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Power ranking Big Ten football head coaches ahead of 2022 season

By Connor Muldowney

Michigan's Jim Harbaugh, left, and Ohio State's Ryan Day have not always had the friendliest relationship.Harbaugh Day composite 2
Michigan's Jim Harbaugh, left, and Ohio State's Ryan Day have not always had the friendliest relationship.Harbaugh Day composite 2 /
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Oct 30, 2021; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Rutgers Scarlet Knights head coach Greg Schiano applauds his players in the first half against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 30, 2021; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Rutgers Scarlet Knights head coach Greg Schiano applauds his players in the first half against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /

Two years ago, Tom Allen would have been easily top 10 in these power rankings, but after a nightmare 2021 season, his stock has dropped considerably. He was 14-7 in 2019 and 2020 and I was ready to buy in, but he couldn’t prove that those seasons weren’t flukes, going 2-10 in 2021.

An absolute nightmare.

Allen could still prove to be a top-half coach in the conference if he can lead the Hoosiers to a bowl game or — better yet — finally win a postseason game. Right now, Allen is just “average.”

Speaking of averaging, Mike Locksley has screamed “average” for the past few years after the calendar flips over from September to October. The Maryland hype in September every year is real, but it quickly dies down in October and November.

Locksley went 3-9 in his first full season with the Terrapins in 2019, a modest 2-3 in 2020, and then finally made a bowl game in 2021 with his first-ever winning season as a head coach. With a record of 13-23 at Maryland (counting 2015 when he was an interim), and 15-49 overall, it’s hard to rank Locksley any higher, but he did just make and win a bowl game in 2021.

Greg Schiano’s decision to ditch a successful Rutgers program that he built up from the ground for the NFL was an understandable one, but after two underwhelming years in the league, he ventured his way back to the college ranks.

Schiano was almost hired by Tennessee back in 2017, but his rumored involvement in the Penn State scandal squashed that move as fans were outraged over the potential hire.

After spending 2016-18 as Ohio State’s defensive coordinator, he decided to take a year off, and then he accepted the Rutgers job which was a glove-like fit. He was welcomed home with open arms and he has already made the Scarlet Knights more respectable with eight wins over the past two years — the Scarlet Knights had just nine in the previous four years.

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