Is Michigan or Wisconsin the More Attractive Big Ten Head Coaching Job?

Just when you think you've seen it all this coaching silly season, something else comes along. And we're not even one week removed from the end of the regular season.

In a stunning move, Oregon State announced on Wednesday afternoon that Wisconsin head coach Gary Andersen had left Madison to take over the same job with the Beavers. The move comes less than a week after former Oregon State coach Mike Riley, in his own surprising move, left to take the same job at Nebraska. 

A statement from Wisconsin athletic director Barry Alvarez read as follows: 

"

I began working to find a new head coach as soon as I spoke with Gary this morning. My first concern is taking care of the players on our current team, especially the senior class, and ensuring that their bowl experience is a memorable one. I will find a head coach to uphold the great tradition at Wisconsin, someone who is committed to excellence both on an off the field.

"

In a press conference, Alvarez said, "I had no idea this was in the works." 

Barring another dramatic and unexpected turn of events, Wisconsin and Michigan are the only two Big Ten programs in need of a coach. As Scott Roussel of Footballscoop.com tweets, expect Wisconsin to fill its vacancy first: 

According to Angelique Chengelis of The Detroit News, Michigan interim athletic director Jim Hackett is using a search firm to assist in finding a new coach to succeed former coach Brady Hoke. 

Does that mean Wisconsin is the better job? Not necessarily. It's no secret that the gap between a traditional blue-blood program like Michigan and everyone else has closed. Furthermore, Michigan is recovering from the administrative blunders made by former athletic director Dave Brandon. 

There's a lot of change that's coming to Ann Arbor that doesn't solely revolve around the head coaching position. It wouldn't be a surprise if coaches aren't interested in taking a job when they don't even know who their new boss will be. 

Conversely, anyone who takes the Wisconsin job knows what he's getting into—and that might be the issue. 

It's not that Wisconsin isn't a good a job. It is, and it's a place where a coach can win nine or 10 games a season like Andersen did and be in good standing. However, as Dan Wolken of USA Today notes, two coaches—Bret Bielema and now Andersen—have left Madison in the past two years. And not for the Alabamas or USCs of the world either. 

Bielema left for Arkansas at least in part because he didn't feel his assistant coaches were properly compensated. That's an argument Alvarez disputed in an interview with Wolken in 2013: 

"

I think there's a misperception there. Any time somebody interviewed, Bret thought if you just throw a pile of money at them, they stay. I can't do that. We have to work on a budget. You don't just keep throwing money, because then everybody has leverage on you. All you have to do is say somebody's interested and you double their salary. You can't operate that way.

"

Why Andersen left for Oregon State hasn't been said on the record yet, and that might never happen. Here's what we do know: Alvarez is a legend at Wisconsin, transforming a downtrodden program into a consistent winner as a former head coach from 1990-2005. As Steve Greenberg of the Chicago Sun-Times notes, Alvarez is a hands-on guy: 

Wisconsin is also a difficult place to recruit. Madison is a gorgeous town and a fine selling point, but the Badgers don't pull in top-25 recruiting classes regularly—or even sometimes. 

Even as Hoke slowly drove Michigan football to lowly depths, the man could recruit blue-chip kids to Michigan. With the exception of his first signing class in 2011, Michigan has had a top-25 recruiting class in each of the years Hoke has been the head coach, per 247Sports' composite rankings. In 2012 and '13, Michigan finished with top-10 recruiting classes. 

Only this year, in the midst of the conjecture surrounding Hoke's ultimate termination, have the Wolverines suffered on the recruiting trail, ranking 89th in 247Sports' composite rankings for 2015. 

Michigan made a bad hire with Hoke and probably wishes it hadn't let go of Rich Rodriguez, now at Arizona, after three seasons. There shouldn't be any argument that the last few years have been a low point for Michigan football. But the school still has a passionate fanbase, a national brand and tremendous resources to win. 

The gap may have closed, and Michigan may not have its man yet, but that doesn't mean it has fallen off of the college football map. 

Ben Kercheval is a lead writer for college football.