College Football 2015

[Boston Red]

I just realized that it's barely three weeks until I fly to Atlanta to watch my Cards tangle with Auburn. Figured it was time to get the 2015 version of the college football thread going. Fall is the best time of year (other than 3 weeks in March), and college football is a huge reason why.

[Boston Red]

One week to go. ONE WEEK TO GO!!!

Carolina vs. Carolina should be good next Thursday.

[Sea Ray]

One week to go. ONE WEEK TO GO!!!

Carolina vs. Carolina should be good next Thursday.

I'm more interested in another game next Thursday. Harbaugh's debut with Michigan

[RedTeamGo!]

I'm more interested in another game next Thursday. Harbaugh's debut with Michigan

Utah should beat them up.

[Boston Red]

Montana/North Dakota State is actually a pretty great game tomorrow.

[Hoosier Red]

Firing your coach a week ahead of the season is shall we say...Less than Ideal.
http://deadspin.com/tim-beckman-fired-for-forcing-players-to-play-through-i-1727270722?utm_campaign=socialflow_deadspin_twitte r&utm_source=deadspin_twitter&utm_medium=socialflow

[Chip R]

Firing your coach a week ahead of the season is shall we say...Less than Ideal.
http://deadspin.com/tim-beckman-fired-for-forcing-players-to-play-through-i-1727270722?utm_campaign=socialflow_deadspin_twitte r&utm_source=deadspin_twitter&utm_medium=socialflow

Illinois is just a tire fire.

[KronoRed]

Firing your coach a week ahead of the season is shall we say...Less than Ideal.
http://deadspin.com/tim-beckman-fired-for-forcing-players-to-play-through-i-1727270722?utm_campaign=socialflow_deadspin_twitte r&utm_source=deadspin_twitter&utm_medium=socialflow

Bring back Zook.

[Assembly Hall]

Firing your coach a week ahead of the season is shall we say...Less than Ideal.
http://deadspin.com/tim-beckman-fired-for-forcing-players-to-play-through-i-1727270722?utm_campaign=socialflow_deadspin_twitte r&utm_source=deadspin_twitter&utm_medium=socialflow

Wow!!!!!!!!

[19braves77]

I am excited for college football after I purchased Arkansas vs Alabama tickets on Friday. With a week to go until the Wisconsin game, my initial thoughts on Alabama if Jake Coker has not landed the quarterback job by this point, then give it to one of the freshmen. It's going to be similar to 2011 when AJ McCarron and Phillip Sims competed for it. Expect Derrick Henry and Kenyan Drake to carry the offense to begin the season.season. Looking forward to seeing what freshman wide receiver Calvin Ridley will do on offense. Defensively my concern is the secondary. We are in a time when the offenses are dominating the games anyway so it may be a case that Alabama just has to outscore their opponents and hope the defense improves week to week. The defensive line will be really good. I warned my wife Wisconsin game could be a loss.

[Stray]

Get it together, Rutgers.

[villain612]

Michigan loses.

It's a good weekend already.

[IslandRed]

Finally! College football Saturdays are back. Whoever your team is, good luck and good tailgating.

[Tom Servo]

Kansas is getting spanked at home by South Dakota State. Boy have they been in an unending death spiral since Mark Mangino left.

[dabvu2498]

Louisville's unis have moved into Maryland territory.

[Boston Red]

That one hurt.

[RedTeamGo!]

Wow, I am glad I am not a Louisville fan right now. Was Petrino drunk?

[dabvu2498]

And Portland St. won at Wazzu. Remember when Mike Leach was a thing?

[dabvu2498]

Super entertaining game with Marshall and Purdue. Incredible game for the CB from Marshall.

[reds1869]

As a Marshall grad I couldn't be prouder. The team struggled all day but got the job done in entertaining fashion. Lang was sensational.

[RedTeamGo!]

Good win for Marshall and whatnot with the way it went down, but Purdue is garbage.

[RedsBaron]

As a Marshall grad I couldn't be prouder. The team struggled all day but got the job done in entertaining fashion. Lang was sensational.
:thumbup::jump::dancingcool:

[Stray]

Pretty sure we can go ahead and put Ohio State in the playoffs. Not only do they look insanely good, for a power conference team their schedule is laughably easy. Even if Mich State found a way to beat em on the road, I doubt that'd knock OSU outta the playoffs assuming they win the others.

[bucksfan2]

Pretty sure we can go ahead and put Ohio State in the playoffs. Not only do they look insanely good, for a power conference team their schedule is laughably easy. Even if Mich State found a way to beat em on the road, I doubt that'd knock OSU outta the playoffs assuming they win the others.

They have to beat Sparty. OSU and Sparty are obviously the class of the B1G and I don't see either losing to anyone but each other. You lose to Sparty and you don't play in the B1G title game and you have an uphill road to the playoff.

[BuckeyeRed27]

Wow this is apple picking Saturday coming up. Not much on the slate outside of the Michigan State vs. Oregon matchup for the neutral fan.

[Sea Ray]

Wow this is apple picking Saturday coming up. Not much on the slate outside of the Michigan State vs. Oregon matchup for the neutral fan.

You don't care about Oklahoma/Tennessee?

[BuckeyeRed27]

You don't care about Oklahoma/Tennessee?

I'll probably watch it, but I'm not sure excited about it.

[bucksfan2]

You don't care about Oklahoma/Tennessee?

You mean the match up of the perennial overrated Bob Stoops team vs the team who hasn't been good since Fulmer was fired?

[Sea Ray]

You mean the match up of the perennial overrated Bob Stoops team vs the team who hasn't been good since Fulmer was fired?

You think #19 is overrated? I think it's quite modest. No doubt about UT being bad since Fulmer

[bucksfan2]

You think #19 is overrated? I think it's quite modest. No doubt about UT being bad since Fulmer

Ever since Stoops and Oklahoma won the BCS title game in 2000, he has pretty much has the same MO. Beat up on a pretty average Big 12 and then lay an egg in the bowl game. Stoops looks a lot like Cooper did at OSU, impressive recruiting and teams, a little lackluster in the final performances.

[BuckeyeRed27]

Ever since Stoops and Oklahoma won the BCS title game in 2000, he has pretty much has the same MO. Beat up on a pretty average Big 12 and then lay an egg in the bowl game. Stoops looks a lot like Cooper did at OSU, impressive recruiting and teams, a little lackluster in the final performances.

Yeah it is more the Oklahoma side of the equation that I'm meh about. I don't know much about them, haven't heard much about them, they haven't been relevant for a while, and they seemed to have a hard time putting away a MAC team at home in their opener.

[RedTeamGo!]

I would be more excited to watch that game if Marquez North were healthy, as I used to work with his sister's father (they aren't blood related) and have followed him since high school.

[Sea Ray]

Ever since Stoops and Oklahoma won the BCS title game in 2000, he has pretty much has the same MO. Beat up on a pretty average Big 12 and then lay an egg in the bowl game. Stoops looks a lot like Cooper did at OSU, impressive recruiting and teams, a little lackluster in the final performances.

Fair enough. I think you've just spelled out the definition of a team ranked #19. I don't think 19 is overranked for them

- - - Updated - - -


Yeah it is more the Oklahoma side of the equation that I'm meh about. I don't know much about them, haven't heard much about them, they haven't been relevant for a while, and they seemed to have a hard time putting away a MAC team at home in their opener.

Didn't they win 41-3? What more do you expect?

[BuckeyeRed27]

Fair enough. I think you've just spelled out the definition of a team ranked #19. I don't think 19 is overranked for them

- - - Updated - - -



Didn't they win 41-3? What more do you expect?

I guess they did pull away in the second half. They got off to a real slow start and I think were only up like 3-0 with 5 minutes to go before half, but like I said, I don't know much about them and haven't followed them.

[Sea Ray]

I guess they did pull away in the second half. They got off to a real slow start and I think were only up like 3-0 with 5 minutes to go before half, but like I said, I don't know much about them and haven't followed them.

I couldn't name a single player on their team, but I do realize that last week was just game one and a 3-0 score late in the first half wouldn't alarm me.

[Tom Servo]

Malik Zaire done for the year for Notre Dame.

[Assembly Hall]

Malik Zaire done for the year for Notre Dame.

Ouch!!!!!

[Sea Ray]

UC looked horrible yesterday. I don't know about Tommy T. They were absolutely horrible in every phase of the game, turnovers, special teams (giving up an easy onside kick and a KO return TD) and Tommy did nearly nothing. He did not "coach up" anyone. He just stood on the sidelines (like Bear Bryant in his last year) and let his assistants run the show. In modern times this reminds me of Brady Hoke last yr in Mich. When your team is struggling like that, as a HC you need to show some leadership

[improbus]

If you enjoy the absurdity of college football and would find the following topics entertaining, listen to the "Shutdown Fullcast", an SB Nation college football podcast. It is the most scattered, insane, and funniest thing I've heard in a long time. Just be warned, they will take a flame-thrower to your favorite program.
-Which SEC fanbase is most/least likely to attack and dismember a robot?
-How a nuclear winter would play directly into Bill Snyder's hands.
-Reggie Ball fan fiction.
-What colleges boosters are most likely to own tigers?
-Why Will Muschamp believes modern farming methods are the trick of the devil.

Those topics are par for the course on the show. It's a riot.

[BuckeyeRed27]

How is it even possible that Rutgers hasn't fired Kyle Flood yet?

[*BaseClogger*]

How is it even possible that Rutgers hasn't fired Kyle Flood yet?

They've made bowls every season hes been there. Is there an off-field situation I'm not aware of, or are our expectations of the Rutgers football program far apart?

[RedTeamGo!]

They've made bowls every season hes been there. Is there an off-field situation I'm not aware of, or are our expectations of the Rutgers football program far apart?

Rutgers is like a constant TMZ story right now. After Saturday's game in the parking lot one of the players beat up his girlfriend. Last week a bunch of players got suspended for various reasons.

[Assembly Hall]

Rutgers is like a constant TMZ story right now. After Saturday's game in the parking lot one of the players beat up his girlfriend. Last week a bunch of players got suspended for various reasons.

Hmmmmmm. Sounds like the IU basketball team!

[BuckeyeRed27]

They've made bowls every season hes been there. Is there an off-field situation I'm not aware of, or are our expectations of the Rutgers football program far apart?

http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/13671944/rutgers-scarlet-knights-suspend-coach-kyle-flood-3-games

Off field situation for sure. He basically strong armed a professor into changing a players grade so he would be eligible. There are emails and phone transcripts to prove it. Not that it matters, but the player in the situation was later arrested and kicked off the team anyways.

[KronoRed]

I'm sure the big10+4 is proud to have them on board.

[Assembly Hall]

I'm sure the big10+4 is proud to have them on board.

Yep they are........the money is rolling in!(sarcasm)

[RedTeamGo!]

Maryland is worth having for their solid basketball program, but I see no reason for Rutgers to be in the conference. I get the whole NY market thing, but Rutgers just plain sucks. Would have been better off adopting Mizzouri.

[Assembly Hall]

Maryland is worth having for their solid basketball program, but I see no reason for Rutgers to be in the conference. I get the whole NY market thing, but Rutgers just plain sucks. Would have been better off adopting Mizzouri.

Mizzou didnt have the academic stuff.

[Revering4Blue]

Maryland is worth having for their solid basketball program, but I see no reason for Rutgers to be in the conference. I get the whole NY market thing, but Rutgers just plain sucks. Would have been better off adopting Mizzouri.

Or Iowa State. TV market be damned.

Maryland football is in their current state due to the same reason several B1G teams are, they thought that they could do better coaching wise, but couldn't.

Maryland thought they could do better than Friedgen.

Purdue thought they could do better than Tiller.

Illinois thought they could do better than Zook.

Minnesota botched a hire following Mason's dismissal, but have since corrected it.

Indiana, after canning Bill Mallory because he refused to fire his Offensive Coordinator, proceeded to botch two hires. Then, made an emotional hire following the death of Terry Hoeppner that resulted in a head coach in over his head. The jury is still out on Wilson.

[Boston Red]

Bill Mallory was great. Firing him was idiotic.

As for Lynch, do Ball State football scores not make their way to Bloomington?!? That was the head-scratchingest (is that a word?) hire I've ever seen.

[Hoosier Red]

Bill Mallory was great. Firing him was idiotic.

As for Lynch, do Ball State football scores not make their way to Bloomington?!? That was the head-scratchingest (is that a word?) hire I've ever seen.

They were looking for continuity in a program and he had led them to their only bowl game in more than 10 years. They used the poor reasoning that Lynch led the team through a tough time(following Hoeppner's death). And I think they let their hearts overrule their heads.

The hire that still sets my teeth on edge was hiring Gerry Dinardo. Seriously, there was talent when he took over for Cameron. He chased one future NFL player off the team immediately(Jeremi Johnson) and had 5 others that at the very least earned an NFL Paycheck for a few years. And he took all that and turned it into a pile of dog excrement. He pinned the entire offense to waiting for ND transfer Matt Lavecchio despite the inconvenient fact that Matt Lavecchio sucked.

Firing Mallory certainly looks bad in retrospect, but I think it was more about the poor decision(s) they made following than actually firing Mallory. I liken it to the Reds firing Dusty Baker which I believe was the right move, but it looks bad because the guy they hired to replace him was terrible.

[Hoosier Red]

Or Iowa State. TV market be damned.


I don't think Iowa would have allowed that and would have used whatever power they had to strike it down. I'm fairly certain they delight in being the B1G school in the state. I'm pretty sure that was the same dynamic for Penn State and Pitt(who I would have preferred.)

As for Rutgers, when it's all said and done, I'm not too broken up about the missed opportunities for the B1G. I mean does anyone really care that it's Rutgers instead of Iowa State or Mizzou? That's not to say those school's don't have their virtue, but really it's not like the B1G chose Rutgers over Texas, or missed out on a chance to add Florida State or Alabama or anything. When you get to the list of schools that were going to be picked over from the old Big East and/or Big 12, you were getting programs that weren't going to move mountains either way.

I think Maryland is a nice school that will eventually fit pretty well in the conference. Rutgers is a lot like Illinois in that they are a tire fire right now, but have everything in place that SHOULD make them a decent program if they can get their collective heads out of their posteriors. So in that light, I like the upside potential of Rutgers even if they bring nothing back in the short term.





Purdue thought they could do better than Tiller.



To be fair, I think they fell in love with the idea of a succession plan more than anything. I mean they hired a former assistant to come assist for one last year before Tiller retired. They had run the same plan for Keady and were happy(at the time) with Painter's success.

[Revering4Blue]

What gets me is that once Mallory was fired in '96, both Fisher DeBerry and Howard Schnellenberger reportedly expressed interest in the IU job. But the AD just HAD to keep it in the family and hire Cameron instead.

[bucksfan2]

I don't think Iowa would have allowed that and would have used whatever power they had to strike it down. I'm fairly certain they delight in being the B1G school in the state. I'm pretty sure that was the same dynamic for Penn State and Pitt(who I would have preferred.)

As for Rutgers, when it's all said and done, I'm not too broken up about the missed opportunities for the B1G. I mean does anyone really care that it's Rutgers instead of Iowa State or Mizzou? That's not to say those school's don't have their virtue, but really it's not like the B1G chose Rutgers over Texas, or missed out on a chance to add Florida State or Alabama or anything. When you get to the list of schools that were going to be picked over from the old Big East and/or Big 12, you were getting programs that weren't going to move mountains either way.

I think Maryland is a nice school that will eventually fit pretty well in the conference. Rutgers is a lot like Illinois in that they are a tire fire right now, but have everything in place that SHOULD make them a decent program if they can get their collective heads out of their posteriors. So in that light, I like the upside potential of Rutgers even if they bring nothing back in the short term.


To be fair, I think they fell in love with the idea of a succession plan more than anything. I mean they hired a former assistant to come assist for one last year before Tiller retired. They had run the same plan for Keady and were happy(at the time) with Painter's success.

Iowa St. is blah to me. What does Iowa St. bring to the B1G? It doesn't bring a new market, it is located in a pretty blah market in general. They have the Nebraska and Iowa surrounded by the two big state universities. No sense bringing in another one. Mizzou is an interesting team but I don't see the hubub about them. They have been successful playing in the SEC east, a division who has pretty much been a dumpster fire since Urban left.

Rutgers makes sense, and only makes sense, when you consider that it does bring in the NYC market to the B1G. There isn't another big football team in the area, heck the most in demand football team may be Notre Dame. Rutgers is bad right now, but it pales in consideration to the effect a dumpster fire Texas has to its conference. The B1G will always be dominated by the big boys, the OSU, UM, Nebraska, MSU and PSU.

Illinois has a ton of national titles to their credit, they just have been bad for a couple of decades. I think Zook got them to a point, a point he may have been able to sustain, but was he really that good. When you have a tradition that Illinois has, and have a pretty good state to recruit in, you expect better. I think Illinois or any other middle of the road B1G team could have similar success to that of MSU. It takes time and the right coach, but it is doable. One important thing to consider with the successful programs in college football for that matter, is sustainability at the HC position. OSU lucked out in that one season after Tressel left Urban was waiting there. MSU has their man for the next decade plus in Dantonio, a guy who I doubt leaves for any other job. The other top programs in the B1G have been a revolving door of HC.

[Boston Red]

Firing Mallory certainly looks bad in retrospect, but I think it was more about the poor decision(s) they made following than actually firing Mallory.

I don't know. I thought it seemed pretty horrible at the time. I mean, they were atrocious when Mallory got there, and he got them to respectable and beyond. Just because they fell back to respectable only was not a reason to let him go IMO. Sure beats the hell out of what they've done since he was let go. I didn't think it was particularly hard to tell that getting IU football even to that level was a pretty amazing accomplishment.

Those Anthony Thompson teams sure were fun to watch, no?

[Assembly Hall]

I don't know. I thought it seemed pretty horrible at the time. I mean, they were atrocious when Mallory got there, and he got them to respectable and beyond. Just because they fell back to respectable only was not a reason to let him go IMO. Sure beats the hell out of what they've done since he was let go. I didn't think it was particularly hard to tell that getting IU football even to that level was a pretty amazing accomplishment.

Those Anthony Thompson teams sure were fun to watch, no?

I agree with you and they were pretty dang good after those AT years. A fellow by the name of Vaughn Dunbar.

[dabvu2498]

IU was bad in Mallory's last two years. 2-9 and 3-8. Only one conference win.

[Revering4Blue]

IU was bad in Mallory's last two years. 2-9 and 3-8. Only one conference win.

True.

And by that time, Northwestern had surpassed IU as a football program, where they remain today. No excuse for that.

North.

Western.

The school that for many years was lucky to win ONE game per year.

Here's the thing with Mallory - and believe me, it was NOT my intention to turn this into an IU football thread - he was successful with precisely the same smash-mouth approach as Michigan and OSU, and with much less depth, and for that, Mallory deserves all of the credit in the world. When he no longer had NFL caliber talent at the skill positions, as with his last two years, the same approach as Michigan and OSU was no longer effective and IU's chances for a successful season were remote at best. A different approach on offense, rather than the predictable Mallory smash-mouth/Pro scheme, was in order.

As I stated earlier, Mallory refused to make staff changes, so he was fired. While it's true that Mallory for many years got the most out his players - IMO, had he coached either OSU or Michigan at the time, he may well have delivered a National championship to either school - I have to agree with Hoosier Red that a change was in order, but the successive hires were botched.

If you're out-manned, as IU often was, and arguably are today, you either need to run a gimmicky offense/shorten the game (Air Force) or, if you must utilize a Pro-style attack, you need a head coach who can both identify talent and extract the most from less talented players - Howard Schnellenberger, of whom both IU and UK erred in not hiring in '96.

This doesn't just apply to IU, as it made no sense for Vandy to run a Pro-Style offense under Dowhower and Widenhoffer. It made no sense for UK to run a Pro-Style attack with Joker at the helm, though, IMO, Schnellenberger could have succeeded with it at UK or IU or anywhere, for that matter. On a related note, it was just as baffling that Will Muschamp insisted on playing Saban-style ball with Florida's athletes. Heck, even the ole ball coach adapted his offense to his personnel at South Carolina, once he no longer had access to to Florida-type talent on a prudent basis.

[Revering4Blue]

Iowa St. is blah to me. What does Iowa St. bring to the B1G? It doesn't bring a new market, it is located in a pretty blah market in general. They have the Nebraska and Iowa surrounded by the two big state universities. No sense bringing in another one. Mizzou is an interesting team but I don't see the hubub about them. They have been successful playing in the SEC east, a division who has pretty much been a dumpster fire since Urban left.

Rutgers makes sense, and only makes sense, when you consider that it does bring in the NYC market to the B1G. There isn't another big football team in the area, heck the most in demand football team may be Notre Dame. Rutgers is bad right now, but it pales in consideration to the effect a dumpster fire Texas has to its conference. The B1G will always be dominated by the big boys, the OSU, UM, Nebraska, MSU and PSU.

Illinois has a ton of national titles to their credit, they just have been bad for a couple of decades. I think Zook got them to a point, a point he may have been able to sustain, but was he really that good. When you have a tradition that Illinois has, and have a pretty good state to recruit in, you expect better. I think Illinois or any other middle of the road B1G team could have similar success to that of MSU. It takes time and the right coach, but it is doable. One important thing to consider with the successful programs in college football for that matter, is sustainability at the HC position. OSU lucked out in that one season after Tressel left Urban was waiting there. MSU has their man for the next decade plus in Dantonio, a guy who I doubt leaves for any other job. The other top programs in the B1G have been a revolving door of HC.

This is a really good post, and it's difficult to disagree with any of it. I'd also add Wisky to the B1G boys list, but they've really lacked a play-maker - either with his feet, arm or both - since Russell Wilson exhausted his eligibility.

Yes, Illinois and, IMO, Iowa, to a certain extent, have underachieved as programs. But, to be honest with you, throw out the Chicagoland area, the state is largely devoid of High School talent. Still... No, Zook isn't / wasn't all that, but at least he could recruit.

Illinois, Iowa and Purdue were successful for years, though not always during the same time period, due to innovators at the head coaching position.

Mike White was the coach that really revived an Illinois progam left for dead in the late 70's. He was an innovator in a league devoid of such at the time. His "Flare Flood" passing scheme, which utilized elements utilized in Air Raid offenses today in an often two-back, under center Pro-style offense, was ahead of it's time. Since then, save for a few years here and there under John Mackovic, Ron Turner and Zook, there has been no pattern of sustained success there.

Hayden Fry, who built the Iowa program that Ferentz, a Fry disciple, inherited, was himself, an innovator. IIRC, He was the first to utilize the double wing formation as a passing-style offense, often with tall, tight end / H-back types as the wings. Plus, for many years, Bill Snyder was his offensive coordinator, and opposing teams also had to deal with a sound running / option game. It was a pain in the neck to defend. His defenses were fundamentally sound, too. And, unlike, Ferentz, Fry's teams went for the jugular and didn't play the Ferentz / NFL style of playing it close to the vest so that the defense can win the game for you. That rarely, if ever, works today, as even Saban's Alabama teams open it up now.

The league was not prepared for Drew Brees and the Joe Tiller spread and the bubble screens and what not. Jim Colleto tried to implement the, at the time, Ohio State smash-mouth scheme with disastrous results. Tiller was just what the doctor ordered for the league and, of course, Purdue. Tiller, contrary to popular belief, did not introduce the spread as a full time offense to the B1G. Joe Salem's late 70's / early 80's Minnesota teams utilized a run-and-shoot like offense to very limited success. the late Jim Wacker, who had previously worked miracles at TCU, introduced a full time spread at Minnesota in '92, and, IMO, deserved a better fate, as he just wasn't successful there. Then again, he never had a Drew Brees or Trevone Boykin, either.

[jojo]

Boy Louisville's offensive line is a hot mess. Also one of the grad assistants needs to explain to Petrino how timeouts work.

[Assembly Hall]

True.

And by that time, Northwestern had surpassed IU as a football program, where they remain today. No excuse for that.

North.

Western.

The school that for many years was lucky to win ONE game per year.

Here's the thing with Mallory - and believe me, it was NOT my intention to turn this into an IU football thread - he was successful with precisely the same smash-mouth approach as Michigan and OSU, and with much less depth, and for that, Mallory deserves all of the credit in the world. When he no longer had NFL caliber talent at the skill positions, as with his last two years, the same approach as Michigan and OSU was no longer effective and IU's chances for a successful season were remote at best. A different approach on offense, rather than the predictable Mallory smash-mouth/Pro scheme, was in order.

As I stated earlier, Mallory refused to make staff changes, so he was fired. While it's true that Mallory for many years got the most out his players - IMO, had he coached either OSU or Michigan at the time, he may well have delivered a National championship to either school - I have to agree with Hoosier Red that a change was in order, but the successive hires were botched.

If you're out-manned, as IU often was, and arguably are today, you either need to run a gimmicky offense/shorten the game (Air Force) or, if you must utilize a Pro-style attack, you need a head coach who can both identify talent and extract the most from less talented players - Howard Schnellenberger, of whom both IU and UK erred in not hiring in '96.

This doesn't just apply to IU, as it made no sense for Vandy to run a Pro-Style offense under Dowhower and Widenhoffer. It made no sense for UK to run a Pro-Style attack with Joker at the helm, though, IMO, Schnellenberger could have succeeded with it at UK or IU or anywhere, for that matter. On a related note, it was just as baffling that Will Muschamp insisted on playing Saban-style ball with Florida's athletes. Heck, even the ole ball coach adapted his offense to his personnel at South Carolina, once he no longer had access to to Florida-type talent on a prudent basis.

That is one helluva post right there. I sit back and think about Anthony Thompson, Dave Schnell, Trent Green, Vaughn Dunbar, Chris Dittoe, Van Waiters, and Pete Stoyanivich. Oh and I left out Ernie Jones and Thomas Lewis. Bill definitely got talent at the skill positions.

[Revering4Blue]

That is one helluva post right there. I sit back and think about Anthony Thompson, Dave Schnell, Trent Green, Vaughn Dunbar, Chris Dittoe, Van Waiters, and Pete Stoyanivich. Oh and I left out Ernie Jones and Thomas Lewis. Bill definitely got talent at the skill positions.

Mallory's teams generally had strong offensive lines, sprinkled with future NFL players here and there. No question, his teams were fundamentally sound. Also, speaking of talent at skill positions, Mallory, not Cameron, recruited Antwaan Randle-El, who single-handedly won games on undermanned, mediocre coached (Cameron) teams. Few if any college QBs in his era, if any, did that.

Mallory was one of many in a long line of successful Power Conference head coaches with previous MAC head coaching experience.

So I'll throw this question out there for all of you:

Who will the next successful MAC to Power Conference head coach be?

My guess: Art Briles disciple, Dino Babers. I also wouldn't count out Western Michigan's P.J Fleck.

[Assembly Hall]

Mallory was one of many in a long line of successful Power Conference head coaches with previous MAC head coaching experience.

So I'll throw this question out there for all of you:

Who will the next successful MAC to Power Conference head coach be?

My guess: Art Briles disciple, Dino Babers. I also wouldn't count out Western Michigan's P.J Fleck.

How about Rod Carey?

[bucksfan2]

This is a really good post, and it's difficult to disagree with any of it. I'd also add Wisky to the B1G boys list, but they've really lacked a play-maker - either with his feet, arm or both - since Russell Wilson exhausted his eligibility.

Yes, Illinois and, IMO, Iowa, to a certain extent, have underachieved as programs. But, to be honest with you, throw out the Chicagoland area, the state is largely devoid of High School talent. Still... No, Zook isn't / wasn't all that, but at least he could recruit.

Illinois, Iowa and Purdue were successful for years, though not always during the same time period, due to innovators at the head coaching position.

Mike White was the coach that really revived an Illinois progam left for dead in the late 70's. He was an innovator in a league devoid of such at the time. His "Flare Flood" passing scheme, which utilized elements utilized in Air Raid offenses today in an often two-back, under center Pro-style offense, was ahead of it's time. Since then, save for a few years here and there under John Mackovic, Ron Turner and Zook, there has been no pattern of sustained success there.

Hayden Fry, who built the Iowa program that Ferentz, a Fry disciple, inherited, was himself, an innovator. IIRC, He was the first to utilize the double wing formation as a passing-style offense, often with tall, tight end / H-back types as the wings. Plus, for many years, Bill Snyder was his offensive coordinator, and opposing teams also had to deal with a sound running / option game. It was a pain in the neck to defend. His defenses were fundamentally sound, too. And, unlike, Ferentz, Fry's teams went for the jugular and didn't play the Ferentz / NFL style of playing it close to the vest so that the defense can win the game for you. That rarely, if ever, works today, as even Saban's Alabama teams open it up now.

The league was not prepared for Drew Brees and the Joe Tiller spread and the bubble screens and what not. Jim Colleto tried to implement the, at the time, Ohio State smash-mouth scheme with disastrous results. Tiller was just what the doctor ordered for the league and, of course, Purdue. Tiller, contrary to popular belief, did not introduce the spread as a full time offense to the B1G. Joe Salem's late 70's / early 80's Minnesota teams utilized a run-and-shoot like offense to very limited success. the late Jim Wacker, who had previously worked miracles at TCU, introduced a full time spread at Minnesota in '92, and, IMO, deserved a better fate, as he just wasn't successful there. Then again, he never had a Drew Brees or Trevone Boykin, either.

Wisconsin has been good because coaching. They have continued to have the same system in place since Alvarez took over. The have done a great job of getting 3 and 4 star recruits in, buying into a system and building a competitive program. They haven't had a difference maker since Wilson, and the times they get one of those guys are few and far between. I think what sets apart the big boys in the B1G and Wiscy is OSU for example picks 5 top tier difference makers they set their target on and will get one. Wisconsin needs to hope for the next tier to fall to them.

I saw Iowa and Ferentz give a much more talented OSU team fits in Columbus a few years ago utilizing TE's and fullbacks to create mismatches. His schemes sometimes remind me of Belichick, using any kind of advantage with lesser skill positions to give him an advantage. Problem for Ferentz is his skill players in college are severely lacking. You hit a TE on a mismatch play and you may gain 25 yards, you hit a slot WR or H-Back on a mismatch and you may get a TD.

What you mention a lot is innovation, but anymore its using the game to your advantage. TCU and Baylor have done it by getting speed all over the field. Spreading it 5 wide, throwing the ball all over the joint. You can find WR's everywhere you look. Get 4 of them on the field at the same time, use the offensive advantage, and you can score a ton of points. I love Urban's offense, but think it relies heavily on the type of recruits he can bring in. I think a Baylor type of offense is much more sustainable for a lesser program. If Baylor can be a top 5 ranked team, Purdue, Illinois, and Iowa all should be able to, they need to find a coach and offense that works.

[BillDoran]

Mallory's teams generally had strong offensive lines, sprinkled with future NFL players here and there. No question, his teams were fundamentally sound. Also, speaking of talent at skill positions, Mallory, not Cameron, recruited Antwaan Randle-El, who single-handedly won games on undermanned, mediocre coached (Cameron) teams. Few if any college QBs in his era, if any, did that.

Mallory was one of many in a long line of successful Power Conference head coaches with previous MAC head coaching experience.

So I'll throw this question out there for all of you:

Who will the next successful MAC to Power Conference head coach be?

My guess: Art Briles disciple, Dino Babers. I also wouldn't count out Western Michigan's P.J Fleck.

Big fan of Babers.

I think Matt Campbell, at Toledo, has success written all over him. Urban Meyer said yesterday that he tried to bring him to Ohio State when he was first forming his staff in 2011.

[Revering4Blue]

Wisconsin has been good because coaching. They have continued to have the same system in place since Alvarez took over. The have done a great job of getting 3 and 4 star recruits in, buying into a system and building a competitive program. They haven't had a difference maker since Wilson, and the times they get one of those guys are few and far between. I think what sets apart the big boys in the B1G and Wiscy is OSU for example picks 5 top tier difference makers they set their target on and will get one. Wisconsin needs to hope for the next tier to fall to them.

I saw Iowa and Ferentz give a much more talented OSU team fits in Columbus a few years ago utilizing TE's and fullbacks to create mismatches. His schemes sometimes remind me of Belichick, using any kind of advantage with lesser skill positions to give him an advantage. Problem for Ferentz is his skill players in college are severely lacking. You hit a TE on a mismatch play and you may gain 25 yards, you hit a slot WR or H-Back on a mismatch and you may get a TD.

What you mention a lot is innovation, but anymore its using the game to your advantage. TCU and Baylor have done it by getting speed all over the field. Spreading it 5 wide, throwing the ball all over the joint. You can find WR's everywhere you look. Get 4 of them on the field at the same time, use the offensive advantage, and you can score a ton of points. I love Urban's offense, but think it relies heavily on the type of recruits he can bring in. I think a Baylor type of offense is much more sustainable for a lesser program. If Baylor can be a top 5 ranked team, Purdue, Illinois, and Iowa all should be able to, they need to find a coach and offense that works.

Alvarez played for Bob Deveney at Nebraska and brought with him to Wisconsin many of the same principles he learned from Deveney. As you mentioned, the system is still in place today.

The principles and system that Fry brought to Iowa are still in place. Ferentz and Fry differ in that Fry was more of a gambler and he rarely played it close to the vest. IMO, Ferentz plays too often not to lose, rather than playing to win. Case in point: The blown fourth quarter lead against LSU in the New Years day'14 bowl game. IMO, that's due in part to the NFL background in Ferentz. Regardless of what NFL honks will tell you, innovations on offense rarely, if ever, occur in the NFL first. As an example, contrary to popular belief, Bill Walsh did not create the West Coast Offense - LaVell Edwards (BYU) did. I could expound upon other NCAA football vs. NFL football myths, such as college offenses dominate because college defenses are poor, but that probably deserves a thread of it's own. That stated, Ferentz is still, all things considered a decent coach that can also recruit, and it's extremely doubtful that Iowa can do better. Iowa is on much more solid footing as a program than Purdue - though it's still too early to declare Hazell a failure - or Illinois for that reason.

To have a chance to at least break through occasionally standings wise against the big boys - and this applies to any major conference - a coach that can both recruit and in-game coach is essential. In the past thirty years, that's rarely occurred at Purdue, and hasn't occurred at Illinois since Mike White left nearly thirty years ago.

[Chip R]

The principles and system that Fry brought to Iowa are still in place. Ferentz and Fry differ in that Fry was more of a gambler and he rarely played it close to the vest. IMO, Ferentz plays too often not to lose, rather than playing to win. Case in point: The blown fourth quarter lead against LSU in the New Years day'14 bowl game. IMO, that's due in part to the NFL background in Ferentz. Regardless of what NFL honks will tell you, innovations on offense rarely, if ever, occur in the NFL first. As an example, contrary to popular belief, Bill Walsh did not create the West Coast Offense - LaVell Edwards (BYU) did. I could expound upon other NCAA football vs. NFL football myths, such as college offenses dominate because college defenses are poor, but that probably deserves a thread of it's own. That stated, Ferentz is still, all things considered a decent coach that can also recruit, and it's extremely doubtful that Iowa can do better. Iowa is on much more solid footing as a program than Purdue - though it's still too early to declare Hazell a failure - or Illinois for that reason.

To have a chance to at least break through occasionally standings wise against the big boys - and this applies to any major conference - a coach that can both recruit and in-game coach is essential. In the past thirty years, that's rarely occurred at Purdue, and hasn't occurred at Illinois since Mike White left nearly thirty years ago.

I lived in Iowa during all of Fry's tenure. If you compare him and Ferentz record wise, there isn't a whole lot of difference. It's not like Fry was Woody Hayes and Ferentz is John Cooper - although that is how it's perceived. The main reason Fry is revered and Ferentz is not is that Fry was the savior there much like Bill Snyder was the savior at K-State. And the programs were similar. Iowa football was just one of the worst programs in the country at the time. Iowa State was winning 7-8 games a year and going to bowl games back in the mid-70s. That was before there were 365 bowl games. With his Texas drawl, "exotics" and great coaching Fry turned it around and won a Big 10 title in just a few years. Even before they went to the Rose Bowl they were barely losing to teams like Nebraska and sportswriters were saying they were a moral victories. Fry got angry and said something to the effect that there were no moral victories. People liked that. It told them Fry was serious about winning. Some of his teams were really good - almost national championship level. He also dominated Iowa State which got easier after Earle Bruce left for tOSU. But during the 80s and 90s, they kept going to bowl games, beating Michigan and tOSU every so often and every once in a while, having a championship level team. But during the 90s it started to get old. It seemed like they would go to the Alamo Bowl- or as my friends and I called it, the Al-Lame-o Bowl - or the Sun Bowl every year. They were good but never elite. Ferentz has pretty much the same program. Save for an awful first year, they have been consistent bowl participants. He's even has a few teams that were top 5 teams. Carson Palmer's USC team routed them in the Orange Bowl but that was an excellent team. They still beat Michigan and tOSU on occasion although just beating those two teams isn't the benchmark of success that it was when Hayden was around. Ferentz does OK against ISU too but not as good as Fry did. I think the general disenchantment with the program now is that Ferentz didn't rebuild a program from the ashes. He inherited a successful program and has not improved on it. A lot of programs would like that success but now since there are so many bowl games, and they are ensconced in a BCS conference that has automatic bids for any team that gets 6 wins the fans don't see a bowl game as much of an accomplishment anymore. To a lot of people that looks like mediocrity - and they are right.

It would be a major miracle if Iowa developed into a consistent top 10 program that could compete with tOSU, Bama, FSU and the others. Urban Meyer might have trouble getting into that level if he ever coached there.Purdue's never going to be elite either. Indiana's a basketball state and they are surrounded by Michigan, Ohio and Illinois. As for Illinois, the only time they were any good they got busted for cheating. I'm not sure it's a state that produces a lot of elite football players. It's Chicago and the rest of the state is like a combination of Iowa and Indiana. They have a great tradition at Illinois with Zuppke, Grange and Butkus but other than those teams, there hasn't been a lot of elite teams there.

[reds44]

How about Rod Carey?

Most NIU fans think Carey will be Indiana's coach next year. He's an alum.

[Revering4Blue]

This falls in line with our on the rise coaches discussion.

College Football's Top 15 Coaches on the Rise for 2015.

http://athlonsports.com/college-football/college-footballs-top-15-coaches-rise-2015?ModPagespeed=noscript

[Assembly Hall]

Most NIU fans think Carey will be Indiana's coach next year. He's an alum.

I do believe he played for Mallory?

[Sea Ray]

We all know that there are always early season mismatches but the mismatch of all happened last week. Boston College went up on Howard University 62-0 at halftime and it got to the point where even running the ball up the middle everytime was resulting in easy TDs for BC. So they got together at halftime and decided to do 10 min quarters. Final score 76-0. Howard lost to App St in game one 49-0. They did score a few pts last night vs Hampton but still lost big. BC got shutout last night themselves, 14-0.

Looking at Howard, they look like a pee wee football team. They're tiny. This is about as bad as football teams get

http://espn.go.com/college-football/recap?gameId=400756906

[RedTeamGo!]

Hey everyone, enjoy your Saturday and a solid slate of college football games!!

[Tom Servo]

Wow, huge comeback by Nebraska in Miami. Down 33-10, it's now 33-33 with 30 seconds left in the 4th.

[kaldaniels]

Wow, huge comeback by Nebraska in Miami. Down 33-10, it's now 33-33 with 30 seconds left in the 4th.

Say what? Wowzers!

[Chip R]

Here is a map of college football from 1938.

http://www.slate.com/content/dam/slate/blogs/the_vault/2014/11/07/LgCollegeFootballMap.jpg

[Stray]

Tell us how you really feel, Kliff.

Also, awesome cuz Bielema is annoying.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?&v=_aW5Bz_L8tg

[KronoRed]

Here is a map of college football from 1938.

http://www.slate.com/content/dam/slate/blogs/the_vault/2014/11/07/LgCollegeFootballMap.jpg
That's awesome, thanks for posting it.

[Stray]

Here comes Bama. Good game.

[Boston Red]

UCLA/BYU locked in a good ole good one right now. UCLA needs to march down for a TD, or they're going down to the stormin Mormons.

[Kilgore_Trout]

UCLA/BYU locked in a good ole good one right now. UCLA needs to march down for a TD, or they're going down to the stormin Mormons.

That BYU team looks good. Mangum is no fluke.

[Boston Red]

They can't stop UCLA's run game, though. Good thing for the Bruins, because Rosen was looking like a true freshman all night.

[Assembly Hall]

Did anybody happen to watch IU/WKU yesterday? What an entertaining game.

[Stray]

I guess he was down?

Bearcats got hosed. Ball was clearly coming out before his knee hit. That was terrible.

[dougdirt]

I guess he was down?

Bearcats got hosed. Ball was clearly coming out before his knee hit. That was terrible.

Disappointing call. Disappointing end to the game. Being a Cincinnati sports fan born in the 80's sucks.

[Stray]

Yep. Bearcats were screwed. With replay and slow mo and all that noise, they actually overturned the fumble call on the field. Get outta here.

9869

[Stray]

Disappointing call. Disappointing end to the game. Being a Cincinnati sports fan born in the 80's sucks.

It sucked. This felt like the AAC wanting their undefeated team to win for postseason purposes.

I have no idea how you can overturn that call with the replays they had.

[Stray]

If I was Tubs I'd make a big deal out of this. But I'm not Tubs, and I don't have to write big checks when I call out refs.

So yeah, he prolly won't. I'd love it tho, this was bad.

[Sea Ray]

Disappointing call. Disappointing end to the game. Being a Cincinnati sports fan born in the 80's sucks.

I agree on all fronts but don't let this be a significant downer in your Cincy sports history. This game isn't going to cost the Bearcats anything. This team was never going anywhere. Not with that defense and the entire team's propensity for turnovers. Hopefully this will lead to better things in the future

[RedTeamGo!]

Michigan is actually starting to look like a real football team.

[Assembly Hall]

Michigan is actually starting to look like a real football team.

They are taking it to BYU.

[MWM]

BYU was never that good, so I wouldn't read anything into this. I've watched a lot of their first few games and they rally should have been 0-3. They looked bad most of their first 2 games and were shut down in the 2nd half against UCLA. Their backup Mangum isn't that good. If they had Taysom Hill, they'd be a different team. I'd expect them to be at or below .500 by the end of the year.

[MWM]

Fournette is an absolute beast. He's going to be a good NFL back.

[Assembly Hall]

Fournette is an absolute beast. He's going to be a good NFL back.

Unless he gets Jamarcus Russell syndrome.

[RedTeamGo!]

BYU was never that good, so I wouldn't read anything into this. I've watched a lot of their first few games and they rally should have been 0-3. They looked bad most of their first 2 games and were shut down in the 2nd half against UCLA. Their backup Mangum isn't that good. If they had Taysom Hill, they'd be a different team. I'd expect them to be at or below .500 by the end of the year.

Mangum was an elite recruit, though. Kid has talent.

[MWM]

Mangum was an elite recruit, though. Kid has talent.

Maybe so, but he's not looked good when I've watched. There have been a lot of highly recruited QBs commit to BYU, then go on their 2 year mission, and come home and never get back whatever they had before they left. In a previous life, I went to BYU and followed their team closely (I couldn't tell you 3 players who have played for them in the last 7-8 years, but I happen to watch a lot of their first 3 games this year even though I'm not remotely a fan), and there were always these huge debates on whether some athletes should go on a mission or stay to play football.

I remember when Ben Olson committed to BYU. He was the top QB in the country. It was the most debated question within the LDS church and BYU fandom in years. Should he go or should he stay. Of course, the vast majority of devout mormons will always land on the side of going on a mission even if it means sacrificing their football future. Steve Young was one of the few who decided not to go on a mission and focus on football (which many even to this day criticize). There have been many lineman, or other position players go on their mission and not miss a beat once they get back. But QBs never seem to be the same. Ben Olson is a great example. Mangum may yet develop into a good QB, but from my limited viewing of his play, he doesn't look comfortable. He's a great athlete, but is having a hard time making decisions. He holds onto the ball almost every pass play and is afraid to throw unless it's an easy pass. He's got a great arm and is accurate, but can't seem to pull the trigger. Playing QB is really tough mentally. I think these guys lose something when they walk away from it entirely for 2 full years.

[Assembly Hall]

Anyone else out there that thinks that Northwestern just might have a pretty dang fine team?

[Revering4Blue]

Anyone else out there that thinks that Northwestern just might have a pretty dang fine team?

It's mind-boggling that Maryland, a school with much, much higher sources of revenue, is in much worse shape as a program than Northwestern. So long as Fitzgerald is there, I won't count them out. While I realize that NU is Fitzgerald's alma mater, I have to wonder if, at some point, some Blueblood program is going to present him with an offer he can't refuse.

[Sea Ray]

Anyone else out there that thinks that Northwestern just might have a pretty dang fine team?

It'll be hard to tell given their schedule. As of right now the only ranked team left for them is Wisconsin at 22. This is a year where they don't have Mich St or Ohio St on their schedule. If they are worthy of their current ranking and that schedule, they should win their half of the Big Ten

[Assembly Hall]

It'll be hard to tell given their schedule. As of right now the only ranked team left for them is Wisconsin at 22. This is a year where they don't have Mich St or Ohio St on their schedule. If they are worthy of their current ranking and that schedule, they should win their half of the Big Ten

Yeah, I dont know. But they man-handled Stanford, and evidently beat a pretty good Duke team on the road.

[Assembly Hall]

When the head coach gets suspended this is what happens on the field.......

http://www.sportsonearth.com/article/151762540/rutgers-kansas-college-football

[RedTeamGo!]

It'll be hard to tell given their schedule. As of right now the only ranked team left for them is Wisconsin at 22. This is a year where they don't have Mich St or Ohio St on their schedule. If they are worthy of their current ranking and that schedule, they should win their half of the Big Ten

As of right now that is true, but soon Michigan and probably Iowa will be ranked.

[Assembly Hall]

As of right now that is true, but soon Michigan and probably Iowa will be ranked.

Yeah, although they dont play the "big boys", the 'Cats schedule aint the easiest. @ Michigan, @ Nebraska, @ Wisconsin and with home dates against Iowa and Penn State.

[19braves77]

Oregon is going to have a rough season and every team in the Pac 12 will remind them of how they ran up scores against a lot of their conference brethren. Look how Utah just emptied their special teams playbook on Oregon...there isn't gonna be a rod spared on the West Coast this Fall.

[Assembly Hall]

Oregon is going to have a rough season and every team in the Pac 12 will remind them of how they ran up scores against a lot of their conference brethren. Look how Utah just emptied their special teams playbook on Oregon...there isn't gonna be a rod spared on the West Coast this Fall.

Paybacks are a beatch!!!!!

[villain612]

Oregon deserves a lot of credit for keeping an elite program over the last 5 or 6 years with recruiting classes that consistently rank in the 20's but they were due for a downswing at some point.

[dougdirt]

Bearcats.

[villain612]

Anytime an Ohio team beats Miami, it's cool with me.

[KronoRed]

I wonder how often a team plays and beats both Miami's in one season?

[bucksfan2]

Anytime an Ohio team beats Miami, it's cool with me.

This isn't a knock on UC at all, its great seeing them playing good competitive football. What in the world has happened to The U? They used to have some of the most talented football teams in the country. They have had down years and lean years, but this has been going on since the mid 2000's.

[villain612]

This isn't a knock on UC at all, its great seeing them playing good competitive football. What in the world has happened to The U? They used to have some of the most talented football teams in the country. They have had down years and lean years, but this has been going on since the mid 2000's.

I haven't really watched much Miami football in a decade but I'm gonna say that a lot of the problem has been the recruiting. They're just not getting the same top notch in-state recruits that they used to. Back in the late 90's/early-2000's the state was dominated by them, FSU, and Florida. It seems that over the past 10 years, SEC schools have made a lot of in roads into Florida.

It sounds like Miami is kind of going through something similar to what Texas is. The Longhorns downturn has coincided with the rise of Baylor, TCU, and A&M who are getting a lot of the top in-state talent now.

That's just my guess.

[IslandRed]

Since the turn of the century, Miami has fought many internal battles over football. A lot of people don't realize this, but the University of Miami is a relatively small, academically well-respected private university located in an affluent section of the city. The image of "The U" was nothing like the image the administration and the bulk of the alumni wished to cultivate. Dialing back from that kind of football culture was not an accident, it was a choice, and it's been the case for a decade or more. But that culture was their edge; the thing that made the best, brashest and most ambitious want to play there instead of going someplace where being a college football player is a much bigger deal than it is in a large, cosmopolitan, pro-sports city like Miami.

They've also been hurt by the general evolution of the sport. Industry-wide, video is everywhere and talent evaluation is better. Miami never did grab superstar signing classes as measured by the websites and magazines, but they knew the players in South Florida who were as good or better than the stars other schools were recruiting. They don't really have a major intel advantage anymore solely from geographical proximity to the talent.

[wolfboy]

I haven't really watched much Miami football in a decade but I'm gonna say that a lot of the problem has been the recruiting. They're just not getting the same top notch in-state recruits that they used to. Back in the late 90's/early-2000's the state was dominated by them, FSU, and Florida. It seems that over the past 10 years, SEC schools have made a lot of in roads into Florida.

It sounds like Miami is kind of going through something similar to what Texas is. The Longhorns downturn has coincided with the rise of Baylor, TCU, and A&M who are getting a lot of the top in-state talent now.

That's just my guess.

The U had seven draft picks in the last draft including two first rounders. That's comparable to most top programs. Still, they've experienced a drop in talent from when they fielded an NFL roster. But does that excuse the fact that the U hasn't even managed to make an ACC title game in the weaker Coastal division?

[Tom Servo]

Since the turn of the century, Miami has fought many internal battles over football. A lot of people don't realize this, but the University of Miami is a relatively small, academically well-respected private university located in an affluent section of the city. The image of "The U" was nothing like the image the administration and the bulk of the alumni wished to cultivate. Dialing back from that kind of football culture was not an accident, it was a choice, and it's been the case for a decade or more. But that culture was their edge; the thing that made the best, brashest and most ambitious want to play there instead of going someplace where being a college football player is a much bigger deal than it is in a large, cosmopolitan, pro-sports city like Miami.

Yeah 30 for 30 touched on this pretty well in The U, they kind of cut the program off at the knees due to the negative perception of the brash swagger of the Hurricanes.

[SunDeck]

Cloudy/rainy in Bloomington today, ruining IU's chance to get that precious sun drenched aerial photo of Memorial Stadium filled with "crimson".

[Assembly Hall]

Cloudy/rainy in Bloomington today, ruining IU's chance to get that precious sun drenched aerial photo of Memorial Stadium filled with "crimson".

Did you mean "scarlet"? LOL Go Hoosiers.

[paintmered]

Edit: please delete. Wolfboy beat me to making the point.

[SunDeck]

Did you mean "scarlet"? LOL Go Hoosiers.

Indeed I did.

[Assembly Hall]

Indeed I did.

LOL, the Bucks fans travel well. We shall see what the stadium sounds like.

[villain612]

I watch Texas Longhorn football now just to see what disaster will happen next.

They're so fundamentally unsound, it's unreal. Longsnapper just snapped the ball out of the back of the endzone for a safety while trying to execute a punt.

This is better than netflix.

[RedTeamGo!]

I watch Texas Longhorn football now just to see what disaster will happen next.

They're so fundamentally unsound, it's unreal. Longsnapper just snapped the ball out of the back of the endzone for a safety while trying to execute a punt.

This is better than netflix.

I finished Dark Matter on Netflix last night and feel like I am out of things to stream. I'm thinking about canceling my membership.

And yes, Texas is garbage. This Michigan/Maryland game is downright terrible as well.

[19braves77]

23-0. First qtr. Strong may not make it through the season. Crazy stat from this game is that TCU is missing about 7 defensive starters to injury and suspensions.

[villain612]

23-0. First qtr. Strong may not make it through the season. Crazy stat from this game is that TCU is missing about 7 defensive starters to injury and suspensions.

When i saw it go to 30-0, I immediately started to wonder how long they're gonna let Strong go with this team as it is.

[villain612]

I finished Dark Matter on Netflix last night and feel like I am out of things to stream. I'm thinking about canceling my membership.

And yes, Texas is garbage. This Michigan/Maryland game is downright terrible as well.

Yeah, this Michigan/Maryland game has been the equivalent of a trip to the dentist office.

6-0 at the end of the 2nd.

[KronoRed]

I watch Texas Longhorn football now just to see what disaster will happen next.

They're so fundamentally unsound, it's unreal. Longsnapper just snapped the ball out of the back of the endzone for a safety while trying to execute a punt.

This is better than netflix.

Mack Brown must laugh himself to sleep in a bed of money for how far he drove that program into the ground.

[RedTeamGo!]

Mack Brown must laugh himself to sleep in a bed of money for how far he drove that program into the ground.

Yeah, Mack Brown really drove the program into the ground, that national championship was just the worst.

I think the demise of Texas has more to do with Texas losing the recruiting edge in the state of Texas. Texas A&M going to the SEC hurt and TCU becoming a legit national contender.

[KronoRed]

Yeah, Mack Brown really drove the program into the ground, that national championship was just the worst.


Brown's last 4 years 5-7, 8-5, 9-4, 8-5, nobody drafted in 14, he either stopped caring or stopped being a good coach, also see Bowden.

[RedTeamGo!]

I think it was because of Texas becoming more difficult to recruit.

[KronoRed]

I think it was because of Texas becoming more difficult to recruit.

True, but if a guy has trouble recruiting at freaking Texas then it's on him.

[villain612]

Can't tell if Michigan's defense is this good or if Maryland is just inept.

[WMR]

When i saw it go to 30-0, I immediately started to wonder how long they're gonna let Strong go with this team as it is.

Strong needs another Nevin Shapiro and Clint Hurtt.

[Tom Servo]

Big win for Iowa over Wisconsin.

[Revering4Blue]

Yeah, Mack Brown really drove the program into the ground, that national championship was just the worst.

I think the demise of Texas has more to do with Texas losing the recruiting edge in the state of Texas. Texas A&M going to the SEC hurt and TCU becoming a legit national contender.
Plus, lost Colt McCoy early in the '09 NC game, which, more than likely, cost Brown and Texas another NC.

[villain612]

Michigan State beats Purdue by 3.

Purdue is terrible.

[jojo]

Michigan State beats Purdue by 3.

Purdue is terrible.

Wonder if it'll drop MSU out of the top 20?

[villain612]

Ohio State looks terrible right now.

And I'm a Buckeye fan.

[Assembly Hall]

Wonder if it'll drop MSU out of the top 20?

Naw, the B1G is the the new SEC!!!!

[Tom Servo]

what the hell is Ohio State doing

[RedTeamGo!]

O-coordinator is awful.

[villain612]

I'm not even gonna be mad when Ohio State finally drops one of these games.

Terrible playcalling, lackadasical efforts, bonehead penalties. The fact that they didn't trust Cardale to throw the ball in the 4th quarter spoke volumes.

At least Zeke Elliot is still a monster I guess.

[Assembly Hall]

IU is a team that barely beat Southern Illinois, Western Kentucky, and Wake Forest. Our best defensive guy is suspended for the game, our starting RB gets hurt, and then our QB goes down. But yet, it comes down to the last play of the game. Wowsers.

[IslandRed]

Brown's last 4 years 5-7, 8-5, 9-4, 8-5, nobody drafted in 14, he either stopped caring or stopped being a good coach, also see Bowden.

Yep. I've seen that movie. Everything about the program slips little by little, the recruiting gets lazy, the place gets a country club feel, and one day you look around and there's a roster full of guys who were supposedly good recruits but no one can play a lick. The new guy has to recruit his way out of it and often the team gets worse before it gets better.

Having said that, it's a legit question whether Texas is getting better fast enough. I thought they were making progress earlier this season (despite the special teams gaffes that kept them from taking Cal and Oklahoma State to overtime) but today was horrid, it sounds like. Their offense is horrid, to be more specific. Nothing's going to fix that but recruiting better players, and that goes triple for quarterbacks, of which Texas has none. If Strong survives this season, he'd better sign a QB who can start right away (among other guys good enough to play immediately) or he's undoubtedly toast in 2016.

[traderumor]

IU is a team that barely beat Southern Illinois, Western Kentucky, and Wake Forest. Our best defensive guy is suspended for the game, our starting RB gets hurt, and then our QB goes down. But yet, it comes down to the last play of the game. Wowsers.
Except Sudfelt going down was the best thing that happened to them. He was being manhandled when he got hurt and the team had become one dimensional. Bring in the read option guy and it gave them a new look and life...still letting the backup QB scamper for 75 yards is inexcusable.

The Ohio State offense simply has to get more vertical.

[dabvu2498]

Who has Cal and Utah as the last two undefeated teams in the Pac 12?

[Assembly Hall]

Who has Cal and Utah as the last two undefeated teams in the Pac 12?

Sure as hell wasnt me. C'mon Bruins or my week-end is a total wash.

[Assembly Hall]

The Ohio State offense simply has to get more vertical.

I dont understand why they didnt do that?

[villain612]

As down as I want to get on Ohio State, there's still plenty of talent on that team and enough time to get their problems sorted out.

Looking around the top ten, Michigan State beat a terrible Purdue team by 3, Ole Miss just got a beatdown from Florida, Clemson is handling Notre Dame, UCLA just went down, TCU needed a miracle to beat Texas Tech, Georgia still can't beat Bama, and Baylor still can't play defense.

[Assembly Hall]

As down as I want to get on Ohio State, there's still plenty of talent on that team and enough time to get their problems sorted out.

Looking around the top ten, Michigan State beat a terrible Purdue team by 3, Ole Miss just got a beatdown from Florida, Clemson is handling Notre Dame, UCLA just went down, TCU needed a miracle to beat Texas Tech, Georgia still can't beat Bama, and Baylor still can't play defense.

I hear what you are saying. There aint a team at the top of the polls that aint had issues.

[kaldaniels]

I don't know what Oregon has in their talent pipeline but they are struggling. Wonder if Helfrich is the right guy.

Last year was simply inertia.

[villain612]

The way this season is going, I could see a 2 loss conference winner making the playoffs.

[RedTeamGo!]

I don't know what Oregon has in their talent pipeline but they are struggling. Wonder if Helfrich is the right guy.

Last year was simply inertia.

Meh, they just don't have a QB this year. They have a lot of talented skill players.

[kaldaniels]

Meh, they just don't have a QB this year. They have a lot of talented skill players.

And that may be the case. But Colorado is moving the ball well on them. Utah blasted them last week. Ducks need to play defense as well.

Side note - I would love to see the Buffaloes relevant again.

[Assembly Hall]

What the heck is wrong with Texas? Just heard they are off to their worst start since 1956.

[Tom Servo]

What the heck is wrong with Texas? Just heard they are off to their worst start since 1956.
Mack Brown left a pretty bare cupboard.

[Assembly Hall]

Mack Brown left a pretty bare cupboard.

Heck the way it looks, there aint even a cupboard.

[Boston Red]

Mack Brown left a pretty bare cupboard.

And Charlie Strong ran off about half of what he left.

[Tom Servo]

Strong deserves some blame, he is the head coach of a major program, but it's hard to imagine any coach stepping into this position and immediately succeeding. Baylor, TCU, and A&M all rose up while Brown was still in Austin and began eating into Texas' recruits, and now is the payoff.

[Boston Red]

Succeeding is one thing. Avoiding being embarrassed by losing games 50-7 and 38-3 is quite another thing that isn't particularly unreasonable to expect.

[Assembly Hall]

Succeeding is one thing. Avoiding being embarrassed by losing games 50-7 and 38-3 is quite another thing that isn't particularly unreasonable to expect.

Yeah, they just aint getting beat. They are getting destroyed. Wonder how that "Longhorn Network" is working out for them?

[bucksfan2]

Strong deserves some blame, he is the head coach of a major program, but it's hard to imagine any coach stepping into this position and immediately succeeding. Baylor, TCU, and A&M all rose up while Brown was still in Austin and began eating into Texas' recruits, and now is the payoff.

Brown did what Paterno and Bowden did at their respective schools. He held on too long, his recruiting went down hill, and there was constant speculation about when he was going to retire/step down/be fired.

In 2012, 2013, and 2014 Texas had top 20 recruiting classes, a #2 ranking in 2012. The cupboard should be that bare to where as Texas is getting drubbed this season. I think Strong has this season and the next to get things together or he will be fired. Problem he has is Texas is a top 5 program in the nation, they are an AD with an unlimited budget, they have have the best facilities, have a strong alumni base, etc. They can not be getting blown out by the TCU's and Baylors of the world. There also is a portion of donors who didn't want Strong and probably are somewhat amused by his lack of success.

[villain612]

What the heck is wrong with Texas? Just heard they are off to their worst start since 1956.

It couldn't happen to a more deserving program.

I hope it's bad juju from that Longhorn Network crap.

[Assembly Hall]

It couldn't happen to a more deserving program.

I hope it's bad juju from that Longhorn Network crap.

One would have to wonder how the Big 12 is gonna react?

[Assembly Hall]

USC getting ready to go down again at home.

[Boston Red]

USC getting ready to go down again at home.

Good thing Notre Dame lost at Clemson. Apparently they don't have another live one on their schedule.

[Revering4Blue]

Two questions regarding the Men of Troy?

1)Seriously, are they any better off now with Sark at the helm than they were with Lane Kiffen?

2)How did Washington, a school with far fewer resources than USC, land a much better, highly sought-after, head coach?

[Revering4Blue]

It looks like Randy Edsell is going to get the boot at Maryland.

Oh, well, it should have been obvious to anyone, especially the boneheaded AD, at the time that firing Ralph Friedgen was a mistake.

[Assembly Hall]

Two questions regarding the Men of Troy?

1)Seriously, are they any better off now with Sark at the helm than they were with Lane Kiffen?

2)How did Washington, a school with far fewer resources than USC, land a much better, highly sought-after, head coach?

1) Anybody is better than Kiffen.

2) That is a good question.

[Chip R]

It looks like Randy Edsell is going to get the boot at Maryland.

Oh, well, it should have been obvious to anyone, especially the boneheaded AD, at the time that firing Ralph Friedgen was a mistake.

There's a rumor going around that Chip Kelly may be in line for that job.

[bucksfan2]

There's a rumor going around that Chip Kelly may be in line for that job.

Kelly to USC is what I would be banking on.

Under Armour would love to have Kelly at Maryland, I just don't see it happening.

[RedTeamGo!]

Two questions regarding the Men of Troy?

1)Seriously, are they any better off now with Sark at the helm than they were with Lane Kiffen?

2)How did Washington, a school with far fewer resources than USC, land a much better, highly sought-after, head coach?

I thought Sark was a highly regarded coach?

Peterson was not available when the USC job came up.

[RedTeamGo!]

Is USC really that great of job? I turned the game on last night and noticed about 10,000 empty seats. Do people really even care about USC football in LA?

[Boston Red]

Peterson was not available when the USC job came up.

Petersen replaced Sarkesian at U-Dub. So he was as available for USC as he was for U-Dub.

[Assembly Hall]

Is USC really that great of job? I turned the game on last night and noticed about 10,000 empty seats. Do people really even care about USC football in LA?

To be honest, right now I view the USC job about the same as I do Texas. Wasnt like Strong #4 or 5 on their list?

[Assembly Hall]

There's a rumor going around that Chip Kelly may be in line for that job.

I think that is just wishful thinking.

[Chip R]

I thought Sark was a highly regarded coach?

Peterson was not available when the USC job came up.

I think that whole situation of Sark getting drunk and running off at the mouth tarnished his image somewhat. Winning big could erase that but if you are a drunk and you don't win it makes it easier to get yourself fired.


Is USC really that great of job? I turned the game on last night and noticed about 10,000 empty seats. Do people really even care about USC football in LA?

It's L.A. They show up for a winner. Plus they play in the Colisseum which looks great on TV but is really a pit in a bad neighborhood.

[IslandRed]

How did Washington, a school with far fewer resources than USC, land a much better, highly sought-after, head coach?

I think you're selling Washington a little short. They have more than enough scratch to compete when they want to.

[Assembly Hall]

I think you're selling Washington a little short. They have more than enough scratch to compete when they want to.

Ask USC!!!!!!!!

[Tom Servo]

I'm something of a USC fan/apologist, and I never really liked the Sarkisian hire. He's not a terrible coach, but I thought after the Kiffin debacle that the last thing USC needed was another "former assistant gets his dream job" story. Should have hired someone completely outside of the Trojan box.

[BuckeyeRed27]

Is USC really that great of job? I turned the game on last night and noticed about 10,000 empty seats. Do people really even care about USC football in LA?

As an LA resident with a degree from USC, yes people in LA very much care about USC football. It is a little different vibe in general from the Midwest/south, but fans care just as much and as just as pissed about this start as any fan base would be.

As far as the crowd, a 6pm Thursday game is just brutal to get to. The announced attendance was about 70k and it seemed like it filled in towards half time. There are always a couple sections that are empty except for really big games because they are terrible seats. The football field isn't in the middle of the stadium, it is pushed towards the west side and those far east sections are terrible.

[villain612]

I think USC would be a great job. Great state to recruit talent in. Then there's the history, tradition, and brand, etc. You're the only football game in town (currently at least) For out of state recruits, luring them to sunny California to play in Pasadena shouldn't be too difficult. I'd say it's easily a top ten coaching job IMO.

[Chip R]

Should have hired someone completely outside of the Trojan box.

Family board! :eek:

[villain612]

There's a rumor going around that Chip Kelly may be in line for that job.

Before he even went to Philly I thought it was blatantly obvious that Chip was much better suited for the college game.

I'd be interested to see what he could do at USC where he'd be getting the 4 and 5 star athletes that Oregon doesn't get.

[dabvu2498]

Before he even went to Philly I thought it was blatantly obvious that Chip was much better suited for the college game.

I'd be interested to see what he could do at USC where he'd be getting the 4 and 5 star athletes that Oregon doesn't get.

To fully complete the "Pitino-cycle" he'd go to USC, win a championship, then have it vacated because of hookers.

But seriously, didn't he get a show-cause after he left Oregon? It may be expired, but they were doing some pretty hard core cheating in Eugene

[KronoRed]

There's a rumor going around that Chip Kelly may be in line for that job.

If Chip heads back to college there will be tons of betters jobs available.

[Chip R]

To fully complete the "Pitino-cycle" he'd go to USC, win a championship, then have it vacated because of hookers.

But seriously, didn't he get a show-cause after he left Oregon? It may be expired, but they were doing some pretty hard core cheating in Eugene

I don't think he did but it was close.

[dabvu2498]

He did. 18 months so it's expired. But I can't imagine USC going for that given their recent past.

[Tom Servo]

Big win for the Longhorns and Charlie Strong over Oklahoma, feeling somewhat justified in defending him right about now. :)

[Assembly Hall]

Big win for the Longhorns and Charlie Strong over Oklahoma, feeling somewhat justified in defending him right about now. :)

Glad to see that win, much needed. Good for Strong.

[villain612]

So much for Michigan vs Northwestern



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ytCEuuW2_A

[Assembly Hall]

So much for Michigan vs Northwestern



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ytCEuuW2_A

Well at least the Cal/Utah game didnt disappoint.

[19braves77]

I don't think there will be one undefeated team in the playoffs this year. I think every team will have one loss.

[jojo]

There's a rumor going around that Chip Kelly may be in line for that job.

Saban to Texas, chip to Bama, strong to Maryland.

- - - Updated - - -


I don't think there will be one undefeated team in the playoffs this year. I think every team will have one loss.

Prays the redneck Bama fan.

[Boston Red]

I think Strong saved his job yesterday. At least as far as this year is concerned. They've got enough winnable games left that they'll probably manage 5 or 6 wins, and they'll have to give him another year. They weren't going to sack Strong unless this year was a complete disaster, and yesterday pretty much cemented the fact that this year will not qualify as a complete disaster.

[Tom Servo]

Southern California coach Steve Sarkisian is taking a forced leave of absence, athletic director Pat Haden announced Sunday.

It's unclear what specifically led to the decision.

Sarkisian, whose team fell to 3-2 after losing to Washington last Thursday night, was reprimanded and apologized in the preseason for appearing drunk at the “Salute to Troy” booster event in which Haden had to pull him off the stage during a speech.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/pac12/2015/10/11/usc-coach-steve-sarkisian-leave-of-absence-pat-haden/73787066/

Where's Ed Orgeron when you need him?

[KronoRed]

Sounds like bad news.

[RedTeamGo!]

@BruceFeldmanCFB: Am told by multiple sources Steve Sarkisian showed up in no condition to work today & #USC brass knows he needs serious help.

Sounds like he is an alcoholic, which is sad. With that said, when you show up to work drunk isn't that an immediate fireable offense? Especially when your job entails teaching young people? I kind of think Sark will never coach USC again.

[Assembly Hall]

@BruceFeldmanCFB: Am told by multiple sources Steve Sarkisian showed up in no condition to work today & #USC brass knows he needs serious help.

Sounds like he is an alcoholic, which is sad. With that said, when you show up to work drunk isn't that an immediate fireable offense? Especially when your job entails teaching young people? I kind of think Sark will never coach USC again.

http://espn.go.com/losangeles/college-football/story/_/id/13864229/usc-trojans-head-coach-steve-sarkisian-take-leave-absence

[Tom Servo]

USC should let both Haden and Sark go.

[Assembly Hall]

USC should let both Haden and Sark go.

I think that would be the wise move.

[jojo]

USC should let both Haden and Sark go.

I think you try to help people, especially at a university.

[Boston Red]

I think you try to help people, especially at a university.

Give him a scholarship to a rehab clinic attached to his pink slip.

[KronoRed]

@InsideUSC: BREAKING: Some #USC assistant coaches believed Steve Sarkisian was drunk during the Arizona State game on Sept. 26.

- - - Updated - - -


I think you try to help people, especially at a university.

I wouldn't be surprised if Haden was keeping this under wraps until he wanted the guy fired and now it's a problem.

[dabvu2498]

I wouldn't be surprised if Haden was keeping this under wraps until he wanted the guy fired and now it's a problem.

Doubtful. If Haden had an inkling that Sark was an alcoholic, he had to know this or a DUI or something similar would be an issue sooner rather than later.

I wonder if he's been an alcoholic all along and able to hide it or if recent events have moved him in that direction.

Bad situation. For him and the school.

[Assembly Hall]

Doubtful. If Haden had an inkling that Sark was an alcoholic, he had to know this or a DUI or something similar would be an issue sooner rather than later.

I wonder if he's been an alcoholic all along and able to hide it or if recent events have moved him in that direction.

Bad situation. For him and the school.

Good take dab. But the whole situation is mystifying to me.

[Chip R]

Doubtful. If Haden had an inkling that Sark was an alcoholic, he had to know this or a DUI or something similar would be an issue sooner rather than later.

I wonder if he's been an alcoholic all along and able to hide it or if recent events have moved him in that direction.

Bad situation. For him and the school.

I heard he was passed out on the flight home from WSU last season and players took pictures. Sark also pledged after the incident earlier this season that he wouldn't drink for the rest of the season.

[dabvu2498]

I heard he was passed out on the flight home from WSU last season and players took pictures. Sark also pledged after the incident earlier this season that he wouldn't drink for the rest of the season.

If Haden knew and didnt act, he's clueless. If he didn't know, probably clueless as well.

If what you say proves out, then yeah, I'd say they both have to go. Even if you have to pay em to go away.

[Boston Red]

Haden worked at ND for God's sake. If anyone should know how to deal with alcoholics, it's him.

[Chip R]

If Haden knew and didnt act, he's clueless. If he didn't know, probably clueless as well.

If what you say proves out, then yeah, I'd say they both have to go. Even if you have to pay em to go away.

The guy obviously needs help but you can't have a guy like that coaching kids. You have to think Haden knew and for whatever reason he didn't do anything.

[Assembly Hall]

Here's one talking about his time at Washington.......

http://www.latimes.com/sports/usc/la-sp-usc-sarkisian-washington-20151012-story.html

[Sea Ray]

Here's one talking about his time at Washington.......

http://www.latimes.com/sports/usc/la-sp-usc-sarkisian-washington-20151012-story.html

Pat Haden should have known this prior to hiring him. If he didn't know it then he's guilty of negligence and should also be fired. If he did know it then he should be fired for poor judgment

[bucksfan2]

Pat Haden should have known this prior to hiring him. If he didn't know it then he's guilty of negligence and should also be fired. If he did know it then he should be fired for poor judgment

I think Haden has to go. Granted the AD oversees much more than just the football program and his responsibilities are diverse. But football is the money maker. The head coach of your football program is not only the spokesman for the department, he is the most recognizable face for your university. If the players new he was drinking too much, would show up hungover to meetings, was reportedly drunk at games, and not able to function at practices, you can't turn a blind eye to this. We are talking about Steve Sarkesian not Urban Meyer or Nick Saben.

[traderumor]

I think you try to help people, especially at a university.Helping is probably not letting him remain in a very high stress and visible position like head coach at USC. That is co-dependence 101. Help him get help, sure. Plus, I'm sure they already have policies in place that are pretty clear that would only allow them to do certain things. I just don't think there is any chance that a coach with as severe a drinking problem as the rumors speak to has any ability to be employed in his current position.

[Chip R]

Helping is probably not letting him remain in a very high stress and visible position like head coach at USC. That is co-dependence 101. Help him get help, sure. Plus, I'm sure they already have policies in place that are pretty clear that would only allow them to do certain things. I just don't think there is any chance that a coach with as severe a drinking problem as the rumors speak to has any ability to be employed in his current position.

Agreed. I think in his current situation - going through a divorce, etc - that letting him remain in that position is not helpful to him. It doesn't mean he can't ever coach again as I'm sure there have been and are alcoholics that coach. But for now, he has to get help. Later they can resolve his position there.

[Assembly Hall]

Agreed. I think in his current situation - going through a divorce, etc - that letting him remain in that position is not helpful to him. It doesn't mean he can't ever coach again as I'm sure there have been and are alcoholics that coach. But for now, he has to get help. Later they can resolve his position there.

I dont buy the divorce thing. But yeah, he needs help.

[Chip R]

I dont buy the divorce thing. But yeah, he needs help.

You don't buy he's getting a divorce?

[villain612]

I think the writing is on the wall that Sark is gonna get fired at some point. I think they're letting him go to rehab and replacing him with an interim coach for PR reasons.

He's coached his last game for USC IMO.

[BuckeyeRed27]

I think the writing is on the wall that Sark is gonna get fired at some point. I think they're letting him go to rehab and replacing him with an interim coach for PR reasons.

He's coached his last game for USC IMO.

No doubt, he won't coach for USC again. Pretty disappointing situation all around. Obviously you hope he can get the help he needs and get his life figured out.

Not sure this costs Haden at this point. He probably should have done more homework and I'm sure he knew of the rumors, but there is a big jump from a guy that drinks and parties to a guy that is an alcoholic that will show up to a game drunk. He also had a relationship with him and he was a known person to a lot of USC guys.

[Assembly Hall]

You don't buy he's getting a divorce?

I am saying I dont buy that his drinking is related to a divorce.

[RedTeamGo!]

It sounds like Sark has gotten much worse recently because of a messy divorce. I doubt Haden could have known about that.

As someone else said, there is a big leap between a guy that gets drunk once or twice a week and a guy that is a full blown alcoholic.

[Chip R]

I am saying I dont buy that his drinking is related to a divorce.

I'm not saying that although it could. What I'm saying is that he's got a high pressure job and he's drinking and the busted marriage on top of it doesn't help his stress level. The drinking was obviously there before the split-up. It's possible the divorce exacerbated it along with the pressures of being the football coach at USC.

[bucksfan2]

I'm not saying that although it could. What I'm saying is that he's got a high pressure job and he's drinking and the busted marriage on top of it doesn't help his stress level. The drinking was obviously there before the split-up. It's possible the divorce exacerbated it along with the pressures of being the football coach at USC.

There is a difference between drinking and partying too much and having a problem. Partying is fun, it takes its toll, but you have a good time. You end up paying for it the next day, but there are some people who do it day in day out. I think that differs from addiction. It appears as if Sark had an issue showing up drunk to practices and games. There were reports from guys he coached at UW, reports from his current players, and finally the university had to step in. It was a failure from the top down if you ask me.

The second you had Sark getting drunk at their booster dinner you could have suspended him while he sought treatment. When they allowed him to continue to coach while 'staying away from booze' they turned the other way. They probably looked it as if they had a contending team and didn't want to upset the apple cart. They probably hoped that Sark could walk the straight and narrow. They put football ahead of Sark the guy and it backfired. I don't doubt that a divorce can be a major issue, but I think the problem is a much more deep than that.

[BuckeyeRed27]

He has officially been fired.

[Stray]

Sad stuff with Sark. Hope he gets his life together.

[kaldaniels]

I think the writing is on the wall that Sark is gonna get fired at some point. I think they're letting him go to rehab and replacing him with an interim coach for PR reasons.

He's coached his last game for USC IMO.

Just had to wait for legal to clear it I imagine. Nice call.

[KronoRed]

Pat Haden: "you're suspended". USC's pres. = "...his ass is canned, or you'r both gone".

Haden: "....uh Sark.....sorry, but that suspension thing....well, that's gonna be....permanent. Fight on, bro!."

[Tom Servo]

Feel bad for Sark, but like I said the other day I never really liked that hire in the first place. Just wish Haden would get the boot and let the Trojans start fresh.

[kaldaniels]

Feel bad for Sark, but like I said the other day I never really liked that hire in the first place. Just wish Haden would get the boot and let the Trojans start fresh.

Man, checking the college sites it looks like the SC program has opened the floodgates of drunk Sark stories.

[Assembly Hall]

Man, checking the college sites it looks like the SC program has opened the floodgates of drunk Sark stories.

Naw, Eddie Sutton is posting everything!

[cumberlandreds]

Naw, Eddie Sutton is posting everything!

Billy Gillispie can top him.

[villain612]

The real season is about to begin soon. All the rankings, projections, how teams have played up until now, etc are all meaningless. Everything is gonna sort itself out over the next 7 weeks as the heavy hitters for the conferences start to play eachother.

Remember this gem?

http://cdn.fansided.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/276/files/2014/10/Skip-Bayless.jpg

[traderumor]

Hey, Skip hit .250. Probably catch on at second base somewhere with his glove.

[KronoRed]

Bevo 14 has moved on to the big pasture in the sky

http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/college-sports/headlines/20151016-texas-mascot-bevo-xiv-dies-in-his-sleep-school-announces.ece

[Assembly Hall]

Bevo 14 has moved on to the big pasture in the sky

http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/college-sports/headlines/20151016-texas-mascot-bevo-xiv-dies-in-his-sleep-school-announces.ece

I dont believe the story. I think he committed suicide!!!!!!!!! Poor feller.

[jojo]

I dont believe the story. I think he committed suicide!!!!!!!!! Poor feller.

My first thought? Has anyone checked Harvey Updyke's alibi?

[dabvu2498]

What in the world happened with Tommy Tubs at the end of the UC game? It looked like he quit.

[KronoRed]

I dont believe the story. I think he committed suicide!!!!!!!!! Poor feller.
At least he held on to watch Oklahoma get beat.

[Assembly Hall]

My first thought? Has anyone checked Harvey Updyke's alibi?

Hmmmmmm. So what do you think jojo? He killed the cow for steaks? Then is trying to sell the meat so he can pay back Auburn the money he owes them? Sounds plausible.

[jojo]

Hmmmmmm. So what do you think jojo? He killed the cow for steaks? Then is trying to sell the meat so he can pay back Auburn the money he owes them? Sounds plausible.

He wouldn't do anything so that he could pay back Auburn. Clearly, Bevo threatens his sense of self. Harvey has worked much too hard over and entire lifetime to win another championship just to have an elderly bovine take away what is rightfully his.

[Assembly Hall]

He wouldn't do anything so that he could pay back Auburn. Clearly, Bevo threatens his sense of self. Harvey has worked much too hard over and entire lifetime to win another championship just to have an elderly bovine take away what is rightfully his.

LOL, I had forgot about that idiot until you threw his name out there. Last I knew or heard he had only paid $99?

[Assembly Hall]

What in the world happened with Tommy Tubs at the end of the UC game? It looked like he quit.

Maybe he has all these big coaching vacancies on his mind?

[Assembly Hall]

Iowa just took Northwestern to the wood shed.

[Stray]

Holy Michigan State!

What a brutal way to lose for Michigan wow

[BuckeyeRed27]

My god that was glorious!

[villain612]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CRjjp5oWwAApCeM.png

[traderumor]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CRjjp5oWwAApCeM.pngIn the video, the girl on the right was just yelling "NO!NO!NO!"

Sorry, honey, "YES!YES!YES!" One of the most inept losses I may have seen since Joe Pisarcik botched the handoff for the Giants in the 70s

[paintmered]

Sparty had a 0.2% probability of winning... and did.

That play is going to follow around Michigan for decades.

[westofyou]

Sparty had a 0.2% probability of winning... and did.

That play is going to follow around Michigan for decades.

So painful, like Colorado 1994

[jojo]

This is why you never put the game on a punter.

[Boston Red]

So now that Memphis has hammered Ole Miss, does an undefeated AAC champ (if we have one) deserve a spot in the playoffs?

[dougdirt]

So now that Memphis has hammered Ole Miss, does an undefeated AAC champ (if we have one) deserve a spot in the playoffs?

Depends on what the rest of college football does.

[MWM]

Leonard Fournette is the best back since Adrian Peterson, IMO. He could be a great nfl back right now I believe.

That Barkley Kidd for Penn State looks like he's going to be special as well. PSU is on the way up. The big ten looks to finally be a year or two away from having a really strong conference. Definitely overdue.