Link: https://collegefootballnews.com/2019/07/big-ten-preseason-head-coach-rankings-preview-2019
Big Ten Preseason Head Coach Rankings 2019
by Pete Fiutak, CollegeFootballNews.com
Who do you want as your head coach for right now, and how good are the all the current Big Ten coaches?
Record and resumés aren’t necessarily everything, but of course they matter. Where are each of the teams going, which guys have the buzz, and which ones need to prove themselves a bit more?
These aren’t Hot Seat Rankings – those are coming later. These are the rankings based loosely on what the head coaches have done, and mostly about what they’re about to do.
Think of it this way. If you were to hold a head coaching draft …
14. Chris Ash, Rutgers
The guy might be Bill Belichick, Nick Saban and Norman Dale all wrapped up into one, but trying to get Rutgers off the ground in the second-toughest division in college football -- put the Big Ten East right behind the SEC West -- isn't fair. It's been a brutally rough run going 7-29 in three years with just three Big Ten wins, and even at Rutgers, there has to be some signs of success.
Last Preseason Ranking: 13
13. Mike Locksley, Maryland
Yeah, he knows the area and he's a heck of a recruiter, but the 2-26 run as the New Mexico head coach and the 1-5 run when taking over Maryland in 2015 once Randy Edsall was canned doesn't exactly scream yippee. There's enough talent in place to go bowling, and he did a fantastic job as the Alabama offensive coordinator over the last two seasons, but he has a lot to prove after his time in Albuquerque.
Last Preseason Ranking: (Not Ranked)
12. Tom Allen, Indiana
It's Year Three and the Hoosiers are supposed to be able to get over the hump -- at least the pieces are there to do it. But after two straight 5-7 seasons -- losing to Purdue both times with bowl eligibility on the line -- and a 4-14 Big Ten record, Indiana is going to count to three ... there will not be a four if there's another losing season.
Last Preseason Ranking: 14
11. Lovie Smith, Illinois
Obviously Lovie Smith is a good football coach, but he hasn't had a whole lot of luck in his first three seasons, and he hasn't had a whole lot of talent to work with. On the plus side, 2018 was his best year yet. On the downside, he won just four games. In a fourth year of a youth movement and rebuild, this is when the payoff is supposed to come.
Last Preseason Ranking: 10
10. Jeff Brohm, Purdue
This might seem weirdly low considering he could've been the Louisville head coach right now and he certainly should be in the mix for the NFL in a bit, but going 13-13 in two years and 9-9 in the Big Ten isn't a reason to build a statue quite yet. Okay, okay, it sort of is -- considering how bad the program was when he took it over -- but there are a whole lot of other good coaches in this conference, too.
Last Preseason Ranking: 8
9. P.J. Fleck, Minnesota
All of a sudden, right after a 55-31 embarrassment against Illinois, it's as if everything clicked. There might have been a loss to Northwestern over the last four games, but the Golden Gophers destroyed Purdue, crushed Wisconsin -- breaking a LONG hex to the Badgers -- and annihilated Georgia Tech in the Quick Lane Bowl. This is all starting to work. Fleck is putting it all together to be dangerous.
Last Preseason Ranking: 12
8. Ryan Day, Ohio State
No, the new guy hasn't done it yet, but sort of lost in the shuffle was how he held the ship together when it all could've easily blown apart early last year during Urbangate. Granted, you could've been the head coach and Ohio State would've whacked around Oregon State and Rutgers, but guiding the way to the win at TCU was terrific at the time. Now he has to show that he can do the most with the most. Welcome to the show, newbie.....win the Big Ten title.
Last Preseason Ranking: (Not Ranked)
7. Scott Frost, Nebraska
Obviously you want to buy stock in the Nebraska head coach now. You know what's coming. You know Nebraska is going to grow into a thing. You know Frost is among the best and brightest coaches going. One massive season at UCF was nice, but 4-8 isn't enough to get it done in this league of great coaches. No worries; again, the big things are coming.
Last Preseason Ranking: 7
6. Kirk Ferentz, Iowa
He has become underrated and underappreciated again? Not only is he winning a whole lot of games, but he's cranking out a whole lot of top pro prospects, too. With 37 wins in the last four seasons, two straight bowl wins, and 152 career victories -- all with the utmost class -- he's what you want in a head football coach. Why isn't he higher? He has one double-digit win season in the last nine.
Last Preseason Ranking: 9
5. James Franklin, Penn State
He continues to get a bit of a bad rap because Penn State isn't winning national championships. All he did was bring the program back from the dead -- or NCAA sanctions -- and come up with five straight winning seasons with 31 wins in the last three years. This is a little bit of a critical season, though, because now this really is his team with his players and talent -- this is when the program is supposed to be a superpower again. Ho hum -- Penn State fans might have to settle for nine or more wins.
Last Preseason Ranking: 3
4. Paul Chryst, Wisconsin
Uhhhhhh, what was that? Just about all of the key parts were back from the 13-1 team that came within a scoring drive against Ohio State of going to the College Football Playoff, and it painfully underachieved. That's okay once -- everyone is allowed one mediocre season after winning 34 games in three years -- but even with a new quarterback and rebuilding line, the team is good enough to take back the West.
Last Preseason Ranking: 4
3. Mark Dantonio, Michigan State
This is based on a bit of an assumption that he and his staff have fixed the glitch. Yeah, winning ten or more games four times in five years was great, but that one other season was the 3-9 2016 disaster. Two years later, Dantonio had a national championship level defense and a 7-6 offense. He's not going to let that happen again.
Last Preseason Ranking: 2
2. Jim Harbaugh, Michigan
Stop focusing on what he hasn't done. How did Michigan do before he took over? 5-7. Since taking over the gig, has he won more games than Dantonio? Yes. Has he won ten games three or more times in the last four seasons? Yeah, and in this league, only Chryst and Urban can match that. How many ten-win seasons did the program have in the 11 years before he was hired? Two.
Yes, he hasn't beaten Ohio State. Yes, he hasn't won a Big Ten title. Yes, he hasn't been to the College Football Playoff. And yes, he just upgraded his offense and has everything in place to finally silence his critics.
Now beat Ohio State
Last Preseason Ranking: 6
1. Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern
Oh COME ON.....the guy took Northfreakingwestern to the Big Ten Championship Game a year after winning ten games. How is this for a run at a place where consistent greatness is next to impossible? He has won nine games or more in three of the last four seasons and had a winning record four years in a row. When was the last time Northfreakingwestern did that? 1928 to 1931.
Remember that Northfreakingwestern won just one bowl game from 1892 up until 2012? Yeah, Fitzgerald has won three in the last three years.
Helped by his efforts and energy, the football program has the nicest practice facility in college football -- at least it's the most scenic. He has one of the nation's top quarterback talents -- Hunter Johnson from Clemson -- ready to take over his offense, the defense should still be strong, and he's got a team in place that might be his best yet.
Last Preseason Ranking: 5
Big Ten Preseason Head Coach Rankings 2019
by Pete Fiutak, CollegeFootballNews.com
Who do you want as your head coach for right now, and how good are the all the current Big Ten coaches?
Record and resumés aren’t necessarily everything, but of course they matter. Where are each of the teams going, which guys have the buzz, and which ones need to prove themselves a bit more?
These aren’t Hot Seat Rankings – those are coming later. These are the rankings based loosely on what the head coaches have done, and mostly about what they’re about to do.
Think of it this way. If you were to hold a head coaching draft …
14. Chris Ash, Rutgers
The guy might be Bill Belichick, Nick Saban and Norman Dale all wrapped up into one, but trying to get Rutgers off the ground in the second-toughest division in college football -- put the Big Ten East right behind the SEC West -- isn't fair. It's been a brutally rough run going 7-29 in three years with just three Big Ten wins, and even at Rutgers, there has to be some signs of success.
Last Preseason Ranking: 13
13. Mike Locksley, Maryland
Yeah, he knows the area and he's a heck of a recruiter, but the 2-26 run as the New Mexico head coach and the 1-5 run when taking over Maryland in 2015 once Randy Edsall was canned doesn't exactly scream yippee. There's enough talent in place to go bowling, and he did a fantastic job as the Alabama offensive coordinator over the last two seasons, but he has a lot to prove after his time in Albuquerque.
Last Preseason Ranking: (Not Ranked)
12. Tom Allen, Indiana
It's Year Three and the Hoosiers are supposed to be able to get over the hump -- at least the pieces are there to do it. But after two straight 5-7 seasons -- losing to Purdue both times with bowl eligibility on the line -- and a 4-14 Big Ten record, Indiana is going to count to three ... there will not be a four if there's another losing season.
Last Preseason Ranking: 14
11. Lovie Smith, Illinois
Obviously Lovie Smith is a good football coach, but he hasn't had a whole lot of luck in his first three seasons, and he hasn't had a whole lot of talent to work with. On the plus side, 2018 was his best year yet. On the downside, he won just four games. In a fourth year of a youth movement and rebuild, this is when the payoff is supposed to come.
Last Preseason Ranking: 10
10. Jeff Brohm, Purdue
This might seem weirdly low considering he could've been the Louisville head coach right now and he certainly should be in the mix for the NFL in a bit, but going 13-13 in two years and 9-9 in the Big Ten isn't a reason to build a statue quite yet. Okay, okay, it sort of is -- considering how bad the program was when he took it over -- but there are a whole lot of other good coaches in this conference, too.
Last Preseason Ranking: 8
9. P.J. Fleck, Minnesota
All of a sudden, right after a 55-31 embarrassment against Illinois, it's as if everything clicked. There might have been a loss to Northwestern over the last four games, but the Golden Gophers destroyed Purdue, crushed Wisconsin -- breaking a LONG hex to the Badgers -- and annihilated Georgia Tech in the Quick Lane Bowl. This is all starting to work. Fleck is putting it all together to be dangerous.
Last Preseason Ranking: 12
8. Ryan Day, Ohio State
No, the new guy hasn't done it yet, but sort of lost in the shuffle was how he held the ship together when it all could've easily blown apart early last year during Urbangate. Granted, you could've been the head coach and Ohio State would've whacked around Oregon State and Rutgers, but guiding the way to the win at TCU was terrific at the time. Now he has to show that he can do the most with the most. Welcome to the show, newbie.....win the Big Ten title.
Last Preseason Ranking: (Not Ranked)
7. Scott Frost, Nebraska
Obviously you want to buy stock in the Nebraska head coach now. You know what's coming. You know Nebraska is going to grow into a thing. You know Frost is among the best and brightest coaches going. One massive season at UCF was nice, but 4-8 isn't enough to get it done in this league of great coaches. No worries; again, the big things are coming.
Last Preseason Ranking: 7
6. Kirk Ferentz, Iowa
He has become underrated and underappreciated again? Not only is he winning a whole lot of games, but he's cranking out a whole lot of top pro prospects, too. With 37 wins in the last four seasons, two straight bowl wins, and 152 career victories -- all with the utmost class -- he's what you want in a head football coach. Why isn't he higher? He has one double-digit win season in the last nine.
Last Preseason Ranking: 9
5. James Franklin, Penn State
He continues to get a bit of a bad rap because Penn State isn't winning national championships. All he did was bring the program back from the dead -- or NCAA sanctions -- and come up with five straight winning seasons with 31 wins in the last three years. This is a little bit of a critical season, though, because now this really is his team with his players and talent -- this is when the program is supposed to be a superpower again. Ho hum -- Penn State fans might have to settle for nine or more wins.
Last Preseason Ranking: 3
4. Paul Chryst, Wisconsin
Uhhhhhh, what was that? Just about all of the key parts were back from the 13-1 team that came within a scoring drive against Ohio State of going to the College Football Playoff, and it painfully underachieved. That's okay once -- everyone is allowed one mediocre season after winning 34 games in three years -- but even with a new quarterback and rebuilding line, the team is good enough to take back the West.
Last Preseason Ranking: 4
3. Mark Dantonio, Michigan State
This is based on a bit of an assumption that he and his staff have fixed the glitch. Yeah, winning ten or more games four times in five years was great, but that one other season was the 3-9 2016 disaster. Two years later, Dantonio had a national championship level defense and a 7-6 offense. He's not going to let that happen again.
Last Preseason Ranking: 2
2. Jim Harbaugh, Michigan
Stop focusing on what he hasn't done. How did Michigan do before he took over? 5-7. Since taking over the gig, has he won more games than Dantonio? Yes. Has he won ten games three or more times in the last four seasons? Yeah, and in this league, only Chryst and Urban can match that. How many ten-win seasons did the program have in the 11 years before he was hired? Two.
Yes, he hasn't beaten Ohio State. Yes, he hasn't won a Big Ten title. Yes, he hasn't been to the College Football Playoff. And yes, he just upgraded his offense and has everything in place to finally silence his critics.
Now beat Ohio State
Last Preseason Ranking: 6
1. Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern
Oh COME ON.....the guy took Northfreakingwestern to the Big Ten Championship Game a year after winning ten games. How is this for a run at a place where consistent greatness is next to impossible? He has won nine games or more in three of the last four seasons and had a winning record four years in a row. When was the last time Northfreakingwestern did that? 1928 to 1931.
Remember that Northfreakingwestern won just one bowl game from 1892 up until 2012? Yeah, Fitzgerald has won three in the last three years.
Helped by his efforts and energy, the football program has the nicest practice facility in college football -- at least it's the most scenic. He has one of the nation's top quarterback talents -- Hunter Johnson from Clemson -- ready to take over his offense, the defense should still be strong, and he's got a team in place that might be his best yet.
Last Preseason Ranking: 5
