Ranking each Big Ten football team by the head coaches’ all-time records
By Sam Fariss
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The Big Ten is now stuffed to the brim with 18 teams, 18 head coaches, and dozens of the best players in the nation.
With Oregon, UCLA, USC, and Washington joining the likes of Michigan, Ohio State, and more, the Big Ten is one of the top conferences in the country, even taking steps ahead of the SEC.
Lincoln Riley, Ryan Day, and Dan Lanning are just some of the elite coaches leading their teams in the conference.
As a new-looking college football scene rapidly approaches the 2024 season, take a look at each Big Ten head coach’s career record.
DeShaun Foster. player. DeShaun Foster. 518. DeShaun. . . . 0-0. 18
Taking the place of former head coach chip Kelly (who is now with the Ohio State Buckeyes), UCLA alum DeShaun Foster now holds the reigns of the Bruin football program.
This is Foster's first-ever head coaching job so he has an career record of 0-0 overall.
17. walters. 4-8. Ryan Walters. 492. . player. . . Ryan Walters
Last year was Ryan Walters' first-ever season as a head coach and he led the Purdue Boilermakers to a 4-8 overall record.
At 4-8 all-time, Walters' career head coaching record sits at 4-8.
. locksley. 31-59. Mike Locksley. 16. . 439. player. . Mike Locksley
After starting his career at New Mexico, Mike Locksley took over the Terrapins football program in 2015, when he led Maryland to a 1-5 record over the last six games of the season.
Throughout his ten-year head coaching career, Locksley has won just 34.44 percent of his games.
. player. . . Jedd Fisch. fisch. 17-22. Jedd Fisch. 15. 521
The former Arizona Wildcats' head coach, Jedd Fisch took over the Washington program after Kalen DeBoer headed to the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Fisch has gone 17-22 throughout his head coaching career for a 43.59 percent win rate.
. Greg Schiano. Greg Schiano. 14. 452. schiano. . 87-95. player.
Leading the Rutgers Scarlet Knights to battle every week is head coach Greg Schiano and he has done so since 2001.
Over the last 16 years, Schiano and Rutgers have won 44.51 percent of their games for an 87-95 overall record.
. 34-35. 13. . Jonathan Smith. smith. . Jonathan Smith. player. 486
Another newly appointed Big Ten head coach, Jonathan Smith came to East Lansing by way of the Oregon State Beavers.
Throughout his career, Smith has won nearly 50 percent of his games with an overall record of 34-35.
52-50. Matt Rhule. player. 488. . Matt Rhule. . . 12. rhule
Breaking the 50 percent barrier, Matt Rhule's career sits at a 50.98 percent win rate.
The Nebraska head coach has gone 52-50 overall throughout his soon-to-be nine-year-long career.
. P.J. Fleck. player. 80-56. P.J. Fleck. 11. 487. fleck. .
P.J. Fleck started his head coaching career with a four-season stint at Western Michigan before he took over the Minnesota Golden Gophers in 2017.
Over 11 years, Fleck has gone 80-56, winning 58.82 percent of his games.
. Bret Bielema. player. 481. 10. Bret Bielema. 115-77. . . Bret Bielema
Bret Bielema has only been with the Fighting Illini for three seasons, leading Illinois to an 18-19 overall record.
However, Bielema was also the head coach for the Wisconsin Badgers and Arkansas Razorbacks. Overall, he has won 59.9 percent of his games for a 115-77 career record.
. 9. 8-5. 489. braun. . . David Braun. David Braun. player
Someone who may be a surprising top-ten coach is David Braun, the head coach of the Northwestern Wildcats.
After just one season, his first-ever season as a head coach, Braun and the Wildcats sit at 8-5 overall, a 61.54 winning percentage.
ferentz. . player. 483. 196-119. Kirk Ferentz. Kirk Ferentz. . . 8
The most tenured head coach in the Big Ten is Iowa's Kirk Ferentz who has been with the Hawkeyes sicne 1999 and coached Maine in the early 90s.
Throughout his three-decade long career, Ferentz has won 62.22 percent of his games and gone 196-119 overall.
player. 491. franklin. . James Franklin. 7. . . 88-39. James Franklin
Yes, people are always ready to bash on James Franklin because Penn State continuously struggles to win the conference title or earn a CFP berth.
However, throughout his career, Franklin has won nearly 70 percent of his games as a head coach and has a career record of 88-39 overall.
. 6. player. . 71-31. Luke Fickell. 493. fickell. Luke Fickell.
Creeping ever closer to the passing grade of 70 percent is Luke Fickell, Wisconsin's head coach who has a career win rate of 69.61 percent.
At 71-31 overall, Fickell's career record lands him at No. 6 in the Big Ten, just short of a top-five finish.
cignetti. . 119-35. Curt Cignetti. player. . . 5. Curt Cignetti. 482
Yes, (maybe) surprisingly enough, the one and only Curt Cignetti starts off the top five coaches in the Big Ten with a 119-35 career record.
Cignetti has won an incredible 77.27 percent of his games as a head coach over his 14-year career.
74-18. . Lincoln Riley. 519. . player. riley. Lincoln Riley. 4.
His incredible career with the Oklahoma Sooners has carried over, for at least one season, to the USC Trojans.
Lincoln Riley has gone 74-18 over his career for a highly impressive winning rate of 80.43 percent.
player. 515. lanning. Dan Lanning. . . Dan Lanning. 3. 22-5.
After just two seasons as a head coach, Dan Lanning and the Oregon Ducks seem to be a match made in heaven.
Throughout his short head coaching career, Lanning has gone 22-5, winning 81.48 percent of his games as the sideline leader of the Ducks.
. 2. . 56-8. Ryan Day. player. 490. day. . Ryan Day
Despite the hate that Ryan Day gets every season the Ohio State Buckeyes lose to the Michigan Wolverines, which has happened a few years in a row, he is arguablly the most successful coach in the Big Ten.
At 56-8, Day has lost just 12.5 percent of his games as a head coach.
485. . moore. . . 1-0. Sherrone Moore. 1. player. Sherrone Moore
Sherrone Moore may be the luckiest man on earth. As an interim head coach, while Jim Harbaugh was banned during the NCAA investigation, Moore won his singular game at the reigns of the Wolverines' program.
Moore is technically the best head coach in the Big Ten since he had gone 1-0 for a 100 percent win rate with Michigan.
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