Where does Sherrone Moore land prior to the season?
With fall camps set to begin this week, it’s about that time to create some preseason power rankings. Today, we’re going to be looking specifically at the head coaches of each of the 18 Big Ten football programs.
18. DeShaun Foster, UCLA, 0-0 career record
Foster’s introductory press conference speaks for itself. Until proven otherwise, he belongs at the bottom of this list.
UCLA coach DeShaun Foster with a really awkward Big Ten media day opening statement pic.twitter.com/dHX5ayP7K3
— Heavens! (@HeavensFX) July 24, 2024
17. Ryan Walters, Purdue, 4-8
Walters struggled in his first year at Purdue and doesn’t have a great incoming recruiting class. Winning at Purdue is tough nowadays and Walters is experiencing that firsthand.
16. Mike Locksley, Maryland, 31-59
It feels like we’ve been waiting for years for Locksley’s to turn things around and start producing results at Maryland. Now it feels like that may never come. I wouldn’t be surprised if Locksley finds his way to the hot seat if things don’t go well this year.
15. Greg Schiano, Rutgers, 87-95
Schiano will always be a legend at Rutgers , but his second stint in Piscataway isn’t going very well. He hasn’t been able to attract strong quarterback play, which has inevitably doomed the Scarlet Knights every year despite strong play elsewhere.
14. David Braun, Northwestern, 8-5
In the wake of Pat Fitzgerald’s firing, Braun took over and had a decent first season, especially for Northwestern. If you had Braun becoming the first ever Wildcat head coach to lead Northwestern to a bowl in his first season on your bingo card, it’s time to cash in. We’ll see if he can keep it up.
13. P.J. Fleck, Minnesota, 80-56
Fleck’s hiring was supposed to be a program-changing event. Seven years later and it feels like the Golden Gophers are rowing the boat in circles, as they’re largely in the same place they were when Fleck started.
12. Bret Bielema, Illinois, 115-77
Bielema had an excellent 2022 season, bookended by two subpar years in 2021 and 2023. He’s a great X’s and O’s coach, but just hasn’t been able to recruit well enough to consistently compete in the Big Ten.
11. Curt Cignetti, Indiana, 119-35
Cignetti has won games in his career, and he has won a lot. However, Indiana is a different beast. Winning in Bloomington is no easy task, but its a great hire for the Hoosiers on paper.
10. Jonathan Smith, Michigan State, 34-35
Smith is a sneakily a very solid hire for the Spartans. He turned around an Oregon State program that was left for dead prior to jumping ship. He’s got a tough rebuild ahead of him, similar to Cignetti, but at least he seems like the right man for the job.
9. Jedd Fisch, Washington, 17-22
Looking at records alone, you may wonder why I have Fisch this high on the list. The answer is simple: he turned around a 1-11 program to 10-3 in just two years. To make Arizona nationally relevant out of nowhere that quickly is incredibly impressive to me. He may have a rough first year in Washington due to roster turnover, but the program is in good hands.
8. Matt Rhule, Nebraska, 52-50
Similar to Fisch, Rhule turned around a 1-11 Baylor program and turned them into an 11-3 team just two years later. Prior to that, he turned Temple football relevant. While he’s had his struggles in the NFL, the Cornhuskers have more reason for optimism than most, even if they haven’t seen it on the field yet.
7. Kirk Ferentz, Iowa, 196-119
I wanted to slide Ferentz lower due to nepotism, but this was as low as I could go. Say what you will about him, Ferentz knows how to win nine games. It will be interesting to see what that’s good for in the new 12-team playoff format.
6. James Franklin, Penn State, 88-39
I recently had a conversation with a diehard Penn State fan who said to me, “every year I pencil in a 10-2 record with losses to Ohio State and Michigan. I guess it could be worse.” This statement seems brutally accurate to me. Franklin beats just about everyone he’s supposed to beat and loses to everyone he’s supposed to lose to. Rinse and repeat.
5. Luke Fickell, Wisconsin, 71-31
Fickell is largely here due to his success at Cincinnati. It’s been a tough go for him at Wisconsin but the transition from one offensive style to another was never going to be easy. If the fanbase can have patience with him, he should be able to get some results in the near future.
4. Lincoln Riley, USC, 74-18
Similar to Fickell, Riley is here largely due to his prior gig at Oklahoma. At USC, his offenses have been electric while his defense has been an eyesore. I don’t think it’s overly dramatic to say Riley could end up on the hot seat if last season is duplicated this fall. But on the opposite end of the spectrum, he could take USC to the playoff as early as this year. No one has a wider variance than Riley.
3. Sherrone Moore, Michigan, 4-0
As a playcaller, Moore has proved everything he needs to prove by finishing off an undefeated season with wins over Penn State, Maryland and Ohio State before calling a generational drive to end regulation of the Rose Bowl . However, it’s yet to be seen how he will do handling all the day-to-day duties of a head coach and not just a play caller. So far, he’s off to a hot start.
2. Ryan Day, Ohio State, 56-8
I tossed and turned about putting Day ahead of Moore after watching the past three iterations of The Game. However, you do have to give some credit to Day for his record against teams not named Michigan He’s been almost unbeatable.
1. Dan Lanning, Oregon, 22-5
I have immense respect for Lanning’s work so far at Oregon. In just two years, he’s won 22 games has recruited incredibly well, and has stayed out of the spotlight in order to let his players shine. The fact they can join the conference for the first time and immediately be one of the favorites is impressive to me.