Sports

Ranking the Big Ten's College Football Coaches for 2026

By Steven Lassan Athlon Sports

Updated May 28, 2026 5:57 AM

The Big Ten boasts one of the best collections of coaching talent in college football entering the 2026 season. At the top, Indiana's Curt Cignetti jumps Ohio State's Ryan Day for the No. 1 spot, with Oregon's Dan Lanning and Michigan's Kyle Whittingham headlining the second tier. All four coaches should rank among the top-10 nationally entering this year.

However, the coaching talent in this conference isn't just limited to the top four names. Iowa's Kirk Ferentz continues to churn out winning records, while Penn State's hire of Matt Campbell is among the best in this offseason's coaching carousel. USC's Lincoln Riley and Illinois' Bret Bielema headline the next tier, with plenty of intriguing names filling out the rest of the list, including UCLA's Bob Chesney, Nebraska's Matt Rhule, and Washington's Jedd Fisch.

How did we compile the rankings for coaches by conference? For starters, it's an impossible task. However, we tried to weigh every possible factor. This is not simply a list of coaches ranked by accomplishment or wins. Career biography/resume, success in developing talent and landing prospects on the recruiting trail factored into the ranking. Additionally, Athlon's annual coach rankings also take into account a blank slate and subjectivity. If you start a program from scratch, which coach would you hire knowing what they accomplished so far and their career trajectory? Remember, you don't get the assistants - only the head coach. And head-to-head wins do not matter for this ranking.

Here are the results for the Big Ten Conference:

After a run of three consecutive winning seasons and bowl appearances, Maryland has trended in the wrong direction with back-to-back 4-8 marks. Additionally, the Terrapins are only 2-16 in Big Ten play since ‘24 and have yet to record a winning mark in conference action under Locksley's direction. Locksley's ability to recruit isn't in doubt. However, he has to prove the program is on the right track to avoid the hot seat this fall. Since taking over in ‘19, Locksley is 36-44 overall in College Park.

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Braun coached the ‘23 season with an interim tag following the program's dismissal of Pat Fitzgerald. An 8-5 record that year helped Braun win the full-time job, but Northwestern slipped to 4-8 in ‘24. The Wildcats rebounded last season, finishing 7-6 after a win over Central Michigan in the bowl to give Braun his second winning mark in three years. Braun's decision to hire Chip Kelly as offensive coordinator in ‘26 is one of the offseason's top assistant moves and could pay big-time dividends as the program looks to jumpstart a sluggish offense.

Odom inherited a major rebuild at Purdue last offseason, so it was no surprise the Boilermakers struggled with a 2-10 mark in his first year in charge. Although Odom went winless in Big Ten play, the program had three defeats in conference action by one score, including a 21-16 defeat at Michigan. Before taking over at Purdue, Odom went 19-8 over two years at UNLV. Better days should be ahead for Odom and the Boilermakers.

Fickell seemed like the perfect fit at Wisconsin following a 57-18 run at Cincinnati from 2017-22. However, after going 7-6 in his first full year in charge (2023), Fickell has posted back-to-back losing seasons to bring his overall mark in Madison to 17-21. The Badgers are just 5-13 in Big Ten play over the last two years. Fickell is squarely on the hot seat in ‘26.

After back-to-back 7-6 seasons, the Scarlet Knights regressed with a 5-7 mark last year. Schiano is 99-108 overall at Rutgers, which includes his first stint from 2001-11 atop the program. Included in that run was an 11-win season (tied for the best mark in school history) in ‘06, along with six bowl trips. Success at that level has been harder to come by in Schiano's second stint, as the Big Ten provides a more rugged path to victories. Fixing a defense that allowed 36 points in conference play last season is Schiano's top offseason priority.

Fitzgerald is back on the sidelines after a three-year absence following his dismissal at Northwestern prior to the ‘23 season. From 2026-22, Fitzgerald went 110-101 in charge of the Wildcats, which included three double-digit win totals and two appearances in the Big Ten Championship Game. However, Northwestern dipped a bit at the end of Fitzgerald's tenure. The Wildcats went 3-9 or worse in three of his last four seasons, including a 1-11 mark in ‘22. Fitzgerald thrived at developing and getting the most out of a roster in Evanston. Can he continue that success at Michigan State?

Chesney is one of the top hires from college football's 2025-26 coaching carousel. The Pennsylvania native has a track record of success at every stop, which includes Salve Regina (23-9 from 2010-12), Assumption (44-16 from 2013-17), Holy Cross (44-21 from 2018-23), and James Madison (21-6 from 2024-25). Chesney guided the Dukes to a Sun Belt title and an appearance in the College Football Playoff last year. The 48-year-old coach has no previous experience on the West Coast. However, his extended track record of winning suggests it will be a seamless transition to UCLA and the Big Ten.

After delivering turnaround in his third season in stints at Temple and Baylor, optimism was high for a similar breakthrough in Lincoln last fall. The Cornhuskers didn't quite meet that expectation with a 7-6 finish, but the program has now recorded back-to-back postseason trips under Rhule's watch. And since taking over prior to ‘23, Rhule is 19-19 at Nebraska. Counting successful stops at Baylor (2017-19) and Temple (2013-16), Rhule is 66-62 overall as a FBS head coach.

Fisch is off to a solid start in Seattle with a 15-11 mark since taking over prior to the 2024 season. Despite a major roster overhaul that year, the Huskies went 6-7 in Fisch's debut. And the program took a step forward last fall with a 9-4 record and a bowl victory over Boise State in the Los Angeles Bowl. Prior to this stint in Washington, Fisch turned around a struggling Arizona program. The Wildcats went 1-11 in ‘21 but finished 15-10 over Fisch's last two years in charge.

Minnesota has been a consistent winner during Fleck's tenure. The Golden Gophers are 66-44 overall since ‘17, with just two losing records over a full season of games. Minnesota has won at least eight contests in four out of the last five years and finished No. 10 nationally with an 11-2 mark in ‘19. Fleck also went 30-22 at Western Michigan from 2013-16 and guided the program to a New Year's Six bowl after winning 13 games in ‘16.

Bielema has guided Illinois to 19 victories since 2024, representing the best two-year stretch in program history. The Fighting Illini are 11-7 in Big Ten play in that span, which also includes a No. 16 finish in the final top 25 in ‘24. Since taking over at Illinois in ‘21, the program is 37-26 under Bielema. Overall, Bielema is 134-84 as a head coach counting previous stints at Wisconsin and Arkansas.

The ‘26 season is a crucial one for Riley. USC has seemingly made the right on and off-field investments in recent years, but the Trojans have yet to make the playoffs under Riley. After an 11-3 debut with the program in ‘22, USC slipped to 8-5 the following year and finished 7-6 in its first trip through the Big Ten in ‘24. However, the Trojans seem to be on the rise again after a 9-4 finish last year. Whether it was at Oklahoma or now at USC, scoring points and putting together high-powered offenses has never been a problem for Riley. Can he solve the defensive issues that held back the Sooners during his tenure and now with the Trojans? If he can, USC can push for the playoff and Big Ten title in ‘26.

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Penn State's extended coaching search finally ended with a name (Campbell) most expected would generate interest from the start. From 2016-25, Campbell went 72-55 at Iowa State - one of the hardest places to win among power conference jobs. The Cyclones had only two losing records in Campbell's tenure and posted the best season in school history with 11 victories in ‘24. Iowa State also played for two Big 12 titles under Campbell's direction and recorded two top-25 finishes.

Ferentz is college football's longest-tenured coach entering the 2026 season. And despite all of the changes in the sport in recent years, none of that has slowed Ferentz on the sidelines. Iowa is 213-128 since Ferentz was hired in 1999, with 2012 the last time the program had a losing season. The Hawkeyes have won at least eight games in each of the last 11 full seasons of games, and Ferentz's 213 victories are the most by any coach in Big Ten history.

A mid-December coaching change is never ideal with the early signing period and the transfer portal, but Michigan hit a home run by landing Whittingham after his departure from Utah. The 66-year-old coach went 177-88 in Salt Lake City, including a 10-2 mark last season and a team that just missed the College Football Playoff. The Utes had only three losing records under Whittingham's tenure that started in the ‘04 Fiesta Bowl. Included in his run at Utah was a perfect 13-0 season in ‘08 and four double-digit win totals since ‘19.

With quarterback Dante Moore and a handful of key defenders passing on the NFL to return for another season in Eugene, Oregon could be the next first-time champion in college football in ‘26. Lanning quickly emerged as one of the best coaches in the nation after arriving in Eugene prior to ‘22. The Ducks are 48-8 under Lanning and have posted four straight double-digit win totals. Additionally, the program won two playoff games last season before falling to Indiana in the semifinal. Lanning is one of college football's elite recruiters and should have Oregon consistently in the mix to win a national title in upcoming seasons.

Indiana coach Curt Cignetti unseats Day from the top spot in the Big Ten entering ‘26. However, Day is still firmly among the nation's top coaches with an 82-12 mark as head coach in Columbus. Outside of the abbreviated ‘20 season, the Buckeyes have won at least 11 games in each of Day's seasons in charge. Also, Day guided Ohio State to the ‘24 national title and has made the playoff five times.

After guiding Indiana to a 16-0 record and a national championship last year, Cignetti has earned the top spot among Big Ten coaches and the No. 1 place nationally entering ‘26. Cignetti's arrival quickly transformed the program's outlook, going 11-2 with a playoff trip in ‘24 before last year's success with a national title. Cignetti has won at every stop in his coaching career, including James Madison (52-9), Elon (14-9), and IUP (53-17). With a standout transfer portal haul coming to Bloomington, along with a track record of developing talent, expect Cignetti and Indiana to challenge once again for the national title in ‘26 and beyond.

This story was originally published May 28, 2026 at 5:45 AM.

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