[CTcard]

I can understand why not Shaw. 

Well, Shaw did make #6 - supposedly among all hiring decisions for head coach or coordinator positions in the western third of the country in the last 17 years. That's not exactly "not Shaw".

And Shaw should definitely be in there somewhere; these are supposedly "the top hiring decisions of the past 17 years", not necessarily the most transformational.

By the way, the more I think about Carroll, the less I think he was #1.  He took a talented and underachieving program, turned it into a talented and appropriately achieving program, then left with a cloud of ncaa sanctions at the door, and U$C went back to being talented but underachieving. 

Maybe.
Carroll did stay 9 seasons at $C and produced the best teams/best dynasty that the west has seen over the 17 years in question. I would guess the local fan base thinks that was a pretty good hire. But the best is tough.

I would think that the most questionable inclusion on this list was San Jose State hiring Mike MacIntyre. He only lasted three years there and only gave them one good season. And it's not like he built anything that lasted after he left. [At least as far as wins go, I have heard that he improved the academic profile and attitude of the team and perhaps that lasted.]
A better choice would probably be Colorado's hiring of Mike MacIntyre, though how many good seasons he's going to produce there is still up in the air.

[CTcard]

I can understand why not Shaw. 

Well, Shaw did make #6 - supposedly among all hiring decisions for head coach or coordinator positions in the western third of the country in the last 17 years. That's not exactly "not Shaw".

And Shaw should definitely be in there somewhere; these are supposedly "the top hiring decisions of the past 17 years", not necessarily the most transformational.

By the way, the more I think about Carroll, the less I think he was #1.  He took a talented and underachieving program, turned it into a talented and appropriately achieving program, then left with a cloud of ncaa sanctions at the door, and U$C went back to being talented but underachieving. 

Maybe.
Carroll did stay 9 seasons at $C and produced the best teams/best dynasty that the west has seen over the 17 years in question. I would guess the local fan base thinks that was a pretty good hire. But the best is tough.

I would think that the most questionable inclusion on this list was San Jose State hiring Mike MacIntyre. He only lasted three years there and only gave them one good season. And it's not like he built anything that lasted after he left. [At least as far as wins go, I have heard that he improved the academic profile and attitude of the team and perhaps that lasted.]
A better choice would probably be Colorado's hiring of Mike MacIntyre, though how many good seasons he's going to produce there is still up in the air.