3 most overrated Big Ten football coaches ahead of 2024 (3. PJ Fleck, Minnesota)

[btowngopher]

Marylands record against big ten west teams

Minnesota 4-3
Iowa 1-3
Nebraska 1-2
Illinois 2-1
Purdue 2-2
Northwestern 1-3
Wisconsin 0-4

vs west
11-18 (38%)

Vs east
16-39

Big ten record since joining
27-57 (32%)



The real thing is Randy Edsall was their version of a Tim Brewster and then they hired Dirkin who was even worse + the bottom of the big ten both East and west is typically better than the bottom of the ACC IMO

Edsall seemed like a home run hire, but Maryland was stupid to fire Friedgen and then probably was stupid to fire Edsall as well. May be why they now seem to be showing extra patience with Locksley.

 

[Some guy]

Edsall seemed like a home run hire, but Maryland was stupid to fire Friedgen and then probably was stupid to fire Edsall as well. May be why they now seem to be showing extra patience with Locksley.

Edsall is maybe the luckiest coach of all time

He won 2 big east titles

But those two seasons he had a 17-9 record.
Here are his 17 wins:
Duke
Maine
Temple
5-7 pitt
Akron
6-6 Louisville
South Florida
8-5 Rutgers
2-10 Syracuse


Texas southern
Buffalo
2-10 Vanderbilt
9-4 West Virginia
8-5 pitt
8-5 Syracuse
4-8 Cincinnati
8-5 south Florida

Winning the big east post ACC expansion was crazy. Crazy that south Florida was ranked number 2 at one point.

The big east was a glorified MAC 2008-2012

fleck has had maybe 5 teams at Minnesota all better than edsall’s best team at UConn but due to the big east having the BCS label he parlayed it into huge paydays. And then he burnt down Maryland. Then he went back to UConn and burnt down UConn


Edsall has been over .500 in conference twice in his career (both seasons 5-2) of 21 years. It just so happens one of those years he won the 6th best league by winning a 3 way tie. Only one team in the big east had 4 or fewer losses and his wasn’t one of them. But they beat the other two in the 3 way tie. They went to the fiesta bowl in a season they had 4 regular season losses including a loss to the last place team in the conference.

 

[Spoofin]

Good article. PJ is a decent coach yet most certainly overrated.

 

[HitMeAgainIAmStillMoving]

I think/suspect that there is a certain level of fear among some fans that, if Fleck leaves MN for whatever reason, then MN will fall back into the 'wilderness years' of Brewster, Wacker, etc.

Of course I fear it. Like you I lived in that wilderness.

 

[bleedsmaroonandgold]

Good article. PJ is a decent coach yet most certainly overrated.

Outside of MN, where people have all kinds of strong opinions on him, do people nationally think of him as anything more than a decent coach? I don't feel like he gets talked about as though he's better than he is. Feel like he's appropriately rated.

 

[Golden Deuce]

Kirk Ferentz. in 2023

If you stuck a lump of coal up his backside, in two weeks you'd have a diamond.

 

[WAGopher]

Outside of MN, where people have all kinds of strong opinions on him, do people nationally think of him as anything more than a decent coach? I don't feel like he gets talked about as though he's better than he is. Feel like he's appropriately rated.

Most college football fans I get a chance to talk with know who Fleck is, where he coaches, think he is an above average coach and has a chance to have a great season. I think it’s good he is nationally known because a lot of coaches aren’t.