December 28, 2025
By Chip Patterson: Over the past half-decade, the Big Ten has emerged as a formidable power that can match any league with its high-level success and conference depth. Oregon, Washington, USC and UCLA have added not just wins and championships, but top-notch coaches as well. When you throw in program-changing hires like Curt Cignetti at Indiana, you’ve got a new-look Big Ten that can credibly call itself the best in the land. It’s the conference that has won the past two national championships and placed seven teams into the first two years of the 12-team College Football Playoff.
Now, the caliber of coaching has improved yet again with Michigan’s hire of Kyle Whittingham. More than two decades of success at Utah established Whittingham as one of the top coaches of the 21st century, and he now takes over a program just a couple of years removed from winning it all. But earning Hall of Fame consideration down the line does not automatically push Whittingham to the front of the Big Ten line. He must carve out his place among a group loaded with College Football Playoff appearances — and, as of last season, a national title.
So where does Kyle Whittingham fit within the current landscape of Big Ten coaches? We did our best to shake it out, taking into consideration all aspects of the coach-ranking process
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