AROUND THE CONFERENCE: Taking stock in Big Ten coaches

Who's staying? Who's going? Who's updating the old resume and who could be in play at some of the already-open spots on the Big Ten coaching radar.
1. Urban Meyer (Ohio State) - Undefeated first season, BCS bowl second season, national title third season, top-ranked team in fourth season. Meyer goes along with Nick Saban as the Gold Standard in college football coaching. His coaching seat is at an Antarctic-level temp at this point.
2. Jim Harbaugh (Michigan) - The fallout from his departure in San Francisco led him to his alma mater in Ann Arbor and the locals couldn't be happier to have him. NFL rumors will be an annual occurance, but there's a better chance of a bronze statue of this "Michigan Man" being erected than there is him being run out of town.
3. Mark Dantonio (Michigan State) - Another guy who isn't likely to be checking real estate listings any time soon. Winning seven of eight in the series against the other Big Ten program in the state will almost get the stadium named after you in East Lansing. Top that off with a Rose Bowl win and another big money bowl victory like the one against Baylor last season and Dantonio may be drawing write in votes in the next mayor's race.
4. Paul Chryst (Wisconsin) - Chryst has done nothing yet to make the locals angry and after the bizarre departures of the last two guys in Madison. The Badgers need stability more than anything. Hiring Chryst, who made his name as Bret Bielema's offensive coordinator appears just what the program needs.
5. James Franklin (Penn State) - The man can recruit at a level of any elite head coach and he made Vanderbilt relevant in the SEC. Read that last part again, he made Vanderbilt relevant in the SEC so his coaching chops can't be questioned. His offense has been uneven though so far in Happy Valley and the locals will want to see the Lions playing in the same neighborhood as Ohio State, Michigan and Michigan State sooner rather than later.
6. Kirk Ferentz (Iowa) - The old Hawkeye boss has stuck around long enough to be in style again. A coaching zombie back from the dead, Ferentz's tenure in the cornfield has gone from hot NFL candidate to stale old timer who's contract was too much of a burden to unload to now coaching a team with a high percentage chance of going unbeaten in the regular season. He's not likely to go anywhere, anytime soon, but if anyone in the conference knows how quickly the tide turns in this business it is the veteran Hawkeye boss.
7. Pat Fitzgerald (Northwestern) - Fitz could and probably should rank higher on the list, but it speaks to the stability at the top of the conference that he is here. The Wildcat alumn who seemingly wills the program to contention every season, Fitzgerald's 2015 squad already hold impressive wins over Stanford and Duke. Still just 40-years-old, one wonders if eventually Fitzgerald doesn't get the itch to coach at a bigger program that can compete at a national level on a regular basis.
8. Jerry Kill (Minnesota) - Health issues seem to be the only thing that would force Kill out in the Twin Cities any time in the near future. At 4-3 with zero "bad" losses on the resume, the Gophers look poised to earn another bowl bid in 2015. He isn't in any danger of being asked to leave.
9. Kevin Wilson (Indiana) - The important thing is for Hoosier fans to view the whole picture and not just focus on recent results. Indiana football is undoubtedly on more stable footing today than it was when Wilson arrived from Oklahoma. Recruiting, facilities and expectations are at a higher level than they have been in years. The edict before the season seemed to be "bowl or bust" for Wilson. After a 4-0 start things were trending right in that direction. Now 4-3 though, Indiana needs to find two more wins to keep the momentum Wilson has built going.
10. Mike Riley (Nebraska) - Seems bizarre to rank a first-year head coach this low but few fan bases in the country have higher opinions of their program than the folks in Lincoln and they're already clamoring for the glory days of Bo Pelini if that says anything. Hiring Riley from Oregon State was eyebrow raising to some. Despite an NFL pedigree his name liked the "sizzle" most fan bases look for at a program with Nebraska's history. Seeing their Huskers 3-4 overall isn't exactly the Olive Branch the locals were hoping the new coaching staff would extend.
11. Kyle Flood (Rutgers) - It was a bit of an interesting offseason for Flood, who had player arrests off the field and found himself embroiled in an academic controversy that led to him being suspended for five games to start the year. Flood's team is 3-3 overall and still in the race for a bowl berth and he did survive the inital backlash of the black eyes his program took over the summer. One has to wonder with former Knights coach Greg Schiano looking for work if the school isn't looking for any excuse to make a switch.
12.Darrell Hazell (Purdue) - Hazell walked into a tough spot, succeeding Danny Hope at a program that had fallen on hard times and inarguably ranks last in facilities in the league. But now in his third season with just five wins to his name one must wonder if the Boilermaker boss isn't working on borrowed time. Purdue seems on the verge of multi-million plan to upgrade its practice facility, which is likely something Hazell has been pushing for since day one in West Lafayette. Pushing Michigan State to the limit on the road on Oct. 3 before falling 24-21 was a positive sign, but Purdue has fallen hard twice since then to Minnesota and Wisconsin. This is a school that has competed at a much higher level in this conference than a lot of the teams near the bottom of this list and even done so more recently than just about all of them. Barring a late-season revival, which would include a win in the Old Oaken Bucket game, Purdue is likely looking for its next coach this offseason.
13. Bill Cubit (Illinois) - The Illini have already decided to start the search early, firing Tim Beckman just days before the season began. Cubit deserves kudos for taking over a mere days before the year started and holding a 4-2 record - including a win over Nebraska. It's tough though to envision the program investing long term in the first-year coach, especially with former Illini assistant Jeff Brohm setting offensive scoreboards ablaze at Western Kentucky.
14. Mike Locksley (Maryland) - The University of Under Armour had all it could take of Randy Edsall, watching the Terps lose in spectacular fashion to Bowling Green (48-27), Michigan (28-0) and West Virginia (45-6) before letting Edsall go after a loss to top-ranked Ohio State. Money is not likely to be a factor in finding the next guy. The school is craving a winner and must compete with the conference's top programs annually in the Eastern Division to get there. Chip Kelly has already been tossed out. While highly unlikely, it shows Maryland isn't going to be afraid to think big.