The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Jeff Cravath

Followed Sam Barry. Jeff Cravath inherited a Power Program I USC and won with it.

54–28
1942–1950 · 1 stint
USC
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Career arc

His real stature score, season by season, across every program he’s coached — so a stretch that stays in one tier the whole way can still climb or sink on the line, not just flatten out. Node color marks the tier reached. Which program a stretch belongs to is carried by the shaded lane behind it.

Stature score reached, by season of his head-coaching careerUSCPower Programperennial contenderNational Programrespectable, streakyUSC, 1942: 5-5, Power Program II1942USC, 1943: 8-2, Power Program II1943USC, 1944: 8-0, Power Program II1944USC, 1945: 7-4, Power Program II1945USC, 1946: 6-4, Power Program II1946USC, 1947: 7-2, Power Program II1947USC, 1948: 6-3, Power Program II1948USC, 1949: 5-3, Power Program II1949USC, 1950: 2-5, Power Program III1950-1.4One point per coached season, in career order; dashed segments are program changes — spacing is not proportional to calendar time

Reached Power Program in his 1st career season — faster than 57% of the 395 FBS coaches who have ever reached Power Program (rank #1 of 395 by seasons-to-arrival).

USC, 9 seasons
−1.4
Power Program II → Power Program III.

The big-game ledger

How he does in the games that matter most — rivalry record, performance broken out by real opponent tier, one-score games, and his toughest historical matchup.

9–7 against his rivals. Just 1–4 against Frank Leahy.

Rivalry record
9–7–2
50.0% · 2 rivals
One-score games
10–10–8
35.7% · margin ≤8
vs. Blue Blood or better
1–2
33.3%
Rivalry ledger
UCLA8–3–167%
Notre Dame1–4–117%
The toughest matchup
vs. Frank Leahy1–4–1
6 meetings, 1942–1950
’42 L’46 L’47 L’48 T’49 L’50 W
17% win rate across a real, 6-meeting series — short of the bar this site uses before badging a series “Nemesis.” Shown here as the toughest matchup on record, not an algorithmic crown.
Performance by opponent class
Dynasty
1–2 33.3%
Blue Blood
0–1 0.0%
Power Program
4–10 28.6%
National Program
36–10 78.3%
Regional Program
1–1 50.0%

Coaching career

1942–1950
USCinheritor
Power Program I → Power Program II
Jeff Cravath inherited a Power Program I USC and won with it.

15th-best USC tenure of 17 by the numbers.

Followed Sam Barry (1941–1941) · succeeded by Jess Hill (1951–1956).

54–28