Asmussen | Bielema holds his own in these rankings

Jul. 8—Earlier in the week, On3sports asked "Who is the best Big Ten coach?" on Twitter.

It included photos of Michigan's Jim Harbaugh, Ohio State's Ryan Day, Wisconsin's Luke Fickell and Penn State's James Franklin. Then, "Other?"

Illinois coach Bret Bielema had fun with the question, responding: "Who has the most Big Ten titles? Asking for a friend."

The answer is Bielema, who won three while at Wisconsin.

Who is the best Big Ten football coach depends somewhat on what you are looking for.

Do you want the coach who brings in the top players?

Or the guy who can coach up the ones on hand?

For my purposes, I'm going to rank them based on personalities. From "life of the party" to "bore me to tears."

Of course, we don't get to know the coaches like we used to. When Ron Zook was in charge at Illinois, I went on recruiting trips with him and attended a party at his house.

That doesn't happen anymore.

So we learn about the coaches during press conferences and postgame chats. Even those has been limited, with the Big Ten abandoning weekly teleconferences. Unfortunate.

I'm not going to include Southern California's Lincoln Riley and UCLA's Chip Kelly. They can be part of the 2024 rankings.

Feel free to disagree and let me know about it at asmussen@news-gazette.com.

This one is personal for me. During his time on Zook's staff, "Locks" was always entertaining, telling stories and sharing information. One of my all-time favorite assistant coaches at Illinois.

He rebounded from a miserable experience at New Mexico to find a second life as a head coach with the Terrapins, who are on the right track. Locksley has also dealt with personal tragedy, losing his son way too early.

2. Jim Harbaugh, Michigan. I moved him all over the ratings. Everywhere from first to last. Bottom line, using the kindest term possible, he is a goofball. You never know what is coming out of his mouth. At times, he can make you laugh. At other times, you wonder what he is talking about. His unpredictability would make covering him on a daily basis a chore. Fortunately in 2023, I will only have to listen to him for a few minutes at the Big Ten media kickoff later this month at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. That's enough for the year.

3. Bret Bielema, Illinois. Mr. Twitter has shown the willingness to poke fun at his peers. Always a good sign. You get the sense he is friendly with the other coaches, but not to the point where it ever costs his team. And he has a strong belief in his ways.

He doesn't take no for an answer, which is how he added eligibility for some of his recent players.

He has a good sense of humor. Not John Mulaney funny, but solid for a coach.

4. P.J. Fleck, Minnesota. Speaking of hard to take, the bundle of Gopher energy talks a mile a minute and trots out phrases that were OK the first thousand times, but have moved way past old.

He has definitely grown as a coach in his first six seasons in Minnepoalis, turning Minnesota into a consistent winner. But can the school win at a championship level with him in charge? Not so sure.

5. James Franklin, Penn State. Another guy who appears more comfortable each year. Early on in his tenure with the Nittany Lions, it seemed like the former Vanderbilt coach was trying too hard to be liked. Now, he says what is on his mind in a polite way. Has he really been at Penn State since 2014? Wow, that went fast.

6. Luke Fickell, Wisconsin. One of three new coaches in the Big Ten this year is by far getting the most attention. After the amazing job he did at Cincinnati, the former Ohio State nose guard will try to fix the Badgers' recent problems.

There can't be many head coaches in the country with more children than Fickell, who has six with wife Amy. They have two sets of twins. Good thing he is making big bucks in Madison ($7.5 million). He's got a lot of mouths to feed.

7. Matt Rhule, Nebraska. If he wants to ingratiate himself with the team's loyal following, all he has to do is win. Not like Tom Osborne. Close to Bo Pelini or Frank Solich will do just fine. The once-proud program has been a mess for a decade and is hoping this is the guy who can finally return Nebraska to past glory. If it happens, they will rename Lincoln Mattland.

His recruiting is off to a good start, which the folks in Nebraska follow closely. Every commit is statewide news.

8. Ryan Day, Ohio State. Congrats to him for changing lives with his charity work. If you saw Day on the street without Ohio State gear, I don't think you'd recognize him. Not flashy by design. But all he does is win. Well, except against Michigan the last two seasons.

9. Kirk Ferentz, Iowa. The dean of FBS coaches has built a consistent winning program with the Hawkeyes. With defense, running game and special teams. He is pleasant and friendly, but not dynamic away from the field. No offense.

His son and Iowa offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz has been an issue. The Hawkeye faithful want to see more points on the board, which should happen with the help of transfer quarterback Cade McNamara.

10. Ryan Walters, Purdue. Not sure where to put the former Illinois defensive coordinator. He is quiet and low key away from the field. His work in Champaign-Urbana was exceptional, leading to his first head-coaching gig. My guess is he won't say much about Illinois before the teams meet this season.

11. Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern. He was much higher on the list until Friday's revelation that he had been suspended for two weeks because of a hazing incident with his program. The news certainly doesn't fit the image of the clean-cut, straight shooting College Football Hall of Famer.

His job isn't in jeopardy, but he might want to start winning again after a recent rough stretch.

12. Mel Tucker, Michigan State. No complaints from me about the Spartans leader. The fans and administration, on the other hand, aren't too happy. They paid the guy a fortune after a breakout 2021 season, but the team missed the postseason in 2022.

13. Tom Allen, Indiana. Last time I saw the Indiana boss, his team was upsetting Illinois early in the 2022 season. But the good times didn't last, and he is now on the hottest of hot seats entering his seventh season in charge of the Hoosiers.

14. Greg Schiano, Rutgers. Sorry, somebody had to be last. Might as well go with the guy in what seems like an impossible situation. And yet, despite three losing seasons in a row, he is recruiting at a high level. Go figure.