[NU Sports] FORTY DAYS OF FOOTBALL: Day One ...

[SjT (Stephen J. Truog)]

Back in 2003, I did one of these "40 days of football" countdown to celebrate the past decade of the Big Ten's new era (with PSU) and have a fun countdown to the kickoff of the season. It hasn't quite been a decade yet, but with the Big Ten about to change again with the addition of Nebraska and a new decade dawning, it seemed as good a time as ever to do another. Plus, who can get enough college football as we wait for the new season to rescue us from a summer of bazzzzzzeball, the "sport" of golf and cars going in circles! :)

So here's how it will go for those of you who are new ...

DAYS 1-10: The top coaches of the decade
DAYS 11-20: The top games of the decade
DAYS 21-30: The top players of the decade
DAYS 31-40: The top teams of the decade

We'll count down one each day and feel free to discuss, disagree and send in suggestions for the future! Remember that only years 2000-2009 will be considered for these countdowns. By the time the lists have finished, we'll be ready for kickoff Saturday in the Big Ten and the SjTop 25 preseason rankings! Here we go ...

Up first: the top coaches. This was actually the easiest list to get down to 10 clear candidates, though some of the numbers may be debatable. But because we're in the Big Ten, we'll have an honorary #11 spot for those who just missed the list!

TOP COACHES
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11) Terry Hoeppner, Indiana - Sadly, the Big Ten and Indiana lost Coach Hoeppner way too soon, much like the coach he succeeded at Miami of Ohio, Randy Walker. But his impact in Bloomington was still powerful. The Hoosiers only went 9-14 during his two years, but he instilled an attitude that IU desperately needed in their gridiron program and it was seen the following year, when Indiana made it back to the bowl scene with a tear-jerking triumph over rival Purdue in order to "play 13" for their fallen coach.

As for the rest of the countdown, we begin with another turnaround specialist ...

10) Glen Mason, Minnesota

(48-38 record overall during the decade, 24-32 record in Big Ten games)

For the fans in Minnesota who were unhappy that the Gophers had “reached a ceiling” of seven wins and mid-level bowls under Glen Mason, I have one question … how’s that ceiling looking now?

The Golden Gopher was dying a slow death of irrelevance in the half-empty Metrodome until Glen Mason walked into town. After just three years, he had the Gophers in a bowl game, the first of 7 in an 8-year span. Minnesota would only reach 10 wins once and the upper division a couple times, but there’s no doubt that the sparkling new stadium in Minneapolis would not be here today if Mason had not come to town.

Mason’s teams featured some breakthrough NFL stars (such as Marion Barber and Lawrence Maroney) and had some huge road upsets for the program (Penn State and Ohio State), but struggled to put it all together for the type of dream season Purdue or Northwestern had when they broke through. Fans wanted more when they pushed him out of town in 2006, but sometimes you need to be careful what you ask for, because Mason was doing a pretty good job that the Gophers haven't quite equaled since his departure.

Coming Tuesday: The #9 coach of the 2000s

GO CATS!!!
-SjT

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STEPHEN J. TRUOG
sjtruog at yahoo.com
GO CATS!!! GEAUX SAINTS!!!
Super Bowl XLIV Champions!
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