Josh Pate broke down his annual Top 10 Current College Football Program Rankings on his show. A transcript of the discussion is below:
Josh Pate: It’s time to re-rack all the pool balls and talk college football program rankings. We define a program differently than a team. This is a rolling three-year blend. How good are you at talent acquisition? How are you doing on the field? If you tanked in 2023 but surged in 2024 and 2025, we’re aggregating all that and leaning slightly toward recency. I want to know what your resource pool looks like. Are you broke? There’s no room for poories in the top 10. Organizational stability matters. How do you handle coordinator churn? How do you backfill? Then we add just a touch of expectation and forward thinking and pour it all out.
Staffing has been elite. Two coordinator turnover situations just this past year. You lose Chip Kelly, who was foundational to that run. You elevate from within. Jim Knowles moves on, and you go get Matt Patricia. If anything, they improved defensively. That’s supreme organizational structure. Ohio State is here as long as Ryan Day is there. And even beyond Ryan Day, this program has been resilient across multiple head coaches. It’s just a winning operation.
They’re the top recruiter in the SEC and nationally over a three-year rolling period. If we did a head coaching draft and I had first pick, I’d probably go Kirby Smart. If I had to take Ryan Day second, I wouldn’t be upset. You’ve got established coordinators, elite culture, elite way of doing things. Georgia at number two.
Last year, we tried not to fall victim to recency bias. They came from out of nowhere, went to the playoff, got beat soundly, and we asked, okay, great team, but is it a program yet? Now what did they do? They won the Big Ten. They went back to the playoff. They won the national championship. They steamrolled people.
They’re 27-2 over the last two years. Conference title. National title. The head coach, offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator combination may be as good as anyone in the country. Talent acquisition is surging. Yes, it’s technically a three-year blend, but we have to lean heavily into two-year recency bias here.
The key is this isn’t a one-hit wonder. They’ve got elite resources, which we’ve come to realize. They’ve challenged the entire college football worldview. So yes, it’s extreme. But what they’ve done is extreme.
Think about the churn. Kenny Dillingham leaves to be a head coach. They hire Will Stein. Offense doesn’t fall off. Now Will Stein leaves for a head job. They promote from within again. At some point, you just trust that they know what they’re doing.
Dan Lanning is one of the best head coaches in the country. Elite resources. Elite culture. The hurdle is playoff execution. That’s why they’re behind the top three.
You could argue their best is still ahead of them. If you’re peeking at 2026 and beyond, there’s room to climb. To say that about a program sitting at number five tells you how strong their position is.
Elite culture. I think extremely highly of what they’ve built. If you want to push them up a tick, I won’t fight you too hard. But six feels right.
There’s been a handoff from Nick Saban to Kalen DeBoer. Things didn’t fall off a cliff. Maybe there was a slight regression, but that transition had unique challenges. Over a rolling three-year snapshot, Alabama was never going to collapse overnight.
Number seven isn’t number one. There are programs ahead of them right now. But Alabama at seven still reflects massive strength.
They’re the number one recruiter in their conference by a wide margin. Top portal player in their conference and one of the top portal programs nationally. Staff upgrades matter. They move on from Lance Guidry, bring in Corey Hetherman, and overnight become one of the top defenses in the country.
They’re in the process of leveling up.
Mike Elko evaluates well. Develops well. Add in elite resources. Much like Texas, you could argue their best is still ahead of them.
Yes, there’s been a coaching change. It’s a big upcoming year. You’ve got Bryce Underwood. They need to capitalize.
If you’re judging teams, you’d say how can Michigan be ten when Ohio State is one? Because we’re grading programs. It’s more than head-to-head. It’s on-field success, recruiting, resources, and stability over a rolling three-year blend.
That’s the top 10. If you want Tennessee at 11, Texas Tech at 12, LSU, Oklahoma, Penn State in the mix, there’s an argument. But you can’t just say someone’s too high. Who goes above them? Are you using the same criteria? That’s the exercise.
Josh Pate: It’s time to re-rack all the pool balls and talk college football program rankings. We define a program differently than a team. This is a rolling three-year blend. How good are you at talent acquisition? How are you doing on the field? If you tanked in 2023 but surged in 2024 and 2025, we’re aggregating all that and leaning slightly toward recency. I want to know what your resource pool looks like. Are you broke? There’s no room for poories in the top 10. Organizational stability matters. How do you handle coordinator churn? How do you backfill? Then we add just a touch of expectation and forward thinking and pour it all out.
#1 Ohio State
Josh Pate: I think Ohio State is the top program in the country. They’re 37-6 over the past three years. They’ve got a national championship mixed in. They’re a top five recruiting program in the country. They’re a very high-value portal program. Translation: they don’t need to flood themselves with transfers because they recruit and develop so well, but when they do need to, they’re selective and effective.Staffing has been elite. Two coordinator turnover situations just this past year. You lose Chip Kelly, who was foundational to that run. You elevate from within. Jim Knowles moves on, and you go get Matt Patricia. If anything, they improved defensively. That’s supreme organizational structure. Ohio State is here as long as Ryan Day is there. And even beyond Ryan Day, this program has been resilient across multiple head coaches. It’s just a winning operation.
#2 Georgia
Josh Pate: Number two is Georgia. They’re 36-6 over the past three years. Back-to-back SEC championships in that window. Back-to-back playoff team. If 2023 had been a 12-team playoff, they’d have been in three straight by today’s standards.They’re the top recruiter in the SEC and nationally over a three-year rolling period. If we did a head coaching draft and I had first pick, I’d probably go Kirby Smart. If I had to take Ryan Day second, I wouldn’t be upset. You’ve got established coordinators, elite culture, elite way of doing things. Georgia at number two.
#3 Indiana
Josh Pate: This is where it gets controversial. I’ve got Indiana at number three. It’s extreme, but what they’ve done has been extreme.Last year, we tried not to fall victim to recency bias. They came from out of nowhere, went to the playoff, got beat soundly, and we asked, okay, great team, but is it a program yet? Now what did they do? They won the Big Ten. They went back to the playoff. They won the national championship. They steamrolled people.
They’re 27-2 over the last two years. Conference title. National title. The head coach, offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator combination may be as good as anyone in the country. Talent acquisition is surging. Yes, it’s technically a three-year blend, but we have to lean heavily into two-year recency bias here.
The key is this isn’t a one-hit wonder. They’ve got elite resources, which we’ve come to realize. They’ve challenged the entire college football worldview. So yes, it’s extreme. But what they’ve done is extreme.
#4 Oregon
Josh Pate: Number four is Oregon. They’re 38-4 over the last three years. Back-to-back playoff appearances. Big Ten title two years ago. They’re the top recruiting program in the Big Ten over that rolling span.Think about the churn. Kenny Dillingham leaves to be a head coach. They hire Will Stein. Offense doesn’t fall off. Now Will Stein leaves for a head job. They promote from within again. At some point, you just trust that they know what they’re doing.
Dan Lanning is one of the best head coaches in the country. Elite resources. Elite culture. The hurdle is playoff execution. That’s why they’re behind the top three.
#5 Texas
Josh Pate: Texas is number five. They’re 35-8 over the last three years. College Football Playoff in 2023 and 2024. Missed last year, but they’re a top five recruiter over that three-year span. Elite in the portal. Elite resources.You could argue their best is still ahead of them. If you’re peeking at 2026 and beyond, there’s room to climb. To say that about a program sitting at number five tells you how strong their position is.
#6 Notre Dame
Josh Pate: I’ve got Notre Dame at number six. They’re 34-7 over the last three years. There’s a national championship appearance mixed in. Recruiting has leveled up from very good to great. Number two class last cycle per On3.Elite culture. I think extremely highly of what they’ve built. If you want to push them up a tick, I won’t fight you too hard. But six feels right.
#7 Alabama
Josh Pate: Alabama is number seven. They’re 32-10 over the past three years. Two playoff appearances. Conference title in 2023. Number two recruiter nationally over that span.There’s been a handoff from Nick Saban to Kalen DeBoer. Things didn’t fall off a cliff. Maybe there was a slight regression, but that transition had unique challenges. Over a rolling three-year snapshot, Alabama was never going to collapse overnight.
Number seven isn’t number one. There are programs ahead of them right now. But Alabama at seven still reflects massive strength.
#8 Miami
Josh Pate: I’ve got Miami at number eight. There’s a seven-win season in 2023 factored in. Then they go 10-3. Then they go 13-3. They play for a national championship. They’re at midfield, down six, with a minute to go against Indiana.They’re the number one recruiter in their conference by a wide margin. Top portal player in their conference and one of the top portal programs nationally. Staff upgrades matter. They move on from Lance Guidry, bring in Corey Hetherman, and overnight become one of the top defenses in the country.
They’re in the process of leveling up.
#9 Texas A&M
Josh Pate: Texas A&M is number nine. Seven wins to eight wins to eleven wins over that three-year span. Playoff appearance last year. Back-to-back top eight recruiting classes. Elite portal operator.Mike Elko evaluates well. Develops well. Add in elite resources. Much like Texas, you could argue their best is still ahead of them.
#10 Michigan
Josh Pate: Michigan is number ten. There’s a national championship in this three-year window. They’re 2-1 against Ohio State over that span. Top 15 recruiter in that period.Yes, there’s been a coaching change. It’s a big upcoming year. You’ve got Bryce Underwood. They need to capitalize.
If you’re judging teams, you’d say how can Michigan be ten when Ohio State is one? Because we’re grading programs. It’s more than head-to-head. It’s on-field success, recruiting, resources, and stability over a rolling three-year blend.
That’s the top 10. If you want Tennessee at 11, Texas Tech at 12, LSU, Oklahoma, Penn State in the mix, there’s an argument. But you can’t just say someone’s too high. Who goes above them? Are you using the same criteria? That’s the exercise.
