Tom Allen
September 19th, 2021 at 1:07 PM ^
Strange post. His ceiling will probably be Pat Fitzgerald/Kirk Ferentz which means down years as often as good years.
September 19th, 2021 at 3:10 PM ^
I completely disagree with this. He had one good season during a goofy covid year. There is not enough evidence showing that he's going to be Kirk Ferentz or Pat Fitzgerald. For all we know Mike Hart was the reason that team was good!
September 19th, 2021 at 4:03 PM ^
“Ceiling”
September 19th, 2021 at 6:25 PM ^
Thank you. The problem is people have been duped into thinking Pat Fitzgerald is special. Northwestern has just as much chance to be a 10 win team as Stanford did with Harbaugh. The story plays well for a mostly like-able guy. Also Northwestern has no real rivalries while Michigan has about 8 in the Bigten (real or self identified). Pats been Stanford after Harbaugh left at best. Tom Allen has been a thorn for awhile they arent going anywhere.
September 19th, 2021 at 8:47 PM ^
What?!?! Illinois is a rival - just ask them!
September 19th, 2021 at 9:40 PM ^
Right Fitzgerald is so over rated. His program is so inconsistent 9 loses in 19, 5 in ‘18, 6 in 16 heading to 5 or worse this year. Puh lease. He hasn’t even maintained walkers or Barnett’s level
September 19th, 2021 at 9:55 PM ^
Have you looked at Walker's and Barnett's results compared to Fitzgerald's (see here)? Barnett followed up his two bowl seasons with 5-7 and 3-9 seasons before leaving for Colorado; Walker had exactly two seasons where they won 7 or more games and had 3-8, 3-9 and 4-7 seasons.
Fitzgerald is the only one of the three to have a winning record (.575 going into the season) and has the best winning percentage of any Northwestern coach since before WW2. That includes College Football Hall of Fame coach Ara Parseghian, who was barely over .500 at Northwestern.
Sure, he's not brilliant--but nonetheless he's at or very close to the ceiling of what can be done at Northwestern.
September 19th, 2021 at 1:08 PM ^
Justin Feagin
September 19th, 2021 at 1:10 PM ^
Now that Keith Jackson has passed away, Allen moves up at least one spot.
September 19th, 2021 at 2:46 PM ^
Keith Jackson passed away??
September 19th, 2021 at 4:34 PM ^
I still like Tom Allen.
September 19th, 2021 at 2:51 PM ^
Kelly Baraka
September 19th, 2021 at 1:08 PM ^
Tom Allen...Grade A piece of shit.
September 19th, 2021 at 1:26 PM ^
That was the majority opinion of him here in 2018 (especially after the game at the big house) and it remained that way through 2019.
But last year, there were more orgasms for him here than I had seen for a coach in a long time. I get people being miserable last year but not to the point of having fantasies of Allen leading our guys under the GO BLUE banner.
September 19th, 2021 at 1:45 PM ^
Yeah, I never understood that. Short memories I guess.
I know people like to talk about how the Revenge Tour tanked against OSU. But it didn't help that Winovich (and I think Gary) went into the game injured by IU cheap shots.
September 19th, 2021 at 2:03 PM ^
I've seen a similar volatility with the opinion of Paul Chryst. When Wisconsin is great and winning big games, he is lauded as a genius. However, when the team is good, not great, and loses a couple games, suddenly he becomes a terrible playcaller with awful game management.
September 19th, 2021 at 2:06 PM ^
That is every coach on here, the opinion on them goes completely 180 every time one wins or loses a game except for our own coach.
September 19th, 2021 at 6:14 PM ^
It would be great if you would take some time off from posting your toxic crap.
September 19th, 2021 at 3:39 PM ^
Allen and Chryst coach their guys to be dirty. So not sure why anyone would want them as their coach.
September 19th, 2021 at 1:10 PM ^
I'm a big Tom Allen fan. Incredible coach given what he has done with the recruiting disadvantages and tradition of losing he faces at Indiana. Played a top 10 team tough and could have won. He has done far more with less than Harbaugh. Hopefully Harbaugh's recent coaching changes start to change this. Not sure what your point is.
September 19th, 2021 at 1:14 PM ^
He also fielded some of the dirtiest teams that I can remember playing over the last 4 years.
September 19th, 2021 at 3:42 PM ^
Brandon Peters votes for Wisconsin
September 19th, 2021 at 10:06 PM ^
Grant Newsome and Dylan McCaffrey say hello!
September 19th, 2021 at 1:18 PM ^
Allen is 25-24 at Indiana. By IU standards that’s definitely good, but how is that “far more” than what Harbaugh has done?
(I would also agree that his teams are dirty.)
September 19th, 2021 at 1:49 PM ^
This should pretty much stop the conversation cold. But I'm sure many of us would admit that little things like actual records are the last thing on most of our minds when we're feeling frustrated with our own coach and casting around for one to pull from our hindquarters.
September 19th, 2021 at 3:13 PM ^
Literally was going to post the same thing
September 19th, 2021 at 6:44 PM ^
The problem is people think Program History wins games. Its why Scott Frost, Rich Rod, Tom Herman, Brady Hoke, whatever bums have coached Tennessee have all failed. Tradition doesnt win games coaches and current players do. So when people say hands down Pat Fitzgerald and Tom Allen are better coaches than Harbaugh I wonder whats the reasoning? Harbaugh did better with at least an equal challenge (Stanford) then those two coaches.
September 19th, 2021 at 1:29 PM ^
Tom Allen’s development of Pennix has not been great.
September 19th, 2021 at 1:36 PM ^
Are you saying he has an underdeveloped Penix?
September 19th, 2021 at 6:42 PM ^
That’s the long and the short of it. If things don’t pick up soon Allen might have to yank Penix.
September 19th, 2021 at 7:41 PM ^
He could try out for the women's team if they get rid of the tuck rule.
September 19th, 2021 at 2:10 PM ^
I believe it is spelled Penix, similar to penis.
September 19th, 2021 at 2:23 PM ^
Poor Mike Penix probably only secondary to Mike Hunt in anonymous study hall call outs.
September 19th, 2021 at 1:36 PM ^
How has he done more than harbaugh, that seems ridiculous. Harbaugh has won damn near 70% of his games. Tom is at the right place.
September 19th, 2021 at 3:01 PM ^
Not damn near, over 70%.
September 19th, 2021 at 2:35 PM ^
Can you just...go away?
September 19th, 2021 at 3:24 PM ^
I’m a big Tim Allen fan especially in The Santa Clause.
September 19th, 2021 at 1:16 PM ^
Fun Fact: He went to jail for possession of large amounts of cocaine while living in Kalamazoo, Michigan in the 70s, long before “Home Improvement” captivated American families…
September 19th, 2021 at 1:21 PM ^
“Germans?”
”forget it. He’s rolling.”
September 19th, 2021 at 1:33 PM ^
Howdy ho neighbor
September 19th, 2021 at 1:51 PM ^
I don’t think so, Tom.
September 19th, 2021 at 2:05 PM ^
Classic Hal Borland catch-phrase.
September 19th, 2021 at 2:23 PM ^
I wish I could give this more than +1.
September 19th, 2021 at 1:22 PM ^
Indiana almost pulled the upset. Fickell is overrated. That must be what you are trying to say.
September 19th, 2021 at 2:38 PM ^
Almost, didn’t and kept making mistakes. UC also had some bad turnovers but they answered every time and put the game away the moment they had a chance. By budget and what wer’re discussing Allen has a far bigger budget to work with than Fickell ever will at UC even when UC joins the Big12. Still at best numbers on the next Big12 tv deal and total would give those programs about $30 million a year while big ten teams are already getting over $50 million a year and the money is going higher on the next tv deal.
September 19th, 2021 at 1:24 PM ^
The guy who has made IU respectable? He’s doing what expected. He will have some near 10 win seasons, and some 6 win seasons. They will be a perennial bowl team under Allen which is anything an IU football fan could ask for.
September 19th, 2021 at 2:43 PM ^
With the very high salaries that even "non-blueblood" P5 programs like Indiana (Allen makes $3.9 million plus extras) and Cincinnati ($3.4MM), I wonder if we will see an increase in coaches, like Fitz, that are at the same place for 20 years and turn down 'better opportunities' in favor of family security and a sane fanbase that appreciates a "NY6" season every 4 years, with a down 6-6 season when the team is young.
It would be great for the sport. Lane Train is too restless to stay at Ole Miss for good, but he could be a legend there even if he never wins the SEC but upsets Alabama every 4 years and wins the Egg Bowl 80% of the time.
September 19th, 2021 at 5:00 PM ^
Yeah I agree with this. I think there’s a chance that if Rich Rod had stayed in WV he’d still be successful. Sometimes the fit is right
September 19th, 2021 at 5:58 PM ^
Interesting question. Tom Allen, like Rodriguez at WV and Fitzgerald, are/were coaching in their home state. But Fitzgerald and Rodriguez is/was coaching at their alma maters, while Allen attended Maranatha Baptist University. That builds an even stronger bond.
September 19th, 2021 at 1:28 PM ^
Was thinking this was about the tool man. Forgot his name is Tim.