Why Matt Campbell would be an excellent hire for Michigan Football

Success at Iowa State

Here is Matt Campbell’s season by season record at Iowa State since he took the job kin 2016.

2016: 3-9

2017: 8-5

2018: 8-5

2019: 7-6

2020: 5-2 (so far) 

After seeing those records, you can understand why some people would immediately be skeptical and not want to dive a little deeper to understand the full picture. Well, I am here to bring you the full picture. You have to understand how bad of a program Iowa State was before Matt Campbell got there. They were literally Rutgers level bad.

Not only were they a terrible program in the years leading up to Matt Campbell’s arrival, they are a historically awful football program. They don’t have a conference championship since before WW1.

Iowa State has one nine-win season in school history. Since 1982, they were ranked in the AP Poll a total of three seasons before Campbell took over. Since then, they have been ranked in 4 out of 5 years under Matt Campbell.

I could go on and on about how historically bad this program is, but I think you get the point. This helps you understand that 8 wins at Iowa State does not equal 8 wins at a bigger and more successful program like Michigan.

So when you hear someone say “This guy loses 4-5 times a year. How’s he supposed to come to Michigan football and win when he can’t win more than eight games in the Big 12?”

Understand that this is a ridiculous comparison and it is truly comparing apples to oranges.

Now that we understand the situation that Matt Campbell is in, let’s talk about what he’s done at Iowa State. My friend Parker Churchill did some great research and put into perspective what Campbell is accomplishing compared to the talent that he has on his roster.

Here is Iowa State’s SP+ ranking year by year compared to their 247Sports Team Talent Ranking.

2016: 66 vs 56

2017: 44 vs 56

2018: 38 vs 54

2019: 24 vs 56

2020: 19 vs 57 (so far)

You notice two very important things. First, their SP+ ranking has risen every single season he has been there. That is a testament to consistency, good culture, and good coaching.

Secondly, in the last four seasons, he has drastically overachieved when you look at the talent on the roster. The talent has been ranked in the 50s every season he has been there, yet you’re seeing a team continue to climb up those rankings every year.

If you’re not into analytics and goofy rankings, I totally get it. Honestly, I’m not either. So let’s throw out some more simple and easier to understand facts about his tenure at Iowa State.

• Iowa State has beaten every single other Big 12 team during Matt Campbell’s tenure.
• Campbell has won 8 times as an underdog (Harbaugh has won as an underdog once at Michigan).
• Campbell has won Big 12 coach of the year twice.
• Since 2017, Iowa State has more ranked wins than Michigan, Florida, Penn State, and Wisconsin.
• Has beaten a ranked Oklahoma team twice.
• 3-3 against top 10 teams.
• 7-12 against top 25 teams.

I hate to beat a dead horse here and repeat myself, but when you look at those records, you really have to consider that he’s doing this at traditionally one of the worst power five football programs in the country.

Those stats paint a clear picture of who Matt Campbell is as a coach. He overachieves, wins big games, and gets better year after year. What more do you want from a head coach?

I’ve also heard some fans say that Campbell hasn’t beaten Iowa yet so why would we want a coach who cant beat his rivals? My response to that is pretty simple. He has beaten a lot better teams than Iowa so that doesn’t concern me.

The fact is, Iowa is a better program with more talent at this point. I don’t think it’s totally fair to hold that against Campbell when he has proven he can win big games.