Ranking Big Ten coaches by overall win percentage while in-conference

A measure of a good team isn’t just quantified in terms of talent, but also by coaching. A team with a lot of talent may falter if the right person isn’t leading the direction. We saw that going from 2014-15 in Ann Arbor, when a Brady Hoke-led Michigan team went 5-7 before Jim Harbaugh took over the reins and got the Wolverines to 10 wins in his first season at the helm — with largely the same talent.

With that in mind, we’re taking a look at all of the coaches in the Big Ten and how they fared over the full course of their tenures while in the conference. Yes, the win-loss records include out-of-conference games while they were coaching their Big Ten team, and for some, their records span multiple teams. But here is how each coach ranks against the others as well as the overall outlook of their tenures in the conference.

Ohio State - Ryan Day

Photo: Isaiah Hole

Day coached three games for the Buckeyes in 2018 when Urban Meyer was suspended and took over the program full-time in 2019. He hasn’t lost much — twice to Michigan in three tries, once to Alabama, once to Oregon, once to Clemson, and once to Georgia. Thus, yes — the only in-conference opponent that Day has lost to is Michigan — twice. Impressive overall, but Buckeye fans are at unease given the two recent losses to the maize and blue.

Michigan - Jim Harbaugh

Photo: Isaiah Hole

It’s taken Jim Harbaugh a little while to really get Michigan humming, but humming it currently is. He posted back-to-back 10-3 records his first two years in Ann Arbor, which led credence to the idea that he would elevate the program, but it took until 2021 before the Wolverines won the conference. He’s now posted five double-digit win seasons, and has had only one losing season, the COVID year of 2020.

Illinois/Wisconsin - Bret Bielema

Photo: Isaiah Hole

Nine of Bielema’s 14 years coaching have been in the Big Ten — he spent five at Arkansas — so he gets the combination of having been at both Illinois (his current post) and Wisconsin. He posted a .739 record in Madison and .520 in Champaign, so it’s been something of a mixed bag, though it’s much more difficult to win at Illinois than it was at Wisconsin when he took over the program that Barry Alvarez had humming. He’s only been with Illinois for two seasons, and has one with a losing record and an 8-5 record last year.

Penn State - James Franklin

Photo: Isaiah Hole

Franklin has been at Penn State for nine years, and he’s only posted one losing season — the COVID year, 2020. Otherwise, he’s managed double-digit wins four times, though he has had three 7-6 seasons, as well.

Minnesota - PJ Fleck

Photo: Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports

Fleck’s record at Minnesota is slightly better than his overall record, given how his Western Michigan tenure started. But his best overall season was a 13-1 mark with the Broncos, his last with that team. Of course, we’re only counting Big Ten wins here, and Fleck has only had two losing season of his seven in Minneapolis — his first in 2017 and the COVID year, 2020.

Iowa - Kirk Ferentz

Photo: Isaiah Hole

Given that Iowa isn’t a premier destination, it’s really impressive that Ferentz has such a solid record. He’s been the head coach in Iowa City longer than any other coach in the Big Ten has been at their destination, and by a pretty wide margin. It’s a testament to just how consistent the Hawkeyes have been under their leader.

Michigan State - Mel Tucker

Photo: Isaiah Hole

Tucker has coached for three seasons at Michigan State (and one at Colorado) and he’s had just one winning season of the four — MSU in 2021. Otherwise, he’s posted a losing record in each of the other years. We’re only counting his tenure with the Spartans here, and 2021 is doing all the heavy lifting.

Northwestern - Pat Fitzgerald

Photo: Isaiah Hole

Fitzgerald has the second-longest tenure in the conference (behind Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz) and it’s pretty impressive that his record is above .500 given what Northwestern has tended to be. The past few years have not been kind, but he’s done a solid job overall.

Wisconsin/Ohio State - Luke Fickell

Photo: Isaiah Hole

At his current location, Fickell is actually batting 1.000, having won the bowl game for Wisconsin against Oklahoma State in December. He obviously had a solid record at Cincinnati, but we’re not counting those here, so we also have to look at his record as the interim coach of Ohio State in 2011, where he went 6-7.

Indiana - Tom Allen

Photo: Isaiah Hole

In his seven years in Bloomington, Allen has posted just two seasons above .500 — 2019 and 2020. Otherwise, the Hoosiers have struggled mightily to contend.

Maryland - Mike Locksley

Photo: Isaiah Hole

Locksley’s record would look a bit better if it wasn’t for his 1-5 post as the interim head coach of Maryland in 2015. The past two seasons, he’s posted an in-season record above .500. His record would still be sub-.500 as a whole, but it would be much closer if you took away those six games where he replaced the departed Randy Edsall.

Rutgers - Greg Schiano

Schiano’s numbers are skewed in a sense, in that he’s had a much better overall record at Rutgers, but the above are only what he’s had since he’s coached the Big Ten version of the Scarlet Knights. It’s been an uphill battle given that he has to play Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, and Michigan State every single year.

Nebraska - Matt Rhule

Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports

Rhule coached Temple, Baylor, and the Carolina Panthers, but has yet to coach a game in the Big Ten.

Purdue - Ryan Walters

Photo: Alex Martin – Journal-Courier

Coming from Illinois as the defensive coordinator, Ryan Walters has yet to coach a game as a head coach in the Big Ten.

Story originally appeared on Wolverines Wire