Let’s say you’re an up-and-coming college football coach and, for whatever reason, every Power 5 job in America opened tomorrow.

Which would you covet? Which would you avoid?

With input and feedback from coaches, administrators and others in the industry, 247Sports this week will count down the power conference jobs, from No. 65 to No. 1.

Today, with Nos. 55-46, we highlight a number of programs that can sometimes shape conference races — but, at best, teams that typically fade from title contention by November. Here's Monday's look at teams 65-56.



55. Purdue

This job has climbed quite a bit in the past year in the minds of various industry sources, who found themselves pleasantly surprised to see the school open its wallet to pay for a promising coaching prospect.

Jeff Brohm’s arrival, with an annual salary that could easily top $4 million including incentives, indicates that something has changed in Purdue’s hardwiring: It’s getting more serious about football. An estimated $60 million set aside for much-needed facilities upgrades is another clear sign.

In the Big Ten’s less-dominant division, the Boilermakers are making moves to soon be competitive. With some history, this is becoming a more attractive place; Brohm just proved that.



54. Minnesota

Rocked in recent years by multiple athletic department scandals, some coaches are wondering what sort of situation P.J. Fleck just electively walked into. Others believe it’s something that will blow over in short time.

But this is a ranking of the jobs in their current states, and Minnesota’s rocky December — with its players pondering a boycott of the bowl game — would weigh heavily on any prospective candidates.

Even amid all sorts of instability, also including Jerry Kill’s health-related retirement two seasons ago, the program has still appeared in five consecutive bowl games. It’s a place where you can win, the expectations are fair and Minneapolis — when it isn’t frigid — is well-liked by visitors.



53. Northwestern

Like Boston College, Northwestern struggles with visibility in a rabid pro-sports market. Longtime coach Pat Fitzgerald has worked to create inroads in the city, labeling the program “Chicago’s Big Ten Team,” but it’s still a struggle.

The school’s $260 million athletic performance center, with picturesque views of Lake Michigan, should be a huge boost to football recruiting. Fitz’s staffs have recruited in the 50s in the past two recruiting rankings; that’s serviceable given Northwestern’s academic standard, but it makes it difficult to compete for Big Ten titles. As long as the administration understands that, this remains a good job relative to expectation.



52. Duke

Given the obstacles — being a high-academic and in the shadow of a storied hoops program — David Cutcliffe has essentially provided a blueprint of what’s possible for Duke football in the modern age.

Let it wash over you that the Devils missed a bowl game last season for the first time in five years. And that occurred largely as a result of losing starting quarterback Thomas Sirk in preseason camp.

Despite the academic standard, Cut and his staff have recruited well. A top-50 class in 2017 comes on the heels of the No. 33 group in 2016.

Wallace Wade Stadium isn’t going to be mistaken for a college football icon, but recent facelifts have made it significantly more pleasing. There’s ambition here, but expectations remain reasonable.



51. Kansas State

God help the man tasked with replacing Bill Snyder, the Wizard of Little Apple. When Snyder took over the program in 1989, it almost assuredly would have been last in these rankings. After compiling a 202-105-1 record in 25 seasons, we have an entirely different view of the program.

Related: Snyder diagnosed with throat cancer, expects to coach in 2017

When we spoke last summer with him, Snyder — old-school as they come — rolled his eyes and downplayed the need for $70 million in facility upgrades to the stadium named for him. But the next coaching staff will surely appreciate it, especially considering the difficulty in getting recruits to an outpost two-plus hours from Kansas City.

Snyder’s staffs focused on player development, often mining the state’s JUCO system; the next staff will have to be adept at it, as well.



50. Cal

Those close to this program hint that there’s often a rift between athletic and academic commitment. That sort of internal conflict isn’t uncommon at high-academic. It’s at the heart why Cal and ousted coach Sonny Dykes repeatedly butted heads, industry sources tell 247Sports.

The somewhat recent $320 million stadium overhaul showed tremendous support, but the sources say it’s as if administrators “do not understand that anything beyond that is required.” Even in a talent-rich state, it’s difficult to find elite, qualified recruits.

For a coach and his staff, it’s an undoubtedly beautiful part of the country — but also a very expensive one in which to live. We have been told that even parking on campus is tricky.



49. Virginia

This is one of the more difficult Power 5 jobs to evaluate, industry sources agree. On one hand, you have access to recruiting talent in the Tidewater and D.C. areas. But on the other, the school’s academic standard mostly makes that geographical advantage moot.

Charlottesville is a beautiful college setting, and the facilities are sneaky-good even by ACC standards. Scott Stadium is scenic. The Hoos have a newish indoor facility, and $50 million has been earmarked for improvements to the day-to-day complex.

As long as expectations are fair, this isn’t a bad job at all; it’s just going to be difficult to compete for anything other than bowl appearances as long as the academic standard remains where it is.



48. Texas Tech

Well liked as he is, heat is building for coach Kliff Kingsbury (24-26 entering his fifth season.) It’s a bit of a cautionary tale for any staff that would consider the job: You’re expected to annually compete in the Big 12 despite significantly worse facilities — and the fact that you’re five hours from Dallas.

That isolation makes recruiting brutally difficult. Who is taking unofficial visits to Lubbock? (Wisely, Kingsbury has included a spring scrimmage stop at the Cowboys facility in Frisco.)

AD Kirby Hocutt, the College Football Playoff chair, is widely respected as an up-and-comer - which makes you wonder how long he’ll remain at Tech. He’s working hard to improve facilities, including a desperately needed indoor facility. Anyone who has experienced weather changes - including dust storms - in West Texas knows that.



47. Illinois

Like Purdue, industry sources sense that division counterpart Illinois has taken a huge step forward in the past year. But the bar in Champaign had been set low: Administrative strife, all the way to the top of the school, had created an unfavorable environment.

But an air of stability has returned, those close to the program indicate. Hired a year ago as AD, 38-year-old Josh Whitman has brought balance to the athletic department.

His almost immediate decision to replace Bill Cubit with Lovie Smith showed initiative — and internal commitment, considering Smith is making about $3.5 million a season. So did the announcement of $132 million being put toward stadium renovations.

46. Maryland

The D.C. metro and New Jersey provide a entryway to land high-end recruits, and D.J. Durkin’s second-year staff illustrated that earlier this month by signing the country’s No. 18 class in the 247Sports Composite Team Recruiting Rankings.

Back that up with continued recruiting success, and Maryland has the potential to hang with the Big Ten East’s powers. It already feels infinitely closer than division also-ran Rutgers.

Work on a $155 million football complex, fashioned from the old Cole Field House, is well underway, providing the staff another element to attract talent. There’s a semblance of optimism here among industry sources, even in a division with Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State.