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Athlon Ranks 128 College Coaches

Knight Shift

Legend
May 19, 2011
82,988
80,085
113
Jersey Shore
Never mind that, how the hell is Franklin at #31. Anyone that didn't see Christian Hackenburg regress under Franklin doesn't know anything about football and should offer no opinions.
 
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Don't want this to sound whiny, but don't understand how Durkin is #60 while Ash is #100. Neither has coached a game, and both should not be rated at all. Same applies to Lovie Smith. And why is Kevin Wilson ranked so high?

http://athlonsports.com/college-football/ranking-all-128-college-football-head-coaches-2016

Here are the B1G rankings:

http://athlonsports.com/college-football/ranking-big-tens-college-football-coaches-2016

That "ranking" reminds me of this:

 
Athlon seems to love Indiana. Still say the only reason they made a bowl is they get Purdue on their schedule.
 
The strength of a prediction is tied to results, and since the author doesn't think Rutgers will do well he is attaching that to Ash.
 
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Some real head scratchers:



6. James Franklin, Penn State


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After a 24-15 three-year stint at Vanderbilt, high expectations surrounded Franklin’s arrival at Penn State. However, improvement has been tough to come by for the Nittany Lions over the last two seasons. Penn State has posted back-to-back 7-6 records under Franklin, but the program was still digging out from recent NCAA sanctions. Entering 2016, Penn State’s overall depth has improved with back-to-back top 20 signing classes, and Franklin is attempting to fix the offensive woes by hiring Joe Moorhead as the program’s new play-caller. Franklin didn’t have the instant success most predicted at Penn State, but there’s still plenty of time for the third-year coach to get the Nittany Lions closer to Ohio State, Michigan and Michigan State in the Big Ten East pecking order.

10. D.J. Durkin, Maryland
Durkin was considered one of the rising stars in the assistant ranks over the last few seasons and lands at a program (Maryland) with some upside. The Ohio native comes to College Park after one season at Michigan, where he coordinated a Wolverine defense that ranked third in the Big Ten in fewest points allowed. Prior to Michigan, Durkin worked for five seasons at Florida and also spent time at Stanford (2007-09) and Bowling Green (2005-06). Durkin has a lot of work ahead in 2016 after Maryland finished 3-9 last year. However, Durkin hired a good staff and should be able to utilize his experience as an assistant under two of the nation’s best coaches – Urban Meyer and Jim Harbaugh – to help Maryland improve over the next few seasons.

12. Chris Ash, Rutgers

rutgers-scarlet-knights.png
The Big Ten East Division is one of college football’s toughest divisions, and Rutgers is facing an uphill battle to compete with Michigan, Ohio State, Michigan State and Penn State on an annual basis. But after making more headlines for off-field news than actual on-field results in 2015, this program took a step in the right direction by cleaning house in the athletic department. New athletic director Patrick Hobbs picked Ash as Kyle Flood’s replacement, and the Iowa native seems to be the right fit for the Scarlet Knights. Ash is well versed in the division after spending the last two years at Ohio State as a co-defensive coordinator and he also has a prior stop in the Big Ten from three seasons at Wisconsin (2010-12). Ash also has stops on his resume from stints at Arkansas (2013), Iowa State and San Diego State. This is his first opportunity to be a head coach at the FBS level, but Ash has worked for one of the nation’s best coaches (Urban Meyer) and seems to have the right blueprint and long-term vision to help this program.

- See more at: http://athlonsports.com/college-foo...ge-football-coaches-2016#sthash.YiwFNjCq.dpuf
 
I bought the Athlon preview. After reading everything related to RU I don't know why the Scarlet Knights are even fielding a team.

Haha, I too bought this magazine and thought the same thing. What was written above is kind of a rehash of the section where they graded the coaching hires. They gave the Ash hire a middling grade (B- maybe?) yet wrote good things about the hire. Yet rated it below Durkin and some other jabronis.

I know a lot of people don't buy these magazines anymore, but I'm old school---still love em for the toilet.
 
Haha, I too bought this magazine and thought the same thing. What was written above is kind of a rehash of the section where they graded the coaching hires. They gave the Ash hire a middling grade (B- maybe?) yet wrote good things about the hire. Yet rated it below Durkin and some other jabronis.

I know a lot of people don't buy these magazines anymore, but I'm old school---still love em for the toilet.
Since I bought my ASUS tablet I've given up on magazines and makes for a neater magazine rack in the 'library'.
 
It's funny for Ash they list just how tough the division we play in is and how all the off field problems led to not much results. But in the review of Durkin they magically leave the division part out and Maryland has some upside. Last I check we're in the same division and they were 3-9 and with all our troubles were 4-8.

You see how easy it is to distort perception. One guy looks like he's got the inside track to success, the other's prospects look bleak. Perceptions a bitch to change when everyone continually retorts the same misguided and uninformed view points. The way I look at it despite all of RU's troubles and incompetent coaching, RU was just one game short of being bowl eligible losing a last second game to WSU and a heartbreaking comeback loss to Maryland. With the coaching and AD change RU looks to be trending back to being a perennial bowl game participant. It's all in the view point, and the press shapes that image.
 
It's funny for Ash they list just how tough the division we play in is and how all the off field problems led to not much results. But in the review of Durkin they magically leave the division part out and Maryland has some upside. Last I check we're in the same division and they were 3-9 and with all our troubles were 4-8.

You see how easy it is to distort perception. One guy looks like he's got the inside track to success, the other's prospects look bleak. Perceptions a bitch to change when everyone continually retorts the same misguided and uninformed view points. The way I look at it despite all of RU's troubles and incompetent coaching, RU was just one game short of being bowl eligible losing a last second game to WSU and a heartbreaking comeback loss to Maryland. With the coaching and AD change RU looks to be trending back to being a perennial bowl game participant. It's all in the view point, and the press shapes that image.

Distorted perception is a good way of "looking" at it.

Here's what they said about Mike Riley of Nebraska "A 6-7 record in his first season at Nebraska certainly isn’t what Riley had in mind. However, a deeper look at the Cornhuskers’ 2015 season shows this team wasn’t far from eight or nine wins. Six of Nebraska’s seven losses came by eight points or less, "

There are many fans, and many on this board who would deride "moral victories." If you want to look at things that way, then we were 10 points in 2 games away from being 6-6 and knocking off Michigan State. We already see that folks will be OK this coming year with not too many wins but "keeping it close." Not saying there is anything wrong with this perspective, but interesting how fans/writers can look at things to fit their narrative.
 
Never mind that, how the hell is Franklin at #31. Anyone that didn't see Christian Hackenburg regress under Franklin doesn't know anything about football and should offer no opinions.
Now now that was all on Hackenburg............if you ask Franklin
 
It's funny for Ash they list just how tough the division we play in is and how all the off field problems led to not much results. But in the review of Durkin they magically leave the division part out and Maryland has some upside. Last I check we're in the same division and they were 3-9 and with all our troubles were 4-8.

You see how easy it is to distort perception. One guy looks like he's got the inside track to success, the other's prospects look bleak. Perceptions a bitch to change when everyone continually retorts the same misguided and uninformed view points. The way I look at it despite all of RU's troubles and incompetent coaching, RU was just one game short of being bowl eligible losing a last second game to WSU and a heartbreaking comeback loss to Maryland. With the coaching and AD change RU looks to be trending back to being a perennial bowl game participant. It's all in the view point, and the press shapes that image.


But the ACC is a much easier schedule then the big ten.
 
Durkin is ranked higher because he is tied to Harbaugh, he's the Hansel of college coaching right now. The media is so far up Harbaugh's butt right now it's a sin. Online, Sirius, B1G Network, ESPN, all just want to talk about him and act like everything he does he invented and is the greatest thing since sliced bread. It's sickening.
 
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Durkin is ranked higher because he is tied to Harbaugh, he's the Hansel of college coaching right now. The media is so far up Harbaugh's butt right now it's a sin. Online, Sirius, B1G Network, ESPN, all just want to talk about him and act like everything he does he invented and is the greatest thing since sliced bread. It's sickening.
 
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Never mind that, how the hell is Franklin at #31. Anyone that didn't see Christian Hackenburg regress under Franklin doesn't know anything about football and should offer no opinions.

Tom Brady wouldn't fare much better playing behind a similarly flawed/untalented OL. The fact that Hackenburg was either running for his life or on his back much of the time doesn't make Franklin a bad coach.
 
Tom Brady wouldn't fare much better playing behind a similarly flawed/untalented OL. The fact that Hackenburg was either running for his life or on his back much of the time doesn't make Franklin a bad coach.

But that doesn't fit the narrative!

I watched every snap of Hack's PSU career. He outperformed for a freshman, but largely because he benefited from an OL that had multiple NFL starters and a WR who is now among the top five in the world. Without those luxuries - and yes, while forced to play in a scheme that didn't suit him - he struggled mightily his sophomore season, with moments of brilliance, and then he improved a bit as a junior. He certainly didn't develop, for a handful of reasons, as his college career progressed, but he didn't "regress" because of Franklin either. His statistics and the analysis done by Pro Football Focus pre-draft bear that out.

Bill O'Brien deserves some credit for Hack's freshman season. He also deserves some blame for his OL recruiting philosophy. Not only did he leave Hack to play in a less than ideal scheme by taking the Texans job, he left the cupboard bare in terms of OL.
 
But that doesn't fit the narrative!

I watched every snap of Hack's PSU career. He outperformed for a freshman, but largely because he benefited from an OL that had multiple NFL starters and a WR who is now among the top five in the world. Without those luxuries - and yes, while forced to play in a scheme that didn't suit him - he struggled mightily his sophomore season, with moments of brilliance, and then he improved a bit as a junior. He certainly didn't develop, for a handful of reasons, as his college career progressed, but he didn't "regress" because of Franklin either. His statistics and the analysis done by Pro Football Focus pre-draft bear that out.

I'm not piling on Hack or JF. And I may be off base, because I did not watch closely. Is it correct to say McSorley did much better in the bowl game against Georgia than Hack? And if yes, is it simply because McSorley is more mobile? I don't have a dog in this fight. I don't care if someone thinks Hack sucks or JF sucks. Just a question, and may not be a fair one on a small sample size.
 
I'm not piling on Hack or JF. And I may be off base, because I did not watch closely. Is it correct to say McSorley did much better in the bowl game against Georgia than Hack? And if yes, is it simply because McSorley is more mobile? I don't have a dog in this fight. I don't care if someone thinks Hack sucks or JF sucks. Just a question, and may not be a fair one on a small sample size.

Or could it be Georgia's defensive game plan was based on a pocket passer and were caught flat footed by the change?
 
Or could it be Georgia's defensive game plan was based on a pocket passer and were caught flat footed by the change?
Could be. I was in a bar/restaurant casually watching the game, but I recall McSorley did not light it up, but Penn State scored twice in the 4th Quarter and started moving the ball better once McSorley was in the game.
 
Could be. I was in a bar/restaurant casually watching the game, but I recall McSorley did not light it up, but Penn State scored twice in the 4th Quarter and started moving the ball better once McSorley was in the game.

Hack was 8-14, McSorley 14-27. Both threw for 140 yards. McSorley threw 2 TD's and ran for another 30 yards. I agree he didn't light it up but the running threat I think opened up the Ga defense just enough. I also believe PSU played better D in the 2nd half.
 
McSorley isn't as gifted as Hack, I don't think anyone will argue that. But I don't think there's any question he's a much better fit for the style of offense Franklin wants to run. It's a misconception that Hack is slow, but McSorley will be more of a threat to extend the play, which should pay dividends behind an OL that, while improving, has a ways to go.

This is sort of hard to quantify, but it also seemed like McSorley injected some energy into the offense with his personality and excitement. Maybe I'm misreading that, and I certainly don't want to insinuate that Hack wasn't a good leader or didn't want to be out there, but I think it's fair to say a lot of the veteran players were a little beaten down by the constant drama and coaching changes. McSorley was a winner in high school, and he's a Franklin guy. Does that pay dividends? I'll guess we'll see soon enough.
 
McSorley isn't as gifted as Hack, I don't think anyone will argue that. But I don't think there's any question he's a much better fit for the style of offense Franklin wants to run. It's a misconception that Hack is slow, but McSorley will be more of a threat to extend the play, which should pay dividends behind an OL that, while improving, has a ways to go.

This is sort of hard to quantify, but it also seemed like McSorley injected some energy into the offense with his personality and excitement. Maybe I'm misreading that, and I certainly don't want to insinuate that Hack wasn't a good leader or didn't want to be out there, but I think it's fair to say a lot of the veteran players were a little beaten down by the constant drama and coaching changes. McSorley was a winner in high school, and he's a Franklin guy. Does that pay dividends? I'll guess we'll see soon enough.
Is McSorley the presumed starter or does he have formidable competition for the job?
 
I think most fans and a lot of the media presume McSorley will be the starter, and he is in the lead given his time on campus and his appearance, albeit a brief one, on the field. Franklin, though, has made a point of saying he isn't the starter just yet. McSorley's competition is Tommy Stevens, a redshirt freshman from Indianapolis. A consensus 3-star coming out of HS, Stevens had offers from BC, Cincinnati, Indiana, Iowa, MSU, Minnesota, Nebraska, NC State, and WVU, among others. He's 6-4, 219 - so better size than McSorley - and has also has good mobility. I would be mildly surprised if Stevens is the starter September 3, but certainly not shocked.

Jake Zembiec is also on campus, but I'm assuming he'll be in line for a redshirt unless he just absolutely dominates camp.
 
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Rutgers has been in the league two years. The first year it finished ahead of State Penn and scUM. The second year it didn't. Many media members and fans of other teams fail to acknowledge this.

Acknowledge what?

Purdue finished ahead of Ohio State in 2011.
Northwestern finished ahead of Michigan State in 2012.
Minnesota, Northwestern, Maryland and Rutgers all finished ahead of Michigan in 2014 (teams Michigan went 4-0 against and outscored 144-42 in 2015 (26 of those points from Minnesota alone).

What relevance does any of that have when it comes to 2015, 2016 and beyond or the current coaches? What is your point?
 
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