Sporting News ranks all 14 SEC head coaches heading into 2020 season

It’s getting to be that time of year where college football is flooded with preseason lists and accolades. On Friday, Bill Bender of Sporting News shared the publication’s annual ranking of all the FBS head coaches.

As usual, there are familiar faces at the top. He acknowledged the “Dabo Swinney or Nick Saban at No. 1 overall?” debate before the rankings reveal:

Swinney has a case for the top spot. He’s led the Tigers to a pair of national championships and three appearances in the College Football Playoff championship game in the past four years. Saban, of course, has led the Crimson Tide to a pair of national titles in the CFP era, and he has six national titles as a head coach.

You can’t go wrong either way.

Bender went with Saban at No. 1 overall. Here are the full rankings of SEC head coaches:

• No. 1: Nick Saban, Alabama
• No. 3: Ed Orgeron, LSU
• No. 5: Kirby Smart, Georgia
• No. 8: Dan Mullen, Florida
• No. 10: Jimbo Fisher, Texas A&M
• No. 13: Gus Malzahn, Auburn
• No. 19: Mike Leach, Mississippi State
• No. 25: Jeremy Pruitt, Tennessee
• No. 27: Mark Stoops, Kentucky
• No. 38: Will Muschamp, South Carolina
• No. 39: Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss
• No. 58: Eliah Drinkwitz, Missouri
• No. 62: Derek Mason, Vanderbilt
• No. 75: Sam Pittman, Arkansas

The SEC’s 8 top-25 head coaches lead all conferences. The full rankings of all 130 FBS head coaches can be viewed here.

SDS Staff

Saturday Down South reports and comments on the news around the Southeastern Conference as well as larger college football topics.