What has happened to Spartan Football in the past 5 years…where is the national respect?
Just 5 years ago on this date, the Spartans were 5-0 and well on their way to an 8 game winning streak.
On November 7, 2015 the Spartans suffered their first and only loss of the regular season, a razor thin 38-39 loss at Nebraska, yet the Spartans won the remainder of their regular season games to finish 11-1 and captured the Big Ten East Championship. Thereafter, the Spartans beat Iowa 16-13 in the Big Ten Championship Game punctuated by an epic, 22 play, ground pounding drive to score the winning Touchdown.
The Spartans were anointed 2015 Big Ten Champions and earned an invitation to the College Football Playoffs.
Although the Spartans lost to Alabama in the College Football Playoffs, the Spartans finished with a record of 12-2 overall including Top 5 in the AP Poll, and in spite of losing to Alabama, the Spartan Brand was recognized by fans and recruits alike as “one of the most electrifying teams to watch” and a “team to be reckoned with”.
And because “wins & losses” translate to recruiting, the Spartans impressive run from 2010 through 2015 set the stage to reap the benefits of recruiting, and the 2016 recruiting class was, according to numeric ranking, the best recruiting class during the Mark Dantonio era.
So, as we look back, it would be fair to say Mark Hollis and Mark Dantonio built a formidable football foundation!
But what happened?
Fast Forward:
While there are three weeks before the start of the 2020 Big Ten football season, the Spartans are not exactly reaping accolades of respect.
In fact, quite the opposite.
National publications are questioning every facet of Spartan Football, and I would be remiss if I didn’t point out rankings compiled by 3 independent publications, posted on three separate dates that don’t paint flattering portraits of Spartan Football:
- Aug 14 (Top 50 Coaches ranked by 24/7 Sports)
- Sep 28 (Every D-1 school ranked by USA Today)
- Oct 4 (2021 Recruiting rankings by Scout.com)
Each of the subject rankings are subjective, yet the dismal rankings assigned to the Spartans is chilling, so let’s take a look.
August 14:
On August 14, 24/7 Sports ranked the Top 50 Coaches in the land, and the Spartans “first year” coaching staff was conspicuously omitted.
Of course, Nick Saban (Alabama) and Dabo Swinney (Clemson) predictably received rankings at the top of the list. Meanwhile, 2 Big Ten coaches were ranked in the Top 10 including Ryan Day (Ohio State #6); and James Franklin (Penn State #10); while Jim Harbaugh (Michigan #12); Paul Chryst (Wisconsin #14); PJ Fleck (Minnesota #17) and Kirk Ferentz (Iowa #18) were ranked in the Top 25.
The Top 50 also included Pat Fitzgerald (Northwestern #26), Tom Allen (Indiana #41), Greg Schiano (Rutgers #44) and Jeff Brohm (Purdue #45). In all, the Big Ten landed 10 Head Football Coaches in the Top 50, yet the Spartans Head Football Coach was conspicuously omitted.
First year coach being overlooked?
I should point out that Greg Schiano hasn’t been a Head Football Coach since 2013, and yet he landed at #44 in his first year at Rutgers. In fact, 4 “first year” Head Coaches were ranked in the Top 50, including Mike Leach (Mississippi State #28); Mike Norvell (Florida State #31); Lane Kiffin (Ole Miss #37) and of course, Greg Schiano (Rutgers #44). So, the fact the Spartans Head Football Coach is paid amongst the Top 15 in the land, apparently didn’t hold sway with 24/7 Sports as they compiled their rankings of the Top 50 Head Football Coaches.
Needless to say, as games are won & lost, the list of best coaches will be dynamic and coaches will rise or fade depending upon their won/lost records, but at issue is the fact 24/7 Sports, one of the most highly regarded, metric focused sports information sites has conspicuously omitted the Spartans first year Head Football Coach from the ranks of its Top 50.
September 28:
On September 28, Paul Myerberg of USA Today ranked every D-1 school (taking into account that 4, D-1 schools will not participate in 2020), so 126 schools were ranked and it’s notable that the Spartans shockingly came in at #81 (the bottom 40th percentile).
Once again, these rankings are subjective, yet relatively speaking, to be ranked outside the Top 50 is shocking unto itself. To put USA Today rankings into perspective, the Spartans ranked lower than Appalachian State #41, Florida Atlantic #71 and Central Michigan #73.
And looking at the rankings from another perspective, 8 schools ranked ahead of the Spartans are led by “first year” Coaching staffs including San Diego State (#61 coached by Brady Hoke), as well as the aforementioned App’n State and Florida Atlantic.
We should also point out, as of Sep 28 when the rankings were posted only a handful of teams had played a single football game, including the Spartans, yet neither had Central Michigan, Florida Atlantic or San Diego State, so the rankings were mostly based upon historical metrics of the respective Head Football Coaches and their assistants. Not a good sign.
Sadly, the Spartans ranked #81.
October 4:
Of course, the preceding rankings have an impact on recruiting as well, because every recruiting prospect in the land have access to the same rankings and PR information as everyone else.
So it should be no surprise that the Spartans 2021 recruiting class (the first recruiting class built by the current coaching staff) is ranked #54 in the land, that includes being ranked a dismal #11 amongst 14 Big Ten teams. Problematically, this is the Spartans lowest ranked recruiting class over the past 20 years.
By comparison, Maryland is ranked #22 in the land and #4 Big Ten, while Greg Schiano and Rutgers have lined up the #40 Recruiting Class in the land and #9 Big Ten. So, we have to ask the question: did anyone ever contemplate Maryland and Rutgers out recruiting the Spartans?
And looking forward, the early signing date for “National Letters of Intent” is two months away, but how much ground can the Spartans make up in two months?
If the Spartans post a winning record, then perhaps they can close the gap, perhaps compile a recruiting class ranked amongst the Top 7 in the Big Ten. Yet another problem exists: in another ranking not noted above, the odds makers predict the Spartans will win less than 4 games.
At the bottom line:
How did Spartan Football get to this point?
This is a meaningful question for Spartan stakeholders, including alumni/donors, students and ticket holders who are not only seeking a winner, but also seeking respect.
Needless to say, being ranked #81 in the preseason ranking is not the type of recognition that Spartan partisans are seeking.
I want to remind everyone, I was arguably the first person on the planet in 2007 to endorse Mark Dantonio as the Spartans Head Football Coach, and to that point, I was arguably the first to predict that Mark Dantonio (and his staff) would remake Spartan Football and stitch together a string of Big Ten Championships (and they did), so I don’t find particular joy highlighting the current perception of Spartan Football. In fact, I would much prefer writing a missive that the Spartans are ready to go “head to head” with the Buckeyes for Big Ten East Championship.
But the numbers are the numbers, the perceptions are the perceptions and the rankings are real, good or bad.
Problematically, the rankings that I highlighted aren’t gleaned by way of wide eyed writers looking at a Crystal Ball, or pulling numbers out of a hat, or “spinning the wheel of fortune” for that matter, rather they are built upon solid foundations of metrics, and the metrics point out that the Spartans new coaching staff have not impressed those compiling the lists, and that means the Spartans first year coaching staff have a monumental ladder to climb and stakeholders will be watching every step.
Are the publications and ranking services wrong? Perhaps.
Let’s hope the coaching staff steps up and proves the ranking services wrong, yet the moment of truth is forthcoming, because in 3 weeks the won/lost column won’t be mere speculation, there will be “real” numbers built by the current coaching staff, and the future of Spartan Football will hang in the balance.
Thank you for reading and I welcome your comments and opinions.
