Ohio State and Ryan Day are used to being at the top of the college football rankings. It doesn’t matter whether that’s on the final lists of the recruits they’re chasing or rankings made to demonstrate the powerhouses of CFB. However, last season, Curt Cignetti and his Hoosiers first dethroned the Buckeyes in the conference and later won the natty. Predictably, the Indiana head coach has reached the mountaintop.

In Bruce Feldman’s latest head coach rankings for The Athletic, Day is ranked as the No. 3 coach in the country. He used to be No. 2, but the rankings changed after Indiana had a historic season. Their coach, Curt Cignetti, jumped from No. 19 all the way to No. 1 after leading the Hoosiers to an undefeated national title. Kirby Smart from Georgia is now ranked No. 2.

Even though Day dropped one spot, Feldman is still very impressed with what the Buckeyes are building in Columbus. He pointed out how consistent Day has been and how well he performs under pressure.

“He’s a year removed from leading the Buckeyes to the national title, and it feels like he’s in a good spot to get another. Day is 82-12 with a sterling 55-5 record in the Big Ten. In seven seasons, his teams have never finished outside the top 10. He did inherit some of the best parts of the Buckeyes program, but keeping everything on track and building on it isn’t a given. Day famously had a very rough stretch against arch-rival Michigan, but he and his team got revenge last season, whipping Michigan 27-9 in Ann Arbor. They’re as safe a bet as anyone to win the national title this year,” Feldman shared his thoughts on Day’s success in his report.

Feldman has over 20 years of experience and is known for being one of the most connected insiders in the sport. He is especially renowned for his annual “Freaks List,” which identifies the most athletic players in the country. This list is so accurate that NFL scouts and teams actually use it to help prepare for the draft.

As for Day, he remains one of the elite leaders in football. With a national championship win in 2024 and a formidable team heading into the 2026 season, his reputation is solid. As Feldman suggested, if the Buckeyes win another trophy this winter, Day will likely find himself right back at the top of the rankings.

How Curt Cignetti Climbed to No. 1

Curt Cignetti has orchestrated what many consider the most incredible turnaround in the history of college football. When he took over the Indiana program, he inherited a team with more losses than any other in the sport’s history. Rather than enduring a long rebuilding phase, Cignetti immediately turned the Hoosiers into national title contenders.

Over just two seasons, he has led IU to a staggering 27-2 overall record and a dominant 17-1 mark in Big Ten play. This past season was particularly historic, as the Hoosiers completed a perfect 12-0 regular season and swept the postseason, winning the Big Ten Championship, the Rose Bowl, and the Peach Bowl on their way to a CFP National Championship.

Under Cignetti’s leadership, the team has lost only a single conference game in two years. This level of success has earned him multiple Coach of the Year honors, and as the 2026 season approaches, the praise continues to grow. In the latest Top-25 power rankings from Bruce Feldman of The Athletic, Cignetti has officially claimed the No. 1 spot. In his rankings, Feldman noted that Cignetti’s rise from No. 19 last year to the top spot is well-deserved because of how he handled the sport’s traditional powerhouses.

“He transformed the losingest program in college football history into an 11-2 Playoff team in Year 1 and a 16-0 national champion in Year 2 — and his team beat a bunch of blue bloods along the way. It’s a stretch to think any other coach could’ve done what the 64-year-old Cignetti has done,” Feldman wrote.