College football head coach rankings are out — and Curt Cignetti is stealing the show

It's not a stretch to say that Curt Cignetti has led the Indiana football program to the greatest turnaround in sports history.

Since taking over for the program with the most losses in college football history, Cignetti has led the Hoosiers to an overall record of 27-2 and won a historic National Championship in just his second season in Bloomington. He also won a Big Ten Championship and produced a Heisman Trophy-winning QB in Fernando Mendoza.

Cignetti's tenure at IU has truly been remarkable, and his presence at the helm gives the Hoosiers plenty of staying power in 2026 and beyond. Cignetti has already racked up multiple Coach of the Year awards from various outlets and organizations, and with Indiana slated among the national title favorites heading into the 2026 season, the praise for Cignetti continues to roll in.

Curt Cignetti claims No. 1 spot in 2026 CBS Sports' head coach power rankings

On Wednesday, CBS Sports released its list ranking the top 68 college football head coaches in college football. Tom Fornelli ranked each of the Power 4 head coaches from worst to first heading into the 2026 season, and Cignetti's landing spot comes as no surprise to Indiana fans.

Coming off a perfect 16-0 season that saw Indiana win the Big Ten Championship Game, Rose Bowl, Peach Bowl, and CFP National Championship Game, Cignetti claims the No. 1 spot in CBS Sports' Power 4 head coach rankings.

The move to the top spot is a big one for Cignetti, who came in at No. 21 in last year's ranking following his first season in Bloomington.

Fornelli notes that while Cignetti's success at Indiana is historically impressive in its own right, it's how he orchestrated a National Championship-winning season that really makes Cignetti special.

"Curt Cignetti has taken college football by storm. He's done the seemingly impossible by turning Indiana into a national champion in only two seasons. It's not simply that he did it, either, but how he did it. He went on the road and beat Oregon during the regular season. He beat No. 1 Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship. He crushed Alabama by 35 in the Rose Bowl and followed it up with a 34-point win over Oregon in the Peach Bowl. Then he took down a Miami team that was peaking at the right time in the postseason."

Tom Fornelli

Cignetti is followed in the rankings by Georgia's Kirby Smart, Ohio State's Ryan Day, Notre Dame's Marcus Freeman, and Oregon's Dan Lanning.

Curt Cignetti has Indiana well-positioned for future success

Prior to Cignetti's arrival in Bloomington, Indiana won a total of three Big Ten games in the final three seasons of the Tom Allen era. With Cignetti leading the way, the Hoosiers have lost just one conference game over two seasons. He's turned that success into a huge pay day, as Cignetti's salary of $13.02 million makes him the highest-paid coach in all of college football entering the 2026 season according to On3.

Looking ahead, Cignetti has Indiana in a great spot to compete for another national title in 2026. He brought in a talented transfer portal class ranked No. 8 in the country by 247Sports, and it's clear he has an effective system in place to develop talent and put his players in the best position to succeed.

Cignetti's winning ways at Indiana follow his 52-9 record over five seasons at James Madison. Prior to that, he went 14-9 at Elon and 53-17 at IUP. In total, Cignetti's career head coaching record now sits at 146-37, which evens out to a winning percentage of .798.

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