CBS Sports ranks Big Ten Coaches from best to worst

CBS Sports ranked the Big Ten coaches from best to worst going into the 2025 college football season. The top of the list should be obvious, when it comes to the best coaches at least.

As far as the rest of the rankings, there are some surprises from CBS Sports. It should be a fun race to the top of the Big Ten in 2025.

Without further ado, let’s dive into CBS’ Big Ten coaches ranking. We beging with the defending national champions.

1. Ryan Day, Ohio State

Day tops CBS Sports’ list of Big Ten coaches after winning his first national championship. He arguably had this spot last year anyway, but he certainly cemented his status.

He’ll look to lead the Buckeyes to a repeat this year as that’s the standard at this point. He’s proven he can coach virtually any quarterback at his disposal to success, so that’s a great place to start.

2. Dan Lanning, Oregon

Lanning has only gotten better as a head coach and recruiter since taking over Oregon a few years ago. He won the Big Ten in his first year in the conference with the Ducks.

They’ll be in contention to do so again this year and be in the national championship picture. The transition to Dante Moore at QB is key, but Lanning’s built quite the supporting cast on both sides of the ball.

3. James Franklin, Penn State

Franklin quieted a lot of critics last year with a run to the College Football Playoff semifinals, but he didn’t silence them. He hasn’t led Penn State to a Big Ten title win since 2016 and still lacks a national title compared to, what could be conceived as his rival, Ryan Day.

Franklin’s team this year is on the shortlist of national title favorites with the amount of talent that decided to run it back. Kind of like Ohio State last year!

4. Lincoln Riley, USC

Riley’s 15-11 in the last two seasons after a decent start at USC. He gets a lot of credit for his Oklahoma days and developing Caleb Williams into a Heisman winner.

But the Big Ten wasn’t kind to the Trojans last year and despite CBS putting him in the top four, there’s certainly pressure on him in 2025. He’s not necessarily on the hot seat, but USC’s investment hasn’t paid off with fantastic results as of yet.

5. Kirk Ferentz, Iowa

Ferentz is the model of consistency and his claim of being a top five Big Ten coach seems right. Iowa isn’t going to blow you away, but they’re arguably the toughest out in the conference.

It remains to be seen how much longer Ferentz will coach the Hawkeyes. He might finally have a quarterback that can elevate the passing game, so Iowa could be a dark horse in 2025. Or, it’ll be your standard seven to nine-win season that’ll end up in a decent bowl game.

6. Curt Cignetti, Indiana

Cignetti just wins, Google him! Well, he was nearly 100% right last season. He led the Hoosiers to a historic season, going 11-2 and only losing to national champ Ohio State and runner-up Notre Dame in the CFP.

Can Indiana win the Big Ten? Maybe they had a better shot last season, but Cignetti will keep receipts and be sure to coach up his squad every week, perhaps exceeding expectations again. He did it for a year, so now, can he do it consistently at this level?

7. Bret Bielema, Illinois

Bielema led Illinois to a standout campaign last year, getting to 10 wins. There were some close calls along the way, but winning the close ones are signs of a good program.

The question now is can they do it again in what can be considered a top-heavy Big Ten? The top three coaches also coach the top three teams in the conference and it’s hard to see where a fourth team comes into play. Maybe it’s the Illini.

8. PJ Fleck, Minnesota

Fleck just inked a new contract extension, so it’s clear Minnesota believes in him long term. He has yet to get to a Big Ten title game, but Fleck has had some competitive Gopher teams.

The next challenge will be to climb the ladder in the conference. Right now, he’s just above the mid-line among coaches per CBS. And that’s where his team is as well. Bowl game? Sure thing. Beyond that? TBD.

9. Matt Rhule, Nebraska

Rhule has been one of the more talked about Big Ten coaches this offseason considering the anticipation for a potential Year 3 jump. He went from five to seven wins from Year 1 to 2.

Naturally, Year 3 is where he’s done his best work at Temple and Baylor. With second-year quarterback Dylan Raiola under center, Rhule can truly prove how good he is as a college coach if brings Nebraska back to national prominence this fall.

10. Jedd Fisch, Washington

Fisch dealt with a bare cupboard last season and managed to get Washington to six wins and a Sun Bowl appearance. Not a bad debut Big Ten season considering Washington lost a lot after a national title game appearance under Kalen DeBoer in 2023.

Now, there will be expectations in 2025 considering two previous coaches in the CFP era have led the Huskies to the CFP. Can Fisch do that this season? That’d be a long shot right now, but that’s the path he has to get on. 

CBS Sports ranks Big Ten football coaches

11. Luke Fickell, Wisconsin
12. Greg Schaino, Rutgers
13. Jonathan Smith, Michigan State
14. Barry Odom, Purdue
15. Sherrone Moore, Michigan
16. Mike Locksley, Maryland
17. DeShaun Foster, UCLA
18. David Braun, Northwestern