What's your dream job?
Everybody has one. Some people grow up wanting to be an astronaut while others want to be an athlete. For some reason completely foreign to me, some people even grow up wanting to be a lawyer.
The point is that when it comes to a dream job, different things suit different people. That's what makes our ranking the best jobs in college football so subjective. What one coach might consider a plus could be another coach's negative.
What I'm trying to do in these rankings is view each job from a neutral point of view. I considered many different factors when trying to figure out which job is the "best." The tradition of a school was a factor, as was its amount of success, and how the school is positioned for future success.
Throw in some recruiting -- not only the recruiting base, but the level of difficulty involved in recruiting players to the school -- expectations and the loyalty of the fan base, and I think I came to some pretty reasonable conclusions.
So without further ado, here are the 14 jobs of the Big Ten ranked from best to worst.
Big 10 Job Rankings
| 1 |  |
| There wasn't a whole lot of doubt in my mind about which team was going to be No. 1 in these rankings. Don't get me wrong, I at least entertained the idea of somebody else, but it was never seriously considered. Ohio State has everything you could want as a coach. A bunch of money, a ton of fan support, a school interested in athletic success, strong high school football within the state and a strong enough brand to recruit across the country if you choose to do so. It's one of the best gigs in the sport. | |
| 2 |  |
| Michigan has a lot going for it as well, and was a clear-cut No. 2 for me. There's money, history, a loyal (and large) fan base and a well-known brand. One of the problems for Michigan, though, is that while Detroit still produces talent, there isn't as much within the state's borders as there used to be. | |
| 3 |  |
| As James Franklin has shown us in the last year, the ceiling at Penn State is still high, even in a post-Paterno climate (and I'm not just talking about football). As in the state of Michigan, there's been a slight drop in ready-made talent within the state, but Penn State still has terrific fan support. You can win a national title here. The fact is there aren't many jobs across the country that can say that. | |
| 4 |  |
| We've reached what I would consider the second-tier of Big Ten jobs, and Wisconsin is the best of these jobs. It has its problems. Facilities aren't amazing, admissions can be a pain in the butt sometimes, and occasionally there's not as much money available as a coach would like (see: Bret Bielema). What there is, though, is a beautiful campus, a great stadium, and one of the most fervent fan bases in the Big Ten. | |
| 5 |  |
| I thought about ranking Nebraska ahead of Wisconsin as there's certainly an argument to be made for it, but I believe it falls just behind the Badgers because of the fact there isn't much history for Nebraska within the Big Ten yet. That said, Nebraska has one of the best fan bases in a conference full of great ones, and it has excellent facilities. Of course, it needs those facilities to convince recruits to come to Nebraska, as the school isn't located in the middle of a fertile recruiting area. | |
| 6 |  |
| I'm sure some will argue that this is too high for Iowa, and they'll have valid arguments. For me, though, Iowa has a lot to offer. There's plenty of support for the program, and Kinnick Stadium is one of the best atmospheres on gameday in college football. Plus, it's not as if there's a lot of competition within the state for attention. There are no pro teams, and you're only competing with your in-state rival Iowa State. The state doesn't have a ton of talent, but Iowa has had success recruiting Chicago and the state of Illinois. | |
| 7 |  |
| Mark Dantonio has done a lot for Michigan State over the last decade, but while that may make this seem like it should be considered a better job, I just don't agree. It's still a good job, as there are no glaring weaknesses in the program. It's just there isn't much that's elite, either. Plus, the in-state talent is dwindling, and despite recent results, it's still Michigan State competing with Michigan for supremacy, not the other way around. | |
| 8 |  |
| I've always considered Maryland to be one of the sleeping giants in college football. It has the support of Under Armour behind the program, and we all saw what Nike helped do for Oregon. Also, unlike a lot of other Big Ten schools, Maryland's not just located in an area with plenty of talent, but an area that is seeing an increase in talent as well. Problems arise from the fact there isn't a ton of history here -- it's still new to the Big Ten -- and the fan support can be lacking as Maryland can be considered a basketball school. Still, if Maryland starts winning football games on a regular basis, that can change quickly. | |
| 9 |  |
| Illinois can be considered a sleeping giant as well, but this is one lazy giant we're talking about here. It only seems to wake up once a decade and then goes back to sleep for a while. The school is starting to invest more money into the program, including upgrades to the stadium and its facilities, and it is the state school. While there have been a lot of empty seats at home games in recent years, the fan base is there, and its starving for success of any kind. But you have to wonder if football can ever overcome the love for basketball. | |
| 10 |  |
| Minnesota has a beautiful new stadium located in a gorgeous spot in downtown Minneapolis. The problem is it takes more than that to convince the top talent to head north to play for Minnesota, as the Gophers need to recruit outside the state to have a realistic chance of competing within the Big Ten. | |
| 11 |  |
| My original instinct was to rank Rutgers lower than Northwestern, but after thinking about it, I believe there's a higher ceiling for what you can do at Rutgers. There's a long history with this program, but it's not one coated in much glory. Rutgers is located in an area with plenty of local talent, and Greg Schiano showed us what the program is capable of when things go right. I just don't know how capable it is now that it's in the Big Ten East and not just the Big East. | |
| 12 |  |
| Pat Fitzgerald has worked wonders at Northwestern, and he may be the ideal coach for the program. The school is upgrading its facilities and is located just outside of Chicago, which is certainly a bonus. Problems arise from Northwestern being a private school with stricter academic requirements than its Big Ten counterparts. Also, while things have improved, Northwestern home games only feel electric when schools like Ohio State, Wisconsin or Nebraska are in town. | |
| 13 |  |
| Purdue is in the process of upgrading facilities, and that's good news because they are indeed needed. The in-state talent doesn't provide a whole lot, and when it is there, Purdue must compete with Notre Dame to get it. Also, fan support has certainly been lacking lately (and I cannot blame the fans for it), but that could change with exciting football. | |
| 14 |  |
| You can say the same things about the Indiana job that I just did about Purdue, but there are some subtle differences. First of all, if you were to rank the three FBS schools in Indiana, the Hoosiers likely come in third. Plus, even though Purdue loves itself some basketball too, Indiana is a basketball school through and through. Even if you win at Indiana, you're never going to be as popular as the basketball team. It's just part of the school's DNA. | |
