Follow the Big Ten leaders Dantonio Ferentz is gam
INDIANAPOLIS Take a look at the college football landscape. More than 20 FBS schools will have a new head coach in 2016, and the list could approach 30 before all the new hires are made.Now take a look at the de facto College Football Playoff quarterfinal at Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday. Iowa (12-0) and Michigan State (11-1) will meet in the Big Ten championship game, perhaps in large part because of the stability on the sideline. Michigan State's Mark Dantonio and Iowa's Kirk Ferentz prove that building a
Bobby Okereke Jersey stable college football program can happen in the social media age.MORE: | | "Not every season is going to go the way you want, not every game is going to go the way you want," Ferentz said at the Big Ten Championship Game pre s conference Friday. "To me, it's more about finding solutions and trying to find what do we need to do to repair things or make them better instead of just making people walk the plank. That's
Jonathan Taylor Hoodies Sweatshirts what I believe." Maybe other schools should start believing in that philosophy. Ferentz and Oklahoma's Bob Stoops both started at their current schools in 1999 and will be the Power 5 elder statesmen next season after Virginia Tech's Frank Beamer's retirement. Other Power 5 coaches that will enter their 10th year or better at their current school next season include TCU's Gary Patterson (2001), LSU's Les Miles (2005), Utah's Kyle Whittingham (2005), Oklahoma State's Mike Gundy (2005), Northwestern's Pat Fitzgerald (2006), Alabama's Nick Saban (2007) and Dantonio (2007).That group of coaches combined for a 92-15 record this season. Stoops, Saban, Ferentz and Dantonio all have their teams in position to make the College Football Playoff. A few of those other coaches will play in New Year's Day Six bowls. Miles had the lowest win total of the group at eight and needed a win against Texas AM just
Armani Watts Jersey to save his job."I think we live in a society right now where it's a media-gratification-type thing where people want it done right
Art Donovan Jersey now," Dantonio said. "They don't want to wait. When things start to slide, they want to make a change."To that point, Michigan State went 22-17 in Dantonio's first three seasons. The Spartans are 64-15 since and have won at least 11 games five of the last six seasons. Ferentz, meanwhile, entered his 17th season with a 26-25 record from 2011-14 and appeared to be on the hot seat. He responded by guiding the Hawkeyes to a 12-0 record heading into Saturday's game."They didn't change, switch back on different things" Dantonio said of Iowa. "They had a belief system from a football standpoint that was very structured, defensively, offensively, special teams."CHAMPIONSHIP WEEKEND: Michigan State has the same thing. Now, two teams who pride themselves on stability and coaching continuity will play for a spot in the College Football Playoff. That's the backdrop in Indianapolis on Saturday. Take a good
Nick Cross Jersey look at it. It shouldn't surprise anybody."I'm not trying to pa s commentary on anybody else," Ferentz said. "Every situation when it comes to coaching changes; every situation is unique. I'm certainly not pa sing judgment on the people that make decisions. I'm glad I'm a place where we have had strong leadership and have had for a long time."