Ranking every open Power 4 job in college football

"The 2025-26 coaching cycle wasn't expected to be calm, like its predecessor. But few forecasted such a robust line of storms rolling through the sport in the first half of the season. All four power conferences have had a firing. Penn State's ouster of James Franklin, midway through his 12th season and barely 10 months removed from the team playing for a spot in the national title game, sent a message around the sport: Almost no coach is safe."

"There are seven Power 4 schools looking for head coaches: Stanford, UCLA, Virginia Tech, Oklahoma State, Arkansas, Penn State and now Florida. Two other, notable, non-Power 4 jobs, Oregon State and UAB, are also on the hunt. More openings certainly could come, including Auburn and Kentucky in the SEC, Wisconsin in the Big Ten and Florida State in the ACC. And that's not even counting the inevitable vacancies that will occur when sitting head coaches leave for other jobs. The process of ranking the open jobs contains hard data, such as win-loss performance over time, recent postseason appearances and, while controversial to some, recruiting/ transfer class rankings. The College Football Playoff is a major factor, both in terms of access and the varying pressure levels coaches face to be part of the 12-team field occasionally or regularly. Money matters more than ever in the sport, although accurately gauging each school's financial strength (or appetite) is tricky. They all say they're committed to winning."

Multiple Power 4 programs and other FBS schools have undergone coaching changes early in the 2025-26 season, producing numerous vacancies. Penn State dismissed James Franklin in his 12th season despite appearing in contention for a national title less than a year earlier. Oklahoma State fired Mike Gundy on Sept. 23; Franklin and Gundy have a combined FBS record of 298-150. Seven Power 4 schools seek head coaches: Stanford, UCLA, Virginia Tech, Oklahoma State, Arkansas, Penn State and Florida; Oregon State and UAB also are searching. Additional openings could include Auburn, Kentucky, Wisconsin and Florida State. Job rankings incorporate wins, postseason appearances, recruiting/transfer classes, College Football Playoff access and institutional financial capacity.

Read at ESPN.com