Ranking Big Ten coaches from best to worst

Next in our Rankings Series are the coaches. I wanted to make sure I could take emotion and narrative out of the equation so I created an algorithm that had multiple factors:

Overall win pct

B1G win pct

Division and Conference titles

Playoff appearances

B1G and National coach of the year honors

After plugging in all the data this is where the leaders of the Big Ten fell.

Locksley is dead last and it isn't even close. Winning less than 25% of his regular season and conference games. Maryland was excited to bring Locksley back to Maryland, but he was 3-31 in his previous stints as a head coach. Things haven’t gotten much better for Locksley.

Schiano is back at Rutgers with hopes of replicating a successful run during his time with the program during the Big East days. After a stint in the NFL and a stay as Ohio State's DC he went back to Rutgers. Schiano has won about half his games in his career but only 27.78% of his Big Ten games since returning to New Jersey.

Nebraska hoped the return of Scott Frost would finally get them back to their glory days. So far his success at UCF has not translated to Lincoln. Frost has nearly identical win percentages to Schiano and will need a big season to stay at his alma mater past 2022.

Tom Allen saw success in the Covid shortened 2020 season where he won Big Ten Coach of the Year. Allen gets the edge over other coaches because of that award and a slightly better 34.88% B1G record.

Jeff Brohm turned down an interview at Tennessee and a job offer from his alma matter Louisville to stay in West Lafayette. Brohm has won nearly 60% of his games as a head coach and nearly half his games in the Big Ten. With a soft schedule in 2022 Boilermaker fans are hoping this is the year Brohm wins the Big Ten West.

When PJ Fleck rowed his boat from Kalamazoo to Minnesota he was taking over a program in disarray. He has won just under half his conference games but has gotten Minnesota close in his 5 seasons, including 2018 where he won Big Ten Coach of the Year and lost the tiebreaker for the Big Ten West.

Bret Bielema had a successful run at Wisconsin, including three Big Ten Championships before he decided to head to the SEC and lead the Arkansas Razorbacks. He did not find much success there and has returned to the Big Ten to coach the Illini. He exceeded expectations in his first year in Champaign and Illinois fans are hoping he can duplicate his Madison success for the orange and blue.

Pat Fitzgerald has been a legend for his alma mater Northwestern. While the Wildcats have to be a developmental program, which means up and down seasons, he has managed to win nearly half his B1G games in Evanston and has won two Big Ten West titles earning Big Ten and National Coach of the year honors.

Mel Tucker only has three seasons as a head coach, but he is off to a great start. The Saban disciple had Colorado fans excited before he bolted after just one season for East Lansing. While the Covid year was a struggle, it was expected given the late retirement of Mike Dantonio and the lack of time with players during the pandemic. Tucker beat Michigan in 2020 however, which was enough for the Spartan fan base to buy-in. Far exceeding expectations in 2021, the $95M man and reigning Big Ten Coach of the Year has fans talking about future championships.

James Franklin is one of the more polarizing coaches in the conference. While he has won 11 games three times, he has also won only 7 games three times. Franklin's 2016 Big Ten Championship saw him garner Coach of the Year honors. Franklin has won 65% of all of his games and 60% in the conference, but his inconsistent seasons get him ranked as the "best of the rest".

We're entering the top tier of Big Ten coaches. Ferentz is by far the most tenured Big Ten head coach, leading the Hawkeyes since 1999. In that time he has won 2 conference championships and represented the Big Ten West twice in the current format. While Ferentz also runs a developmental program similar to Northwestern which leads to up and down seasons, the four-time Big Ten coach of the year has won nearly 60% of his games in Iowa. Just when Hawkeyes fans are ready to move on, he's good for an 11-win season.

Paul Chryst is our next head coach leading his alma mater. Chryst left Pitt to return to Madison and has continued the level of consistent success the Badgers expect. Chryst has won an incredible 72% of his Big Ten games. He has dominated the weaker West division with 3 trips to Indy. The two-time Big Ten coach of the year hasn't been able to win the conference yet, but he's a lock to win 9 games and is an impressive 6-1 in bowl games.

Jim Harbaugh entered 2021 on a hot seat of sorts. The Big Ten Championship season was a narrative buster as Harbaugh won big games, road games, games as an underdog, beat Ohio State, and got the Wolverines their first Big Ten Championship in nearly 20 years. Harbaugh is one of only two current B1G coaches with a CFP berth. He wins an incredible 70% of his games and 71% in the Big Ten. He is one of the best football coaches in the country, especially when you consider the success he has had at every level. 2021 gets him to where he belongs on this list.

Ryan Day has dominated the Big Ten since taking over for Urban Meyer. While he has only been the head man for three seasons he has won an incredible 89% of his games and has suffered only one loss in the Big Ten, losing to Michigan 42-27 in 2021. He has won the conference twice in his three seasons and has the other playoff berth with Jim Harbaugh. You can't be 23-1 in the Big Ten and not be ranked the #1 coach in the conference. Day and the Buckeyes bounced back from the loss to Michigan with a Rose Bowl victory last season. They come to 2022 the heavy favorite to win the conference and one of the top 3-5 teams to win the National Championship. Day is the best coach in the Big Ten right now and he might be just getting started.

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