The Big 12 is the most upwardly mobile power conference in college football, and coaches have never played a bigger role. While a few grizzled veterans remain leading historic programs, there are a wave of young, exciting coaches ready to shoot their way up the rankings.
Like his Arizona State squad last year, Kenny Dillingham was picked last in the 2024 Big 12 coaches rankings. One year later, he’s moved up to No. 5. The coach Dillingham coached against in the in the Big 12 title game — Iowa State’s Matt Campbell — exploded up to No. 1, leaving legends like Kyle Whittingham and Mike Gundy in the dust.
However, the most interesting battles for supremacy occur further down the list, especially as criteria differs between voters. Baylor’s Dave Aranda and TCU’s Sonny Dykes feature the best seasons in their respective programs’ histories, but lackluster years as well. Colorado’s Deion Sanders had a historic nine-win season but lacks the consistency of BYU’s Kalani Sitake. And then there’s Brent Brennan at Arizona, who sits on the hottest seat in the Big 12 after a miserable first season in Tucson.
With all of that said, here’s how our expert team at CBS Sports and 247Sports rank all 16 coaches in the Big 12 heading into 2025.
Complete Power Four coach rankings: 1-25 | 26-68
2025 Big 12 coach rankings
1. Matt Campbell, Iowa State
National rank: No. 10
Campbell is on the short list for best coach in the Big 12 every season for a reason. What he’s accomplished at Iowa State is nothing short of miraculous considering the historically moribund state of the program. Last season, Campbell led ISU to its second Big 12 title game and won a program record 11 games. No other coach even cleared nine. Iowa State only has six bowl wins in program history; three came under Campbell. He just continues to pump out success at one of America’s toughest jobs. Last year: No. 6 in Big 12
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2. Kyle Whittingham, Utah
National rank: No. 11
Whittingham is fresh off two consecutive disappointing seasons, but his resume at Utah is beyond reproach. The program won consecutive Pac-12 championships and enters the season as the betting favorite to win the Big 12 (+550), per BetMGM. Whittingham has been at Utah since joining as a defensive line coach in 1994 and boasts 167 wins as a head coach. Last year: No. 1 in Big 12
3. Chris Klieman, Kansas State
National rank: No. 14
Klieman remains in the elite tier of Big 12 coaches after a “disappointing” season, which still meant nine wins and a victory in the Rate Bowl. Under Klieman, Kansas State has won at least eight games in every non-pandemic season and delivered three bowl wins in four years. Additionally, Klieman absolutely gets bonus points for four FCS national championships at North Dakota State and a 120-41 record across both levels. Last year: No. 3 in Big 12
4. Lance Leipold, Kansas
National rank: No. 15
Leipold shot up the rankings after a strong 2023 season but fell back to Earth after disappointing at 5-7. However, he still belongs in the top group of coaches for his success at multiple different stops. The nine-win campaign in 2023 was the best at Kansas since Mark Mangino’s 12-1 Orange Bowl season in 2007 and is tied for the fourth-best season in program history. Combine that with a miracle rebuild at Buffalo and ranking as one of the greatest Division III coaches at all time — a top-15 ranking is well deserved. Last year: No. 2 in Big 12
5. Kenny Dillingham, Arizona State
National rank: No. 18
There was little question that Dillingham would fly up the board after leading Arizona State to a Big 12 championship in his second season. Improving 46 spots in the national FBS rankings is an astonishing jump, but that’s what delivering a College Football Playoff appearance in Year 2 can accomplish. The Sun Devils remain a favorite in the conference heading into Year 3, which could make for another massive jump. Last year: No. 16 in Big 12
6. Kalani Sitake, BYU
National rank: No. 26
Sitake was deeply slept on after a lackluster first year in the Big 12, and he corrected that with a dominant 11-2 campaign and Alamo Bowl victory. Sitake has posted three 10-win seasons in his last five campaigns with a pair of AP top-15 finishes at BYU. It took the Cougars a little time to get going, but Sitake has rebuilt the program in his image and is poised for even more. Last year: No. 11 in Big 12
7. Deion Sanders, Colorado
National rank: No. 33
Sanders was one of the hardest coaches to play in his first two seasons at Colorado, but a nine-win season makes the evaluation just a little easier. The Buffaloes won their most games since 2016 and produced Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter. Maintaining the success will be difficult with Hunter and Shedeur Sanders off to the NFL, but the breakout season is enough to earn Sanders a nice little bump. Last year: No. 15 in the Big 12
8. Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State
National rank: No. 34
Gundy entered the first real tumultuous offseason of his tenure after snapping an 18-year streak of winning records. He has been incredibly slow to adjust to the new era, which he readily acknowledged, and that complicates what has been a sensational run at Oklahoma State. Still, Gundy has a 169-88 record with the Cowboys and won three Big 12 Coach of the Year awards. He has spent most of his career near the very top of this list. Last year: No. 4 in the Big 12
9. Sonny Dykes, TCU
National rank: No. 35
Dykes is in a strange position. TCU won nine games in 2024, but Dykes slid 13 spots in the national ranking and four spots in the Big 12. A few of the ascensions are fair, but Dykes’ coaching career has been undervalued. He posted a 25-10 record in his final three seasons at SMU, including their first 10-win season since the 1980s. The national title game run skewed expectations, but jumping from five to nine wins year-over-year is solid progress at TCU. Contend for another Big 12 title and Dykes should return to the top 25 where he belongs. Last year: No. 5 in the Big 12
10. Dave Aranda, Baylor
National rank: No. 38
Aranda remains one of the toughest coaches in the Big 12 to evaluate. He led Baylor to the best season in program history, a 12-2 Big 12 title campaign with a Sugar Bowl win and top-five finish. Otherwise, he has more losing seasons than winning. However, the second half of 2024 gave a glimpse of the program’s upside as Aranda led a six-game winning streak and ended in Big 12 contention. If Baylor remains in conference contention, the evaluation on Aranda will shoot up. Last year: No. 12 in the Big 12
11. Willie Fritz, Houston
National rank: No. 41
Fritz took on a major reclamation challenge when he took the Houston job. So, why did he drop so precipitously after an expected transition season? The Cougars won two Big 12 games in the latter half of the season and showed real fight despite a depleted roster. Especially after adding QB Conner Weigman, more is expected in 2025. Fritz also boasts impeccable credentials at the JUCO, Division II and Group of Five levels. Last year: No. 7 in the Big 12
12. Rich Rodriguez, West Virginia
National rank: No. 42
Rodriguez returns to West Virginia for the second time after leaving for Michigan in 2008. His Wolverines tenure was lackluster, but Rodriguez wins everywhere else he goes. Rodriguez led Arizona to a breakout 10-win season and Fiesta Bowl appearance in 2014. He transitioned Jacksonville State to the FBS level and captured a conference ring in 2024. If nothing else, Rodriguez will shake everything up in Morgantown. Last year: N/A in the Big 12
13. Joey McGuire, Texas Tech
National rank: No. 48
The narrative on McGuire remains bizarre. McGuire is the first Texas Tech coach to lead the Red Raiders to three consecutive conference winning records since the collapse of the Southwest Conference. He’s the first coach to post consecutive bowl wins since Mike Leach. The only coaches to reach three consecutive bowl games at Texas Tech are Spike Dykes, Leach and McGuire. Granted, this is the year where McGuire can prove once and for all whether he’s among the Big 12’s elite. Last year: No. 10 in the Big 12
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14. Scott Satterfield, Cincinnati
National rank: No. 60
The further Satterfield gets from his Appalachian State glory days, the tougher it gets to give him credit. Satterfield has four losing seasons in the last five years and has not posted a winning conference mark since 2019. If Satterfield can’t make a bowl game in Year 3 with the return of quarterback Brendan Sorsby and defensive tackle Dontay Corleone, tough questions will be asked at Cincinnati. Last year: No. 14 in the Big 12
15. Scott Frost, UCF
National rank: No. 62
Sequels aren’t always as good as the original, and Frost returns to college football after spending two full years outside of the sport. His initial run at UCF was one of the greatest turnarounds in modern history, but his Nebraska tenure is an anchor dragging him down. Last year: N/A in the Big 12
16. Brent Brennan, Arizona
National rank: No. 66
Brennan’s first season at the power conference level was a disaster as a 10-win Arizona squad fell all the way down to 4-8 in his first season. The Wildcats lost seven of their last eight games, with five of them coming by at least three touchdowns. There’s nowhere to go but up. Last year: No. 13 in the Big 12
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