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RotoBaller's rankings of the active NCAA college football coaches with the most wins over Top-10 opponents. Which coaches have the most signature wins?
1. Kirby Smart, Georgia
Wins Over Top-10 Opponents: 21
Most Recent: No. 2 Texas (2024)
Kirby Smart has run the show in Athens since 2016 and has quickly collected top-10 wins in bunches. Georgia often schedules tough out-of-conference games, participates in the College Football Playoff, and faces a ton of fierce competition in the SEC, so he’ll have plenty more opportunities to rack up these signature wins.
2. Dabo Swinney, Clemson
Wins Over Top-10 Opponents: 19
Most Recent: No. 8 SMU (2024)
Many have questioned whether Dabo Swinney can get Clemson back to the elite ranks in the NIL era, but he had a top-10 win last season, adding to his impressive resume of big-time victories. The Tigers have a potential top-10 matchup in Week 1 of the 2025 campaign as they are set to host LSU.
3. Ryan Day, Ohio State
Wins Over Top-10 Opponents: 16
Most Recent: No. 5 Notre Dame (2024)
Ryan Day silenced the doubters during the 2024-25 College Football Playoff, and the Buckeyes knocked off a whopping six top-10 teams a season ago. Now that Day has finally gotten over the hump, more signature wins could be on the horizon.
4. Kirk Ferentz, Iowa
Wins Over Top-10 Opponents: 12
Most Recent: No. 4 Penn State (2021)
In 26 seasons with the Hawkeyes, Ferentz has won the Big Ten just twice. However, Iowa isn’t a great place to recruit high-end talent, and he’s clearly overachieved relative to his roster and expectations. 12 wins over top-10 teams is nothing to scoff at.
5. Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State
Wins Over Top-10 Opponents: 11
Most Recent: No. 5 Notre Dame (2021)
The Cowboys went 3-9 last year under Mike Gundy, but don’t let that distract you from the fact that he’s done an incredible job overall in Stillwater. The former Oklahoma State quarterback found a way to knock off rival Oklahoma several times and has often played spoiler to top-10 teams with championship aspirations.
6. Dan Mullen, UNLV
Wins Over Top-10 Opponents: Eight
Most Recent: No. 5 Georgia (2020)
Dan Mullen is set to enter his first season as the head coach of UNLV in 2025, and he’s a high-profile coach for the Mountain West Conference. Mullen did a masterful job at Mississippi State and racked up a few top-10 wins at Florida. He won’t have the chance to face top 10 teams at UNLV, but if he succeeds, he’ll be back in a Power 4 role soon enough.
t-7. Brian Kelly, LSU
Wins Over Top-10 Opponents: Seven
Most Recent: No. 9 Ole Miss (2024)
Brian Kelly has been a big-time head coach for a long time, so it was a bit surprising to see him only have seven top-10 wins on his resume. However, next year’s LSU team is expected to be his best, and the Tigers will face at least a handful of top-10 foes in 2025.
t-7. Lincoln Riley, USC
Wins Over Top-10 Opponents: Seven
Most Recent: No. 7 Florida (2020)
Lincoln Riley got out to a hot start to his head-coaching career at Oklahoma. However, the former hot-shot offensive coordinator has not won a game against a top-10 team in three seasons at USC. Needless to say, that’s going to have to change if he wants to keep his job long-term in Los Angeles.
t-7. Rich Rodriguez, West Virginia
Wins Over Top-10 Opponents: Seven
Most Recent: No. 10 Utah (2015)
One of the most fun coaching changes of the 2025 offseason was Rich Rodriguez heading back to West Virginia, where he posted a 60-26 record from 2001 to 2007. Success was hard to find at Michigan and Arizona, but after a strong run at Jacksonville State, he’s back at the helm for the Mountaineers.
t-7. Steve Sarkisian
Wins Over Top-10 Opponents: Seven
Most Recent: No. 10 Michigan (2024)
Surprisingly, Sarkisian has beaten just two top-10 opponents since taking over the Texas program four years ago. However, he had some signature wins with both Washington and USC. To get over the hump and win a National Championship, he’ll obviously have to add more big wins to his resume.
t-7. Kyle Whittingham, Utah
Wins Over Top-10 Opponents: Seven
Most Recent: No. 7 USC (2022)
Kyle Whittingham has been around forever, and it’s rare for his teams to be as bad as the Utes were last year. Top-10 matchups in the Big 12 could be few and far between, but his program is traditionally known for standing toe-to-toe and battling hard against any opponent in front of them.
