Where does James Franklin rank in 2025 Big Ten coach rankings?
CBS Sports released its annual Big Ten coach power rankings this week as the Big Ten football media days got underway this week. Not surprisingly, Franklin was among the top-ranked coaches in the Big Ten but did not land the top spot in this year's rankings. Franklin ranked third on the list from CBS Sports behind Ohio State head coach Ryan Day and Oregon head coach Dan Lanning. That would seem to be a fair assessment given Day is coming off his first national championship with the Buckeyes and Lanning guided Oregon to a Big Ten championship, at the expense of Franklin and Penn State, and a no. 1 seed going into the College Football Playoff last season.
Penn State's head coach moved up one spot in the Big Ten coach rankings from CBS Sports this year. Franklin swapped places on the ranking with USC head coach Lincoln Riley. The biggest move in the Big Ten coach rankings came from Indiana's Curt Cignetti, who jumped up to no. 6 from no. 14 following a brilliant debut season in Bloomington with the Hoosiers. Luke Fickell of Wisconsin tumbled from no. 5 in the Big Ten to no. 11 after a rough 2024 season. Michigan State's Jonathan Smith took a similar fall from no. 7 down to no. 13.
The spotlight is on Franklin this season, more so than ever before. The expectations are higher than ever. Will this be a year where Franklin breaks from the narrative of coming up short in the biggest of moments when the lights are the brightest? That remains to be seen, and soon enough we will begin witnessing the results for better or worse.
You can check out the Big Ten coach rankings from CBS Sports to see how everyone compares.
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