Where would you rank Fleck in the new Big Ten West coaching pecking order

Further proof Reusse gets his content ideas from GH:



Go Gophers!!
 

Fickell's one year as the interim HC at Ohio State (2011) resulted in a 6-7 season. It followed a 12-1 campaign (2010) after which Jim Tressel resigned due to the "scandal" of players selling their memorabilia. In 2012, OSU went 12-0 under Urban Meyer. Pretty sure I could have coached that Buckeye team to a 6-7 record in 2011. He has done great at Cincy, but his power 5 year as HC was a mess.
Yeah, the reality is we could poke holes in the resume of each of these guys. I tend to put more emphasis on the multiple years of work Fickell has done at Cincinnatti over the one year when he was thrown into the fire at OSU in the middle of a scandal.
 

Yeah, the reality is we could poke holes in the resume of each of these guys. I tend to put more emphasis on the multiple years of work Fickell has done at Cincinnatti over the one year when he was thrown into the fire at OSU in the middle of a scandal.
Agreed. Super subjective and year to year. With the some of the great seasons pat f has had at nw I think he could use some more credit. This list would change year to year for certain. We will see what this fickell character can do for the badgers. Right now they are falling down and touching themselves over the hire but I think we should play a few games first . I remember being pretty excited for Bart Houston and Graham Mertz. If they want to crown him then crown his ass, but he may or may not be who we think he is….can’t ever resist a Denny green line. What a legend.
 

If you take the overall package of a coach into consideration - recruiting, game day management, player development, etc., where would you rank our guy Fleck with the revamped Big Ten West coaching ladder?
Comparisons steal your joy.
 

The West coaches have evolved into a very well-spoken group. Rhule could be a Sunday pastor. Fickell has some alpha male gravitas. Fleck is an effective speaker and elite motivational speaker.

In the NIL era the most effective coach might be the one with the best sales skills and the guy most willing to work to connect donors to players…but game day strategy and tactics still matter. That ranking remains to be seen. This is a very promising group top to bottom.
 


Ferentz kind of sticks out like a sore thumb in this current group of West coaches. For the most part it is a pretty young dynamic group of coaches. And then you have the old guy still hanging on in Iowa.
 

Ferentz kind of sticks out like a sore thumb in this current group of West coaches. For the most part it is a pretty young dynamic group of coaches. And then you have the old guy still hanging on in Iowa.
They tried to cancel him. All they got was the strength coach. Ferentz kept swimming.
 

There is no point in comparing anything to "the West".

The West is dead. Next year it rides off into the sunset.


Ranking 1-16 is the appropriate thread.
The Athletic's Mailbag had this very question in an article I read today. Here's Stewart Mandel's list:

How would you rank the Big Ten head coaches following the Matt Rhule and Luke Fickell hirings? — Josh G.

Oh OK, let me just step right onto the land mine and get this over with.

1. Michigan, Jim Harbaugh
2. Ohio State, Ryan Day
3. Wisconsin, Luke Fickell
4. Penn State, James Franklin
5 . Nebraska, Matt Rhule
6. Purdue, Jeff Brohm
7. Iowa, Kirk Ferentz
8. Illinois, Bret Bielema
9. Minnesota, P.J. Fleck
10. Michigan State, Mel Tucker
11. Northwestern, Pat Fitzgerald
12. Maryland, Mike Locksley
13. Rutgers, Greg Schiano
14. Indiana, Tom Allen
 




The Athletic's Mailbag had this very question in an article I read today. Here's Stewart Mandel's list:

How would you rank the Big Ten head coaches following the Matt Rhule and Luke Fickell hirings? — Josh G.

Oh OK, let me just step right onto the land mine and get this over with.

1. Michigan, Jim Harbaugh
2. Ohio State, Ryan Day
3. Wisconsin, Luke Fickell
4. Penn State, James Franklin
5 . Nebraska, Matt Rhule
6. Purdue, Jeff Brohm
7. Iowa, Kirk Ferentz
8. Illinois, Bret Bielema
9. Minnesota, P.J. Fleck
10. Michigan State, Mel Tucker
11. Northwestern, Pat Fitzgerald
12. Maryland, Mike Locksley
13. Rutgers, Greg Schiano
14. Indiana, Tom Allen
Guessing he has Lincoln and Chip ahead of Fleck as well
 

Guessing he has Lincoln and Chip ahead of Fleck as well
Lincoln would be #2 for me only behind Harbaugh. Chip would be a tough one to rank. 10 years ago he might be at the top of the list. 2-3 years ago he might have been near the bottom, but this year seems to be having a revival of sorts.
 

The Athletic's Mailbag had this very question in an article I read today. Here's Stewart Mandel's list:

How would you rank the Big Ten head coaches following the Matt Rhule and Luke Fickell hirings? — Josh G.

Oh OK, let me just step right onto the land mine and get this over with.

1. Michigan, Jim Harbaugh
2. Ohio State, Ryan Day
3. Wisconsin, Luke Fickell
4. Penn State, James Franklin
5 . Nebraska, Matt Rhule
6. Purdue, Jeff Brohm
7. Iowa, Kirk Ferentz
8. Illinois, Bret Bielema
9. Minnesota, P.J. Fleck
10. Michigan State, Mel Tucker
11. Northwestern, Pat Fitzgerald
12. Maryland, Mike Locksley
13. Rutgers, Greg Schiano
14. Indiana, Tom Allen
People seem to think really highly or Rhule for a guy with a very short resume.

It’s a good resume but very short.

Meaning he literally has never worked for the same employer four years in a row.
 

I’m going to start by saying I think Wisconsin made a great hire, but if you’re ranking Fickell that high because he made Cincinnati go undefeated and to the playoffs you better rank PJ Fleck #1. He had Western Michigan… WESTERN MICHIGAN… undefeated and to the Cotton Bowl.

In all seriousness, there isn’t a bad coach in the Big Ten West.
It’s one big log jam. Parity.
 





I just saw Brohm is 3-0 all time against top 5 teams. PJ has beaten 3 ranked teams total. I’d put Brohm above him on that stat alone.
 

Right now I would rank Fleck tied for 2nd in the Big Ten West.

I can't imagine how I might have arrived at that ranking.
 


I would flip Brohm over PJ simply for game management. It always feels like PJ is being outcoached during games and the games where the team gets blown out due to insufficient preparation falls on his head, too.
 

I just saw Brohm is 3-0 all time against top 5 teams. PJ has beaten 3 ranked teams total. I’d put Brohm above him on that stat alone.
You can do that. But if you take out those three games Brohm is under .500 in conference play.

They’re both good coaches.
When brohms teams were injured he had some struggles and had some bad losses.
When flecks team has had injuries he has had struggles and some bad losses.


I think they’re both really good coaches and both good fits for their respective schools
 

You can do that. But if you take out those three games Brohm is under .500 in conference play.

They’re both good coaches.
When brohms teams were injured he had some struggles and had some bad losses.
When flecks team has had injuries he has had struggles and some bad losses.


I think they’re both really good coaches and both good fits for their respective schools
But you can’t take games away. If you take out the PSU, Auburn, and 2021 Wisconsin games then PJ has never beaten a ranked team at MN. Works both ways.
 

But you can’t take games away. If you take out the PSU, Auburn, and 2021 Wisconsin games then PJ has never beaten a ranked team at MN. Works both ways.
You literally can’t take games away. That was the point of my post.
Brohm has more good wins. He also has (6) more losses.
Thanks for making my point. It works both ways.
 


I would flip Brohm over PJ simply for game management. It always feels like PJ is being outcoached during games and the games where the team gets blown out due to insufficient preparation falls on his head, too.
Remember when Brohm had PSU beat and decided not to run the ball to bleed the clock? I'm not ready to crown Brohm for game management.
 

1-Ferentz (he's #1 until someone knocks him off)
2-PJ
3-Brohm
4-Bielema (one 8-4 season is no reason to crown him.)
5-Fitzgerald (still like him, but the shine is coming off)

TBD-Fickell-Attempting to rank him when he hasn't done anything is silly IMO. He could be the second coming of Barry Alvarez or the second coming of Gary Andersen.
TBD-Rhule-See above
I agree. Illinois’ choke job was worse than ours this year and in ‘19. All they had to do was beat either MSU or Purdue and they couldn’t do that.
 




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