College football rankings: 10 best head coaches of the 2022 season
Lots of things go into the making of a good college football program: elite talent, resources, a passionate fan base — and the right man at the top putting it all together.
The need for a mastermind head coach speaks for itself. He's the one who adds all the ingredients, puts them together, and puts the product on the field.
And as is often the case in college football, and in life, most of the talent is concentrated at the top. Only five active head coaches have won national championships, so there's plenty of competition to get the man for the job.
Who are the best of the best coming into the 2022 football season?
Ranking college football's 10 best head coaches this season
In theory, coaches listed here should beat the coaches ranked beneath them with a team of equal talent on a neutral field
10. Jim Harbaugh
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Harbaugh's track record at his alma mater has been heavily criticized, despite his winning 10 games in three of his first four seasons there and finishing in the top 25 rankings in all but two seasons.
Michigan made its first playoff under his watch last season, which included his first win over Ohio State and his first Big Ten championship. Harbaugh's .691 winning percentage ranks top 10 among coaches since he arrived at UM in 2015.
Record in college football: 119-51
National championships: 0
9. Kyle Whittingham
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Whittingham stepped in for Utah after Urban Meyer departed and hasn't budged for the last 18 years, winning four division titles, beating Nick Saban and Alabama in the 2008 Sugar Bowl, and winning 11 of his first 12 bowl games.
Utah has won at least 10 games in six seasons and owns the best record in the Pac-12 during the College Football Playoff era, at 68-31 overall. His team went punch for punch with Ohio State in last season's Rose Bowl and is in line to take this conference again.
Record in college football: 144-70
National championships: 0
8. Luke Fickell
Two years into his current gig, Fickell had Cincinnati at 11 wins and in the top 25 rankings. Five years in, and he made history by taking the first-ever Group of 5 team to the College Football Playoff.
Fickell has two straight perfect regular seasons under his belt and has clearly established himself in terms of player development: UC just sent a record nine players to the NFL Draft this offseason.
Other bigger schools may try to lure him away in the future, but right now Fickell is the man for the job as Cincinnati looks forward to joining the Big 12.
Record in college football: 54-22
National championships: 0
7. Brian Kelly
Kelly landed at Notre Dame more than a decade ago and had the Irish playing for a national championship just three years later. And he won at least 10 games in six of the last seven seasons, a run the Irish hadn't seen since the Lou Holtz days.
Now he takes a job equally high on potential as it is on disaster. Playing in the SEC West every week takes a special brand of coach, and while Kelly always had Notre Dame in a position to do great things, his teams also struggled against Southern opponents, as well as ranked ones.
Kelly's teams didn't bring their best against Alabama twice (in the BCS title and a CFP semifinal) or against Clemson in the playoff. He's recruited well and used the transfer portal to LSU's advantage, but now comes the hard part: lining up in this division.
Record in college football: 263-96-2
National championships: 0
6. Lincoln Riley
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Riley inherited a solid Oklahoma program and helped take it into the College Football Playoff era with three straight semifinal appearances and five straight top 10 finishes.
Now Riley arrives at Southern Cal in the bombshell move of the offseason, arriving with a reputation as an offensive play-caller with a track record of developing quarterbacks who win the Heisman and go No. 1 in the NFL Draft.
But he still has a lot to prove, and the USC position will tell us more about his ability to build a program himself.
Record in college football: 55-10
National championships: 0
5. Jimbo Fisher
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Jimbo came to College Station with a national title to his credit while at Florida State, and while he's built A&M's recruiting profile since arriving, the results have been mixed.
Fisher has lost four games in three of his four seasons at A&M and, while he nearly made the College Football Playoff in 2020, the Aggies stumbled last fall and lost four games, despite a statement win over No. 1 Alabama.
Even so, Fisher's recruiting efforts have only improved, signing arguably the greatest class ever coming into 2022. It's a step in the right direction as he and the program look to improve from a 7-10 record against ranked teams.
Record in college football: 117-37
National championships: 1 (2013)
4. Ryan Day
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After serving as offensive coordinator under Urban Meyer and assisting his recruiting efforts, Day moved into the top job and ran with it.
He lost only two total games his first two seasons, claimed two Big Ten titles, and made a pair of College Football Playoffs, including a national championship appearance in Year 2.
Ohio State had two top-5 finishes those years and built on its recruiting foundations by attracting a bevy of elite players at the skill positions.
Day's "worst" year came in 2021, when the Buckeyes lost twice, won the Rose Bowl, and placed No. 6 in the polls.
Record in college football: 34-4
National championships: 0
3. Dabo Swinney
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The 2021 season may have dropped Swinney in the estimation of some, but his total body of work at Clemson has made it that winning 10 games is perceived as a so-called down year by analysts.
Swinney is one of two active coaches to win multiple national championships, built a recruiting behemoth, has won 10 games in 11 straight seasons, taken six straight ACC titles, and made the College Football Playoff six straight times, winning a CFP title before Saban (and against him).
Record in college football: 150-36
National championships: 2 (2016, 2018)
2. Kirby Smart
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The moment Georgia hired Smart, the general consensus was that he could eventually supplant Nick Saban as the boss of the SEC. And by extension, the boss of college football.
That transition may not fully take place while Saban is still around, but Kirby took a big step in that direction last season.
Georgia beat Alabama to win its first national championship since 1980, the culmination of intense and aggressive work Smart and his staff have put into recruiting and developing talent, and inching their way back to national prominence.
Now that he and Georgia are there, the real test is whether they can stay. So far, the results suggest they can.
Record in college football: 66-15
National championships: 1 (2021)
1. Nick Saban
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No arguments here. Saban landed at Alabama in 2007 and hasn't looked back, building the undisputed college football dynasty of the 21st century — if not ever.
Saban alone holds the record for most national championships, winning it all seven times, six of which came during his time at Alabama. He broke the former record held by Bear Bryant, the man of whom it was thought no other Crimson Tide coach would ever surpass.
But seven titles later — and very likely more to come before he steps away — it's clear Saban has carved out a space in college football history for himself. He's not merely the best coach in the game today: he's the greatest coach of all time.
Record in college football: 269-67-1
National championships: 7 (2003, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017, 2020)