Ranking the Big Ten's best head coaches going into 2026 (No. 10 — PJ Fleck, Minnesota Golden Gophers)

[BleedGopher]

Per Smalley:

No. 10 — PJ Fleck, Minnesota Golden Gophers​

Career Record - 96-66

2025 Record - 8-5

Ranking the Big Ten's best head coaches going into 2026

There are a lot of new faces in the head coaching department of the Big Ten and we have ranked all 18 of them going into the 2026 season.

duckswire.usatoday.com

Go Gophers!!

 

[MNVCGUY]

Welcome to the random list portion of the college football off season.

 

[CWCWCW]

Smalley must not realize he is ineligible to comprise any Big 10 list until Oregon has been in the league for five years. This is a violation and he will now need to wait seven years.

 

[ergopher]

Per Smalley:

No. 10 — PJ Fleck, Minnesota Golden Gophers​

Career Record - 96-66

2025 Record - 8-5

Ranking the Big Ten's best head coaches going into 2026

There are a lot of new faces in the head coaching department of the Big Ten and we have ranked all 18 of them going into the 2026 season.

duckswire.usatoday.com

Go Gophers!!

At least lists like these have stopped overranking Fickell and Rhule on the promise of imaginary future success. I think Lincoln Riley needs to be lower, though, given that despite coaching one of the most resource-rich teams of the conference his teams are always insanely overrated. Even with a Heisman winner at quarterback they didn’t make the playoff and proceeded to choke to a much worse on paper Tulane team. If he coached at a team with resources like Minnesota’s, he would be gone after two or three years.

 

[GO4FAN5]

Based on what? How much money they have with which to buy players. A trained ape could win at Oregon or Ohio State.

 

[upnorthkid]

Based on what? How much money they have with which to buy players. A trained ape could win at Oregon or Ohio State.

but not luke fickell #themoreyouknow

 

[60's Guy]

I'd go 1. Cignetti, 2. Ferentz 3. Day
I'd put the new guys at the bottom...they haven't coach a game yet.
I'd put Jedd Fisch in the teens and move PJ up a couple spots.
There are some good coaches in the Big Ten.

 

[MaxyJR1]

Welcome to the random list portion of the college football off season.

 

[ergopher]

Is this 9 AND 15 or 9 OF 15?

 

[The Deliberate Stranger]

Personally I would go
Day
Cignatti
Lanning
Ferentz
Whitingham
Bielema
Fleck
Riley
Campbell
Fitzgerald
Rhule
Schiano
Chesney
Fisch
Fickell
Odom
Braun
Locksley

 

[Some guy]

The only guy on the list who is clearly rated too high is Fisch

 

[The Deliberate Stranger]

The only guy on the list who is clearly rated too high is Fisch

Honestly anything beyond 18 is too high for Locksley, but Fisch at six and over Lincoln Riley is comical

 

[MaxyJR1]

Is this 9 AND 15 or 9 OF 15?

9 and 15. Been underdogs 24 times.

 

[Spaulding!No!]

Kill shot.

 

[Gilthorp57]

Riley who does Less with More should be in the bottom half and Locksley should be last.

 

[FredCoxRocks]

Welcome to the random list portion of the college football off season.

...where Minnesota is always #10. In everything.

 

[MNVCGUY]

...where Minnesota is always #10. In everything.

Definitely seems that way.....but hey, would rather be #10 as opposed to where Fickell and Wisconsin are coming up on these lists.