Gold Rush
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When doing this, I tried to use the preseason expectations as well as the team's performance during the season. Many times a team can do very well without a good coach just from talent, but I am more interested in seeing what coach got the most out of his team during the year.
So without further ado:
11. Bill Lynch -- Indiana -- D-
I thought he did a great job last year and scored good marks, but this year's team was in free-fall mode most of the season and they have a program in big trouble. I look for them to be on the bottom of the Big Ten next year as well.
10. Joe Tiller -- Purdue -- D
Tiller did a great job for the Boilermakers while he was there, but I think he coached one season too long. I thought he mailed it in this year. The Boilermakers were fighting amongst themselves and Tiller shot back at his star RB. To the team's credit, they pulled together and demolished arch-rival Indiana the last game of the year.
9. Rich Rodriguez -- Michigan -- D
OK, I know the team was going with different schemes and I gave Brewster the benefit of the doubt with the same excuse last year, but Michigan has a LOT more talent than the Gophers did last season and there is simply no excuse this team did as poorly as it did most of the season. The team had a few bright spots, but looked outmanned and confused for most of the year and with a team with this much talent, the most losses in the history of Michigan football speaks for itself.
8. Ron Zook -- Illinois -- D+
Last year, I gave him an A and this year he goes all the way down to a D+. I do not think he is a good coach at all and he was exposed this year. He can recruit, but that only gets you so far. He has had a few good recruiting classes in a row, but we shall see if they underachieve next year, too. No excuse they weren't in a bowl game this year.
7. Bret Bielema -- Wisconsin -- C
I am not sold on his coaching ability, either. The Badgers did very well with Barry Alvarez's recruits, but they look like they are moving in the wrong direction to me. They had preseason top 10 potential but were exposed under a brutal 4 game stretch. They should have lost to Cal-Poly, and were very fortunate to beat the Gophers. The more I saw him on the Big Ten Network, the less I cared for him - he doesn't exude class like many of the other coaches do. Their success has not come from great coaching, it has come from superior talent that Alvarez left behind.
6. Tim Brewster -- Minnesota -- C+
I wanted to go higher and if this would have come out 4 games ago, he would have received an A. Unfortunately, the team seemed to get worse as the season went on and no adjustments were made to counter other Big Ten teams adjustments. He receives top grades for motivational skills as well as recruiting and I believe he will look like a much better coach when he recruits a few more classes, like Zook did last year. The Gophers committed way too many stupid mistakes and penalties this season and the coaching staff needs to address this ASAP. He was outcoached by Fitzgerald and he really looked like a rookie vs. Ferentz. A C+ is the best I can give him for this season, but I give him a lot of credit for a turnaround from 1-11 to 7-5.
5. Joe Paterno -- Penn St. -- B
I guess I would give his assistants an A+ for all their hard work. I do not even know what JoePa does anymore, but he was usually seen scowling up from the booth upstairs. Still, the Nittany Lions had a great year and they were coached well - I just don't think that JoePa had too much to do with it.
4. Kirk Ferentz -- Iowa -- B+
This looked like it would be a disastrous year for the Hawkeyes, but they pulled out of it, righted the ship and came out with a fairly successful season. I have always thought Ferentz was a classy guy and a good coach and I thought he did a very good job this year.
3. Jim Tressell -- Ohio St. -- A-
Tressell has the program right where he wants and they are stocked with talent. The Buckeyes hoped to contend for a National championship but two great roadblocks prevented that from happening. The program is on autopilot and will win a lot of games, but needs just a little more boost to win it all.
2. Mark Dantonio -- Michigan St. -- A
Great hire from the University of Cincinnatti, Dantonio has quickly led the Spartans to major prominence. I should point out that the Spartans had a lot more talent than the Gophers did when Brewster took over, but Dantonio has proved he can recruit, motivate and lead his team to near the top of the Big Ten.
1. Pat Fitzgerald -- Northwestern -- A+
Fitzgerald has done a phenomenal job this year and he should garner the Big Ten Coach of the Year honors. He came in as an underdog vs. the Gophers without his top QB and RB.......and changed his gameplan to beat them with something the Gophers did not expect. THAT is good coaching. The Wildcats aren't the most talented bunch in the league, but they fight hard the entire game and they do not beat themselves with stupid mistakes. The more I saw him on the Big Ten Network, the more I liked him. This guy is a great coach and he will go far if he continues to coach like he did this season.
..........
So without further ado:
11. Bill Lynch -- Indiana -- D-
I thought he did a great job last year and scored good marks, but this year's team was in free-fall mode most of the season and they have a program in big trouble. I look for them to be on the bottom of the Big Ten next year as well.
10. Joe Tiller -- Purdue -- D
Tiller did a great job for the Boilermakers while he was there, but I think he coached one season too long. I thought he mailed it in this year. The Boilermakers were fighting amongst themselves and Tiller shot back at his star RB. To the team's credit, they pulled together and demolished arch-rival Indiana the last game of the year.
9. Rich Rodriguez -- Michigan -- D
OK, I know the team was going with different schemes and I gave Brewster the benefit of the doubt with the same excuse last year, but Michigan has a LOT more talent than the Gophers did last season and there is simply no excuse this team did as poorly as it did most of the season. The team had a few bright spots, but looked outmanned and confused for most of the year and with a team with this much talent, the most losses in the history of Michigan football speaks for itself.
8. Ron Zook -- Illinois -- D+
Last year, I gave him an A and this year he goes all the way down to a D+. I do not think he is a good coach at all and he was exposed this year. He can recruit, but that only gets you so far. He has had a few good recruiting classes in a row, but we shall see if they underachieve next year, too. No excuse they weren't in a bowl game this year.
7. Bret Bielema -- Wisconsin -- C
I am not sold on his coaching ability, either. The Badgers did very well with Barry Alvarez's recruits, but they look like they are moving in the wrong direction to me. They had preseason top 10 potential but were exposed under a brutal 4 game stretch. They should have lost to Cal-Poly, and were very fortunate to beat the Gophers. The more I saw him on the Big Ten Network, the less I cared for him - he doesn't exude class like many of the other coaches do. Their success has not come from great coaching, it has come from superior talent that Alvarez left behind.
6. Tim Brewster -- Minnesota -- C+
I wanted to go higher and if this would have come out 4 games ago, he would have received an A. Unfortunately, the team seemed to get worse as the season went on and no adjustments were made to counter other Big Ten teams adjustments. He receives top grades for motivational skills as well as recruiting and I believe he will look like a much better coach when he recruits a few more classes, like Zook did last year. The Gophers committed way too many stupid mistakes and penalties this season and the coaching staff needs to address this ASAP. He was outcoached by Fitzgerald and he really looked like a rookie vs. Ferentz. A C+ is the best I can give him for this season, but I give him a lot of credit for a turnaround from 1-11 to 7-5.
5. Joe Paterno -- Penn St. -- B
I guess I would give his assistants an A+ for all their hard work. I do not even know what JoePa does anymore, but he was usually seen scowling up from the booth upstairs. Still, the Nittany Lions had a great year and they were coached well - I just don't think that JoePa had too much to do with it.
4. Kirk Ferentz -- Iowa -- B+
This looked like it would be a disastrous year for the Hawkeyes, but they pulled out of it, righted the ship and came out with a fairly successful season. I have always thought Ferentz was a classy guy and a good coach and I thought he did a very good job this year.
3. Jim Tressell -- Ohio St. -- A-
Tressell has the program right where he wants and they are stocked with talent. The Buckeyes hoped to contend for a National championship but two great roadblocks prevented that from happening. The program is on autopilot and will win a lot of games, but needs just a little more boost to win it all.
2. Mark Dantonio -- Michigan St. -- A
Great hire from the University of Cincinnatti, Dantonio has quickly led the Spartans to major prominence. I should point out that the Spartans had a lot more talent than the Gophers did when Brewster took over, but Dantonio has proved he can recruit, motivate and lead his team to near the top of the Big Ten.
1. Pat Fitzgerald -- Northwestern -- A+
Fitzgerald has done a phenomenal job this year and he should garner the Big Ten Coach of the Year honors. He came in as an underdog vs. the Gophers without his top QB and RB.......and changed his gameplan to beat them with something the Gophers did not expect. THAT is good coaching. The Wildcats aren't the most talented bunch in the league, but they fight hard the entire game and they do not beat themselves with stupid mistakes. The more I saw him on the Big Ten Network, the more I liked him. This guy is a great coach and he will go far if he continues to coach like he did this season.
..........
. Either way, Paterno led PSU into OSU and beat the buckeyes and went flawlessly through the season, except one unfortuante game in Iowa City (seriously, why did they have to slip up vs Iowa!?!?!?)