The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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Big Ten Coaches Power Rankings 1. Urban Meyer, Ohio State: Meyer has lost only one Big Ten game in his two years, last year's championship game versus Michigan State, but has no titles to show for it. That should change this season. 2. Mark Dantonio, Michigan State: The Spar- tans continue to overachieve under Dantonio. They won the Rose Bowl last year and finished 13-1, their third 11-win season in four years. 3. Bo Pelini, Nebraska: The Cornhuskers have won nine or more games in each of Pelini's six years and finished last season with a Gator Bowl win over Georgia. 4. Gary Andersen, Wisconsin: The Badgers didn't miss a beat in their first year under An- dersen, setting records for total offense and rushing yards in a season while finishing No. 7 nationally in total defense. 5. Kirk Ferentz, Iowa: Iowa hasn't finished with a double-digit win total since 2009 (11-2), but the Hawkeyes rebounded from a 4-8 season in 2012 to go 8-5 last year and seem headed for another solid year. 6. Brady Hoke, Michigan: Hoke will be ranked higher in the future if he proves last year's disjointed 7-6 season was an anomaly. The fourth-year coach has a talented team, but it's young. 7. James Franklin, Penn State: The former Vanderbilt coach was a hot commodity after leading the Commodores to success in the SEC, but he'll have to prove himself in the Big Ten. He's off to a good start on the recruiting trail. 8. Jerry Kill, Minnesota: Kill has endured health issues, but his teams continue to im- prove. The Gophers finished 8-5 overall and 4-4 in the Big Ten last year, after going 3-9 his first year (2011). 9. Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern: Fitzgerald is a good football coach, but last year's 1-7 Big Ten finish took some of the shine off him. He's finished with losing conference records in five of his eight years. 10. Randy Edsall, Maryland: The Maryland program continued its ascent in 2013, posting seven victories and earning its first bowl ap- pearance since 2010 (2013 Military Bowl). 11. Kyle Flood, Rutgers: Flood, the 2012 Big East Coach of the Year, has led the Scarlet Knights to two consecutive bowl appearances, becoming the first Rutgers coach to accomplish the feat in his first two seasons. 12. Kevin Wilson, Indiana: The Hoosiers are slowly improving under Wilson and seemed primed to take another jump this year, though it's hard to find many winnable games on the Big Ten slate. 13. Darrell Hazell, Purdue: Hazell has his work cut out for him in West Lafayette. His Boil- ermakers finished 1-11 overall and 0-8 in the Big Ten in his first year. 14. Tim Beckman, Illinois: Beckman fol- lowed up an 0-8 Big Ten campaign with a 1-7 finish last year. He's already on the hot seat in Champaign. Ohio State quarterback Braxton Miller was named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year in 2013, after racking up 3,162 yards of total offense and accounting for 36 touch- downs. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL THE WOLVERINE 2014 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 179 178-181.Big Ten Preview.indd 179 6/19/14 3:13 PM