The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Lou Tepper

Followed John Mackovic. Lou Tepper moved Illinois from National Program II to National Program I in 5 seasons.

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1992–1996 · 1 stint
Illinois
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Career arc

His real stature score, season by season, across every program he’s coached — so a stretch that stays in one tier the whole way can still climb or sink on the line, not just flatten out. Node color marks the tier reached. Which program a stretch belongs to is carried by the shaded lane behind it.

Stature score reached, by season of his head-coaching careerILLINOISPower Programperennial contenderNational Programrespectable, streakyIllinois, 1992: 6-5, National Program II1992Illinois, 1993: 5-6, National Program II1993Illinois, 1994: 7-5, National Program I1994Illinois, 1995: 5-5, National Program I1995Illinois, 1996: 2-9, National Program II1996+0.6One point per coached season, in career order; dashed segments are program changes — spacing is not proportional to calendar time

Reached National Program in his 1st career season — faster than 41% of the 675 FBS coaches who have ever reached National Program (rank #1 of 675 by seasons-to-arrival).

Illinois, 5 seasons
+0.6
National Program II → National Program II.

The big-game ledger

How he does in the games that matter most — rivalry record, performance broken out by real opponent tier, one-score games, and his toughest historical matchup.

2–3 against his rivals. Just 1–3 against Barry Alvarez.

Rivalry record
2–3
40.0% · 1 rival
One-score games
13–15–2
43.3% · margin ≤8
vs. Blue Blood or better
0–2
0.0%
Rivalry ledger
Northwestern2–340%
The toughest matchup
vs. Barry Alvarez1–3–1
5 meetings, 1992–1996
’92 W’93 L’94 L’95 T’96 L
20% win rate across a real, 5-meeting series — short of the bar this site uses before badging a series “Nemesis.” Shown here as the toughest matchup on record, not an algorithmic crown.
Performance by opponent class
Blue Blood
0–2 0.0%
Power Program
5–11 31.2%
National Program
5–10 33.3%
Regional Program
15–7 68.2%

Coaching career

1992–1996
Illinoiscaretaker
National Program II → National Program I
Lou Tepper moved Illinois from National Program II to National Program I in 5 seasons.

4th-best Illinois tenure of 16 by the numbers.

Followed John Mackovic (1988–1991) · succeeded by Ron Turner (1997–2004).

8 NFL Draft picks: Elbert Turner (1992), Brad Hopkins (1993), Filmel Johnson (1994), Ken Dilger (1995), John Holecek (1995), Dana Howard (1995), Scott Turner (1995), Dennis Stallings (1997)

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