CBS: Big Ten coach rankings 2020 (5. PJ Fleck, Minnesota)

[BleedGopher]

per CBS:

5

Minnesota

P.J. Fleck (15): Another polarizing presence, Fleck took a massive leap in our rankings this season after going 11-2 last year and leading Minnesota to a win over Auburn in the Outback Bowl. He's now shown the ability to build up two programs. However, I think this is still a little too high as I had Fleck at No. 23 on my list and eighth in the Big Ten. As impressive as Minnesota's 2019 season was, we've yet to see Fleck have sustained success anywhere, while other coaches who finished behind him in our rankings have done just that. Last Year: 9

Big Ten coach rankings 2020: James Franklin stays at the top, but Ryan Day closes the gap

The Big Ten had five coaches in the top 25 of our rankings, but five in the bottom 25 as well

www.cbssports.com

Go Gophers!!

 

[Jeshurun]

Summary
James Franklin: coaches team that perennially recruits near the top of the country and goes 11-2 wowie zowie awesome coach!!!!

PJ Fleck: goes 11-2 beating PSU and Auburn with perennial classes in the 40s-60s national ranking. Meh, I guess we’ll put him at #5 but I think thats too high.

 

[Some guy]

Summary
James Franklin: coaches team that perennially recruits near the top of the country and goes 11-2 wowie zowie awesome coach!!!!

PJ Fleck: goes 11-2 beating PSU and Auburn with perennial classes in the 40s-60s national ranking. Meh, I guess we’ll put him at #5 but I think thats too high.

He has won a conference title. The only guy on this list above fleck that’s hasn’t won a conference title in the big ten is Harbaugh.

harbaugh being ahead is the ridiculous one considering Michigan is a much easier place to win than Minnesota and they’ve produced similar highs to each other

 

[matt]

Tom Fornelli is making a run for mayor of Dink City.

 

[RememberMurray]

po·lar·ize /ˈpōləˌrīz/

divide or cause to divide into two sharply contrasting groups or sets of opinions or beliefs.
"the cultural sphere has polarized into two competing ideological positions"

I must be missing something; how is P.J. Fleck "polarizing"?

I guess people must be divided into two groups in their opinions on Fleck: Group One likes winning at a pace not seen in many years. Group Two doesn't like it.

 

[Otis]

Franklin, Day and Harbaugh can mail it in and out recruit the rest of the conference.

I guess I'd have to put the top 6 the same as this guy did, the order of the group is debatable. Day and Fleck are the newcomers to the old guard group, so it is hard to judge.

My order:
1. Ferentz - Gets more out of his players than I think he will consistently
2. The Wisconsin Guy - Sticks to what he does and does it well.
3. Fleck - Re-energizing the U is probably the Everest of coaching achievements. He looks like Sir Edmund Hillary so far!
4. Franklin - For some reason, I feel like he disappoints every year.
5. Day - Could be higher. We will see. Those guys last year still looked Urbanized.
6. Harbaugh - He just looks like his act has grown stale. Kind of like Denny Green at the end of his Viking run. Good enough to get so far but he better do it in the first 5-6 years or he will have alienated everyone.

 

[Word]

Maybe my hatred of PSU is getting in the way but I still don't see why Franklin gets so much love. He did amazing at Vandy but he is doing what any coach should be able to do at Penn State.

 

[A_Slab_of_Bacon]

po·lar·ize /ˈpōləˌrīz/

divide or cause to divide into two sharply contrasting groups or sets of opinions or beliefs.
"the cultural sphere has polarized into two competing ideological positions"

I must be missing something; how is P.J. Fleck "polarizing"?

I guess people must be divided into two groups in their opinions on Fleck: Group One likes winning at a pace not seen in many years. Group Two doesn't like it.

I think he is polarizing in the sense that you see folks reporting on a "controversy" and then ... they link to like 3 angry tweets.... that is to say... no he's not.

Penn St. had a 'contraversy' among their fans a while back about something or other involving a player. The story linked to less than half a dozen tweets and several of those accounts had less than ten tweets all time ... what even is that?

 

[HoustonTXGopher]

My question is this....Is there any BIG coach you would rather have at Minnesota than Fleck? My short answer is no, there may be a few better coaches but I don't think any of them are a better fit than Fleck. For now, I will keep our guy over any of the other coaches.

 

[Com_Cool]

Tom Allen 3 places behind Scott Frost is dumb

 

[Some guy]

Franklin, Day and Harbaugh can mail it in and out recruit the rest of the conference.

I guess I'd have to put the top 6 the same as this guy did, the order of the group is debatable. Day and Fleck are the newcomers to the old guard group, so it is hard to judge.

My order:
1. Ferentz - Gets more out of his players than I think he will consistently
2. The Wisconsin Guy - Sticks to what he does and does it well.
3. Fleck - Re-energizing the U is probably the Everest of coaching achievements. He looks like Sir Edmund Hillary so far!
4. Franklin - For some reason, I feel like he disappoints every year.
5. Day - Could be higher. We will see. Those guys last year still looked Urbanized.
6. Harbaugh - He just looks like his act has grown stale. Kind of like Denny Green at the end of his Viking run. Good enough to get so far but he better do it in the first 5-6 years or he will have alienated everyone.

I tend to think conference titles are the most important factors.
Then who does less with more.
Then consistently being at least average.

that’s why I’d say:
Wisconsin guy
Iowa guy
Ohio State guy (easier to be consistent in one year so hard to evaluate)
Penn state guy

those are the conference title guys
Fleck
Harbaugh
Fitzgerald (wins more with less than the two above him but has had zero conference titles and 5 sub .500 seasons)
Schiano (hard to evaluate because it’s purely on his last college tenure)
Allen
purdue guy (I think without injuries he would’ve been the spot below Fitzgerald on this list)
Nebraska guy (above Lovie because of his UCF years)
illinois guy (I think Lovie is a good coach but not sure he is a good college coach)
Michigan state guy (mediocre season at Colorado but not a large sample)

Maryland guy (worst power 5 coach in the country in my opinion)

 

[Some guy]

My question is this....Is there any BIG coach you would rather have at Minnesota than Fleck? My short answer is no, there may be a few better coaches but I don't think any of them are a better fit than Fleck. For now, I will keep our guy over any of the other coaches.

No.
He may not be the best coach in the country. No doubt in my mind he is the best coach for Minnesota

 

[pk2]

I have a hard time understanding all the love for Franklin. While at PSU, his teams are 1-5 against OSU, 2-4 against Michigan, and 2-4 against MSU. His PSU teams are 1-8 on the road vs ranked teams (the only win coming at Iowa last year).

Bielema won three B1G titles at Wisconsin, and Dantonio won three at MSU, and no one anywhere is saying that either of those two is a better coach than Franklin, who has far more resources and history at PSU than Bielema or Dantonio had at their schools.

Yeah, I just don’t get it.

 

[builtbadgers]

No.
He may not be the best coach in the country. No doubt in my mind he is the best coach for Minnesota

I do think he is the best coach for Minnesota. As to the best i go with guys that have sustained it for awhile with a winning conference record with titles. He will have to do that here. Run the table in the conference this year and he would be above .500 and won the conference !