The New York Times has published its college football coaching tiers for the 2026 season, placing Indiana’s Curt Cignetti and Georgia’s Kirby Smart in a class of their own. According to the report, published Tuesday, the two coaches sit at the top of the rankings, with all other head coaches grouped below them.
The Times’ tiered breakdown separates the sport’s leaders into distinct levels, and this year’s list features a clear two-man top tier. Cignetti, who led Indiana to a historic campaign, and Smart, who has built Georgia into a perennial national title contender, are the only coaches placed in the highest group, per the report.
The article arrives as part of a broader wave of preseason analysis for the 2026 college football season. Other outlets have also focused on coaching pressure and scheduling challenges. Yahoo Sports, for instance, has identified the coaches facing the most scrutiny heading into the fall, while Sports Illustrated’s Pat Forde compiled 40 observations on the upcoming schedule. Bleacher Report has separately highlighted seven teams with the toughest strength of schedule, and On3’s Josh Pate has named six programs under the most pressure to win this season.
The Times’ ranking suggests that, at least in their view, the gap between the top two coaches and the rest of the field is significant. While the full article text was not available, the headline and summary make clear that Cignetti and Smart are viewed as the standard-bearers entering the new year.
As the 2026 season approaches, the focus will shift to whether any coach can close that gap and join the top tier.
