We are rapidly approaching the start of the first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff, and here at CBS Sports we have found all kinds of ways to break it down. There are, of course, expert picks with our thoughts on how the bracket will play out. We've also broken down the easiest and hardest paths in the bracket, power ranked the field and even identified the most impactful players suiting up for the 12 teams in the mix for a national championship.
Now we turn our attention to the sidelines, seeing how the coaches of the College Football Playoff teams stack up against each other.
It is important to note that there is no position in this ranking that is bad. From No. 1 all the way to No. 12, each coach deserves a ton of credit for even being considered because making the list at all means your team has made the College Football Playoff. That said, we do not believe in participation trophies and are tasked with making tough decisions, so the inexact science of coach rankings — something we also do every May here at CBS Sports with a ranking of every power conference coach — now takes aim at the 12 men leading the 12 teams into our first-ever expanded College Football Playoff bracket.
1. Kirby Smart, Georgia
With two national championships in the last two years and a College Football Playoff track record that stretches back to a runner-up finish in just his second-ever season as a head coach, Smart is among the most accomplished coaches of the CFP era. You could also argue that this 2024 team was one of his better coaching jobs, navigating a tougher schedule and overcoming some midseason setbacks to guide the Bulldogs to an SEC Championship, his third since taking over in Athens.
2. Dan Lanning, Oregon
Giving Lanning the nod for No. 2 feels a little bold given the small sample size, but it's hard to argue with the results from his three seasons as coach of the Ducks. It's not just the 35-5 overall record but a recognition of how Lanning has utilized the tools of modern roster construction to build a title contender in Eugene. Oregon has recruited well out of high school under Lanning and made some huge splashes in the transfer portal, but most importantly, he's established a standard for the program that has shown up in a Big Ten title run that included wins against Ohio State, Penn State and Michigan.
3. Dabo Swinney, Clemson
If we are going purely on resume, then Dabo should be No. 1 since this marks his seventh time leading Clemson into the College Football Playoff, while the Tigers have claimed two national championships and logged two runner-up finishes in his tenure. Swinney is the most accomplished CFP coach in the field, but he's also become a bit of an island when it comes to the way a team is constructed. There's a great argument that Clemson's uniqueness has become a superpower in this era of roster fluidity and perhaps played a role in the Tigers being able to reclaim their position atop the ACC. He also hasn't logged a top-10 finish since 2020, however.
4. Ryan Day, Ohio State
On one hand, Ryan Day is 66-10 as Ohio State's coach and now has four College Football Playoff appearances in six years leading the Buckeyes. That alone speaks to how he has been a consistent winner since being promoted to head coach and is worth top-five consideration for any coach ranking. But Ohio State has also fallen short of winning the Big Ten in each of the last four seasons despite expectations to do so and has finished each of those four seasons with at least two losses. It's a career filled with narrow-margin "what if's" -- the 2022 Peach Bowl comes to mind -- but the results have him losing some tiebreakers to other coaches on this list.
5. Steve Sarkisian, Texas
A big piece of Sarkisian's ranking is isolating the success of the last two seasons, which first saw him lead Texas to the program's first Big 12 title since 2009 and then follow up that campaign with a run at the SEC title in the Longhorns' first season as a conference member. Long respected for his ability as an offensive game planner and play caller, Sarkisian has added "program builder" to his resume during his time at Texas with teams that rely on both high school talent that has been recruited and developed as well as transfer portal additions to address those depth chart needs at the high end of the roster.
6. Curt Cignetti, Indiana
After leading Indiana to a transformational season, it's hard to keep Curt Cignetti, one of the two recipients for CBS Sports Coach of the Year, too far down in the rankings. It wasn't just that he was able to flip the roster with the transfer portal and bring a winning coaching staff and culture from James Madison, but in absolutely punishing opponents on the field the Hoosiers had the look of a team that is dialed in on execution and efficiency. No one in the country had a better scoring margin on the season (+344) and even the oddsmakers couldn't keep up as Indiana covered the points spread by a whopping 14 points per game.
7. James Franklin, Penn State
One of the winningest coaches of the College Football Playoff era finally has his first CFP appearance, guiding Penn State to the 6-seed after finishing as the Big Ten runner-up. Franklin is 99-41 as the Nittany Lions coach and riding a streak of three straight double-digit win seasons to go with four top-10 finishes since 2016. But now comes an interesting test for Franklin and his Penn State program because while they have been the most consistent winner to not make the playoff, there is also a less-than-ideal record against top opponents. As we know, the CFP is, by definition, filled with top opponents.
8. Marcus Freeman, Notre Dame
Ever since being promoted to full-time coach in the wake of Brian Kelly's exit, Freeman has delivered consistent results. Now, in 2024, he's added that high-end pop of a season that Notre Dame fans are looking for on a semi-regular basis. Freeman is 30-9 overall as the program's coach and on track for his best finish in the final rankings after entering the College Football Playoff with an 11-1 record. The future looks bright for Freeman as well judging by a year-over-year increase in the win total in each of his three seasons, and there's a real chance to change his standing among the other top coaches in the country if he can string together a run in the College Football Playoff.
9. Josh Heupel, Tennessee
It took a year for Heupel to get settled, but since the breakout season of 2022, the Volunteers have been operating at a higher level with a higher floor than what we had seen in the previous regime. Heupel is 37-14 overall with the Vols and poised for third straight top-20 finish, but there are goals yet to be achieved -- like playing for an SEC championship and winning a College Football Playoff game. Tennessee can change one of those two things when they travel to Columbus, Ohio, on Dec. 21 and look to knock off the Buckeyes in what could be one of the biggest wins of the Heupel era.
10. Rhett Lashlee, SMU
Trust me when I tell you it does not feel good to have the 2024 ACC Coach of the Year down near the bottom of the list, but like I mentioned earlier, there is something to be said for even being on a list of the top coaches in the College Football Playoff. So let's focus on what makes Lashlee great and why the Mustangs are even in the CFP, starting with his ability to identify talent and build out a roster that was ready to make the jump from the AAC to the ACC. Star quarterback Kevin Jennings was already on the team, as were some of the transfer portal additions that helped power a conference title run in the AAC back in 2023, but Lashlee added key pieces to prepare for the step up in competition that paid off with yet another 8-0 showing in conference play. Combine that with an excellent track record as an offensive coach and SMU's impressive showing in some of the toughest games of the season, and it's easy to see why the folks in Dallas are so excited about the future with Lashlee at the helm.
11. Kenny Dillingham, Arizona State
Picked to finish 16th of 16 teams in the Big 12 preseason media poll, Arizona State's rise from worst to first has resulted in Dillingham being named Co-Coach of the Year here at CBS Sports and widely acknowledged as one of the great young coaches in the industry. The Sun Devils had to overcome quarterback injuries, kicking issues and some close calls along the way, but in winning the Big 12 in their first year as a conference member, we saw what the program is capable of with Dillingham at the helm. Unfortunately, Arizona State did go 3-9 last season, so there is a ceiling on how high he fits in this particular ranking. I would bet he's a lock for the biggest mover up when we do our updated CBS Sports Coach Rankings in May 2025.
12. Spencer Danielson, Boise State
We're talking about the 2024 Mountain West Coach of the Year at No. 12? The coach with a 15-2 overall record and two Mountain West titles at No. 12? Danielson himself knows this is an impressive group to compete with and measure yourself against, which is why the only real knock here for Boise State's coach is the small sample size. He's been with the Broncos since 2017 and served as an assistant from 2018 until his midseason promotion to interim head coach in 2023. The fact that Danielson guided Boise State to a strong finish and a MWC title earned him the full-time job and he's made the school look brilliant by backing it up with the program's first-ever College Football Playoff appearance.
