Ranking the Big 12's Football-Basketball Coaching Duos for 2017
Bob Stoops
The Big 12 has a deep group of coaching tandems in place at all 10 programs. Oklahoma leads the way once again with Bob Stoops and Lon Kruger, but there is plenty of depth in the next group of teams, which features TCU, Texas and Oklahoma State. Kansas boasts the league’s best basketball coach (Bill Self), while David Beaty enters his third season with a rebuilding project on his hands.
Each year, Athlon Sports ranks the coaching tandems from each Power 5 league. A variety of factors are considered for this exercise. It’s important to note that we are attempting to value balance — i.e., which schools have an above-average coach at both position? That’s why some programs with an elite football coach and a new (or struggling) basketball coach will be ranked lower than one might expect.
Ranking the Big 12's Football-Basketball Coaching Duos for 2017
1. Oklahoma
Football: Bob Stoops
Basketball: Lon Kruger
Stoops is one of the most underappreciated coaches in the nation. He has averaged 10.6 wins in his 18 seasons in Norman and has won 10 Big 12 championships. Kruger is the only coach in history to win an NCAA Tournament game at five schools (Kansas State, Florida, Illinois, UNLV and Oklahoma).
Related: Early Big 12 Predictions for 2017
2. TCU
Football: Gary Patterson
Basketball: Jamie Dixon
Patterson is nearly 100 games over .500 in his 16 years TCU and has six league titles (one in C-USA, four in the Mountain West, one in the Big 12) on his résumé. Dixon led Pittsburgh to the NCAA Tournament 11 times in his 13 years at the school and is authoring a quicker-than-expected turnaround at TCU, his alma mater.
3. Texas
Football: Tom Herman
Basketball: Shaka Smart
This pairing looks great on paper, but is more about potential at this point. After making the NCAA Tournament last season (losing in the first round as a No. 6 seed), Texas is headed toward its first losing season since 1998. Herman appears to be a great fit at Texas, but he has yet to coach a game in the Big 12.
Related: College Football's Early Top 50 Players Returning in 2017
4. Oklahoma State
Football: Mike Gundy
Basketball: Brad Underwood
Gundy’s success in league play might surprise you; he has a 63–39 record in Big 12 games in 12 seasons (and that includes a 1–7 mark in Year 1). Underwood recorded an astounding 53–1 record in Southland Conference games in his three seasons at Stephen F. Austin. It would be a big surprise if he doesn’t enjoy success at Oklahoma State.
5. Kansas
Football: David Beaty
Basketball: Bill Self
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Self, with 12 straight Big 12 titles, is one of the elite coaches in college basketball. Beaty is 2–22 in two seasons in charge of the KU football program. He will be given ample time to turn things around.
Related: College Football's Top 20 Impact JUCO QBs for 2017
6. Kansas State
Football: Bill Snyder
Basketball: Bruce Weber
Snyder oversaw arguably the greatest reclamation project in the history of college football and will be remembered as one of the all-time greats. Weber is regarded as an outstanding coach and average recruiter. The Wildcats appear headed to the NCAA Tournament for the third time in his five seasons at K-State.
7. West Virginia
Football: Dana Holgorsen
Basketball: Bob Huggins
Huggins has enjoyed a remarkable — and underappreciated — career. He has had only two losing conference seasons in 31 years as a Division I head coach. Holgorsen has been good, but not great, in his six seasons at WVU. He went 7–2 in the Big 12 in 2016.
Related: Big 12's Top 15 Players Returning From Injury in 2017
8. Baylor
Football: Matt Rhule
Basketball: Scott Drew
With Baylor enjoying one of its best regular seasons in program history, Drew is finally earning some recognition for his coaching — not just his recruiting prowess. He will have the Bears in the NCAA Tournament for the fifth time in the past six seasons. Rhule did a tremendous job at Temple, winning 10 games in each of the last two seasons. He has a difficult rebuild at Baylor — mostly due to off-the-field issues.
9. Iowa State
Football: Matt Campbell
Basketball: Steve Prohm
The Cyclones won only three games in Campbell’s first season but were painfully close to winning several more and flirting with bowl eligibility. The football program is on the uptick. Prohm has kept Iowa State relevant in the Big 12 following in the footsteps of the wildly popular Fred Hoiberg.
Related: Ranking the Big 12's Football Rosters for 2017
10. Texas Tech
Football: Kliff Kingsbury
Basketball: Chris Beard
Kingsbury has yet to record a winning record in the Big 12 or finish higher than a tie for fifth in the league standings in his four seasons at his alma mater. Beard did a remarkable job in his only season as the head coach at Arkansas-Little Rock and is an ideal fit in Lubbock.
