Winning big games has always separated contenders from pretenders, but the 12-team College Football Playoff has eliminated nearly every hiding place. More access comes with greater scrutiny, and coaches who consistently stumble against ranked competition do not last long in the championship conversation.
That is what makes career records against AP Top 25 opponents such a revealing measuring stick entering the 2026 season. Some coaches have built reputations as giant-killers, thriving when the lights brighten and the margin for error disappears. Others have piled up wins against manageable schedules only to hit a wall when facing elite rosters and high-level quarterback play.
Context matters, of course -- resources, conference strength and rebuilding jobs all shape the numbers. Still, winning against quality teams consistently is the price of admission now. These records show which Power Four coaches have delivered when it matters most -- and which ones still have something to prove.
Diving into the numbers
Career records against ranked opponents were determined by each opponent's position in the AP Top 25 at the time of the game and include every stop during a coach's career. These numbers do not account for postseason rankings or where teams finished in a given season. Vacated wins over ranked opponents are also included since those games were won on the field.
Only 10 Power Four coaches currently hold a .500 or better career winning percentage against ranked teams. We'll include Notre Dame's Marcus Freeman in that bunch. At the elite independent, Freeman went 2-2 last season and is 16-8 overall (.500) against the nation's best, several of those victories coming in 2024 during the Fighting Irish's run to the national title game.
That said, not all schedules -- or ranked wins -- are created equal. Consider the level of competition each coach has faced, along with the conference and program behind those victories, before judging the résumé. Recent results matter, too, in a sport driven by a "what have you done for me lately?" mentality.
SEC's schedule strength shows
Given the wealth of SEC teams slotted in the preseason Coaches Poll, several programs this season could play five or more games against nationally-ranked competition. No other conference delivers that level of weekly grind, comparatively speaking.
Kalen DeBoer took his share of criticism after Alabama's fall from grace during his first season, but the Crimson Tide did its homework when choosing Nick Saban's successor. No coach owns a better career winning percentage against ranked competition than DeBoer, an essential trait in the nation's toughest conference. Prior to his time with the Crimson Tide, DeBoer went 10-1 against AP Top 25 opponents across two seasons at Washington, with the lone loss coming against Michigan in the national championship game.
Kirby Smart's 42 total wins over ranked competition since the start of the 2016 season are the most in college football over that stretch. Last season, Georgia went 5-2 against ranked opponents, including wins over Ole Miss, Alabama, Tennessee, Texas and Georgia Tech.
After a bevy of coaching changes this cycle, there's a handful of first-year SEC coaches who will have to endure brutal slates this fall, including Ryan Silverfield at Arkansas. Ole Miss coach Pete Golding beat Tulane and Georgia in the CFP last season and enters his first campaign with the Rebels, bubbling with confidence.
At Texas, Steve Sarkisian is 14-7 against the top 25 teams the last three seasons after posting just two victories over ranked competition during his first two years with the Longhorns. Three of those victories came against top-10 teams last fall. He hasn't beaten Smart, however.
Vanderbilt's Clark Lea has six career wins over ranked teams, four of them coming last fall during the Commodores' 10-victory outburst. Beating then-No. 1 Alabama for the first time in program history two years ago remains his signature win in Nashville.
SEC coaches vs. AP Top 25 (career)
| Coach, school | Record |
|---|---|
Kalen DeBoer, Alabama | 20-6 (.769) |
Kirby Smart, Georgia | 42-17 (.711) |
Pete Golding, Ole Miss | 2-1 (.667) |
Brent Venables, Oklahoma | 9-9 (.500) |
Josh Heupel, Tennessee | 12-16 (.428) |
Mike Elko, Texas A&M | 6-8 (.428) |
Steve Sarkisian, Texas | 25-35 (.416) |
Lane Kiffin, LSU | 15-26 (.365) |
Ryan Silverfield, Arkansas | 2-4 (.333) |
Alex Golesh, Auburn | 2-4 (.333) |
Eli Drinkwitz, Missouri | 7-19 (.269) |
Shane Beamer, South Carolina | 7-21 (.250) |
Clark Lea, Vanderbilt | 6-18 (.250) |
Jon Sumrall, Florida | 2-7 (.222) |
Jeff Lebby, Mississippi State | 1-11 (.083) |
Will Stein, Kentucky | N/A |
Elite coaches carry the Big Ten
Ryan Day, Dan Lanning, Lincoln Riley, and now Curt Cignetti are the only league coaches with winning records in their respective careers against top 25 competition. Riley acquired most of his during his stint at Oklahoma, while Day captured six wins over ranked opponents during Ohio State's run to a national championship in 2024.
Before winning that title with the Buckeyes, Day heard every criticism imaginable at Ohio State, but his record against AP Top 25 competition reflects a coach who wins far more big games than he loses. The standard in Columbus is ruthless, where one setback against Michigan can overshadow an otherwise championship-caliber season.
Still, Day's consistency against ranked opponents remains one of his strongest résumé points. He has recruited at an elite level, developed NFL-ready quarterbacks and kept the Buckeyes firmly in the national title hunt. His breakthrough national championship further strengthened the argument: Few coaches are better equipped for college football's biggest stages right now.
Cignetti's rise is legendary. His 16-0 triumph at Indiana in 2025 featured six wins over ranked teams -- the only half-dozen of such in his coaching career -- highlighted by a couple victories over Lanning's Ducks and a 35-point beatdown of DeBoer and Alabama in the CFP.
Matt Campbell raised the ceiling at Iowa State after winning 35 games over four successful seasons at Toledo, but faces a different animal entirely in the Big Ten at Penn State.
Nebraska coach Matt Rhule's last win over a ranked team came in his final game at Temple in 2016. Since then, Rhule is winless in 20 tries at Baylor and with the Huskers against the nation's best. Kirk Ferentz has the most all-time wins against top 25 opponents in the Big Ten with 31, much of that due to being the league's longest-tenured coach.
Big Ten coaches vs. AP Top 25 (career)
| Coach, school | Record |
|---|---|
Curt Cignetti, Indiana | 6-2 (.750) |
Ryan Day, Ohio State | 27-11 (.710) |
Dan Lanning, Oregon | 15-8 (.652) |
Lincoln Riley, USC | 20-17 (.540) |
Jedd Fisch, Washington | 8-12 (.400) |
Kyle Whittingham, Michigan | 25-39 (.390) |
Matt Campbell, Penn State | 18-29 (.383) |
Kirk Ferentz, Iowa | 31-60 (.344) |
Bret Bielema, Illinois | 24-47 (.338) |
Luke Fickell, Wisconsin | 10-25 (.285) |
Pat Fitzgerald, Michigan State | 15-40 (.272) |
P.J. Fleck, Minnesota | 8-22 (.266) |
Greg Schiano, Rutgers | 4-34 (.105) |
Matt Rhule, Nebraska | 2-25 (.074) |
Mike Locksley, Maryland | 2-30 (.062) |
Barry Odom, Purdue | 1-17 (.055) |
Bob Chensey, UCLA | 0-1 (.000) |
David Braun, Northwestern | 0-9 (.000) |
Mario Cristobal now carries ACC's torch
After winning a jaw-dropping seven games last fall against ranked opponents, Miami's coach continues to ascend. He's now 15-19 overall in his career against top teams, which includes his stint at Oregon. As the ACC frontrunner in 2026, Miami has a chance to push Cristobal to .500 or better career in this department.
One of only four active coaches with a national championship to his credit, Clemson's Dabo Swinney is usually dependable against elite competition. Many of his top victories have come in the College Football Playoff during his illustrious Clemson career, which includes numerous ACC championships and two playoff titles. The Tigers are 2-4 over the last two seasons against ranked teams, with their best win coming against SMU in the 2024 ACC title game, clinching a CFP berth.
Brent Key has accomplished more with less at Georgia Tech, including nationally ranked wins over Florida State and Miami in 2024 and one over Clemson last fall.
Despite being the ACC's second-longest-tenured coach and holding the program record for wins, Dave Doeren has struggled to beat the good teams on the Wolfpack's schedule. Since the start of the 2023 campaign, NC State is 1-7 against ranked competition.
Three of Mike Norvell's nine career victories against ranked foes came during Florida State's 13-1 campaign in 2023. The Seminoles became the first and only unbeaten power conference champion to be excluded from the playoff during the four-team era. Last season, Florida State stunned Alabama in the opener during a 3-0 start before its train derailed thereafter.
ACC coaches vs. AP Top 25 (career)
| Coach, school | Record |
|---|---|
Dabo Swinney, Clemson | 41-28 (.594) |
Rhett Lashlee, SMU | 5-5 (.500) |
Brent Key, Georgia Tech | 7-8 (.467) |
Mario Cristobal, Miami | 15-19 (.441) |
Jeff Brohm, Louisville | 12-17 (.413) |
Fran Brown, Syracuse | 3-5 (.375) |
James Franklin, Virginia Tech | 17-29 (.369) |
Tony Elliott, Virginia | 3-6 (.333) |
Bill O'Brien, Boston College | 4-8 (.333) |
Pat Narduzzi, Pitt | 11-24 (.314) |
Manny Diaz, Duke | 5-11 (.312) |
Mike Norvell, Florida State | 9-20 (.310) |
Jake Dickert, Wake Forest | 4-10 (.285) |
Dave Doeren, NC State | 9-31 (.225) |
Bill Belichick, North Carolina | 0-1 (.000) |
Tosh Lupoi, California | N/A |
Tavita Pritchard, Stanford | N/A |
Where are the Big 12 winners?
No coach in the conference has a winning record against ranked teams in their career, but Texas Tech's Joey McGuire leads with a winning percentage of .466 after taking the league title last season. With another elite transfer class, the Red Raiders are again the favorites to reach the CFP as the league's lone representative, unless BYU, Houston or another adversary makes waves this fall.
Sonny Dykes beat six ranked teams at TCU in 2022 during the Horned Frogs' spirited run to the national title game, eclipsing his previous career total (five) of top 25 wins in one season. He has added a couple of ranked victories to the tally since.
Since winning the Big 12 Championship in 2021 with a 12-2 record and a No. 5 finish in the final AP poll, Dave Aranda has lost 12 of his last 13 against ranked competition at Baylor. The lone win came against SMU last fall.
Rich Rodriguez registered 10 wins in 24 tries against ranked teams during his first stint at West Virginia from 2001-07, when he enjoyed three consecutive top-10 finishes with high-powered offenses leading the way. The quality wins have lacked since then, over stints at Michigan and Arizona, which preceded success with Jacksonville State.
Willie Fritz lost his first 12 games against ranked teams at Tulane before winning three straight -- including a victory over USC in the Cotton Bowl -- to cap the best campaign in program history in 2022. He went 1-3 against top 25 competition in his first season at Houston before finishing with 10 wins inside the top 25 last fall.
Deion Sanders has two wins in 11 tries at Colorado against top 25 opponents. A couple nationally ranked losses in 2024 -- despite being led by Heisman winner Travis Hunter and all-league quarterback Shedeur Sanders -- cost the Buffaloes a spot in the playoff, before last season's flat line brings pressure entering September.
Scott Frost's three career wins against ranked teams all came during that memorable unbeaten 2017 season with UCF. Over five failed years at Nebraska and last fall in his return to Orlando, he's winless against top 25 opponents.
Big 12 coaches vs. AP Top 25 (career)
| Coach, school | Record |
|---|---|
Joey McGuire, Texas Tech | 7-8 (.466) |
Kenny Dillingham, Arizona State | 6-7 (.461) |
Kalani Sitake, BYU | 11-15 (.423) |
Sonny Dykes, TCU | 13-26 (.333) |
Rich Rodriguez, West Virginia | 21-47 (.308) |
Lance Leipold, Kansas | 5-12 (.294) |
Dave Aranda, Baylor | 6-17 (.260) |
Willie Fritz, Houston | 5-17 (.227) |
Scott Satterfield, Cincinnati | 4-15 (.210) |
Brent Brennan, Arizona | 3-12 (.200) |
Deion Sanders, Colorado | 2-9 (.181) |
Scott Frost, UCF | 3-18 (.142) |
Eric Morris, Oklahoma State | 0-4 |
Jimmy Rogers, Iowa State | 0-2 |
Morgan Scalley, Utah | N/A |
Colin Klein, Kansas State | N/A |
