Mel Tucker is best coach in the Big Ten when it comes to one stat

Mel Tucker is the best coach in the conference when it comes to this one surprising stat.

Michigan State football coach Mel Tucker is one of the best coaches in the Big Ten when it comes to close games.

This may surprise some considering two of Tucker’s three years at Michigan State have resulted in losing seasons. But the data shows that Tucker knows how to come out on top when the game is close.

He has been at Michigan State since 2020. During that three year timeframe he boasts a 10-1 record in games decided by 10 points or less which is the best record in the conference during that span.

Here is a list of all 11 of those games:

2020

• at Michigan (W 27-24)
• vs. Northwestern (W 29-20)

2021

• vs. Nebraska (W 23-20)
• at Indiana (W 20-15)
• vs. Michigan (W 37-33)
• vs. Penn State (W 30-27)
• vs. Pittsburgh (W 31-21)

2022

• vs. Wisconsin (W 34-28)
• at Illinois (W 23-15)
• vs. Rutgers (W 27-21)
• vs. Indiana (L 39-31)

How impressive is this really?

A 10-1 record when games are within 10 points is extremely impressive. The only loss on this list is Indiana from last season, a game Michigan State likely should have one. The Spartans ended up losing in overtime to the Hoosiers, but were a chip shot field goal away from winning in regulation. That is a field goal college kickers make almost every time, so Tucker’s one loss on this list could easily have been another win.

Regardless, 10-1 is the best winning percentage in games decided by 10 points or less in the Big Ten during that three-year span.

This is how the rest of the Big Ten teams fared during this same timeframe:

1. Michigan State: 10-1 (.909)
2. Maryland: 8-3 (.727)
3. Iowa: 11-5 (.688)
4. Indiana: 7-4 (.636)
5. Purdue: 12-7 (.632)
6. Ohio State: 3-2 (.600)
7. Michigan: 6-4 (.600)
8. Minnesota: 9-7 (.563)
9. Rutgers: 7-6 (.538)
10. Wisconsin: 6-7 (.462)
11. Penn State: 5-7 (.417)
12. Northwestern: 5-9 (.357)
13. Illinois: 6-11 (.353)
14. Nebraska: 5-16 (.238)

What does this tell us about Mel Tucker?

One thing this tells us is the Tuck is a great in game coach in tight situations. No coach goes 10-1 in close games by accident. Sometimes there is a lot of luck involved with winning close games, but that’s not necessarily the case when you win them this efficiently. Anyone can close a game out when you are up by 20, but not everyone can win a close game in the closing seconds.

This statistic is not all good though. Michigan State has won 18 games during the past three seasons. This means that over half of the games Mel Tucker has won at Michigan State have been within 10 points. For a program with extremely high goals, that fact is a little scary.

As I mentioned before, sometimes luck has to be on your side to win these close games. So relying on winning a lot of close games to have a great season is not a recipe for success.

One things for sure though, as long as Mel Tucker is the coach at Michigan State, we stand a very good chance at winning any close game.