My first (and only) Big 6 job came after 6 seasons at D baseline
New Hampshire in Rupp. 4 years to take D to B-, a 2nd round thrown in among multiple NT's and I was eligible for an open job which I took, I don't remember others that were open then.
You'd think it would be easier starting with a higher prestige - you'll have better visible recruits among other things, but I would say be pretty open minded. If your goal is Big 6, then 5-8 years at a lower D1 where you're successful should be enough to get you qualified. If you just want any Big 6 team then sometimes you get something like Virginia Tech currently open and at D+, so in theory should be easier to get there than, for example, the currently open B+ Texas A&M. Lots of wins and making the NT is your goal.
I think in a lot of ways taking a low D1 is sort of similar to taking a D2 team. Things like geography and how full the conference is can come in to play, but it's absolutely possible to do it in a reasonable amount of seasons from pretty much any team.
Hope that helps.
ETA: Another thing to consider ... you could come back in at D2 and look to try to move to an open Big 6 directly from there after several (VERY GOOD) seasons. I know I have a D2 that was an A+ that had a couple of low Big 6 openings listed as qualified. Either way it will take a few seasons, I would think at least 3 or 4, but you can start with a high prestige D2 team and it might be easier.
10/13/2015 3:34 PM (edited)