Dabo Swinney, Lincoln Riley, Ryan Day among high-25 college football coaches going by tension in 2024 season

CBS Sports capped its 2024 Power Four coach rankings with the launch of Wednesday’s high 25, highlighting the upper echelon of coaches at the very best stage of college football. This year’s checklist factors a total lot of new names after Reduce Saban’s retirement and Jim Harbaugh’s departure for the NFL left some immense vacancies attain the pinnacle. 

Georgia’s Kirby Pleasing turned into once a natural successor for the No. 1 slot, and the comfort of the pinnacle 10 is a combination of veterans who already boast more than one School Football Playoff appearances and relative inexperienced persons who seem poised to take the sport by storm. Nonetheless, real on fable of a coach lands within the pinnacle 25 does no longer suggest they’re proof in opposition to tension. 

Added expectations come with such a lofty billing. With seven at-exquisite bids up for grabs, making the minimize for an expanded 12-personnel School Football Playoff is now the bar for a high-10 coach. For some, even that might perhaps perhaps no longer minimize it, and simplest a bustle in opposition to the national title will soothe fanbases clamoring for more. 

Not that any high coaches are on the brand new seat coming into 2024, however this season undoubtedly feels love a turning level for some prolific figures in CBS Sports’ high 25. 

2024 Power Four coach rankings: 68-26 | 25-1

Ryan Day, Ohio State

CBS Sports irascible: 2 | 2023 story:11-2 

Most programs would extinguish for the stage of success — both on the sector and within the recruiting sphere — Ohio State has enjoyed in most as a lot as date years. But for your entire 11-obtain seasons and New 365 days’s Six bowl appearances, it be powerful to shake the feeling Day has fallen nicely searching expectations since a 2020 bustle to the School Football Playoff Nationwide Championship Game. The 2023 season marked a Third straight loss to high rival Michigan, a Third consecutive year with out a Broad Ten Championship Game berth and the 2d time within the leisure three years that Ohio State has skipped over out on the playoff. 

Day has to capitalize on a down Broad Ten in 2024. Michigan — which went 15-0 and won its first national title for the reason that BCS era remaining season — misplaced head coach Jim Harbaugh and a litany of stars to the NFL. Newcomer Oregon represents a substantial test with its abilities stage and nascent success below coach Dan Lanning, however Day cannot let a first-year Broad Ten program push him around. The Buckeyes went all on this offseason, poaching sitting UCLA coach Chip Kelly to wait on as their offensive coordinator and placing collectively a truly solid transfer haul. Something else searching a Broad Ten title might perhaps perhaps obtain aside Day in hot water. 

Dabo Swinney, Clemson 

CBS Sports irascible: 3 | 2023 story: 9-4

Clemson’s most as a lot as date trek has been one thing to gather. The Tigers went from six straight ACC titles to real one within the previous three years and the frequent playoff mainstay hasn’t sniffed a CFP role in three seasons. In 2023 Clemson hit a brand new low when it misplaced four video games for the first time since 2011 and posted its worst ACC attain since 2010, falling slack the likes of Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech and NC State within the leisure standings. 

Whether it be Swinney’s steadfast anti-transfer portal stance (even if that appears to be softening a chunk) or one thing else, Clemson hasn’t tailored nicely to the trendy era amid college football’s myriad of most as a lot as date modifications. That being said, the ACC is vast launch this year, and the expanded playoff provides the Tigers an launch direction support to the sport’s perfect stage. On paper, Clemson’s a competitor. It be as a lot as Swinney to finish the bleeding. 

Brian Kelly, LSU 

CBS Sports irascible: 4 | 2023 story: 10-3 

Kelly’s first two years at LSU undoubtedly haven’t been horrid. Anybody with a 20-7 story, including 12-4 in convention play, and an SEC Championship sport appearance deserves their vegetation. But there might perhaps be a potential that Kelly’s LSU teams maintain underperformed. The Tigers haven’t met the lofty expectations Kelly openly welcomed when he left a cushy space at Notre Dame. 

He is batting 0-for-2 to this level and hasn’t come terminate to the CFP. That’s even more disappointing brooding relating to the season LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels obtain aside collectively in 2023. The No. 2 pick within the NFL Draft won the Heisman Trophy and produced one among basically the most piquant seasons we’ve ever seen from a quarterback, nearing the same echelon as historical Tigers megastar Joe Burrow. Sadly for Daniels, LSU’s defense let opponents stroll in every single place it and surrendered a median of 47.3 factors in three losses. Kelly hired up-and-coming coordinator Blake Baker to fix that instruct. however there are mute some main inquire marks on that aspect of the ball — in particular along the line — that the Tigers failed to contend with all by both transfer window. 

Lincoln Riley, USC 

CBS Sports irascible: 10 | 2023 story: 8-5 

USC’s 2023 efforts had been intellectual. The Trojans had been picked to obtain the Pac-12 in preseason media ballotand a total lot of alternative projections had them firmly within the School Football Playoff field. Even with Heisman winner Caleb Williams support at quarterback, USC limped to a 7-5 smartly-liked season. It turned into once by some distance the worst exhibiting in Riley’s occupation as a head coach and the first time he failed to attain double-digit wins in a fat 12-sport season. 

Beyond that, Riley’s stock has been trending down in most as a lot as date years. His 2021 marketing and marketing and marketing campaign with Oklahoma is viewed as a disappointment and his first season with USC turned into once marred by two losses to Utah and a defeat by the palms of Tulane within the Cotton Bowl despite coming into the sport at pretty fat energy. Feeble coordinator Alex Grinch’s defense shouldered worthy of the blame for Riley’s most as a lot as date struggles. Riley by some means changed Grinch and knocked his replacement hire out of the park, poaching historical UCLA DC D’Anton Lynn to fix the evident area. Now Riley has to gather a real away splash in a extremely aggressive new-peek Broad Ten to reveal that the leisure few years had been a minor dip and no longer a pattern. 

James Franklin, Penn State

CBS Sports irascible: 11 | 2023 story: 10-3

Penn State appears perfectly train with what James Franklin has accomplished to this level and it might perhaps perhaps perhaps potentially take an abject be troubled to replace that. With support-to-support 10-obtain seasons and three New 365 days’s Six bowl appearances within the previous 5 years, there might perhaps be quite loads of motive slack the choice-makers in State School, Pennsylvania to be delighted. An expanded School Football Playoff provides more tension for Franklin, even if. There might perhaps be no excuse to fail to brand it given the smartly-liked he’s established, in particular now that the Nittany Lions now no longer play both Michigan and Ohio State within the same year. With quarterback Drew Allar support and a loaded backfield paced by Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen, now might perhaps perhaps perhaps be the time for Penn State to gather some noise. In every other case, that goodwill might perhaps perhaps originate to proceed a chunk.