To start the month of July, CBS Sports’ Tom Fornelli unveiled his 2024 Big Ten head coach power rankings .
In the now 18-team Big Ten, Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz checked in at a very respectable No. 6. The dean of college football coaches just led Iowa to its third 10-win season in the past five years with a 10-4 campaign in 2023.
Ferentz is Iowa’s all-time wins leader and ranks third all-time in both overall victories (196) and conference wins (122) among Big Ten coaches.
After unveiling Ferentz at No. 6 in his Big Ten head coach power rankings, Fornelli joined hosts Amanda Guerra and Chris Hassel and college football analyst Brady Quinn on CBS Sports HQ to break down his thoughts on why Ferentz slotted in where he did.
“When it comes to Kirk Ferentz and the Hawkeyes, listen, the reason he’s so high on this list is the consistency. It’s the long-term results. He’s been there forever and you know exactly what you’re gonna get. We have seen plenty of coaches have great seasons and flame out. Kirk Ferentz doesn’t flame out. The bad Iowa season is typically 8-5. Yeah, it could be ugly, it might not be fun to watch all the time, but you can’t really argue with the style when you get those consistent results.
“Now, what’s going to be interesting to me is now that Iowa is no longer in the Big Ten West and the Big Ten is getting rid of divisions, how will that kind of success sustain? Will they be able to keep that momentum and get to Big Ten title games routinely like they have been in recent years when they have to compete with every other team in the league to do so? I’m a bit skeptical, but I’m also optimistic that while they’re probably not going to score 31 points per game this season, they might score 24,” Fornelli said.
Quinn wasn’t buying Fornelli’s list, arguing Ferentz deserves to be ranked higher than No. 6.
“Tom just pointed out I think the biggest issue is now they’re not in the Big Ten West, a division that they’ve really, I won’t say dominated, but they’ve been consistently very good and always in the hunt.
“And so I would actually say this list as far as the ranking for Kirk Ferentz is a bit disrespectful, because not only has he had sustained consistency and success at Iowa, you also have to take into account what he’s got at Iowa. His recruiting rankings, his budget, it’s not anywhere close to the likes of Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, or Oregon for that matter, Southern Cal, some of these teams that are coming in to the Big Ten,” Quinn said.
Quinn said that feather in Ferentz’s cap to consistently squeeze out the most from less than what his peers are working with will continue on into the future.
“And he’s been able to do more with less and I think he’ll only continue to shine as far as his head coaching prowess. Schematically as well, game management, all those things that encompass a head coach as they get rid of the divisions, because he’s going to have a more difficult schedule. And if they are able to win eight or nine games with the roster they have, to me, that says a lot.
“So, I would actually put him somewhere in the top five, maybe at say number four, number three for the job that he’s done at Iowa over the course of his tenure and the fact that they were able to move on from Brian Ferentz. I mean, say whatever you want, but obviously the offense wasn’t working quite the way they had hoped it was going to. It’s tough to move on from that, it’s tough to admit, I don’t want to say a mistake, but when something’s not working. Especially when it’s a family member, because that’s going to be an awkward Thanksgiving dinner. But, the reality is, he’s even able to at this day and age of his career, still be able to move on from someone like that and make those adjustments,” Quinn said.
Even with the addition of the four West Coast arrivals, Ferentz jumped up a pair of spots from No. 8 to No. 6 in Fornelli’s 2024 Big Ten head coach power rankings as compared to his 2023 edition.
In less than two months time, Ferentz will embark upon his 26th season as the Hawkeyes’ head coach and have his next opportunity to remind college football why he’s one of the sport’s best.
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