The Big Ten got a facelift during this season’s coaching carousel. Two of the top programs in the conference in Michigan and Penn State made major moves, and that’s led to some interesting conjecture on the subject. 

Gone are James Franklin and Sherrone Moore. Enter Matt Campbell and Kyle Whittingham. Two majorly talented coaches joining the Big Ten. Naturally, Chip Patterson of CBS Sports had to provide us with updated rankings after the hires were made official.

How high could our two freshly-minted Big Ten leaders climb? Check out Patterson’s rankings below. Of course, Ryan Day leads the way, but that’s what being the lone coach with a national championship to his name will do for you. 

Ryan Day’s consistency at Ohio State is unmatched in the Big Ten. His Buckeyes have never finished outside the top 10 under his watch. 

Last season, the program’s first 12-team College Football Playoff title filled the lone gap on his résumé. With a staggering 54-5 record in Big Ten play, his dominance inside the league is unquestioned.

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Curt Cignetti told skeptics to look at his track record. His results at Indiana have only strengthened that message. 

He delivered the winningest season in program history in Year 1. Then, Cignetti followed that up with a perfect 13-0 campaign and a Big Ten title in Year 2. He’s 24-2 overall in Bloomington.

Dan Lanning’s rise has continued seamlessly through Oregon’s transition to the Big Ten. The Ducks have suffered just one regular-season loss in two Big Ten seasons, coming against the current No. 1 team in the country Indiana. 

Last year’s Big Ten title run included statement wins over Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State. At 47-7 overall, Lanning is firmly among the nation’s elite.

Kyle Whittingham’s résumé brings immediate credibility. He’s amassed 177 career wins and three conference titles across two leagues. 

Back-to-back PAC-12 titles in 2021 and 2022 showcased his ability to thrive in a league filled with elite coaching peers. Those late-era conference battles help frame his place among the Big Ten’s top tier as Michigan enters a new chapter.

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Lincoln Riley’s early head-coaching résumé would place him among the very best in the country. Four straight Big 12 titles, three CFP appearances and an 11-win debut season at USC once had his record sitting at 66-13. 

Since then, Riley is 24-14 and just 11-7 against Big Ten opponents, tempering expectations. A nine-win 2025 season and a top-ranked recruiting class hint at a rebound though.

Kirk Ferentz remains one of the defining figures in the Big Ten. After inheriting the program from Hayden Fry, he built a culture of consistency that peaked with Big Ten titles in 2002 and 2004. 

Iowa has reached bowl eligibility in 23 of the last 25 seasons, an almost unmatched standard of stability. Even late into his tenure, Ferentz has produced four 10-win seasons since 2015.

Bret Bielema’s Big Ten credibility was established during his championship run at Wisconsin. However, his work at Illinois has been just as impressive in a different context. 

The Illini had eight-win seasons just twice from 2000-2020, a mark Bielema has already reached three times since 2021. An 18-7 record over the last two years underscores how dramatically he has elevated the program.

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Matt Campbell arrives at Penn State as the most accomplished coach in Iowa State history. He led the Cyclones to their only 11-win season and posted eight-plus wins five times in a decade. 

Penn State however brings a different set of expectations where success is assumed rather than celebrated. Campbell now faces the challenge of proving he can thrive not as an underdog, but as a frontrunner.

Matt Rhule built his reputation on dramatic turnarounds at Temple and Baylor. Those patterns suggested Nebraska was poised for a major jump in 2025. 

Instead, injuries, including to quarterback Dylan Raiola, slowed momentum. The Cornhuskers finished with just seven regular-season wins. Nebraska has yet to post a winning Big Ten record under Rhule, raising questions about when the breakthrough will come.

Jedd Fisch is widely respected as an offensive mind, but his head-coaching résumé remains uneven. His overall record is weighed down by a 1-11 first season at Arizona, though the Wildcats’ rapid rise to 10 wins by Year 3 was remarkable.

At Washington, Fisch is 15-11 through two seasons and an even 9-9 in Big Ten play. That places him firmly in the middle tier. He’s talented and proven in flashes, but still climbing toward the league’s elite.

11. Pat Fitzgerald, Michigan State 
12. Luke Fickell, Wisconsin 
13. P.J. Fleck, Minnesota 
14. Greg Schiano, Rutgers 
15. Barry Odom, Purdue 
16. Bob Chesney, UCLA 
17. David Braun, Northwestern 
18. Mike Locksley, Maryland