Each year, CBS Sports releases a power ranking of the top 25 Power Four college football coaches. 

As you might expect, there's some notable names at the top of the list. Indiana's Curt Cignetti claimed the top spot after leading the Hoosiers to a national championship, while other Big Ten coaches Ryan Day (Ohio State), and Dan Lanning (Oregon) follow just behind. 

In all, the Big Ten has eight coaches featured in this ranking, which has to be at or near the top of the major conferences. To no one's surprise, Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz is slotted in at No. 20. 

Ferentz is the dean of college football coaches, having served as the Hawkeyes' head coach since 1999. His success in making Iowa a model of consistency in a sport that rarely has any consistency of its own has made Ferentz a respected name in the coaching profession. 

Ferentz's ranking is fair considering the Hawkeyes' notorious offensive struggles and the lack of a College Football Playoff appearance, but there's another Big Ten coach ranked ahead of him that hasn't even coached a game in the conference yet - Penn State's Matt Campbell. 

Iowa fans know Campbell quite well. He previously served as the head coach of in-state rival Iowa State for 10 seasons and turned the Cyclones from a perennial also-ran into a Big 12 contender. 

Campbell was rumored to take a better job for years before he finally decided to make the move to coach the Nittany Lions. Campbell will have all the resources in the world to win a national championship with Penn State, but the expectations in State College are much, much higher. 

Who knows if Campbell will be able to meet the Nittany Lions' lofty standards, but CBS ranked him No. 16 in its power ranking - four spots ahead of Ferentz. Penn State's national prestige is far greater than Iowa, but is Campbell a better coach than Ferentz at this point? I don't think so. 

Campbell did a ton of great things in Ames that may never be duplicated again - two Big 12 championship game appearances, seven bowl berths, and securing Iowa State's first 10-win season in program history - but let's not forget that he went 3-6 against Ferentz and the Hawkeyes. 

Head-to-head doesn't always tell the full story, but Campbell's greatest success came in a mediocre Big 12. His Cyclones were favored to win the conference early in the 2025 season, but completely fizzled out in October after besting Iowa in September. 

The same could be said for 2021, too. Iowa State, which had Brock Purdy and Breece Hall its roster that year, was ranked No. 7 in the preseason and was a dark horse to crash the CFP party. 

The Hawkeyes quickly dashed those hopes with an upset victory in Ames, and Campbell managed just a 7-6 record. 

Campbell's Cyclone teams rarely were loaded with talent, but when the expectations were high, Campbell couldn't deliver.

Does that make him a bad coach? Not at all, but considering Ferentz has been known for achieving great success with less and has a pair of Big Ten championships, I think he should've been ranked above Campbell. 

Campbell and Ferentz won't get to play each other until 2028, when Iowa visits Happy Valley. 

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HawkeyeRoundtable publisher Brad Schultz has covered the Iowa Hawkeyes since 2023. To send him story ideas, scoops, or criticize his writing, reach him at [email protected]