2018 college football head coach power rankings

Coaching is a huge part of the success or failure of a college football program. Therefore, it should come as no surprise a head coach's rating is a major part of our team power rankings and projections.

Today, our complete 2018 preseason head coach power rankings are available to Patreon supporters. It's important to note our coaching grades are based on a wide range of analytical factors - not opinion - and are based on historical data. In other words, our rankings show how well a coach has performed in years past, and not necessarily how well his team will perform in 2018.

A coach's win-loss record, game-by-game team performance, and championships won are important factors in our grading system. As new data is available, these grades will be updated throughout the season and also applied to our team rankings for our weekly projections and predictions. Please note, coaches with a longer history will likely have more stable grades, while first-year head coaches will likely see their ranking vary often in the early weeks and months.

Changes in a coach's career path could also have an impact. For instance, Chip Kelly currently ranks No. 3 overall with a 99.08 grade based on his successful stint at Oregon. However, if his first UCLA squad struggles as many expect, Kelly will likely slip quickly. The same could be said for new Nebraska head coach Scott Frost, whose short but ultra-impressive two years at UCF boosted his grade to 93.07, which ranks No. 19 nationally. On the other end of the spectrum, if a coach like Oregon's Mario Cristobal (No, 98 with a 79.37 grade) succeeds, his grade will reflect that success.

Again, these rankings - like all our power rankings, which will soon be available to our supporters, are not based on opinion. All a coach must do to improve his standing is win.