Lincoln Riley's counterparts are viewed as best coaches in the country

Lincoln Riley is a decent head coach in college football, but in the Big Ten, he consistently has to go against the best of the best. The Big Ten has the cream of the crop of head coaches in the country. Lincoln Riley needs to prove this season that he is on that same level.

In a recent article , Lincoln Riley’s counterparts are ranked, and two of the coaches he will face this season were ranked in the top 3. Phil Harrison spoke out about where Riley’s opponent, Ryan Day, came in on the rankings:

“CBS Sports has Day as the third-best coach in the country behind Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti at No. 1 and Georgia’s Kirby Smart at No. 2.

Here’s what CBS Sports says about Day:

“Ohio State was unable to follow up its national title with another in 2025. The Buckeyes finished 12-2 overall and went 9-0 in conference play before falling to eventual national champion Indiana in the conference title game. They were also upset in their lone playoff game by the Miami team that would also lose to Indiana. So while Day finally got over that Michigan hump, nobody at Ohio State will ever be happy about finishing the season on a two-game losing streak. Given what he’s accomplished through his entire career, though, nobody on our panel even thought about ranking him lower than third. That said, Day didn’t garner a single first-place vote after picking some up last year.”

Ironically, Ryan Day is behind another one of Lincoln Riley’s opponents this season in Curt Cignetti. Both coaches have earned their title as some of the best coaches in the country with their consistency. Both Indiana and Ohio State remain in the College Football Playoff and contention for a title. That is where Lincoln Riley needs to be, and it needs to start this season.