Lincoln Riley — Prove It or Lose It

Allen Wallace

2 months ago

Top 25 college football coach rankings for 2026

Bill Bender (Sporting News) — This is yet another layer of the struggle between the Big Ten and the SEC in the 12-team College Football Playoff era. The Big Ten led all conferences with eight coaches on this list. The SEC was second with seven coaches. The ACC had four coaches, and the Big 12 had three coaches. Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman rounds out the top 25.

To determine rankings, SN looks at a coach’s overall record, record at the current school and a three-year record to determine a loose baseline in the subjective process. Career accomplishments, program expectations and the old “this guy or this guy” arguments come into play. It’s not a perfect science, but it’s our science, one we have stuck to since we first did these rankings in 2015.

Here are The Sporting News’ top 25 coach rankings ahead of the 2026 college football season.

1. Curt Cignetti, Indiana

Last year: 17; Record: 46-6 (27-2 at Indiana); Lowdown: Look at what Cignetti has accomplished the last three years between James Madison and Indiana. He led the Dukes to a 11-1 season in 2023 – which set the groundwork for last year’s CFP run. He turned Indiana – a perennial Big Ten punchline – into a Big Ten juggernaut that finished 16-0 last season.

2. Kirby Smart, Georgia Last year: 1; Record: 117-21; Lowdown: Smart’s two-year run at the top is over – at least for one year. Is this an over-reaction? Smart still has delivered back-to-back SEC championships for the Bulldogs – and he’s one of just a pair of two-time national championship coaches on this list. He’s also arguably the most-influential voice in the sport.

3. Ryan Day, Ohio State Last year: 2; Record: 82-12; Lowdown: Day has led the Buckeyes to five College Football Playoff appearances in seven years – a run of success that goes under-appreciated given the standards in Columbus. Ohio State broke a four-game losing streak to Michigan in 2025, too. The Buckeyes have the second-best record in the FBS since Day took over in 2019.

4. Marcus Freeman, Notre Dame

Last year: 4; Record: 43-12; Lowdown: Lanning easily could go here, but Freeman is the “best coach without a national championship” in our rankings. He led the Irish to the CFP championship game in 2024, and Notre Dame was snubbed from the playoff despite 10 wins last season. The Irish are 12-5 against top-25 opponents the last three seasons.

5. Dan Lanning, Oregon

Last year: 7; Record: 48-8; Lowdown: Lanning cracks the top five for the time and continues to rise up our rankings with each season. The Ducks are 26-3 since joining the Big Ten, and Lanning’s hyper-aggressive style continues to be a hit in Eugene.

6. Kalen DeBoer, Alabama Last year: 6; Record: 57-17 (20-8 at Alabama); Lowdown: DeBoer – who is in our top 10 for the third straight season – is 34-9 with a CFP championship game appearance between Washington and Alabama the last three years. Alabama is 8-4 against top-25 teams the last two seasons.

7. Steve Sarkisian, Texas

Last year: 5; Record: 94-55 (48-20 at Texas); Lowdown: Texas made the adjustment to the SEC under Sarkisian. The Longhorns are 13-3 in regular-season conference play the last two years, and Sarkisian has built a perennial playoff contender with elite recruiting and savvy transfer portal adds. It’s been an impressive three-year run — albeit one with a 2-6 record against top-five teams.

8. Lane Kiffin, LSU

Last year: 10, Record: 116-53 (0-0 at LSU); Lowdown: Kiffin is a constant content-generator off the field with the well-documented in-season move from Ole Miss to LSU. Kiffin had a 55-19 record at Ole Miss and elevated the Rebels into a top-10 program. Now, he takes on the LSU job – where three of the last four coaches won national titles.

9. Mario Cristobal, Miami Last year: 24, Record: 97-79 (35-19); Lowdown: Cristobal led the Hurricanes to a CFP championship game appearance last season. He has built Miami from the inside out with physical offensive and defensive lines – and the transfer quarterback roulette worked with Cam Ward and Carson Beck.

10. Dabo Swinney, Clemson Last year: 3; Record: 187-53; Lowdown: Swinney might be the toughest coach to rank on this list. On one hand, he is one of just two active coaches with multiple national championships and likely will be the next one to reach 200 career victories. On the other, the Tigers are 26-14 the last three seasons after a disappointing 7-6 season in 2025.

11. Mike Elko, Texas A&M Last year: 26; Record: 35-16 (19-7 at Texas A&M); Lowdown: Elko continues to move up each season. He’s won at multiple stops with Duke and Texas A&M – and the Aggies are looking to build off their first CFP appearance in 2025. Elko is 6-4 against top-25 teams – and a 0-2 record against Texas is inviting more scrutiny.

12. Kyle Whittingham, Michigan

Last year: 13; Record: 177-88 (0-0 at Michigan); Lowdown: Whittingham ranks third among FBS coaches in career victories, and he makes the jump to Michigan after 21 seasons with Utah. Whittingham led Utah to 10 or more wins in four of the last seven seasons but never reached the CFP.

13. Rhett Lashlee, SMU Last year: 23; Record: 38-16; Lowdown: The Mustangs are 31-10 the last three seasons under Lashlee and seamlessly made the transition as a competitor with the move to the ACC. Lashlee has led SMU to four consecutive winning seasons.That’s great news for a program looking for an eighth consecutive winning season.

14. Jeff Brohm, Louisville Last year: 15; Record: 94-56 (28-12 at Louisville); Lowdown: Brohm has won at least eight games each of the last five seasons between Purdue and Louisville. He moved up one spot from last season. Brohm is excellent at QB development, and Ohio State transfer Lincoln Kienholz could have a breakout season as a result.

15. Lincoln Riley, USC

Last year: 12; Record: 90-28 (35-18 at USC); Lowdown: Riley owns the 10th-best career winning percentage among FBS coaches. He should be a top-10 coach – but the Trojans have averaged five losses each of the last three years and are still making the adjustment to the Big Ten. There are flashes of brilliance – but this is a prove-it-or-lose-it year of sorts with the addition of defensive coordinator Gary Patterson.

16. Josh Heupel, Tennessee Last year: 11; Record: 73-28 (45-20 at Tennessee); Lowdown: Heupel led the Vols to a fifth straight winning season one year after the program’s first CFP appearance. Tennessee finished .500 in SEC play in three of those five years, and the Vols will no longer be judged as much on some traditional rivalries. Tennessee does not play Florida or Georgia this season.

17. Eli Drinkwitz, Missouri Last year: 21; Record: 58-30 (49-29 at Missouri); Lowdown: Is Drinkwitz too high? The Tigers are 29-10 the last three years – albeit coming off an 8-5 season. Missouri also finished 0-5 against ranked opponents last season. That makes it tough to push Drinkwitz up too much more, even if he does an admirable job of keeping the Tigers in the top 25 throughout much of the season.

18. Sonny Dykes, TCU

Last year: 14; Record: 107-80 (36-17 at TCU); Lowdown: Dykes led the Horned Frogs to back-to-back nine-win seasons – and the 2022 run to the CFP championship game still has value. He’s the only active Big 12 coach with a playoff victory. TCU has produced 16 NFL Draft picks the last four years, and Dykes has been able to manage the transfer portal well in Fort Worth.

19. Joey McGuire, Texas Tech Last year: 43; Record: 35-18; Lowdown: Remember when McGuire said “Everything runs through Lubbock!” back in 2022? The Big 12 does heading into 2026. The Red Raiders are the defending conference champions, and McGuire has worked with a transfer-heavy with and heavy NIL support. The Red Raiders are 1-4 against top-five teams under McGuire.

20. James Franklin, Virginia Tech

Last year: 8; Record: 128-60 (0-0 at Virginia Tech); Lowdown: Franklin begins a new chapter at Virginia Tech after parting ways at Penn State last season. Franklin has top-notch program building skills, recruits well and enjoyed a consistent track record of success with the Nittany Lions. A 4-21 record against top-10 opponents followed Franklin throughout his tenure at Penn State.

21. Matt Campbell, Penn State Last year: 16; Record: 107-70 (0-0 at Penn State); Lowdown: Campbell finally leveled up to a Big Ten program with the move from Iowa State to Penn State this offseason. Campbell had a 26-13 record with the Cyclones the last three seasons – but it was time to move on from Ames. He’ll also be linked to the next coach on our list.

22. Kalani Sitake, BYU Last year: 31; Record: 84-45; Lowdown: Sitake hovered around our top 25 the last few years – but he continues to increase his stock with the Cougars. BYU has won 10 or more games in four of the last six seasons – and they just missed the CFP the last two years. BYU is 4-3 against ranked opponents the last two seasons. Sitake also turned down the Penn State job last offseason.

23. Brent Venables, Oklahoma

Last year: 41; Record: 32-20; Lowdown: Venables was on the hot seat heading into last season, and he responded by leading the Sooners back to the College Football Playoff. Hiring offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle was a good move – and the defense ranked seventh in the FBS at 15.5 points per game. Oklahoma was 5-2 against ranked opponents through a brutal schedule in the SEC.

24. Kirk Ferentz, Iowa

Last year: 19; Record: 209-128; Lowdown: Ferentz, 70, is the second-oldest coach in the FBS behind North Carolina’s Bill Belichick. Ferentz became the Big Ten’s all-time career leader in wins last season. Ferentz has his share of critics – but he continues to produce winning teams heading into his 28th season as head coach at Iowa.

25. Bret Bielema, Illinois Last year: 25; Record: 134-84 (37-26 at Illinois); Lowdown: Bielema edged out Duke’s Manny Diaz and Houston’s Willie Fritz for this spot on the list. Bielema has led Illinois to a two-year program record 19 victories the last two seasons – and it follows a similar pattern to when he coached at Wisconsin from (2006-12). Illinois should be able to continue that success in 2026.

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