form of ranking the upcoming season’s most interesting head coaches. Each coach on the list is here for a different reasons, but each has already created plenty of reason for intrigue.

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Why he’s intriguing: Because of nostalgia

Everyone loves a reboot. That’s especially true when the first iteration was a smash hit. Kelly’s initial stint as a college head coach was in a word, dominant. In four seasons he coached Oregon to a national title game appearance and three other BCS bowls. The offense was innovative, his Ducks were a blast to watch and the points rained down in bunches.

It only stands to reason that a coach with a 46-7 overall record stepping back on the sidelines in his old conference will create intrigue. UCLA’s Nov. 3 game at Oregon is the most appealing game on the schedule, but the story will be an interesting one from the jump. Tune in for the nostalgia, but also to see if Kelly can find a way to eventually topple USC, which has a stranglehold on college football in Los Angeles.

Why he’s intriguing: Because it’s hard to recall when he last lost a game

Explaining why a coach that hasn’t lost a game since 2016 qualifies as interesting is probably a waste of keystrokes, but Frost’s first Power Five job creates a new set of questions for one of the most buzzed-about young coaches in years. Nebraska is a program in search of a savior, and a former player with an impeccable coaching record seems like a solid candidate to be just that.

Frost is from the Kelly school of high-powered offense, so the thought of him overwhelming Big Ten defenses with gobs of points is enough to pique my interest. Exact expectations in Year One seem unclear, as nobody really knows what we'll see out of the gate. Not only did Frost go 12-0 at UCF a year ago, but he managed to go 10-3 against the spread in the process. So, if the rest of the storylines aren’t enough, there’s always that nugget.

Why he’s intriguing: Because he’s polarizing

If Harbaugh wins big in 2018, there will be well-deserved gloating coming from Ann Arbor. If he doesn’t, lots of people will get their jokes off. Harbaugh isn’t a new coach, and he’s certainly not on the hot seat, but it feels as though the upcoming campaign will shape opinion and establish a narrative when it comes to college football’s favorite outspoken figure.

There are plenty of people who want to see the boisterous Harbaugh fail spectacularly, which makes what happens next must-watch. Harbaugh is armed with a touted quarterback in Ole Miss transfer Shea Patterson and one of the best team’s he’s ever coached, so he’s expected to make some waves.

Why he’s intriguing: Because of immediate expectations

The post-Jimbo Fisher Era is not some multiyear rebuild. A healthy swath of Florida State fans believe their roster is loaded with talent and that last year’s 7-6 debacle was the result of an early-season injury to quarterback Deondre Francois, coupled with other issues they’ve mostly pinned on Fisher.

That’s all to say there are certain expectations for Taggart in his first season. A 7-5 campaign isn’t going to thrill anyone in Tallahassee. Whenever a coach with a national title to his name leaves the school at which he captured it, the storyline he leaves in his wake is worth monitoring.

Why he’s intriguing: Because he’ll be coaching for his job every week

Multiple reports suggest that Kingsbury was dead to rights a season ago, but saved himself with a win over Texas in the season’s final week. And while the 27-23 victory bought him another year at his alma mater, he’s probably not overly comfortable in his office.

Every game Kingsbury coaches in 2018 will be played under a microscope. The losses will be painted as damning and the victories will be hailed as career-saving. The stakes in Lubbock are high, and Kingsbury is one of the game’s more likable figures, making it easy to root for him to hang on to the job.

Why he’s intriguing: Because every season could be his last

Yeah, yeah I know. People have been writing this for years now. Eventually, somebody will be correct. Bill Snyder is 78 years old, and the fact that he battled cancer a year ago has been documented. He’s also the only coach that has won at anything resembling a high level at Kansas State.

Snyder is often overlooked in the discussion of college football’s best coaches, but he deserves to be smack in the middle of any such talk. The possibility of a coaching change in Manhattan is notable because of Snyder’s impeccable legacy and because the ensuing coaching search will be fascinating.

If it were up to him, Snyder, whose name is on the Wildcats’ stadium, would pass the reins to his son Sean, who currently serves as the program’s associate head coach. That could make the aftermath of his coaching tenure messy, and messy is often interesting to behold.

Why he’s intriguing: Because he’s 3-33

What does Beaty have to do to save his job in Kansas? Can Kansas afford to fire yet another coach if he falls short of the decided benchmark? Who will take the job if the Jayhawks decide to do so?

Kansas fans are rightfully impatient, but Beaty was handed an unbalanced roster with a long list of gaping holes when he took over the program. Coming off a solid recruiting effort last cycle, KU fans are expecting to avoid being a laughing stock for another season. It’s not a lofty expectation. Should the Jayhawks decide to go in another direction because of another poor season, a host of questions arise, as looking for a fourth head coach in 10 years is not an easy task. The job won’t be an easy sell.

This weeks’ overtime counteracts the above rankings of interesting coaches by offering up the sport’s least interesting helmets. Below is a ranking of boring headwear that populates Saturday’s in the fall.

1. NEW MEXICO STATE

The pistol-toting Cowboy on the Aggie’s helmets looks like 1997 clip art used to promote a small-town restaurant’s $8.99 steak buffet.

2. PENN STATE

Something can simultaneously be “classic,” “timeless” and boring as hell. Just ask "War and Peace." Or "The Godfather."

3. IOWA STATE (secondary helmet)

It’s OK, though, because these will vanish as soon as Jamaba Juice realizes the Cyclones are using their logo.

4. NEBRAKSA

The Huskers’ helmets make the list for the same reason as Penn State’s. At least there’s a decal.

5. NORTHWESTERN

If you’re gonna have Nebraska, you have to have Northwestern, because the two helmets are close cousins. The Wildcats have a more interesting color scheme, so they get the edge.