I really like Petersen the best. He took a nothing program that competed with the big guys regularly, changed the entire way we think about what teams are worthy of competing for Natl Titles and has no peer when it comes to finding talented staff. Unlike a lot of guys who just cycle through successful coaches, Petersen finds future program leaders. I just don't think he's available for LSU and if he were, I don't think he stays for very long.Not a bad list.. id probably drop Cristobal and Franklin down and put Petersen and Fickell at 2 and 3.
Fickell hasn't really beaten anyone noteworthy for a significant amount of time. IMO, he's just as unknown as Aranda. I think he's a good candidate, just still hasn't proven enough to warrant a higher spot.
What Cristobal has done at Oregon is amazing. He's broken through the Pac 12 norm and created a program that out-recruits everyone on the west coast while building a mentality of physical play that flies in the faces of generations of w st coast football. Oregon isn't really an easy place to recruit, either. Sure the facilities know no peer and the uniforms are such a huge draw, but you're not going to pull 5 star guys from Florida, Georgia, etc so your pool is limited to the West coast.
Franklin has the best resume after Petersen. Three consecutive bowl games and 2 seasons with 9 wins at Vandy should get him a statue. Then to step in at Penn State after the Sandusky stuff and a year of BOB before he bails and compete for Big Ten titles almost immediately? Two of the more challenging places to recruit and he makes it look easy. He also has a great eye for coaching talent.