Top CFB program head coach trolls analyst for leaving his program out of top rankings

College football rankings come from a million sources and are the product of a million opinions. In general, most college football coaches would at least profess to have tunnel vision in regard to the multitude of rankings. But times are changing.

While there are doubtlessly plenty of coaches who don't mind throwing in on the social media front (ahem, Lane Kiffin), it is still a bit jarring to see a head coach clap back at a preseason ranking. But at least one coach recently did so.

Fisch takes note of Pate's Washington omission

Washington boss Jedd Fisch clapped back at ESPN's Josh Pate after Pate unveiled a Top 12 ranking of college football programs. Pate states that his ranking is based on a three-year rolling blend of criteria. Washington doesn't make an appearance on the list, and that apparently sat poorly with Fisch.

Got it https://t.co/0enQGawXrt
— Jedd Fisch (@CoachJeddFisch) February 17, 2026

Washington's resume versus other teams in the ranking

Admittedly, Washington could build a case. Michigan is No. 10 in Pate's rankings largely on the strength of a 2023 CFP title. But Michigan is 17-9 since then, and is now on its third coach since the end of the 2023 season.

Washington meanwhile reached that same 2023 CFP title game. Washington is 15-11 since then and has seen Kalen DeBoer be replaced by Fisch.

That said, there's more in play there. Washington moved from the briefly extinct and now returning Pac-12 Conference to the Big Ten. The Huskies have gone 9-9 in two seasons of Big Ten play under Fisch. Michigan has gone 12-6 in the league in that span and even with Ohio State and now Indiana jumping past both teams, the Wolverines do seem to have been a slightly larger part of the college football landscape.

Of course, Texas Tech and Tennessee aren't exactly locks in the back of the top 12. Tech had a top 10 season in 2025, but didn't make any real CFP inroads and has gone 27-13 over the three season run. Washington has gone 29-12 in that period. Tech does a massive presence in the transfer portal that helped define the 2025 campaign and marks them as a potential power moving ahead.

Tennessee's selection might be on shakier grounds. In three years, the Vols have one CFP appearance and a first-round loss. Tennessee is 27-12 over its run and is 14-10 in conference play. The Vols lack any sort of identity that marks them as particularly likely to ascned the uber-competitive world of the SEC.

Washington still seems to be searching for a Big Ten identity. The Huskies nearly lost QB Demond Williams to the transfer portal, but they navigated their way to keeping their QB amid a contentious situation. Fisch's social media interaction might be seeking motivational fire for a 2026 run.