While the Big 10 has only produced one national champion in 15 years, the conference is loaded with remarkable coaches.
In fact, of all the conferences in college football, the Big 10 has the best crop of coaches in the country. Urban Meyer is the only coach in the conference with a national championship. However, the league boasts numerous coaches who turned their programs into national contenders.
Like most conferences, the Big 10 has a couple of coaches who aren’t particularly good. But overall, most teams are led by excellent coaches.
Here are our rankings of the coaches in the Big 10. Check out our previous rankings of coaches in the SEC, ACC, Pac-12, and Big 12.
Group 1: Failed Experiment
- Lovie Smith, Illinois
Illinois doesn’t exactly have a reputation for being a dominant football program, but it’s been seven years since the school has produced a winning season. When Lovie Smith was hired in 2016, fans were excited to have a coach who had previously led a team to a Super Bowl. Unfortunately for Illini fans, Smith is 5-19 through two seasons, and there isn’t a light at the end of the tunnel. Smith was given a six-year, $21 million deal, but he might be facing his last season in Champaign if there isn’t significant progress in 2018.
Group 2: Rebuilding Forgotten Programs
- Tom Allen, Indiana
Allen is entering his second full season as head coach of the Hoosiers, and he has a challenging season ahead of him. Previous Indiana coach Kevin Wilson took the Hoosiers to back-to-back bowl games before he was forced to resign for allegedly mistreating players. So far, Allen is 5-8, and his team is tasked with playing in one of the toughest divisions in college football. It wouldn’t be terribly surprisingly if the Hoosiers fell behind Rutgers for last place in the Big 10 East this season.
- Chris Ash, Rutgers
The Greg Schiano era seems like a distant memory in Piscataway. Rutgers has won 10 games over the last three seasons. To make matters worse, the program was flooded with misconduct in during the previous regime. Chris Ash has only won six games in two seasons, but he was handed a disastrous situation when he took over the program. He deserves two more seasons to attempt to right the ship. In related news, the Big 10 inviting Rutgers to join the conference remains perhaps the worst decision of any Power 5 league in recent history.
- P.J. Fleck, Minnesota
Who knew that rowing boats is easier in Kalamazoo than it is in the Land of 10,000 Lakes? Fleck’s “row the boat” mantra is off to a slow start in Minnesota as the Golden Gophers stumbled to a 5-7 record in his debut season. Fleck rebuilt Western Michigan in four seasons, which culminated in an impressive 13-1 season in 2016.
At 37, many considered Fleck to be one of the most sought after young coaches in college football, which made his decision to leave for Minnesota a bit surprising. The Golden Gophers only have one 10-win season in the last 110 years. It’s a tough place to win, but Fleck has some time to turn the program into a contender in the mediocre Big 10 West.
Group 3: Rising Stars
- D.J. Durkin, Maryland
Despite being 10-15 in two seasons, Durkin has done a very solid job at Maryland. The Terrapins probably would have had a better year in 2017 had they not been forced to play four quarterbacks due to injury. Maryland dominated Texas in the season opener before injuries mounted. Durkin brought in the No. 18 recruiting class in 2017, which was No. 4 in the Big 10. He coached under both Urban Meyer and Jim Harbaugh for several years, and now he’s tasked with competing against both in the Big 10 East. Life won’t be easy for Maryland in that division, but Durkin can keep them afloat.
- Scott Frost, Nebraska
Before Frost took over at UCF, the Knights went 0-12. Two seasons later, Frost guided them to a 13-0 season and became the most sought after young coach in college football. The timing worked out so Frost could take over his alma mater, and now he will be expected to return the Cornhuskers to glory.
It feels like it was centuries ago when Nebraska had the most dominant program in the sport. The Cornhuskers are only two decades removed from one of the greatest four-year stretches in college football history. Since joining the Big 10, Nebraska has one 10-win season, and they’ve mostly been a middle-of-the-road team. Nebraska isn’t exactly an easy place to recruit, so it will be fascinating to see if Frost can turn them into a contender.
- Jeff Brohm, Purdue
Jeff Brohm led Purdue to a 7-6 record in the his first season, which might not seem like much of an accomplishment. However, consider this: the Boilermakers had a losing record in eight of the previous nine season before Brohm. Darrell Hazell, the coach before Brohm, won nine games in four seasons.
In only one season, Purdue football became exciting again. Brohm’s teams are known for their explosive offenses, and he is 37-16 in four seasons as a head coach. It might be difficult for the Boilermakers to keep Brohm around, though he could be waiting for the Louisville job before he bolts.
Group 4: Consistent Winners
- Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern
Northwestern football had a few good seasons sprinkled in before Fitzgerald took over in 2006. However, the program has been a consistent winner during Fitzgerald’s tenure. The Wildcats have won 10 games in three of the last six seasons. Fitzgerald is the only coach in school history with three 10-win seasons.
Fitzgerald is a Northwestern alum, so the school has a good chance of keeping him around for the foreseeable future. However, he is only 43, and he could eventually make a leap to a bigger program or to the NFL.
- Kirk Ferentz, Iowa
There’s a running joke in college football about how much Ferentz makes each season. As of last season, Ferentz was one of the 15 highest paid coaches in the sport. This season will be Ferentz’s 20th at Iowa, and that type of longevity is rare in college football. Perhaps Ferentz’s most noteworthy accomplishment is his ability to keep Iowa relevant for two decades in the Big 10. Just three years ago, Ferentz guided Iowa to an undefeated regular season and nearly a playoff berth. Only four losing seasons in 19 years is a very impressive achievement at Iowa.
- James Franklin, Penn State
James Franklin won back-t0-back games at Vanderbilt. He’s the only coach in school history to accomplish that feat. It’s a remarkable accomplishment, and he has quickly turned Penn State back into a contender. The Nittany Lions have won 11 games in each of the last two seasons. Nevertheless, it’s worth wondering if Franklin can take them to the next level.
Penn State has had plenty of talent in the last few years, and Franklin won a Big 10 title in 2016. The Nittany Lions have an over/under of 9.5 for 2018, according to BetDSI. Only Ohio State and Wisconsin have a higher over/under than Penn State. Franklin energized the program when he arrived, and now the question is whether he can sustain it over the next few years.
- Paul Chryst, Wisconsin
Wisconsin has been one of the most consistent programs in the country since Barry Alvarez took over in the 1990s. Bret Bielema and Gary Andersen each had success after Alvarez left, and Paul Chryst inherited a program ready to compete at a high level.
Chryst was 19-19 in three seasons at Pitt, but he has elevated Wisconsin into a contender. The Badgers have played for a Big 10 title in the last two seasons. Chryst is 34-7 in three seasons in Madison, including a 12-0 team before the postseason in 2017. They are projected to win the Big 10 West again this year, and they are showing no signs of slowing down.
Group 5: Elite Program Builders
- Mark Dantonio, Michigan State
Similar to Alvarez at Wisconsin, Dantonio has transformed Michigan State into one of the best programs in the country. The Spartans have won three Big 10 championships under Dantonio, and they also made the playoffs in 2015. Dantonio won at least 11 games in five of six seasons. The Spartans have been a contender in the Big 10 for most of the last decade. The 3-9 season in 2016 was an anomaly, and Michigan State rebounded with another 10-win year a season ago. Dantonio is expected to have another great team in 2018.
- Jim Harbaugh, Michigan
Many college football fans have soured on Jim Harbaugh. Truthfully, most were probably tired of him before he ever coached a game at Michigan. The results in Ann Arbor have been good, but not great. There are even pundits who don’t consider Harbaugh to be an elite coach anymore.
Calling Harbaugh “overrated” is completely overlooking his extraordinary rebuilding job at Stanford. Or with the San Francisco 49ers. Harbaugh is one of the best coaches in the sport at any level, and he’s worth every penny he’s being paid at his alma mater. The season before Harbaugh took over at Stanford, the Cardinal finished 1-11. By Year 4 with Harbaugh, Stanford was 12-1 and a national title contender. In fact, Stanford is still a contender because of the foundation built by Harbaugh.
Harbaugh is 28-11 through three years at Michigan. The problem is they haven’t looked like a contender, which makes the 2018 season a pivotal one for Harbaugh. The pieces are in place for a big season for the Wolverines. Eight or nine wins won’t cut it this year. Harbaugh certainly isn’t coaching for his job, but he needs a championship contender to prove to fans and critics he’s worth the money. Given his track record, it’s a safe bet Michigan will be much improved next season.
Group 6: One of the Greatest Ever
- Urban Meyer, Ohio State
There are only two coaches in modern college football history who have won national titles at multiple schools: Nick Saban and Urban Meyer. That’s it. If it weren’t for Saban, Meyer might have gone down as the best coach in the history of the game. It’s unlikely Meyer catches Saban in terms of championships, but it’s not totally out of the question. Urban will go down as one of the best coaches ever — and he isn’t quite finished building his resume just yet.
Meyer is a remarkable 73-8 in six seasons at Ohio State. The Buckeyes haven’t won less than 11 games in any of his six seasons. Meyer has built a juggernaut. They are among the favorites to win it all in 2018, and they likely will be for the next several years. Alabama and Ohio State are the two most dependable programs in the country each year. Meyer built the same type of program at Florida, and the only way Ohio State slips is if Meyer burns out like he did in Gainesville.
