Curt Cignetti Surged 20 Spots to #3 and Nobody Believed Indiana Could Win It ALL

Alright, Seattle, buckle up! The 2026 College Football coach rankings from CBS Sports just dropped, and let me tell you, it’s a full-on shake-up at the top. We're seeing a total reshuffle, with some new power leaders emerging and elite names redefining what it means to coach at this level. There are significant changes in the top 25, with a few consistent names holding on, but others? They've completely lost their spot. This list ain't playing around, highlighting five head coaches who are about to absolutely dominate the new season. Get ready, because the landscape has shifted big time!

The Hoosiers' Wild Ride and the Ducks' Unfinished Business

Can we even talk about this list without screaming about Curt Cignetti? The dude surged all the way to No. 3 in these coach rankings after a stunning, unbelievable rise in college football. CBS Sports even called him the top overall coach for his insane, rapid turnaround. This guy took Indiana, INDIANA, and turned them into a national champion in just two seasons! He delivered landmark wins over Oregon and Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship. He's grabbing national attention for those road wins and his playoff dominance, including dominant postseason victories against Alabama, Oregon, and Miami. It was total control and resilience last year, folks! He was previously ranked 21st, meaning a monstrous 20-spot jump. Analysts are crediting his system, his discipline, and that aggressive game planning. This is era-defining stuff, seriously.

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Then we have Dan Lanning at No. 4. Our guy out there in Oregon has led the Ducks for four seasons, putting up a ridiculous 48-8 overall record and a 32-4 conference mark across two different leagues. He won the Big Ten in his very first season and guided Oregon to multiple playoff wins, even their first since the inaugural CFP era against Florida State. Yeah, they missed the conference title game last year, which is a bummer, but Lanning is still chasing that national title breakthrough. Analysts have him at fifth overall, with a high of fourth and a low of seventh in 2025 evaluations. He's absolutely viewed as a future national champion contender, and frankly, who can argue with that record?

Elite Coaches Holding On, and Others Slipping

Moving up to No. 2, we’ve got Ryan Day from Ohio State. He led the Buckeyes through a 2025 season that, while elite, still fell short of another national title. They ended 12-2 overall and went 9-0 in conference play before losing to the eventual champion, Indiana, in the title game. He finally cleared Michigan, which is a huge monkey off his back, but Ohio State ended the season on a two-game losing streak. He didn't get a single first-place vote this time, dropping one spot to No. 2. No panel member ranked him below third overall, so he's still firmly in the elite conversation.

And then there's Kirby Smart, still at the top, even though he dropped one spot to No. 1. He stays among the CFB elite at Georgia, a program built on two national championships, a program that expects titles every single season. He continues to sit near the top of CBS Sports' rankings. But, and this is a big but, their season ended poorly. They claimed the SEC crown but couldn't secure a playoff win. We saw some real frustration there, no playoff win since the 2022 College Football title. Smart collected four first-place votes, including one from the writer, which makes his one-spot drop even more wild. What does it all mean for the big dogs when a coach like Cignetti just explodes onto the scene?

At No. 5, Marcus Freeman faced some serious doubts after Notre Dame's season ended in controversy. But the voters still kept him highly ranked among CFB coaches. He's evolved the program Brian Kelly built, improving the team into a national title contender with stronger performances and a better identity on both sides of the ball. He was sixth last season, and his voter approval remained steady, with Notre Dame rising.

This season is already looking like a wild ride, with coaches making moves that will absolutely shape the playoff picture. Who's gonna keep that momentum, and who's gonna crack under the pressure? We're about to find out, and I, for one, can't wait to see it!

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.