ranking college football coaches

Ranking the college football head coaches in each conference before the season starts, where do they all stack up?

– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

Next we’ll do the full ranking from 1 to 130 of all the head coaches going into the 2020 college football season – whatever it’s going to be and however it’s going to look – but first, here are the galleries with the CFN head coach rankings by conference.

How did we pick who goes where? Let’s just say the criteria was very, very loose.

It’s a combination of the head coaches with the best resumés, and who has the most experience, and who has done a great job at the toughest places, and who has the most longevity, and who you’d want right now to be your head man, and who has more to prove, and …

Again, it’s very loose. In general, those who have consistently done a great job at the toughest places get ranked higher.

Disagree with any of this? Great … if your guy rocks – or struggles – we’ll adapt and adjust the rankings throughout the season.

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ACC Preseason Head Coach Rankings

– CFN 2020 Preseason All-ACC Team

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American Athletic Conference Preseason Head Coach Rankings

– CFN 2020 Preseason All-AAC Team

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Big Ten Preseason Head Coach Rankings

– CFN 2020 Preseason All-Big Ten Team

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Big 12 Preseason Head Coach Rankings

– CFN 2020 Preseason All-Big 12 Team

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Conference USA Preseason Head Coach Rankings

– CFN 2020 Preseason All-C-USA Team

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Independents Preseason Head Coach Rankings

– CFN 2020 Preseason All-Independents Team

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MAC Preseason Head Coach Rankings

– CFN 2020 Preseason All-MAC Team

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Mountain West Preseason Head Coach Rankings

– CFN 2020 Preseason All-Mountain West Team

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Pac-12 Preseason Head Coach Rankings

– CFN 2020 Preseason All-Pac-12 Team

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SEC Preseason Head Coach Rankings

– CFN 2020 Preseason All-SEC Team

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Sun Belt Preseason Head Coach Rankings

– CFN 2020 Preseason All-Sun Belt Team

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Photo Credits: (Dabo Swinney, Scott Satterfield) Brian Spurlock; (Tom Herman, Mike Gundy) Rob Ferguson; (PJ Fleck, Paul Chryst) Jesse Johnson; (Jimbo Fisher, Gus Malzahn) John Glaser-USA TODAY Sports

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College Football News Preview 2020: Which current college football head coaches were the best players?

– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @RichCirminiello

20. WR PJ Fleck, Northern Illinois (Minnesota)

Caught a school-record 77 passes for 1,028 yards and six touchdowns as a senior.

19. QB Jeff Brohm, Louisville (Purdue)

Blossomed as a senior, throwing 20 TD passes and leading the Cards to a 9-3 record.

18. FB Frank Solich, Nebraska (Ohio)

Inducted into the Nebraska Football Hall of Fame in 1992. Ran for 1,010 yards and seven scores, averaging 5.2 yards per carry.

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17. QB Rick Stockstill, Florida State (Middle Tennessee)

Named honorable mention All-American with the Seminoles in 1981.

16. NG Luke Fickell, Ohio State (Cincinnati)

Started a school-record 50 straight games along the defensive line in Columbus.

15. S Kirby Smart, Georgia (Georgia)

Earned four letters, rising to the All-SEC First Team as a senior in 1999.

14. LB Kevin Sumlin, Purdue (Arizona)

Four-year starter made 375 tackles and was twice named honorable mention All-Big Ten.

13. QB Jonathan Smith, Oregon State (Oregon State)

Four-year starter who led the Beavers to their best season in school history.

12. QB Jimbo Fisher, Samford (Texas A&M)

Named 1987 Division III Player of the Year, setting a single-season D-III mark with 34 TD passes.

11. QB Tom Arth, John Carroll (Akron)

Set 18 school records and earned unanimous All-American honors as a junior and senior.

10. LB Kyle Whittingham, BYU (Utah)

Made 240 tackles and forced six fumbles in his final two seasons with the Cougars.

9. S Lovie Smith, Tulsa (Illinois)

Started every game for three seasons at Tulsa, making 367 career tackles.

8. QB Tim Lester, Western Michigan (Western Michigan)

Finished his college career with 87 touchdown passes and 11,299 passing yards.

7. QB Josh Heupel, Oklahoma (UCF)

All-American and Heisman Trophy runner-up led the Sooners to a national championship.

6. QB Willie Taggart, WKU (Florida Atlantic)

Two-time finalist for the Walter Payton Award, the I-AA equivalent of the Heisman Trophy.

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5. QB Scott Frost, Nebraska (Nebraska)

Led the Huskers to a perfect season and a share of the national championship in 1997.

4. DB Herm Edwards, Cal/San Diego State (Arizona State)

Intercepted 33 passes during a nine-year career with the Philadelphia Eagles.

3. QB Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State (Oklahoma State)

Broke the Oklahoma State and Big 8 passing records with 7,997 yards.

2. QB Jim Harbaugh, Michigan (Michigan)

Left Ann Arbor as Michigan’s career passing yards leader before playing 15 years in the NFL.

1. LB Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern (Northwestern)

In the College Football Hall of Fame, he was a two-time consensus All-American and the recipient of the Bednarik Award in 1995 and 1996.