https://thespun.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/GettyImages-1186755327.jpg
STATE COLLEGE, PA - NOVEMBER 30: Head coach James Franklin of the Penn State Nittany Lions leads his team onto the field before the game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Beaver Stadium on November 30, 2019 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)

Big Ten Analyst Ranks Conference’s Best, Worst Coaches

by

Ryan Day stepped right in for Urban Meyer, leading the Ohio State Buckeyes to the College Football Playoff in his first year as head coach. That success puts him in a place few other coaches in all of college football have been able to reach, but some Big Ten analysts need to see a bit more before they dub him the league’s best coach.

In a new coach ranking by Saturday Tradition, Day comes in at No. 3 in the conference. “You can argue that Day belongs in the No. 1 or No. 2 spots on this list, based on what he did at Ohio State as a first-year head coach,” writes the site’s Dustin Schutte. “…But it is only one season. If Ohio State replicates its success this fall, then Day could easily jump up two spots to No. 1.”

Instead of inserting Day at No. 1 right off the bat, Schutte went with Penn State’s James Franklin in his latest ranking. While Bill O’Brien helped dig Penn State out of the post-Joe Paterno rut, Franklin has elevated the program to the top of the conference. The Nittany Lions have been as competitive as anyone with Meyer and, now, Day’s juggernaut Buckeyes.

“It took a few years for Franklin to get things rolling at Penn State, but once the Nittany Lions won the B1G title in 2016, they really haven’t slowed down,” he writes. “No, they haven’t been able to make a return trip to Indianapolis, but they have hit 11 wins in three of the last four seasons, have continued to land highly-ranked recruiting classes and have returned to college football’s upper echelon.”

Ohio State fans may not love the choice of Franklin ahead of Day, but they should appreciate Jim Harbaugh’s spot at No. 6 in these new Big Ten rankings. Where or not Harbaugh should be anywhere near the hot seat is up for debate, but it does appear as if many around that conference have soured on him as an elite college coach.

At the bottom of the list is Maryland’s Mike Locksley. The Terrapins got off to a quick start last September, but quickly fell apart. He’ll have plenty to answer for in 2020, when the pressure will really be on.

Head to Saturday Tradition for the full 1-14 Big Ten coach rankings.