Athlon: Ranking the Big Ten's Football-Basketball Coaching Duos for 2017 (MN: #10)

per Athlon:

10. Minnesota
Football: P.J. Fleck
Basketball: Richard Pitino

Fleck is unproven at the Power 5 level but is fresh off a great run at Western Michigan. He will bring a ton of energy to a program that has been good — but hardly great — in recent seasons. Pitino, now in his fourth season, is still looking for his first trip to the NCAA Tournament. This should be the year.

http://athlonsports.com/college-football/ranking-big-tens-football-basketball-coaching-duos-2017

Go Gophers!!

This article is a great reason to never spend a nickle for Athlon Magazine.

That top three is pretty loaded. But just how would you rank the coaches?

Football:
1. Meyer, OSU
2. Harbaugh, Michigan
3. Dantonio, MSU
4. Chryst, Wisky
5. Franklin, PSU
6. Fitzgerald, NW
7. Ferentz, Iowa
8. Riley, Nebraska
9. Fleck, Gophers
10. Lovie, Illinois
11-14 Pick em

Basketball:
1. Izzo, MSU
2. Beilein, Michigan
3. Gard, Wisky
4. Turgeon, Maryland
5. Pitino, Gophers
6. Collins, NW
7. McCaffrey, Iowa
8. Crean, Illinois
9. Painter, Purdue
10. Matta, OSU
11-14 pick em

Overall:
1. Michigan 4pts
1. Michigan State 4 pts
3. Wisconsin 7pts
4. Ohio State 11pts
5. Northwestern 12pts
6. Gophers 14pts
6. Iowa 14pts
8-14 the rest

This guy is a complete idiot.


Taking over for a hall of fame coach and simply maintaining what the previous coach had already built up, should be the minimum expectation for a new coach, he shouldn't be given credit as if he built that program. WOW.


And ranking coaches on what they have accomplished in the past, is relevant when talking about history. But this ranking is supposedly ranking the present.


So, I'll tell you that I wouldn't trade our coaching pair for any of the other coaching pairs out there.

Matta is declining. Izzo could be declining, and if he isn't, he will be way sooner than Pitino. Neither Gard nor Chryst have proven to me that they can make UW better than they have been. If all they do is maintain what was built and then handed to them, well, a lot of Gopher fans might be jealous of what UW has still, but if those coaches came to Minnesota, and all they did was maintain what was built and handed to them, we'd fire them after 3-4 years, and feel those 3-4 years were a waste. And as far as we know UW could still regress in the next few years?

And without the resources and reps that Harbaugh and Meyer have at Michigan and OSU, are we sure they would do well here at Minnesota? I get the feeling that Minnesota fb fans, with the way they bitch about Fleck's unique way of acting and talking, they'd bitch even more about a weirdo like Harbaugh. If I was forced to choose another duo, I admit it would probably be Meyer and Matta, but only if forced.

Franklin at PSU, like Harbaugh and Meyer, simply has a lot better resources and rep to work with than he would have here at Minnesota. Granted last year was an impressive year, but then we'd be stuck with their worthless bb coach? NO WAY!!!

Maryland's duo? Nope. What has their fb coach proven? Not much. And their bb coach seems not to be able to get them to the next level. Maryland was good before he took over, they may have been better even?

Fitz and Collins? They are doing ok. I'd take them over bringing back Mason and Monson. But I'd still prefer Pitino and Fleck. Go back to this discussion in 5 years and people will be talking about all the promise that people saw in Fitz and Collins and how it never amounted to much more than some decent seasons for both.

Ferentz and McCaffrey? No. My guess is Ferentz will regress and he hasn't done anything historically significant. His season 2 years ago, was similar to Miami of Ohio's one Top 10 season, where they lost big to Iowa to start the season, and then lost big in their bowl game, so basically were overrated after beating nothing but creampuffs, same as Iowa, same as Cincy the one time they got into the Top 10, went to their bowl game and got their arses hand to them. If that is the best Ferentz can do, then Iowa can keep him. McCaffrey? Why wouldn't Iowa be expected to get to the NCAA tourney? What did they do once they got there? Now this year's team is loaded with young talent and struggling? We've already had that and are one year past that with Pitino.

Every other duo aren't even worth discussing.


Cept Pitino and Fleck.


This combo, could be argued should be ranked #1.

Why? Am I crazy?


No, I'm simply not looking back into the past to determine which duos DID the best. Or even to the present to see which duos are currently doing the best.

No, I am looking at THE FUTURE!!! I am looking at each duos POTENTIAL and longevity.


Pitino is young enough, he could stay around for another 20 years, same with Fleck, maybe even 30 or 40? Both of these coaches could end up winning us multiple Natl Titles and could land themselves in the Hall of Fame.

Sure Fleck hasn't yet proved anything at the Power Conf level, but he truly believes he can take Minnesota to another level and he's got the players and many of the fans starting to believe he can do it, too.
And same with Pitino, he has yet to get a team to the Dance and prove he can take the bb program to the next level, too. But with his recruiting, he has a lot of people believing big things are right around the corner for this program.


I don't blame anyone for not ranking Minnesota #1, but #10??? That is ridiculous. That is assuming both coaches basically do nothing more than maintaining what has already been going on.

Good points Kilme! I ranked them for the present and I agree that Minny's coaches could have the best potential.

However, I'm pretty sure Meyer and Harbaugh could still pull in top 10 classes If they were coaching the Golden Gophers. Reputation helps tenfold.

On the other hand, recruiting for basketball, it would be hard for any of them to better what Pitino has done here with our crap facilities.

Otis said:

That top three is pretty loaded. But just how would you rank the coaches?

Football:
1. Meyer, OSU
2. Harbaugh, Michigan
3. Dantonio, MSU
4. Chryst, Wisky
5. Franklin, PSU
6. Fitzgerald, NW
7. Ferentz, Iowa
8. Riley, Nebraska
9. Fleck, Gophers
10. Lovie, Illinois
11-14 Pick em

Basketball:
1. Izzo, MSU
2. Beilein, Michigan
3. Gard, Wisky
4. Turgeon, Maryland
5. Pitino, Gophers
6. Collins, NW
7. McCaffrey, Iowa
8. Crean, Illinois
9. Painter, Purdue
10. Matta, OSU
11-14 pick em

Overall:
1. Michigan 4pts
1. Michigan State 4 pts
3. Wisconsin 7pts
4. Ohio State 11pts
5. Northwestern 12pts
6. Gophers 14pts
6. Iowa 14pts
8-14 the rest

Click to expand...

I would rank painter much higher but that's the only obvious thing I would change in your rankings

I would put Pitino/Fleck in the top 5 for sure. Ohio State/Michigan are carried by football. MSU is probably the best duo. In a few years we could be arguing that the Gophers are #1 but for now I think 5-7 is fair. To have Purdue and Maryland ahead of them is a joke

Otis said:

That top three is pretty loaded. But just how would you rank the coaches?

Basketball:
1. Izzo, MSU
2. Beilein, Michigan
3. Gard, Wisky
4. Turgeon, Maryland
5. Pitino, Gophers
6. Collins, NW
7. McCaffrey, Iowa
8. Crean, Illinois
9. Painter, Purdue
10. Matta, OSU
11-14 pick em

Click to expand...

Can't see how Painter and Matta could be ranked behind Crean, Pitino, Collins, and McCaffery. Matta's had OSU in two Final Fours and almost always in the top half of the conference. Painter has finished better than 11-7 in conference play 7 times in his 12 seasons. I am pretty sure he owns the best winning percentage against Bo Ryan's juggernaut of any longer tenured Big Ten coach also.

I guess I have a little of "Dean Smith" syndrome on Matta and Painter. "I've never seen anyone accomplish so little, with so much."

I mean Matta had Craft for what, 6 years?