Picking college football’s best head coaching jobs by conference
By John Scimeca
Big Ten: Iowa
Only two head coaches have paced the sidelines at Iowa since 1979: Hayden Fry and current boss Kirk Ferentz. That’s the kind of stability that doesn’t come often in college football.
Ohio State wins more and is a regular national title contender. Michigan thinks it wins more. Penn State is trying reclaim its perch, and Wisconsin might’ve earned more consideration if Brett Bielema didn’t bolt for Arkansas, in part citing the low pay of his assistant coaches.
An enticing option for the Big Ten’s best coaching job is Iowa. Ferentz is among the 20 most highly paid coaches in college football (earning almost $5 million annually) and fans in Iowa City aren’t realistically clamoring for a spot in the CFP every year. Iowa hasn’t won a Big Ten title since 2002, but that clearly hasn’t bothered the university enough to boot its head coach.
Ferentz, who took over in 1999, has won 10 or more games in six different seasons, including in 2019. He hasn’t taken another Power Five coaching offer, because he knows it’s hard to beat getting to be coach of the Hawkeyes.