Michigan State football: Power ranking coaching candidates after Week 10

Michigan State football: Power ranking head coaching candidates after Week 10

AMES, IA - NOVEMBER 4: Head coach Lance Leipold of the Kansas Jayhawks leaves the field after winning 28-21 over the Iowa State Cyclones at Jack Trice Stadium on November 4, 2023 in Ames, Iowa. The Kansas Jayhawks won 28-21 over the Iowa State Cyclones. (Photo by David K Purdy/Getty Images) /

2 of 5

Oct 7, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Arizona Wildcats head coach Jedd Fisch watches game action against the Southern California Trojans during the second half at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /

Believe it or not, Arizona is in the middle of a Pac-12 title race and the Wildcats are ranked for the first time since 2017 when Rich Rodriguez was still the head coach. Two coaches later and the Wildcats are relevant again and they can thank Jedd Fisch for that.

Fisch has turned things around in a hurry in Tucson and he’s been rising on a lot of people’s wish lists as he’s worked some serious magic in the desert.

In fact, when he took over, Arizona was one of the worst teams in the Pac-12. It had just finished up its Kevin Sumlin era with a 9-20 record, capped off by a winless 2020 season. Fisch went 1-11 in his first year and it was obvious that he had a long road ahead of him. He nearly made a bowl game in his second season, going 5-7, and now he’s 6-3 in year three.

The Wildcats are looking like the surprise of the Pac-12 and they’re actually a couple of plays away from being 8-1 with wins over Washington and USC — they lost by a combined nine points in those two games.

Arizona is a legit team now and Fisch is to thank.

Also, wouldn’t it be pretty funny to see a former Michigan offensive coordinator taking over the Michigan State football program and leading it back to the top?

Home/Spartans Football