This past college football offseason saw more high-profile coaching moves than any year in recent memory. But have those changes made an impact on how the coaches are ranked?
This week CBS Sports released its ranking on all 65 Power Five head coaches (plus Notre Dame). As you might expect, Nick Saban retained his place at the top of the mountain despite losing in last year’s national title game.
But the winning coach from that national title game, Georgia head coach Kirby Smart, now occupies second place on the last. He’s followed by two-time national champion Dabo Swinney, followed by newly-minted USC head coach Lincoln Riley and Texas A&M’s Jimbo Fisher.
Here are the top five coaches in college football per CBS Sports.
- Nick Saban, Alabama
- Kirby Smart, Georgia
- Dabo Swinney, Clemson
- Lincoln Riley, USC
- Jimbo Fisher, Texas A&M
You can see the rest of the list on CBSSports.com.
Rounding out the top five (six through ten) were Ryan Day, Brian Kelly, Kyle Whittingham, Jim Harbaugh and Mike Gundy. All of them led their teams to a New Year’s Six game or the College Football Playoff in recent years.
But a lot can change in a single campaign. Lincoln Riley could lead USC to the promised land in his first year at the helm. Dabo Swinney could lead Clemson to a bounceback year after last season’s disappointment.
Whoever wins the national title this year will either cement themselves as the king of the mountain or knock a few more people off their perches.
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