Kirk Ferentz: Where Does he Rank Among Big Ten Coaches?

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No. 3 – Mark Dantonio, Michigan State Spartans (89-38)

Forget the dreadful season Michigan State is having in 2016. There aren’t a lot of coaches you would take ahead of Mark Dantonio. The once little brother to Michigan has pulled even in past years, and even passed them under Dantonio recently.

If the Spartans fail to make a bowl game this year, that would be the first time a Dantonio-led team has failed to do so. He took over in 2007 and right away ended a three-year streak of failing to become bowl eligible.

Of course, his success did not stop there. In 2015, the Spartans made the College Football Playoff and in 2014 they were one spot away. In 2013, the Spartans were one spot away from competing for a national championship but ended up winning the Rose Bowl.

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Even though the Spartans aren’t overlooked often anymore, it’s crazy that success shocks the nation considering how they have fared under Dantonio.

Michigan State will probably end their six-year streak of finishing above .500 and their three-year streak of 10 wins has already ended. It’s the worst stretch a Dantonio-led team has gone through, with Michigan State ranking outside the top-85 in both scoring offense and defense.

Although, considering Dantonio has failed to win fewer than nine games in back-to-back seasons at Michigan State, I wouldn’t be too worried about them in 2017.

As disappointing and surprising as their season has been, there is no denying the program Mark Dantonio has built there. He’s easily the best coach in school history, and seven straight seasons of being ranked in the AP Poll top-10 at least once proves it.

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Kirk Ferentz: Where Does He Rank Among Big Ten Coaches?

By Jeremy Karll | Oct 27, 2016

No. 3 – Mark Dantonio, Michigan State Spartans (89-38)