Every week we take a look at each coach in the Big Ten and highlight just how hot the seat is they park their caboose on. And you can’t go anywhere if you don’t start somewhere, so here’s the preseason edition for a baseline of all the chaos.
Lock in the mortgage. Fughetaboudit:
Urban Meyer, Ohio State – The Buckeyes came just short of their ultimate goals last year, but it’s saying something when a 12-1 season and Fiesta Bowl championship over those over-hyped Golden Domers is a disappointment. Until other coaches get some national championships under their belts and send players to the NFL with as much haste, he’s still the best in the heartland, and perhaps the country.
Mark Dantonio, Michigan State – Dantonio has taken a flaky Spartan program and made it a perennial Big Ten contender and just on the cusp of kicking the door down towards really big things nationally. They might build a statue of him in East Lansing when it’s all said and done, and it’s doubtful there will be a smile on that bronzen bust of his when they do.
Jim Harbaugh, Michigan – Everyone in and around Ann Arbor (including the 761K Twitter followers) love them some Jimmy Harbaugh. And while there’s no truth to the rumor that the administration is playing with changing the school colors to Maize and Khaki, he seems to have the ship pointed in the right direction. Expectations are huge this year, and we’ll have to wait to see how that all plays out.
Kirk Ferentz, Iowa – What a difference a year makes. Ferentz was dodging pink-slip spitballs last year, and now his getting his shoes polished by those eating hawk … er- crow. No the game has not passed him by, and no he’s not likely to go anywhere he doesn’t have a say on. However, if the Hawkeyes don’t meet expectations this year …
Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern – Yeah, being a Wildcat fan might necessitate carrying some anti-nausea medication for all the roller-coaster rides year-after-year, but Fitzgerald has brought a confidence to Evanston that doesn’t involve protractors and pythagorean theorems. The only thing left to do now is to take home a championship.
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