Big Ten Football Head Coach Power Rankings – Jim Harbaugh Ascends
Let’s power rank the Big Ten’s head football coaches!
College football is evolving in front of our very eyes. Texas and Oklahoma were the first dominoes to fall in the latest round of conference realignment, and with USC and UCLA off to the Big Ten, it feels inevitable that the dam holding together the current conference structures is about to burst. Lost in the current madness surrounding the sport is the fact that there is a season to be played in 2022, so let’s pause all speculation for a moment and take a look at the stock of each Big Ten coach heading into the twilight years of the conference as we know it.
Ranking the head coaches in the Big Ten is always a hotly contested task. There are a handful of wily veterans, along with a few fiery upstarts. In the intense spotlight of the modern era, which coaches have seen their stock rise, and which may be shown the exit? Is Ryan Day the most overrated coach in the country? Will Nebraska’s golden child leave its vaunted cornfields frosted over?
I’ve selected two metrics as the basis for the rankings: resume at current school, and program trajectory. This means that Bret Bielema’s stint at Wisconsin will not be factored into the rankings.
14. Scott Frost, Nebraska Cornhuskers
Record: 15-29 (34.1%) | Accolades: Greatest 3-9 team of all time?
Pegged as the savior of Nebraska football, an offensive wunderkind that would usher in a new golden era, Frost did the following: fail to make a bowl game in 4 years. Recruiting remains strong, however, and Nebraska has the talent to challenge for a Big Ten West title. The fact that Nebraska has yet to cause a stir in the weaker of the Big Ten’s divisions is a true testament to Frost’s coaching acumen.
Transfer quarterback Casey Thompson will likely need to lead the Huskers to a bowl berth for Frost to retain his job. For now, Frost remains at the bottom of our Big Ten Football Head Coach Power Rankings. As they say, cold air tends to settle at the bottom. And Frost does not bring much heat to the program.
13. Mike Locksley, Maryland Terrapins
Record: 13-23 (36.1%) | Accolades: Recruits the DMV well
Mike Locksley has two two things going for him early in his tenure at Maryland: solid recruiting, and an electric quarterback. Taulia Tagovailoa must limit his mistakes in 2022, and the defense must improve to a respectable level. If the Terrapins achieve both of the above, Locksley will lead a dangerous squad through the gauntlet that is the Big Ten East. An upset here or there would provide an additional boost to recruiting.
Another start-strong-fizzle-out season would solidify Locksley’s place near the bottom of the list.
12. Greg Schiano, Rutgers
Record: 76-81 (48.4%) | Accolades: 2006 Big East Coach of the Year, 1 10-win season
Greg Schiano has Rutgers heading in the right direction. Prior to his arrival, the program was the laughingstock of the conference, amassing a paltry 7-45 record in Big Ten play. The 2021 season saw a more competitive version of the Scarlet Knights, and while Schiano has a long way to go to return the program to the amount of respect it carried during his first stint, progress is being made.
Rutgers played Michigan tough in 2021 and made a bowl game for the first time since 2014, albeit as a replacement. Another postseason appearance would do wonders for Schiano’s reputation in his second go-around with the Scarlet Knights.
11. Bret Bielema, Illinois
Record: 5-7 (41.7%) | Accolades: None at Illinois
While Beliema’s success at Wisconsin does not help him in this list, he is still a solid coach for the Illini. He knows the Big Ten West, and, unlike his predecessor, knows how to run a college football program. Further bolstering his stock is his affinity for offensive line play and above average defense, which blends him right in with his divisional colleagues.
Illinois looked competent in 2021, despite lacking talent at quarterback and the skill positions. Upset wins over Nebraska (kind of?) Penn State, and Minnesota proved the players bought in to the system. Expect Bielema’s stock to rise if he stays for several years.
10. Tom Allen, Indiana
Record: 26-32 (44.8%) | Accolades: 2020 Big Ten Coach of the Year
Indiana’s miracle 2020 season is doing a lot of heavy lifting here. The Hoosiers completely collapsed in 2021, but that can be partially attributed to injuries. Nevertheless, Allen brought Indiana to the closest it’s been to winning a Big Ten title since it last won the conference in 1967.
How Indiana performs in 2022 will say a lot about whether this team will remain an occasional threat in the Big Ten East, or if 2020 was a fluke.
9. Jeff Brohm, Purdue
Record: 28-29 (49.1%) | Accolades: 2 top-5 wins in 2021
Ah, the Spoilermakers. Brohm has Purdue fully entrenched in what we all believe to be its rightful place in the college football world. Average Big Ten West team, but capable of sucking the soul out of the conference’s top contenders. Such are the ways of the monstrosity that is Purdue Pete. Interfere with his designs at your own risk.
What makes Brohm’s tenure at Purdue so intriguing is his pass heavy offense, which stands out against the dusty background of power running football. Aidan O’Connell returns as the second best quarterback in the conference to lead the highest flying offense in a division that looks wide open. Is this the year Brohm breaks through and wins the West? Or will the Boilermakers resign to playing spoiler yet again? We shall see.
8. Mel Tucker, Michigan State
Record: 13-7 (65.0%) | Accolades: 2021 Big Ten Coach of the Year, 1 10-win season
Mel Tucker hit the transfer portal hard upon his arrival in East Lansing, and it has paid dividends. He hit the jackpot with Kenneth Walker, a transfer from Wake Forest, and won 11 games in 2021. Tucker also has not lost to Jim Harbaugh and the rival Wolverines since his arrival, which is all Michigan State fans could really ask for.
It is still early, but it appears the sky is the limit for Tucker’s Spartans. It remains to be seen whether he can build a sustainable program, given his reliance on transfers thus far. There are also questions on defense, particularly in the secondary, although Tucker’s aggressive recruiting of both high school prospects and in the transfer portal suggests talent should not be a problem moving forward.
7. P.J. Fleck, Minnesota
Record: 35-23 | Accolades: 2019 Big Ten Coach of the Year, 1 10-win season
Restoring a positive culture following a regime mired in controversy is perhaps Fleck’s greatest accomplishment at Minnesota. He also has built the Gophers into a contender within the division, twice coming close to winning the West. He also led the Gophers to their most wins in a season since 1904 and their highest end of year AP ranking since 1962.
After a fluky pandemic season, it appears Fleck has built the Gophers into a consistent contender in the Big Ten West. The Gophers return All-Big-Ten running back Mo Ibrahim to lead the way alongside 6th year senior Tanner Morgan at quarterback. If the defense remains as stout as it was in 2021, Fleck could find himself in the Big Ten Championship game for the first time in program history.
6. Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern
Record: 109-90 (54.8%) | Accolades: 2018 Big Ten Coach of the Year, 3 10-win seasons
Fitzgerald has led Northwestern to 11 bowl appearances in his 15 seasons in Evanston. This is a remarkable feat, given the program’s history and the university’s rigorous academic requirements. Fitzgerald is also the second longest tenured coach in the conference, and has won the West division twice.
Unfortunately, it appears as though Fitzgerald will take a slide down these rankings in the coming years. While he should be celebrated for what he’s accomplished with the Wildcats, the game seems to be passing him by. His offense has been historically bad recently. I can’t help but make a comparison to Mark Dantonio here – another long-tenured coach who built up a winning program only to fade to irrelevance by refusing to evolve with the sport.
5. James Franklin, Penn State
Record: 67-34 (66.3%) | Accolades: 1 Big Ten Title, 2016 Big Ten Coach of the Year, 3 10-win seasons
James Franklin falls a little after going 8-10 in the Big Ten over the last two seasons. The most baffling piece of this relative collapse is the complete inadequacy of the running game, which is not at all devoid of talent. The Nittany Lions seem poised for a rebound in 2022, but the Big Ten East remains as tough as it’s ever been.
Was Franklin’s early success legitimate, or did he strike gold with a generational backfield of Saquon Barkley and Trace McSorley? There are questions abound surrounding the state of the Penn State football program, and hopefully Franklin can provide 70 million answers over the next 10 years.
4. Paul Chryst, Wisconsin
Record: 65-23 (73.9%) | Accolades: 2016 and 2017 Big Ten Coach of the Year, 4 10-win seasons
Chalk it up to a weak division, but Chryst’s Wisconsin Badgers have dominated the Big Ten West, representing said side of the conference in 4 of the 8 years during the current format. What’s particularly impressive about Chryst’s tenure is what he’s been able to do with inferior talent – win games. Lots of them. Chryst’s Badgers have produced dominant rushing attacks and shut down defenses. This has become the formula for success in the Big Ten West, and none do it better than Chryst.
Quarterback play has always limited the ceiling of the Badgers, and this has never been a larger concern than it is heading into 2022. Graham Mertz has been a total bust, and the weaponry in the receiving room is doing him zero favors. The entire season appears to fall on sophomore phenom running back Braelon Allen, but that is by no means uncharted waters for Chryst.
3. Kirk Ferentz, Iowa
Record: 178-110 (61.8%) | Accolades: 2 Big Ten Titles, 2002 AP Coach of the Year, 2002, 2004, 2009, 2015 Big Ten Coach of the Year, 7 10-win seasons
The longest tenured coach in the Big Ten is firmly entrenched in the top 3 of these rankings. Ferentz’s resume speaks for itself. Iowa has been consistently successful, and is a threat to win the West every year. The defense has been dominant, and is led by one of the nation’s best defensive backfields heading into 2022.
The only thing holding Ferentz out of the top 2 is his program’s ceiling. For Iowa to become a true national contender, Ferentz has to find a competent quarterback. Iowa’s quarterback room is among the worst in the conference, but the fact that they made the Big Ten title game last year and have their sights set on it once again is a testament to the consistency of the program Ferentz has built.
2. Jim Harbaugh, Michigan
Record: 61-24 (71.8%) | Accolades: 1 Big Ten Title, 1 College Football Playoff Appearance, 2021 AP Coach of the Year, 4 10-win seasons
It took him 7 seasons, but Harbaugh finally got over the hump. 2022 saw the Wolverines defeat Ohio State in dominant fashion and make the College Football Playoff for the first time, which is what Harbaugh was brought to Michigan to do. The program is back in the national picture. The offense should be one of the nation’s best next year, headlined by running backs Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards and a deep receiving core. If the new coordinators on offense and defense don’t miss a beat, Michigan should challenge Ohio state for another Big Ten Title.
However, it’s not all sunshine and roses in Ann Arbor. Harbaugh flirted with the NFL over the offseason. Concerns regarding recruiting only fuel questions about Harbaughs desire to coach the Wolverines, and Michigan’s backwards NIL policy, while commendable to some, is putting the program at a major disadvantage. Nevertheless, expectations for the Wolverines in 2022 are sky high.
1. Ryan Day, Ohio State
Record: 34-4 (89.5%) | Accolades: 3 Big Ten Titles, 2 College Football Playoff Appearances, 2019 Big Ten Coach of the Year, 2 10-win seasons
Sure, Ohio State’s football program can essentially run itself. Replace Day with an average Joe off the streets next season and Ohio State still probably wins at least 9 games. Yet, Day’s resume in his short tenure at Ohio State is so much more impressive than the rest of the field that it would be criminal to rate him any lower than the top spot. Furthering Day’s position atop the Big Ten is his outlandish success in recruiting. Trust me, the program is not going anywhere any time soon. The offense might just be the best in the nation this year, headlined by Heisman favorite CJ Stroud and another Heisman contender in receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
The defense is the Achilles’ heel of the team, and must be shored up for the Buckeyes to contend for a national title. Michigan and Oregon pounded Ohio State on the ground in 2021, so questions arose around the toughness of the team. If new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles patches up the defense, this team could be scary good.
Day’s stranglehold of the Big Ten keeps him atop our Big Ten Football Head Coach Power Rankings this year.
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1 Comment
Pretty solid lineup, as a gopher fan, I can see PJ going up in the upcoming years