1. Sweater vest. Yeah, success at OSU is expected. But it's also expected at Michigan -- it's easy to stumble. Continued success is not easy. The last time Tressel had a losing record was 1995, at Youngstown State.
2. Jo Pa. He is a legend, and gets bonus points for that. He also gets points for continuing a tradition of strong teams after joining one of the premier conferences in the nation. The Nits are 86-50 in conference play since joining. Not shabby.
3. Captain Kirk. My Black and Gold blood wants to put him higher. It does. He consistently does more with less and has proved his worth to the program. I however, still put him third overall in the conference. It's easy to argue him No. 1. It's also easy to put him at No. 2, and No. 3. Looking at the company, that's quite a complement.
4. Bret Bielema. Took over a program that was built up, and has maintained success. He’s compiled 20-12 record in conference and done it with tradional smash-mouth football and defense. His bowl record is 2-2, not stellar, but it is only four games.
6. Pat Fitzgerald. Yeah, he blew the bowl game. But he's the first coach since Bob Voights to have a winning record at the school after his first four seasons. His team has shown a consistent progression over the four years of his tenure. His 15-17 record against the conference may look week - but we are talking about a school with an all-time record of 476-619-44 and just 8 bowl games in school history.
6. Mark Dantonio. MSU is waiting for a guy to take them to the next level. Not sure he's the guy. Had a nice 9-4 season in 2008, but the finish of 2009 is nearly unforgivable. He simply couldn’t keep his team on task at the end of the season. Lost in what should be renamed The Distraction Bowl, leaving him with a lifetime 1-3 bowl record.
7. Danny Hope. The jury is very out on him. He did a nice job for Eastern Kentucky.
8. Tim Brewster. Helping the Gophers jump from 1-11 to 7-6 and back-to-back bowl seasons helped move him up the list.
9. Rich Rod. I gave extra credit for WV years. At this part of the list, life isn't pretty. And it's really bad for a guy to be this far down when coaching at one of "The Big Three." He has yet to prove anything in the Big 10. He definitely hasn't been able to adjust his system to the players he has and the conference he's in. Sound like a former Iowa hoops coach to anyone?
10. Ron Zook. Not a Big 10 coach, but does recruit good talent. He just doesn't know how to use it. Had three nice years at Florida, and has had one nice year in the Big 10.
11. Bill Lynch. For more than 60 years, Indiana has been a study of football futility. Lynch is not a Big 10 coach - only seven winning seasons since 1985 in places like Butler, Ball State and DePauw.
