Ranking the Big Ten College Football Coaching Jobs (#12. Minnesota)

BleedGopher

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per Athlon, we are ahead of Rutgers and Indiana.

12. Minnesota

There are no doubt some positives — new football facilities, relatively new stadium, the only FBS program in the state — but Minnesota is a tough job. The recruiting base is small, and it’s difficult to lure kids from the South to play in the Twin Cities.

https://athlonsports.com/college-football/ranking-big-ten-college-football-coaching-jobs-2019

Go Gophers!!

I would put us ahead of Purdue, Illinois, and Northwestern also.
 

Is it just me or is this athlon thing consistently down on Gopher Football? Seems like they are typically a downer exception to other outlets in terms of predictions, rankings, etc. Maybe it is just me. I don't read any of their stuff and only see these things when they are linked here. I'm a homer and maybe I have created my own reality when it comes to Athlon. Curious if others get the same take on them.
 

Is it just me or is this athlon thing consistently down on Gopher Football? Seems like they are typically a downer exception to other outlets in terms of predictions, rankings, etc. Maybe it is just me. I don't read any of their stuff and only see these things when they are linked here. I'm a homer and maybe I have created my own reality when it comes to Athlon. Curious if others get the same take on them.

Generally speaking I think Athlon is borderline computer generated journalism. Some of their articles really are just a mishmash of other articles. I think generally they don't really even know much about the lesser teams. You see that other places too when they reference a QB who left the previous year and so forth.
 

All those things are true, though national media types lean way too heavily on the "it's cold in Minnesota" angle in comparisons with the rest of the league. Most schools in the Big Ten have broadly similar winter weather, and weather in general. You never see them immediately point out how cold it is in Madison, yet it's basically the same.

The city environment, things to do off campus, a black community, are also underrated advantages compared to most of the league.
 


The city environment, things to do off campus, a black community, are also underrated advantages compared to most of the league.
I would say Northwestern would trump Minneapolis on all of these items. If I'm a coach and get offered the same multi-million dollar salary for Minneapolis or Chicago I'd go with Chicago. Plus I think there are some advantages to the private school environment for a coach.
 

Is it just me or is this athlon thing consistently down on Gopher Football? Seems like they are typically a downer exception to other outlets in terms of predictions, rankings, etc. Maybe it is just me. I don't read any of their stuff and only see these things when they are linked here. I'm a homer and maybe I have created my own reality when it comes to Athlon. Curious if others get the same take on them.

My theory is that they have close connection with Strib and PiPress sportswriters.
 

Any ranking is arbitrary and depends on the individual making the decision.

However, if you were to tier the jobs:

Tier 1
Ohio state
Michigan
Penn state

Tier 2
Nebraska
Wisconsin
Iowa

Tier 3
Michigan state
Minnesota
Maryland
Purdue
Illinois
Northwestern

Tier 4
Indiana
Rutgers



To an individual coach any job could probably jump to the top of the tier or bottom of a tier just due to personal preferences and what they are looking for. Heck, to an individual coach a job could probably even jump up or down a tier.



To Dantonio, Michigan state is probably a better job than Iowa or Wisconsin.
To many people in the mid 00s michigan state was probably an equal job to Illinois or Minnesota.
 

I would say Northwestern would trump Minneapolis on all of these items. If I'm a coach and get offered the same multi-million dollar salary for Minneapolis or Chicago I'd go with Chicago. Plus I think there are some advantages to the private school environment for a coach.
Traffic, and realty prices might keep me away. And Northwestern has just as much and probably more of a hard time with recruiting highly sought after players.

Chicagoland is fun to visit though. Especially for teenagers that maybe have not experienced a bustling metropolis.

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I would say Northwestern would trump Minneapolis on all of these items. If I'm a coach and get offered the same multi-million dollar salary for Minneapolis or Chicago I'd go with Chicago. Plus I think there are some advantages to the private school environment for a coach.

I was more comparing Minnesota to outposts like Iowa City, West Lafayette, State College, Bloomington, Champaign, etc. Most of the league, but not all. I would even think that it's easier to do a recruiting visit to Minnesota because we're in a city with a major airport.

And of course, Northwestern sells that. It says "Chicago's Big Ten Team" all over billboards, the stadium, and the court around campus and the city.
 

Any ranking is arbitrary and depends on the individual making the decision.

However, if you were to tier the jobs:

Tier 2
Nebraska
Wisconsin
Iowa

All 3 of these schools have to deal with the same problems like poor local talent base and cold weather, and have a few problems the Gophers don't even have to deal with like attracting urban teenagers from the South to Iowa City. They do have more butts in the seats on Saturday. Otherwise all their advantages are based on wins in games that happened in the past.
 

All 3 of these schools have to deal with the same problems like poor local talent base and cold weather, and have a few problems the Gophers don't even have to deal with like attracting urban teenagers from the South to Iowa City. They do have more butts in the seats on Saturday. Otherwise all their advantages are based on wins in games that happened in the past.

Prestige as reputation is the number one advantage for any college football program.
So while what you say is true, it is also why most people would consider those jobs a cut above the jobs I listed in tier 3.

For Paul chryst Wisconsin is probably the best job in the conference even ahead of Ohio state and Michigan.
 

Let's revisit this list in seven years after Minnesota has won three BIG West titles, one BIG Championship and three huge bowl games. This list is all about success and we still lag way behind under that criteria.
 



Houston beat me to it.

Gophers have not won or tied for a Conference championship since 1967. 52 years without a championship. Of the long-term conference members, Indiana is in the same boat - they tied with the Gophers in '67 and haven't won a title since.

Nebraska, Maryland and Rutgers have not won a B1G title, but they are relative newcomers to the conference. Nebraska did have success in its previous conference.
 


I would say Northwestern would trump Minneapolis on all of these items. If I'm a coach and get offered the same multi-million dollar salary for Minneapolis or Chicago I'd go with Chicago. Plus I think there are some advantages to the private school environment for a coach.

Only Northwestern isn't in Chicago. If the U of M campus was in Maple Grove we wouldn't be talking about how urban and cool it is. Big difference being a 5 minute Uber ride from 200 things to do, and an hour train ride both ways.
 
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Only Northwestern isn't in Chicago. If the U of M campus was in Maple Grove we wouldn't be talking about how urban and cool it is. Big difference being a 5 minute Uber ride from 200 things to do, and an hour train ride both ways.

Again, we are talking about the coach, not the players. Fleck doesn't live on campus, where the campus is exactly in relation to things to do is somewhat irrelevant to me.
 

Again, we are talking about the coach, not the players. Fleck doesn't live on campus, where the campus is exactly in relation to things to do is somewhat irrelevant to me.

All those things are true, though national media types lean way too heavily on the "it's cold in Minnesota" angle in comparisons with the rest of the league. Most schools in the Big Ten have broadly similar winter weather, and weather in general. You never see them immediately point out how cold it is in Madison, yet it's basically the same.

The city environment, things to do off campus, a black community, are also underrated advantages compared to most of the league.


Your response, was in response to fmlizard's who IMO was refuting that it is tough to draw southern athletes and athletes in general (who are predominantly black) to the twin cities area. I believe his reference to "a black community" makes that clear. Inability to get players to come is at issue, not how cool is the place the coach gets to live.
 

Again, we are talking about the coach, not the players. Fleck doesn't live on campus, where the campus is exactly in relation to things to do is somewhat irrelevant to me.

But wouldn't where the campus is exactly in relation to things to do be relevant to players being recruited? The ability to recruit players to the school seems to be among the criteria.
 

Awful list...stupid thing to rank. Just my opinion. There are a million factors that could be entered into the equation. I noticed that there was nothing about death threats to coaches if they don’t win...seems like something that would lower the ranking.
 

The writer should have just said "If I was a coach, this is where I would want to be", because different coaches have different interests.
 

The writer should have just said "If I was a coach, this is where I would want to be", because different coaches have different interests.

Well, he wrote the article.

So if the topic is an opinion topic, does he really have to state it is his opinion for you to know it is his opinion?
 


Yet we currently have one of the top 5 coaches in the conference, so lucky for us!


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Some dude nobody knows writing for a media source that few care about doesn’t think the Gophers HC position is a good job. So what? I am more offended that some people seem to actually care that he thinks this.


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Some dude nobody knows writing for a media source that few care about doesn’t think the Gophers HC position is a good job. So what? I am more offended that some people seem to actually care that he thinks this.


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Not surprised to hear this given your regular routine of going after other Gopher fans. It would make sense that you would be offended by Gopher fan off-season conversation.
 

All 3 of these schools have to deal with the same problems like poor local talent base and cold weather, and have a few problems the Gophers don't even have to deal with like attracting urban teenagers from the South to Iowa City. They do have more butts in the seats on Saturday. Otherwise all their advantages are based on wins in games that happened in the past.

For all three of those, the school's athletics are THE big sports attractions, with the FB program being at the top.
 


All those things are true, though national media types lean way too heavily on the "it's cold in Minnesota" angle in comparisons with the rest of the league. Most schools in the Big Ten have broadly similar winter weather, and weather in general. You never see them immediately point out how cold it is in Madison, yet it's basically the same.

The city environment, things to do off campus, a black community, are also underrated advantages compared to most of the league.

Yup.
Mad-Mpls.jpg
 

If the Gophers hurry up and start winning, they won't be at #12. They need to break the long drought without a Big Ten Championship.
 




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