CBS Sports released its power rankings for all of the Big 12 coaches and it's not pretty for the Cincinnati Bearcats.
Scott Satterfield, who many fans had mixed opinions about when he was hired in late 2022, came in at No. 14 head coach in the Big 12 out of 16. Satterfield was only ranked ahead of Scott Frost, who is going into his first year of a second stint at UCF, and second-year head coach, Brent Brennan at Arizona.
Satterfield in his 8-16 overall in his three seasons in Cincinnati, 4-14 overall in the Big 12. Which is downright terrible, and very deserving of the current ranking.
During Big 12 media day, Satterfield vowed that this is the best team he has had while he has been at Cincinnati. “This is our best team since I've been there, top to bottom."
Satterfield, with a good year of 7-8 wins, can likely elevate himself over Rich Rodriguez of West Virginia, Willie Fritz of Houston, and possibly Dave Arnada if Baylor doesn't play up to their standards this season.
The top five coaches in the Big 12 for this upcoming season are Matt Campbell of Iowa State, who is going into his tenth season, Kyle Whittingham of Utah, who had a ton of success while in the Pac-12, Chris Kleiman, who has won at least 8 games each of the last 4 seasons, Lance Leipold of Kansas who looks to turn Kansas around after a disappointing season in 2024, and Kenny Dillingham, fresh off a Big 12 title and a College Football Playoff berth.
The Bearcats play 3 of the top 5 ranked coaches this season. They face off against Kansas in week four, Iowa State in week five, and then Utah in week nine.
Along with the Big 12 coach rankings, CBS Sports included their national ranking along with the Big 12 ranking. Satterfield came in as the No. 60 coach in the country, which seems appropriate given there are 70 Power 4 college football schools.
Satterfield is approaching a career-defining year despite being under contract through 2028. The Bearcats have the team to make some noise in the Big 12 and elongate Satterfield's head coaching stint in Cincinnati.