CBS Tom Fornelli ranks Stoops #56 of 65 Power 5 coaches
56
Wildcats
Mark Stoops (56): Stoops has now finished four seasons at Kentucky, and is yet to take a step backward in any of them. Maybe if he takes another step forward in 2017 we'll move him up in the rankings, too.
Among other "name" coaches:
58
Fighting Illini
Lovie Smith (49): Smith began his career ranked higher thanks to his work in the NFL. After a 3-9 season, however, he drops a bit in the rankings, and he still has a lot of work ahead of him in Champaign.
57
Red Raiders
Kliff Kingsbury (47): This is the lowest Kingsbury has been ranked in our three seasons doing these rankings, and if things don't improve soon, there's a real chance he won't be in next year's rankings.
56
Wildcats
Mark Stoops (56): Stoops has now finished four seasons at Kentucky, and is yet to take a step backward in any of them. Maybe if he takes another step forward in 2017 we'll move him up in the rankings, too.
55
Terrapins
D.J. Durkin (60): All things considered, a 6-7 start at Maryland with a bowl game wasn't a bad first season for Durkin. Still, that 3-6 mark in the Big Ten needs to improve.
54
Bulldogs
Kirby Smart (46): Smart was ranked rather highly last year for someone who had never been a head coach before, but he had that Saban sheen. Seems some of it wore off over what was generally considered a disappointing 8-5 season in Athens.
53
Commodores
Derek Mason (57): The Commodores have gone from three wins in Mason's first season to four in his second, and six last year. This is a very good sign, but that 5-11 mark in the SEC the last two years needs work.
52
Volunteers
Butch Jones (33): A Champion of Life, but not a champion of our rankings. Still, in my opinion, this is a pretty steep drop considering all the injuries Tennessee dealt with last year. Raised expectations will do that, though.
56
Wildcats
Mark Stoops (56): Stoops has now finished four seasons at Kentucky, and is yet to take a step backward in any of them. Maybe if he takes another step forward in 2017 we'll move him up in the rankings, too.
Among other "name" coaches:
58
Fighting Illini
Lovie Smith (49): Smith began his career ranked higher thanks to his work in the NFL. After a 3-9 season, however, he drops a bit in the rankings, and he still has a lot of work ahead of him in Champaign.
57
Red Raiders
Kliff Kingsbury (47): This is the lowest Kingsbury has been ranked in our three seasons doing these rankings, and if things don't improve soon, there's a real chance he won't be in next year's rankings.
56
Wildcats
Mark Stoops (56): Stoops has now finished four seasons at Kentucky, and is yet to take a step backward in any of them. Maybe if he takes another step forward in 2017 we'll move him up in the rankings, too.
55
Terrapins
D.J. Durkin (60): All things considered, a 6-7 start at Maryland with a bowl game wasn't a bad first season for Durkin. Still, that 3-6 mark in the Big Ten needs to improve.
54
Bulldogs
Kirby Smart (46): Smart was ranked rather highly last year for someone who had never been a head coach before, but he had that Saban sheen. Seems some of it wore off over what was generally considered a disappointing 8-5 season in Athens.
53
Commodores
Derek Mason (57): The Commodores have gone from three wins in Mason's first season to four in his second, and six last year. This is a very good sign, but that 5-11 mark in the SEC the last two years needs work.
52
Volunteers
Butch Jones (33): A Champion of Life, but not a champion of our rankings. Still, in my opinion, this is a pretty steep drop considering all the injuries Tennessee dealt with last year. Raised expectations will do that, though.
![[roll]](http://l.yimg.com/j/assets/img/emoticons/classic/roll.r191677.gif "roll [roll]")
