This Week in College Football 11/30 - 12/2

[alfdogg 0]

At least the Bears had a great game this weekend

[nogoodnick 0]

I could get myself free tickets to the Vegas Bowl, but I don't even have the money to get there.

I really wish I had the cash to go to the Vegas Bowl. Las Vegas and Ducks football games are two of my favorite places to get drunk. And I could bash on mormons.

[Spicy McHaggis 0]

First and foremost, congrats to UCLA... they kicked our ass. However, this loss was a coaching loss and nothing more.

 

Double however, we will beat Michigan. Mark it down. I will even sig bet any takers.

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

Double however, we will beat Michigan. Mark it down. I will even sig bet any takers.

 

It was funny. I talked to Damaramu the other night. He is so convinced Michigan would beat USC, despite the fact USC outranked Michigan in every offensive category except rushing. It'll be fun to see USC kick some Wolverine ass. Oh and Boise State over OU too.

[Edwin MacPhisto 0]

USC getting held to 9 points against mediocre UCLA shows that everyone's fallible and that their offense might isn't exactly greatness. Anyone making bold predictions one way or another about the USC/Michigan game isn't operating on much more than a fan's disposition, I think. It looks like one of the more even matchups of the bowl season.

[teke184 0]

USC getting held to 9 points against mediocre UCLA shows that everyone's fallible and that their offense might isn't exactly greatness. Anyone making bold predictions one way or another about the USC/Michigan game isn't operating on much more than a fan's disposition, I think. It looks like one of the more even matchups of the bowl season.

 

I'm definitely not an impartial person, but I figure that Michigan will be able to break down the USC-UCLA game tape, along with the Oregon State game and the other close games (Arizona, Washington, etc.), and be able to put together a defense that will give Booty fits.

 

If they get the same kind of pressure on Booty that UCLA did, it'll be hard for the Trojans to put up a lot of points without help from the defense.

 

 

 

 

The real question will be if the USC defense can stop Michigan's rushing offense.

 

 

UCLA kept gashing the USC ends for gains around the corners by their QB and their RB, neither of whom has the stats of Michigan RB Mike Hart.

 

If Michigan tries the same thing with Mike Hart in the backfield, who is #8 in the country for rushing yards and has 9 100-yard games this year, the Trojans better hope they can read the Wolverine formations to know where he's going and then get there first.

 

 

 

I'd say Michigan wins by 10 barring something unforseen happening (major injury, suspension of a major player, etc.)

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

Ok, so Pete Carroll, one of the country's best defensive minds, isn't going to do the same? He isn't going to break down Michigan tapes? This isn't some USC fanboy whining. This is me legitimately wondering. I mean, from my experience watching games, Lloyd Carr isn't all that good of a coach. Most of the success he has seems to be from the team's play rather than his coaching.

[teke184 0]

Ok, so Pete Carroll, one of the country's best defensive minds, isn't going to do the same? He isn't going to break down Michigan tapes? This isn't some USC fanboy whining. This is me legitimately wondering. I mean, from my experience watching games, Lloyd Carr isn't all that good of a coach. Most of the success he has seems to be from the team's play rather than his coaching.

 

We shall see.

 

 

If Michigan blows their 4th bowl in a row (and 5th in 6 years), they and Carr are officially overrated.

[Guest]

I don't know what's going to happen. I'll say that it'll be a 3 point game unless Michigan catches Cal Syndrome.

[teke184 0]

I don't know what's going to happen. I'll say that it'll be a 3 point game unless Michigan catches Cal Syndrome.

 

The only reason I say 10 is that I feel Booty will blow a drive late in the 4th quarter, a la Jake Delhomme on Monday night, which results in a score Michigan wouldn't have had otherwise.

 

 

It's pretty much going to be an even game besides that, but I feel that Michigan will have the edge.

[Bored 0]

ESPN is reporting that Tom O'Brien is leaving Boston College for the N.C. State job. Now there's a shocker.

[Gert T 0]

Lateral move at best?

[KingPK 0]

Maybe BC will actually go to a relevant bowl now! O'Brien teams have had the knack of blowing a winnable game late in the year to screw themselves out of a good bowl (this year's was Miami on Thanksgiving night).

[teke184 0]

ESPN is reporting that Tom O'Brien is leaving Boston College for the N.C. State job. Now there's a shocker.

 

Ugh... WHY?

 

 

BC has lower expectations on their program than NC State, although it hasn't been getting the quality of athletes that NC State has.

 

Taking that NC State job means he's thrown away a sure-thing job at BC for a gamble on an up-and-down program.

 

 

 

On top of that, it's bad form to not only poach a head coach from within your league, but also from within your division.

 

The only time I can think of where that worked out well was when Auburn hired Tommy Tuberville away from Ole Miss.

[Spicy McHaggis 0]

If you're judging USC's prospects in the Rose Bowl based on the losses to Oregon State and UCLA, then you're operating from a moron's perspective. What happened last Saturday had nothing to do with the ability of the players, and everything to do with an offensive game plan that was born out of a complete lack of respect for the opponent. The Trojan defense will have no problems against Michigan's running game, just ask Jonathan Stewart and Marshawn Lynch. Against UCLA, the play calling and offensive line performances were the worst of the Carroll era, bar none. The staff won't underestimate the Wolverines, and the players will be up for the game. We will beat Michigan. Mark it down.

[Urban Warfare 0]

Miami has found their new coach.

 

Edit: And it looks like Rich Rodriguez could be going to 'Bama...

[Vern Gagne 0]

I'll believe the Rodriguez news when he's wearing an Alabama hat.

 

It just seems like we hear stories of a coach having a last minute change of heart, and they decide to stay at their old school.

[Guest Princess Leena]

That's much like the O'Brien move...

 

A job like Alabama's seems like the worst you could get. An area where college football is really all there is, and everyone has completely unrealistic expectations. You're under constant pressure, and are basically the biggest celebrity there.

[Vern Gagne 0]

Find a good coach and you can win at Alabama. Expectations are high but if Auburn can win so can Alabama.

[teke184 0]

Find a good coach and you can win at Alabama. Expectations are high but if Auburn can win so can Alabama.

 

Auburn can win, but Auburn came pretty damn close to firing Tuberville shortly before he put together a 13-0 season.

 

 

Alabama wants a coach who can come in and immediately go 9-3 or 10-2, with some of those wins coming over LSU, Auburn, Tennessee, and Arkansas.

 

A good coach COULD do that, but it's very hard to do that year-in year-out and Alabama's fans have such high standards that it's easy to get on their bad sides.

 

 

Unless a coach is given a few years of stability to get their system and their recruiting in place, it's unreasonable to expect them to come in and knock off a bunch of perennial world-beaters like several of Alabama's permanent SEC opponents, which are Auburn, LSU, Arkansas, and Tennessee.

[cabbageboy 0]

The Rodriguez move is an odd one to say the least. I assumed he was using Bama as a way to get a new deal from WVU for more money. It doesn't really make much sense otherwise, since WVU can definitely contend for the BCS every year in the Big East. But Bama? It's an insane struggle for them to even win the SEC West.

[Urban Warfare 0]

Just saw on NFL Network that Rodriguez will be staying at West Virginia.

[iggymcfly 0]

I-AA Semis start tonight with Massachusets vs. Montana. I was actually thinking about going, but tickets sold out early in the week which they never do when it's cold out. Anyway, looks like it will be a good game with 23,000 strong (which is way louder than 30,000 at a Pac-Ten school) ready to cheer on the Grizzlies.

[cabbageboy 0]

Ha, WVU matched Bama's offer. That makes total sense. With Schiano staying at Rutgers and Rodriguez staying at WVU all the Big East needs is for the snake oil salesman Petrino to stay at U of L for a long time.

[Vern Gagne 0]

Find a good coach and you can win at Alabama. Expectations are high but if Auburn can win so can Alabama.

 

Auburn can win, but Auburn came pretty damn close to firing Tuberville shortly before he put together a 13-0 season.

 

Alabama wants a coach who can come in and immediately go 9-3 or 10-2, with some of those wins coming over LSU, Auburn, Tennessee, and Arkansas.

 

A good coach COULD do that, but it's very hard to do that year-in year-out and Alabama's fans have such high standards that it's easy to get on their bad sides.

 

 

Unless a coach is given a few years of stability to get their system and their recruiting in place, it's unreasonable to expect them to come in and knock off a bunch of perennial world-beaters like several of Alabama's permanent SEC opponents, which are Auburn, LSU, Arkansas, and Tennessee.

 

 

The recruiting isn't horrible. It could be better but it's still Top 20 in the country. Good enough to be more competitive then they have been.

 

What really bothers me about the "you can't win at this school" line of reasoning, you're letting bad coaches like Mike Shula, Pack Hackett, and John Blake off the hook.

[dh86 0]

 

 

Double however, we will beat Michigan. Mark it down. I will even sig bet any takers.

 

It was funny. I talked to Damaramu the other night. He is so convinced Michigan would beat USC, despite the fact USC outranked Michigan in every offensive category except rushing. It'll be fun to see USC kick some Wolverine ass. Oh and Boise State over OU too.

 

yeah okay...if UCLA front 7 teed off on USC...what will the best front 7 in the nation do?

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

dh86, this is the last time I'm addressing you, because you're not worth the time anymore, I'm going to shut up about USC/Michigan. I'm happy Florida is in the title game because they deserve it. I'm happy USC will get Michigan, because I think the matchup favors them. I'm just going to let the bowls do the speaking for itself. If USC wins, then that's what I expected. If Michigan wins, then okay I didn't give them enough credit, but really, let's drop the homerism for now. Myself included.

[teke184 0]

Find a good coach and you can win at Alabama. Expectations are high but if Auburn can win so can Alabama.

 

Auburn can win, but Auburn came pretty damn close to firing Tuberville shortly before he put together a 13-0 season.

 

Alabama wants a coach who can come in and immediately go 9-3 or 10-2, with some of those wins coming over LSU, Auburn, Tennessee, and Arkansas.

 

A good coach COULD do that, but it's very hard to do that year-in year-out and Alabama's fans have such high standards that it's easy to get on their bad sides.

 

 

Unless a coach is given a few years of stability to get their system and their recruiting in place, it's unreasonable to expect them to come in and knock off a bunch of perennial world-beaters like several of Alabama's permanent SEC opponents, which are Auburn, LSU, Arkansas, and Tennessee.

 

 

The recruiting isn't horrible. It could be better but it's still Top 20 in the country. Good enough to be more competitive then they have been.

 

What really bothers me about the "you can't win at this school" line of reasoning, you're letting bad coaches like Mike Shula, Pack Hackett, and John Blake off the hook.

 

I'm not saying you CAN'T win at Alabama.

 

I'm saying that the Alabama alumni's definition of winning is friggin' unreasonable, which is why coaches typically aren't given enough time to have a real chance.

 

 

 

Alabama's fans have trouble accepting that the SEC is no longer Alabama and the 9 dwarfs like it was until the early 90s.

 

They think that a coach should be able to walk in and beat Tennessee, Auburn, LSU, and Arkansas despite three of the four being perennial Top 10 teams and the fourth being a constant SEC West challenger

 

 

A sample year of Alabama football-

 

 

Alabama will win 4 out-of-conference games, barring an actual Top 25 team appearing there.

 

They will beat Ole Miss and Mississippi State on an annual basis, unless those teams improve to bowl-eligible status. (Neither team has been a regular bowl team over the past 10 years unless they get a once-in-a-lifetime player like Eli Manning)

 

 

They *should* be able to beat 1 SEC East team (Tennessee or their two rotating opponents, which can be patsies like Vanderbilt and Kentucky or world-beaters like Georgia and Florida)

 

 

The *should* be able to beat 1 of the 3 remaining SEC West teams (Auburn, LSU, Arkansas)

 

 

 

 

That's 8-4 right there, which is considered good for most BCS conference schools.

 

However, it's typically not considered enough at Alabama due to their storied history.

 

 

The alumni won't be happy until they're beating Auburn at least 50% of the time, if not more, and regularly contending for the SEC title.

 

 

 

I'm not saying it WON'T happen, but Alabama is too impatient for a coach to bring in the kind of players needed to make his system work.

 

 

 

 

At least when LSU cans coaches, it's because of multiple losing seasons.

 

Jerry Stovall- 2 losing seasons in 4 years, canned.

 

Mike Archer- 2 losing seasons at the end of 5 years, canned.

 

Curley Hallman- 4 losing seasons in 4 years, including the worst in school history at 2-9, canned.

 

Gerry DiNardo- 2 losing seasons at the end of 5 years, canned.

 

 

 

 

Shula has had 1 losing season, 2 .500 seasons, and a 10-2 year.

 

I feel that poor decision-making cost him 1-2 games this year (Arkansas and Tennessee), but that the continued absence of WR Tyrone Prothro crippled his offensive game and put him in this situation.

 

 

 

While Shula is not a good coach, I feel they should have let him stay at least one year to give the program a sense of stability, which they have not had since Gene Stallings left in the mid-90s.

 

Between Mike DuBose, Mike Price, Terry Franchione, and Mike Shula, they've been through 4 coaches in a short period of time.

 

They should be looking for someone to put in a long-term fix, not someone who needs to win right away to get pissed-off alumni off of his back.

 

The problem is that the treatment of the last few coaches has been so extreme that few are willing to go to Tuscaloosa no matter what is offered to them. It's seen as a job where you'll be there for four turbulent years at the longest.

 

 

 

I think that they'll end up blowing this hire by trying to throw money at the hot coach of the day, probably someone like Bobby Petrino who's linked with every job in football these days, then end up right back here in 4-5 years because they were impatient and looking at the wrong things when making their coaching search.

 

If they go into one of these things with a solid plan for a replacement, things may turn out different.

 

However, they always seem to think that the Alabama program is an asset to them in this search when, in reality, it's been an albatross for every coach who's been there for the past 10+ years.

[Slayer 0]

While driving around yesterday and listening to the local sports shows talk about the Kansas State-Rutgers game, I thought about how ironic this game was and began to empathize with Rutgers' situation.

 

Comparing KSU in 1998 to Rutgers this year:

- Breakout year with big wins putting them in the national spotlight and talk of possible (albeit slim) national title hopes

- Close overtime loss late in season against another 10+ win team costs them the conference title

- Not winning the conference title causes them not only to get snubbed by the BCS, but by the big non-BCS bowls as well, dropping them down to a bowl game against an unranked team

 

So, yeah, I can feel for Rutgers this year... though I do still want to beat them, as it would cap a surprisingly good first year for Ron Prince

[CanadianChris 0]

What a landslide Heisman win for Troy Smith. Only OJ Simpson won by more than he did.