By Kyle Golik
The Basement
Ryan Walters, DeShaun Foster, David Braun
My Take: Ryan Walters left Illinois as one of the nation’s best defensive coordinators to change the identity of Purdue. Jury is still out on him but the transition from an aerial team to a grind it out team will be interesting. Foster and Braun both took over situations that they both wanted but don’t have the foundation to be successful.
The Unknown Commodities
Sheronne Morre, Jonathan Smith, Curt Cignetti, Jedd Fisch
Take: It’s easy to point out each of these coaches successes on their resumes, but conversely their biggest challenges lie ahead.
Moore was the reliever for Jim Harbaugh’s suspensions, it wasn’t his team. Now it is Moore’s, a brutal 2024 schedule plus reloading a Michigan team that was very experienced will be the task for Moore. We really won’t know Moore’s ability for about three years.
Smith took a fledgling Oregon State program to back-to-back Top 20 finishes that included a 10-win season. The Pac-12 implosion played a significant role in Smith departing his alma mater. Smith takes over a major rebuild after the Mel Tucker meltdown left the Spartans empire in ruin.
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Fisch has began to earn a reputation as one of the nation’s best offensive innovators and quarterback coaches. The job he did at Arizona taking the Wildcats from a one win campaign in 2021 to 10-win and Alamo Bowl win over Oklahoma last season. The allure of a Super 2 job, plus the full court pressure to bring Fisch to Seattle was hard to ignore. The question now is can Fisch repeat in tougher circumstances.
Cignetti brings a swagger to Bloomington that many other Hoosier coaches have before. The question does Cignetti possess the recipe to overcome a tougher Big Ten and get the Hoosiers flirting with Big Ten championship aspirations like they did in 2020?
The Grinders
PJ Fleck, Greg Schiano, Bret Bielema, Mike Locksley
Take: When you see Minnesota, Rutgers, Illinois, and Maryland on the schedule, if you’re an elite team, you know you will win but you’re going to earn it. The flip side is if your team sleepwalks against either of these teams, they have the ability to pull the upset.
Each have distinguished resumes and really have each in position to make things interesting in the Big Ten.
Locksley has guided Maryland to three consecutive bowl wins in the last three seasons. The Terrapins are flirting with consistency but must replace Big Ten’s all time leading passer Taulia Tagovailoa.
Schiano has Rutgers poised to be one of the nation’s best surprises when you consider they don’t play Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, Iowa, or Oregon.
Bielema lost a bevy of talent entering 2023, it cost them in big moments and the Illini missed on a bowl last season. That experience should keep Illinois hovering around the seven-win mark with the opportunity to play spoiler.
Fleck’s Gophers had major regression in 2023, after successful 2021 and 2022 seasons where they won nine-games. Fleck has 15 starters returning, with North Carolina out of conference and having to deal with the heart of the Big Ten, it might be a repeat disappointment in Minnesota but it won’t be an easy out for the Gophers’ adversaries.
The Penthouse Dreamers
James Franklin, Matt Rhule, Luke Fickell, Kirk Ferentz
Take: Franklin’s resume should easily have him living in the Big Ten Penthouse, the problem is when Franklin is afforded the opportunity for residency, his Nittany Lions never deliver. The Nittany Lions are one of the nation’s most consistent teams, if you did a poll of the “very good just shy of elite” teams Penn State would headline the list.
One of the nation’s leading developmental programs is Iowa, and Ferentz is a Hall of Fame coach in that regard. The questions will always remain around Ferentz if nepotism played a role with his son Brian Ferentz coordinating the offense. Ferentz blew a couple national championship defenses because he did not have an offense capable enough to complement them.
Fickell and Rhule are still living on the laurels they earned from their previous locations. It is hard to dismiss the results each had. I have the feeling Rhule has the inside track to the Big Ten Penthouse if Rhule can get true freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola developed and the Huskers take the next page.
Wisconsin hit a home run, landing Fickell. What he did at Cincinnati made him an elite coach. What Fickell has to worry about is moving Wisconsin to an Air Raid attack going to backfire. All Wisconsin fans have to do is remember the season the Badgers had Russell Wilson and how dynamic that offense was. Patience is key, but Fickell has to show recruits Wisconsin is just one or two players away from championship aspirations.
The Penthouse
Dan Lanning, Ryan Day, Lincoln Riley
I even debated where to place Riley. The way he handled the Alex Grinch situation was as bad, if not worse than Ferentz and his son. What isn’t up for argument is Riley’s offensive prowess and how Riley responded rebuilding his defensive staff. I expect the Trojans to win 10 games this year and flirt with College Football Playoff aspirations.
Lanning has been given unlimited NIL by Nike CEO and Oregon alum Phil Knight. Lanning has taken full advantage with it. Lanning’s only losses last season came against Kalen DeBoer and Washington, I fully expect Lanning and Oregon to be no worse than 10-2. A win October 12 in Autzen against Ohio State, the Ducks should go undefeated up to the Big Ten Championship Game.
Michigan fans will echo Harbaugh’s slight to Day and say he was born on third base, but Day is resting on those laurels at all. That was proven by the transfer portal haul and recruiting classes he has stacked. Day can ill afford to lose to Michigan, but the schedule and roster shape up to give Day a chance at his first national championship.
