College football is chock-full of great coaches. The Big Ten harbors many of those talented signal callers.
There are many coaches in the Big Ten who have been with their programs for over a decade. The prestige Mark Dantonio has brought Michigan State is almost unheard of.
Iowa’s head coach Kirk Ferentz belongs in that conversation as well. For a program in the middle of nowhere, he has built that team into a college football powerhouse.
But, what is starting to set the Big Ten apart from the rest of the college football world is the caliber of coach they are attracting.
Ohio State started the trend with the hiring of Urban Meyer. This was a much need boost to their program after a rough few years that ended Jim Tressel’s tenure.
Not too many years later, Michigan followed suit with the hiring of NFL head coach Jim Harbaugh. This was a hire that sent shockwaves throughout the college football landscape.
Now, Illinois has hired NFL head coach Lovie Smith to direct their program back in the right direction.
With all of these great coaches already with Big Ten programs and new coaches coming in to freshen things up, this calls for a top Big Ten coaching ranking.
Here is my list of the best Big Ten coaches in order.
Next: No. 14