Power ranking the Big Ten coaches entering the 2023 season (8. PJ Fleck - Minnesota)

BleedGopher

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per Andrew:

8. PJ Fleck - Minnesota

Record at Minnesota: 44-27 (Big Ten: 26-26)

Last season: 9-4 (Big Ten: 5-4)

CFP appearances: 0

Big Ten Championships: 0

Big Ten Championship appearances: 0

Reasoning: PJ Fleck is a solid coach and an excellent motivator, but has experienced mixed results in the Big Ten West. Fleck is 4-2 against Purdue, 3-3 against Wisconsin, 0-2 against a Bielema-led Illinois team and winless against Iowa. Couple these results with no division titles, and moving Fleck higher than eighth is difficult.


Go Gophers!!
 

Interesting rankings. For those too lazy to click:
  1. Jim Harbaugh
  2. Ryan Day
  3. Luke Fickell
  4. James Franklin
  5. Kirk Ferentz
  6. Matt Rhule
  7. Bret Bielema
  8. PJ Fleck
  9. Pat Fitzgerald
  10. Mel Tucker
  11. Mike Locksley
  12. Ryan Walters
  13. Greg Schiano
  14. Tom Allen
 


There are good coaches in the B1G. PJ Fleck has not won a B1G West title.
 



The new coaches always get ranked toward the bottom, except when they don’t apparently.

Also reminder that Minnesota tied for 1st place in the Big Ten West in 2019. They have not gone to the Big Ten championship game, but they have tied for 1st in the division.
 


Reasoning: PJ Fleck is a solid coach and an excellent motivator, but has experienced mixed results in the Big Ten West. Fleck is 4-2 against Purdue, 3-3 against Wisconsin, 0-2 against a Bielema-led Illinois team and winless against Iowa. Couple these results with no division titles, and moving Fleck higher than eighth is difficult.

I like PJ...wasn't happy with the 8 spot. Then, I read the reasoning. Dang facts get in the way sometimes.
Then I thought.... ya but It's changing this year....probably our last chance to win the West. Push PJ right up there to 3.
sheeeesh, what was I thinking??? We don't just win the West, we win it all and go to the Rose Bowl! Skip the 3 idea and just make PJ #1.
(it could happen)
 

The reality with these lists, I'd say Harbaugh and Day have separated themselves from the pack, and probably Franklin a solid #3, and then the next 5-6 guys you could really twist your arguments a lot of ways to rank them. Coach rankings will always be very difficult and subjective (and of course fairly meaningless).
 



Can't find reasons to move PJ higher than 8, but can find reasons to rank Fickell 3rd, and Rhule 6?

Ok...
There are no good reasons. That shows how nonsensical these "ratings" are.
If PJ wins the West in his last chance with a difficult schedule, a new QB, a transfer RB, and a rebuilt OL he will get deserved accolades.
 

Silly rankings.. The coaches who get the best players are rated highest. That doesn't mean they are better coaches does it? I'm not as knowledgeable as many of you, but I believe Fleck has done as well or better than Harbaugh or Day would do given the same players.
 

Silly rankings.. The coaches who get the best players are rated highest. That doesn't mean they are better coaches does it? I'm not as knowledgeable as many of you, but I believe Fleck has done as well or better than Harbaugh or Day would do given the same players.
You might say that part of the job of a CFB head coach is to recruit good players though.
And yes I understand that is easier to do at OSU or Michigan, which is why these debates tend to go round and round ending up nowhere. But then again that's what message boards are really all about.
 

per Andrew:

8. PJ Fleck - Minnesota

Record at Minnesota: 44-27 (Big Ten: 26-26)

Last season: 9-4 (Big Ten: 5-4)

CFP appearances: 0

Big Ten Championships: 0

Big Ten Championship appearances: 0

Reasoning: PJ Fleck is a solid coach and an excellent motivator, but has experienced mixed results in the Big Ten West. Fleck is 4-2 against Purdue, 3-3 against Wisconsin, 0-2 against a Bielema-led Illinois team and winless against Iowa. Couple these results with no division titles, and moving Fleck higher than eighth is difficult.

Go Gophers!!

His overall Big Ten record is pretty mediocre, but that quick outline is a little one-sided. Here is his Big Ten record.

West

Illinois 3-3

Iowa 0-6

Nebraska 5-1

Northwestern 3-2

Purdue 4-2

Wisconsin 3-3

East

Indiana 2-0

Maryland 2-3

Michigan 0-2

Michigan State 1-1

Ohio State 0-2

Penn State 1-1

Rutgers 2-0

Big Ten record by year, division finish

2017: 2-4, 6th

2018: 2-4, tie-5th

2019: 7-2, tie-1st

2020: 3-4, tie-3rd

2021: 6-3, tie-2nd

2022: 5-4 tie-2nd
 
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His overall Big Ten record is pretty mediocre, but that quick outline is a little one-sided. Here is his Big Ten record.

West

Illinois 3-3

Iowa 0-6

Nebraska 5-1

Northwestern 3-2

Purdue 4-2

Wisconsin 3-3

East

Indiana 2-0

Maryland 2-3

Michigan 0-2

Michigan State 0-1

Ohio State 0-2

Penn State 1-1

Rutgers 2-0

Big Ten record by year, division finish

2017: 2-4, 6th

2018: 2-4, tie-5th

2019: 7-2, tie-1st

2020: 3-4, tie-3rd

2021: 6-3, tie-2nd

2022: 5-4 tie-2nd
Shouldn't Michigan State be 1-1?
 

His overall Big Ten record is pretty mediocre, but that quick outline is a little one-sided. Here is his Big Ten record.

West

Illinois 3-3

Iowa 0-6

Nebraska 5-1

Northwestern 3-2

Purdue 4-2

Wisconsin 3-3

East

Indiana 2-0

Maryland 2-3

Michigan 0-2

Michigan State 0-1

Ohio State 0-2

Penn State 1-1

Rutgers 2-0

Big Ten record by year, division finish

2017: 2-4, 6th

2018: 2-4, tie-5th

2019: 7-2, tie-1st

2020: 3-4, tie-3rd

2021: 6-3, tie-2nd

2022: 5-4 tie-2nd
1-11 against OSU, Michigan, PSU and Iowa is why he’s 8th. If he were only 3-9 against those teams he’d probably be ranked 5-6. He’s done well against the bad teams and not too good against the good ones. I believe he had 4 wins against ranked opponents in 6 years, one being a bowl game.
 

1-11 against OSU, Michigan, PSU and Iowa is why he’s 8th. If he were only 3-9 against those teams he’d probably be ranked 5-6. He’s done well against the bad teams and not too good against the good ones. I believe he had 4 wins against ranked opponents in 6 years, one being a bowl game.

What is Luke Fickell and Matt Rhule's record in the B1G?
 





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