Rich Rodriguez Falls 12 Spots to No. 54 After West Virginia's 4-8 Season

Q: With the lowest average coach ranking, is the Big 12 becoming the weakest Power Four conference?

Not necessarily. The CBS Sports coach poll suggests the Big 12 has the weakest coaching profile on paper, but that alone is too thin a measure to declare it the weakest Power Four conference. The poll itself is highly subjective. CBS describes it as an “inexact science,” with rankings shaped by achievement, projection and voter bias. The Big 12’s low average of 42.81 was also affected by turnover and the loss of several highly ranked coaches, not just poor league quality. Rich Rodriguez’s drop to No. 54 after West Virginia’s 4-8 season fits that pattern, but one coach’s slide does not define a conference. Other evidence cuts against the idea that the Big 12 is clearly last. ESPN’s SP+ placed the Big 12 third among the Power Four, ahead of the ACC, noting the league had several strong teams and no true bottom-feeders. The conference also produced a record 38 NFL draft picks in 2026, including six first-rounders, which points to substantial roster talent. At the same time, perception remains a problem. Some reporting says the Big 12 is still widely viewed as the weakest of the four major leagues, especially because it lacks the top-end brand power of the SEC and Big Ten and has struggled to change that image in the College Football Playoff era. So the fairest answer is that the Big 12 may be perceived as the weakest Power Four conference, and the coach rankings reinforce that perception, but stronger performance metrics and draft results do not prove it is actually the weakest.

1 articles · Updated · 247Sports · Jun 8

CBSSports placed Rich Rodriguez 54th in its 2026 Power Four coach rankings, down 12 spots from his 2025 position of No. 42.
West Virginia's 4-8 finish drove the slide, giving Rodriguez his first losing season since 2016 and cooling early optimism around his return.
Voters still showed some support: his individual ballots ranged from No. 48 to No. 57, suggesting a middling rather than bottom-tier view.
Within the Big 12, Rodriguez still ranked ahead of five coaches, including Deion Sanders at No. 60 and Scott Frost at No. 62.