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Big Ten Football Coach Rankings

By Rees Woodcock

Dec 5, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; A Big Ten logo on the field before the Big Ten Conference football championship game between the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Michigan State Spartans at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 5, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; A Big Ten logo on the field before the Big Ten Conference football championship game between the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Michigan State Spartans at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dec 31, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; Michigan State Spartans head coach Mark Dantonio during the game against the Alabama Crimson Tide in the 2015 CFP semifinal at the Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 31, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; Michigan State Spartans head coach Mark Dantonio during the game against the Alabama Crimson Tide in the 2015 CFP semifinal at the Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports /

The fact that Michigan State is a contender year in and year out isn’t surprising.  They have a solid quarterback and running back mixed in with a great defense.

Illinois Fighting Illini
Illinois Fighting Illini /

Illinois Fighting Illini

Mark Dantonio is the architect of this great program.  He has taken high school talent and molded them into contenders every season.

Dantonio took over a struggling Spartans program in 2007 and instantly turned them into a perennial postseason team.

Michigan State had a total of 14 wins in the three seasons before Dantonio took over.  In just the last three seasons alone, the Spartans have a total of 36 wins.

Dantonio is one of the best head coaches in the Big Ten and you really can’t question that fact.

Last season Michigan State finished with a 12-2 record and won the Big Ten Championship.  They ended up making the College Football Playoff but fell to Alabama.

Just in the last three years at the Helm, Dantonio has made the Final 4, beat Baylor in the Cotton Bowl, and defeated Stanford in the Rose Bowl.

Dantonio is also a solid recruiter.  He has finished the last three years with an average recruiting class of 17th in the nation.

Dantonio impresses me as a head coach and I think the No. 2 spot is exactly where he should be right now.

Next: No. 1

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