What do you expect from a Head Coach?

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Letsgogophers

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If I were going to take a job here, i would want to know the expectations and timetable that's expected. Glen Mason went to bowls seven of his last eight seasons and Brewster went two of his 3 1/2 seasons. From my count, that is bowl games 9 out of the last 11 1/2 seasons. What does everyone expect? That needs to laid out in black and white before a head coach is hired.
 

Half the teams go to bowls these days. We want to compete for the Big Ten title, making a run at least... at least... 1 in every 5 years. Bowls 4 out of 5 years.
 

magpie said:
Half the teams go to bowls these days. We want to compete for the Big Ten title, making a run at least... at least... 1 in every 5 years. Bowls 4 out of 5 years.
Click to expand...

- Make a run at Big 10 Championship 1 out of every 10 years

- Participate in Bowl Games 4 out of 5 years

- Beat Iowa and Wisconsin 3 out of 5 years

- Beat Michigan and Nebraska 2 out of 5 years

- Beat Ohio State 1 out of 5 years
 

UpnorthGo4 said:
- Make a run at Big 10 Championship 1 out of every 10 years

- Participate in Bowl Games 4 out of 5 years

- Beat Iowa and Wisconsin 3 out of 5 years

- Beat Michigan and Nebraska 2 out of 5 years

- Beat Ohio State 1 out of 5 years
Click to expand...

And be at least .500 in the Big Ten each year.
 

magpie said:
Half the teams go to bowls these days. We want to compete for the Big Ten title, making a run at least... at least... 1 in every 5 years. Bowls 4 out of 5 years.
Click to expand...

- Be in the mix for Big 10 Championship 1 in every 10 years

- Go to January 1 Bowl Game 1 in every 5 years

- Participate in Bowl Games 4 out of 5 years

- Beat Iowa and Wisconsin 3 out of 5 years

- Beat Michigan and Nebraska 2 out of 5 years

- Beat Ohio State 1 out of 5 year
 


Good question. My standards for a HC are only slightly higher than what Glen Mason achieved here:

1. Own the non-AQ opponents you play. 21+ point margins should be the rule.
2. Average .500 or better in the Big Ten in any 4-year period
3. Keep pace with Michigan, Wisconsin, Nebraska and Iowa. Average .500 against these programs in any 4-year period.
4. Win at least half of your bowl games.
5. Run an program that, off-field, we can be proud of.
6. Publicly acknowledge how competitive the Big Ten is. Publicly sandbag if needed (ala Lou Holtz).

If this can be accomplished there will probably be a couple NYD bowl games and/or conference championship appearances over the span of a 10+ year career. But frankly, a lot of that is left to circumstances outside of the coach's control, and isn't a reliable measuring stick as a result. (Mason, for instance, was quite unlucky to have had his best season in a year that the Big Ten happened to be the best conference in football. Ron Zook, on the other hand, got to a Rose Bowl with the same record in a historically weak year for the Big Ten. I think Minnesota 2003 would have destroyed Illinois 2007.)

As for next year... a Pizza Bowl appearance would actually be a very nice stepping-stone after this fiasco.
 

I think the age of measuring success in terms of division titles is upon us. Consider that.
 


Shoot for .500 in the Big Ten. Some years 5-3, 6-2. Some years 3-5. Shoot for a 4-4 record here. Mason couldn't do it. Brewster couldn't do it. We can find a coach who can.
 



Letsgogophers said:
No one would take the job with these expectations, and I mean NO ONE.
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Some of these are unreasonable.

If you can answer the question "How many current Big Ten coaches would still have their job if held to my standard?" and the answer is less than 4, you're definitely being unreasonable. Some people would have to answer one or even zero if they're being honest.
 

It goes beyond wins-and-losses for me. I want a coach who is going to create an atmosphere of both discipline and excitement; whose teams will be prepared to compete every week and win the games they are supposed to win. No more teams that run around like their hair is on fire or follow up an inspired victory by laying a brontosaurus egg on the 50-yard-line the next week. I want a coach who will be professional on the field and off. A coach who will work tirelessly to make the University of Minnesota a strong consideration of every top high school football player in the state, even the ones who head elsewhere.

Don't get me wrong, but I don't think we've had a coach like this since Stoll was around.
 

I don't anticipate any brontosaurus eggs on the field.... unless Mangino is the coach.
 




It's not clear to me if these standards are founded on year 1 et. seq. or (say) year 3 et. seq.

Seems to me that it may be better to establish what are reasonable expectations by the third year of a coach's tenure here ... or the second year at the earliest. Then -- assuming those standards are met -- what do you expect in years 4 through 6? And, again assuming those standards are met, what are the "maintainence" standards. Seems to me that most of what's been identified are maintenance standards and unrealistically high for years 1 - 4.
 

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