CBS just ranked FSU football’s coaching job lower than you’d think

The gold standard in college football never stays put for long. Programs rise, fall, and rebrand themselves as blue bloods or new bloods, all while chasing the same trio: recruits, championships, and cash. In an offseason shaped by NIL deals and conference chaos, some analysts have tried to make sense of the madness by breaking the sport down into tiers.

Every offseason brings another list, another set of rankings designed to stir conversation more than reflect reality. This time, it’s a tiered breakdown of the best head coaching jobs in college football. Florida State was labeled “silver.” Not elite, just next best. Never mind the tradition, the trophies, or the expectations that rival any job in the country.

The truth is, these rankings often say more about what's trendy than what truly matters.

CBS Sports recently released a list of the best present-day coaching jobs in college football, and Florida State ranked in the third tier based on recruiting, resources, talent, administrative edge, and executable expectations.

On paper, it makes sense if you’re the flavor-of-the-week type. Florida State is coming off a 2-10 season that left much of the country cross-eyed, considering the amount of NFL talent it churned out from the 2023 ACC Championship Team. But paper doesn’t account for history, expectation, or the pressure that comes with walking the sidelines in Tallahassee.

As superconferences continue to take shape, programs like Clemson, Miami, Florida State, Tennessee, and Auburn all carry the burden of expectation.

"What do these five programs all have in common?" Brad Crawford wrote. "Each has won at least one national championship, proving it can be done. That history is part of the battle when climbing the mountain -- knowing that past success could be channeled again down the road."

It’s a fair point, and history does matter. But if that’s the case, how does a program like Florida State, with three national titles and decades of top-tier tradition, land in the third tier? Recent coaching salaries, recruiting momentum, and fan investment tell a different story. Add in the program’s prestige, and it’s clear there are intangibles the ranking doesn't fully capture.

"Miami, Florida State and Auburn have adapted to the modern era with an aggressive focus on the transfer portal. All three programs are building rosters year to year, with limited time for player development. Long term, it may benefit the Hurricanes and Seminoles to return to basics -- however that may look -- and win recruiting battles within Florida, rather than consistently entering bidding wars in the portal."

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Keon Coleman, New York Jets defensive end Jermaine Johnson II, LA Rams defensive lineman Jared Verse, and Braden Fiske were all transfers. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft was Cam Ward, who transferred to Miami, suggests something else entirely.

Championships, tradition, and the expectation to win are all still there, even after a 2-10 season. You can call it silver, just don’t be surprised when it shines like gold or "diamond" again.

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