The main topics around the Big Ten at the moment are the arrival of head coach Jim Harbaugh at Michigan and whether or not Ohio State can repeat as national champions. Harbaugh and Ohio State’s Urban Meyer are safe and secure for the future, but there are several coaches throughout the conference who might be dismissed. Which Big Ten coaches are on the hot seat in 2015?
Darrell Hazell, Purdue
The Boilermakers are still a long way from being rebuilt, but the pressure on Hazell remains after just four wins in the last two seasons. The aim for Hazell will be for Purdue to continue to improve on the field, even if the results don’t come. It’s a tough schedule with Bowling Green and Virginia Tech at home plus Marshall on the road out of conference; none of those three games will be easy, and this is all before they step foot in the Big Ten.
Randy Edsall, Maryland
Edsall is another coach who realistically needs his team to be bowl eligible in 2015 to keep his job. The Big Ten hasn’t been kind to Maryland either as they get Iowa and a rejuvenated Michigan from the West while a visit to Morgantown to face West Virginia out of conference will present a real challenge.
Randy Edsall has done a good job on the recruiting trail which helps bolster his stock among the Terrapin fan base. This team is capable of winning six games even with a challenging schedule, but Edsall will struggle to keep his job if they fall short.
Kevin Wilson, Indiana
The situation in Indiana is stable for Kevin Wilson at the moment; the program feels good about where it’s going with the team improving and the fan base increasing. The last thing the Hoosiers need now is to take a backward step after working to four wins last year. Their non-conference schedule has four winnable games, but it’s not inconceivable to see them go 0-8 in conference play if they lose on the road at Purdue. Whether Wilson survives another three or four-win season remains to be seen.
Kirk Ferentz, Iowa
This is a more difficult situation than most because any decision to fire Kirk Ferentz is dependent on paying off his contract. Some fans thought Ferentz would have been fired after the 2014 season if it wasn’t for the fact he’s contracted through the 2019 season. Also, Iowa wasn’t horrible last year as they went 7-6, but losing to a poor Iowa State team and getting blown out by 37 points against Minnesota tend to linger around more than wins over Purdue, Indiana and Illinois for example. Unless somehow Iowa doesn’t go bowling in 2015, its still unlikely that Kirk Ferentz is out of a job.
Tim Beckman, Illinois
For the past few years, Illinois has been slowly improving under Tim Beckman which culminated in an appearance at the 2014 Heart of Dallas Bowl. Huge wins over Penn State and Northwestern to close out the season probably bought Beckman another year to build this team, but working against him are the allegations of poor treatment from former players, especially with regards to how he handled their injuries. Also, the Big Ten schedule hasn’t helped them in 2015; they get Penn State and Ohio State from the East while their home conference games include Wisconsin, Nebraska and Northwestern.
