May 27, 2026
By Steven Lassan, Senior Editor, Athlon Sports: With the Big 12’s on-field volatility, it’s no surprise this conference is one of the toughest collections of coaches to rank entering the 2026 college football season. BYU’s Kalani Sitake and Houston’s Willie Fritz headline the rankings, but Texas Tech’s Joey McGuire, Arizona State’s Kenny Dillingham, and TCU’s Sonny Dykes aren’t far behind the top tier in Athlon’s Big 12 coach rankings for ’26.
Long-time coaching veterans in West Virginia’s Rich Rodriguez and Kansas’ Lance Leipold also rank in the top half of the conference, while Colorado’s Deion Sanders and Baylor’s Dave Aranda are arguably two of the toughest coaches to place this offseason.
How did we compile the rankings for coaches by conference? For starters, it’s an impossible task. However, we tried to weigh every possible factor. This is not simply a list of coaches ranked by accomplishment or wins.
Looking for more SuperWest team news? Find it at our Team News Feed
