Hey All,
Here's my take on the recently adopted four team playoff for college football. Oh, and we still miss you, Alan Malamud.
The powers that be in college football agreed to a four team playoff system that will start in 2014 and run for 12 years. That's about all we know. What we don't know is how it will really work. So, we're stuck now with a lame four team playoff for 12 years without knowing much about it at all. That's like leasing a car for 12 years and never knowing anything about the car before you sign the lease. I have huge questions and doubts about this new playoff monster.
Question 1: Who will pick who the Final Four teams are?
That will be done by a committee. They will choose and seed the teams. Which begs the next question.
Question 2: Who will be on this committee?
It's rumored to be a group of 15 current conference commissioners. athletic directors, and former coaches. Yeah, there won't be any bias there at all. Every school west of Big XII country better just get used to never being in the Final Four.
Question 3: What criteria will be used to determine the Final Four teams?
Being a conference champion will factor in. However, SEC teams don't have to worry about this because, well they never have. They say strength of schedule will matter too. Sure, only for teams west of Norman, Oklahoma.
Question 4: Where will these playoff games be played?
The current configuration has six bowls in the mix to host semi-final games with the National Championship game going to the highest bidder. That begs two questions.
Question 5: What two bowls become the fifth and sixth bowls in the mix?
Well folks, only the sixth bowl is doubt. The fifth bowl is the new Big XII- SEC bowl I wrote about last month. So, the SEC wins again with another southern bowl. As for the sixth bowl, I expect that to be the Cotton Bowl. You know Jerry Jones is slobbering over the chance to elevate the Cotton Bowl back to major status with the game at Jerryworld.
Question 6: Who gets the National Championship game?
Those in the know say they will give it to the highest bidder and want the game to be at a neutral site. I see this becoming like the Super Bowl with some sort of rotation like the NFL seems to do with Tampa, San Diego, and New Orleans.
Question 7: When will the games be played?
This new deal says the semi-finals will be played on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day with the title tilt on the second Monday in January. I would really hate too see the Rose Bowl played on December 31st. That just ain't right.
Question 8: What about the smaller conferences?
Basically, the same as before. Maybe they'll get an extra payday out of it here and there, but most likely an undefeated, dangerous Boise team will be watching a four loss SEC team play in the Orange Bowl while they prepare for the Poulan-Weedeater-R&L Carriers Nobody Cares Bowl.
Question 9: Will these playoffs expand to more than four teams?
No, the university presidents say that this new deal keeps the season the same length and that's what's important. Translation: the money wasn't there. It will be though one day and then there will be this great revelation that the playoff should be expanded. Also, it doesn't really matter how many teams get it in, there will always be controversy. With two teams, number three was angry. With four teams, number five will be angry. It's a slippery slope.
Question 10 (Should be 1): How much money will there be and who gets the money?
"Industry experts" claim the playoff could generate 400-500 million dollars annually. As to who gets it, the only thing mentioned was that teams in the Final Four will get a good slice of the pie. Wow, no opportunity for graft there, huh?
Now That we're stuck with this thing, there's a few things I'd like to see happen to even the field here so teams can be on a somewhat equal footing throughout the year.
1. Nobody gets seven or eight home games anymore. It's a 12 game schedule. Six at home and six on the road is fair.
2. Nobody in the FBS gets to play an FCS school ever again. With 124 teams now in the FBS, there are plenty of schools to play.
3. Eliminate all neutral site games except ones with great history. To me that only leaves Army-Navy, Texas-Oklahoma, and Georgia-Florida in the mix.
4. Strength of Schedule should really matter. Teams need to be rewarded for playing a tough out of conference game or two. I would rather watch Georgia play at Oregon than watch either school host Buffalo.
5. All conferences should play eight conference games. That gives schools a chance to build a solid non-conference slate.
6. No polls or standings get released until mid-October. That goes for the AP and all other ranking systems. Let the season settle in, then let's look at who is playing well.
7. Let's abolish the myth of the SEC. The SEC plays good football, but it's flawed like every other league. The top teams are great, the bottom teams stink. Does anyone here think that Kentucky is better than Washington State on any given Saturday or that Illinois and Vanderbilt aren't on the same level?
8. No more conference championship games. Let league records speak for themselves. You spend 12 Saturdays to crown a league champion only so that team could spoil all their hard work with one off game at the wrong time? That stinks.
Until next time folks, remember that after all the garbage and the crying about this new system, when you're in the stands and it's that moment right before kickoff, none of this junk ever enters your mind. Just the love of the game prevails.
-The Commissioner
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Saturday, June 23, 2012
Schedules
Hey All,
Here's another installment of my summer reading program. It's all part of the lead up to the 2012 season. We still miss you, Alan Malamud.
Over the next few weeks we'll take a look at scheduling among the FBS. This installment will cover the ACC and Big East conferences.
ACC
Five Big Ones- Non Conference
9/1 Clemson v. Auburn: This game is at the Georgia Dome and is the second game of the Chick-Fil-A Double Header Classic. This is the ACC's big chance to knockoff a good SEC team and give their league a leg up in the national debate. Clemson won last year at home, 38-24. However, the Tigers haven't won back-to-back games over Auburn since 1950 and 1951. Back then Auburn was still known as the Alabama Polytechinic School.
9/8 Miami at Kansas State: This game is the second of a season opening back-to-back where the 'Canes will play a league game at Boston College then take a trip to the Little Apple that is Manhattan, Kansas. Oh, last year's meeting between these two squads went down to the wire. This one could too.
9/22 Duke at Stanford: This is a big game? For the Blue Devils and the ACC it sure is. A win here would go a long way towards cooling the hot seat under HC David Cutcliffe. Also, the ACC would love to a add a Pac 12 scalp to its' wall in 2012. This game oozes shades of 1971, where the Blue Devils beat a Stanford team coming off having their QB drafted #1 overall.
9/22 Virginia at TCU: This is the Cavaliers big chance to prove that last year's 8-5 record was no fluke. The Wahoos will be tested on defense in this one. The unit has only five returning starters with only one of those being on the defensive line.
11/24 Florida at Florida State: If FSU is as good as everyone thinks they will be, this rivalry matchup will be the Seminoles last roadblock en route to a BCS Bowl. FSU has beaten Florida the last two years by a combined score of 52-14.
Five Big Ones- Conference
9/1 Miami at Boston College: Opening up with a conference game is a nightmare for both squads. 'Canes HC Al Golden will have his hands full again with a BC squad that won last year's tilt, 24-17. The game was not nearly as close as the score indicated. BC tailed after one quarter, 14-7. Then the Eagles held Miami to cosmetic field goal over the final 45 minutes of play.
9/3 Georgia Tech at Virginia Tech: Let me say this again, opening up with a conference game is a nightmare for both squads. To know that you can be in an 0-1 league hole just after Labor Day is frightening. This game is a on Monday night at Blacksburg, Va. That means a hostile crowd awaits the Yellow Jackets. However, the Hokies have to face a triple option team right off the bat. The Ramblin' Wreck is just 1-4 v. the Hokies in the last five years.
9/22 Clemson at Florida State: This game comes early in the year. A loss here by the Tigers and their annual collapse could begin earlier than normal. An FSU win will have the east coast writers pumping up FSU for several weeks. The home team in this series is 9-1 over the last ten meetings.
10/20 Florida State at Miami: Yes, this doesn't have the allure of those 1990's tilts, but the 'Canes could be just dangerous enough to ruin FSU's big plans for 2012. 10 of the last 11 games between these two has been decided by seven points or less.
11/8 Florida State at Virginia Tech: VaTEch needs this game. However, the Seminoles hold almost all the cards going into this one. Even though this game is on a Thursday night on the road, the 'Noles will be coming off a bye and own a 13-2 record v. the Hokies.
ACC Scheduling Odds & Ends
An FCS double dip; Florida State will open up with two FCS schools this season. West Virginia backed out of a game with the 'Noles after jumping to the Big XII. So, FSU opens up with four games in a row at home and the first two are against Murray State and Savannah State.
Two double-doubles; Clemson only plays four real road games this year and those four come in two sets of two games each. On 9/22 and 9/29 the Tigers go to Florida State and Boston College. Then they hit the road again on 10/25 and 11/3 for dates at Wake Forest and Duke.
Someone had to do it; North Carolina State drew the short straw and will host that great power of college football, The Citadel on 9/22.
A tough trio; Boston College is the only school in the ACC that will play three straight road games. The Eagles will travel to Army, Florida State, and Georgia Tech in the first three weeks of October.
A perfect symmetry; Maryland's schedule is a model in balance. The Terrapins play their four conference games first, have a bye, then play eight straight conference games to finish the season. They also play six home games and six away games. The home and away split is in six perfect couplets: H/A H/A H/A H/A H/A H/A.
A first date; North Carolina will play it's very first WAC opponent ever this year when they host Idaho on 9/29. I don't what shape Idaho will be in when they show up to Chapel Hill, though. The Vandals will have already made a road trip to LSU on 9/15.
Halfway in the door; Virginia Tech will play at Pittsburgh on 9/15. The two were rivals in the Big East, and they will be again in 2013 in the ACC.
Shades of a tier two bowl; BYU plays at Georgia Tech on 10/27. Sounds like an old Sun Bowl matchup to me. All I need is for Verne Lundquist to tell me how nice it is in El Paso this time of year.
A tough trio redux; Virginia will take on Penn State, Georgia Tech, and TCU in three straight weeks. The latter two on the road.
Big East
Five Big Ones- Non Conference
9/2 Kentucky at Louisville: This battle for the commonwealth is an extension of the great hoops rivalry between the two schools. As for the football side of things, this series is only 24 games old. There was a gap in the rivalry from 1925-1993. The Wildcats had won four straight before Louisville broke through for a 24-17 win last year.
9/8 USC v. Syracuse: All the 'Cuse alumni in New York will be there for this game at still new MetLife Stadium. It will most likely be a hot and muggy day for a USC team that will be playing after a 3,000 mile trip at 12:30 PDT. This game is a rematch of the 1990 Kickoff Classic where USC whipped the Orange, 34-16, in the old Meadowlands.
9/15 Connecticut at Maryland: Games with a revenge theme can be ugly and fun to watch. This could be just that. Beating current Maryland HC Randy Edsall will be foremost among the minds of UConn's players. Afterall, Edsall was the man who as HC of the Huskies took them from the FCS to the FBS ranks.
9/22 Rutgers at Arkansas: This game seems a little more winnable for Rutgers now that Bob "Harley" Petrino is not in charge of the Hogs. Regardless of who's in charge for the Hogs, this game will come down to Big Offense v. Big Defense. Arkansas can light up the scoreboard, while Rutgers has the best returning defense in the Big East.
9/29 Florida State at South Florida: If South Florida wants to claim its' place as big time program in the state, Big East and the nation, they need to win this game. A win crushes FSU's title hopes, and makes USF a national story. USF won the last time they met in 2009, but in 2012 the stakes will be higher.
Five Big Ones- Conference
9/29 Cincinnati v. Virginia Tech: This game will be at FedEx Field in Landover, MD. The Bearcats are on the edge of being a contender this year in the Big East and an upset of the Hokies would give them great momentum for the rest of their season.
10/5 Pittsburgh at Syracuse: This is the final Big East meeting for this pair before they bolt for the ACC in 2013. Despite the lawsuits against both schools by the league, they will surely be gone. That will mean that of the original Eight Big East schools, only two will be left by 2013.
10/6 South Florida at Temple: This game is Temple's welcome back to a BCS conference. The Owls have made this their homecoming game. It's the first meeting ever between the two schools as Temple had already been kicked out of the Big East before USF joined.
10/20 South Florida at Louisville: USF owns a 4-3 lead in this series since they joined the league. This could easily be the game that determines the Big East champion. Average margin of victory in the last four game of this series is seven points, with the Cardinals winning by 10 last year at USF.
11/29 Louisville at Rutgers: This Friday night ESPN showcase could be Louisville's coronation as the 2012 Big East champs. However, it could also end up being a lame game that will have running out to see a high school playoff game.
Big East Scheduling Odds & Ends
Quick turnaround; After taking a near 3,000 mile road trip to Reno to take on the Nevada Wolfpack on 9/8, South Florida has just four days to prepare for their league opener with Rutgers the next Thursday, in Tampa.
Been awhile; Rutgers game at Arkansas this year is the Scarlet Knights' first with an SEC team since they hosted and beat Kentucky, 24-8, in 1990.
Cupcakes for the Panthers; Pitt will face two FCS schools as Youngstown State and Gardner-Webb both will make visits to the Steel City.
Reunited; When Connecticut hosts Massachusetts on 8/30, it will be the 72nd meeting between the two schools and their first in the series since 1999. That prior meeting was UConn's last FCS game. This game will mark the Minutemen's first game on the FBS level.
Checking out the Big Ten; Syracuse is doing a small homage to Notre Dame by taking on Northwestern and Minnesota this year.
A BCS battle again; With Temple back in the Big East this season, the Owls matchup with Penn State will be between two BCS conference schools. It hasn't been this way since 2003.
Until next time folks, remember that the Big East may lose its' automatic qualifier status pretty soon.
-The Commissioner
Here's another installment of my summer reading program. It's all part of the lead up to the 2012 season. We still miss you, Alan Malamud.
Over the next few weeks we'll take a look at scheduling among the FBS. This installment will cover the ACC and Big East conferences.
ACC
Five Big Ones- Non Conference
9/1 Clemson v. Auburn: This game is at the Georgia Dome and is the second game of the Chick-Fil-A Double Header Classic. This is the ACC's big chance to knockoff a good SEC team and give their league a leg up in the national debate. Clemson won last year at home, 38-24. However, the Tigers haven't won back-to-back games over Auburn since 1950 and 1951. Back then Auburn was still known as the Alabama Polytechinic School.
9/8 Miami at Kansas State: This game is the second of a season opening back-to-back where the 'Canes will play a league game at Boston College then take a trip to the Little Apple that is Manhattan, Kansas. Oh, last year's meeting between these two squads went down to the wire. This one could too.
9/22 Duke at Stanford: This is a big game? For the Blue Devils and the ACC it sure is. A win here would go a long way towards cooling the hot seat under HC David Cutcliffe. Also, the ACC would love to a add a Pac 12 scalp to its' wall in 2012. This game oozes shades of 1971, where the Blue Devils beat a Stanford team coming off having their QB drafted #1 overall.
9/22 Virginia at TCU: This is the Cavaliers big chance to prove that last year's 8-5 record was no fluke. The Wahoos will be tested on defense in this one. The unit has only five returning starters with only one of those being on the defensive line.
11/24 Florida at Florida State: If FSU is as good as everyone thinks they will be, this rivalry matchup will be the Seminoles last roadblock en route to a BCS Bowl. FSU has beaten Florida the last two years by a combined score of 52-14.
Five Big Ones- Conference
9/1 Miami at Boston College: Opening up with a conference game is a nightmare for both squads. 'Canes HC Al Golden will have his hands full again with a BC squad that won last year's tilt, 24-17. The game was not nearly as close as the score indicated. BC tailed after one quarter, 14-7. Then the Eagles held Miami to cosmetic field goal over the final 45 minutes of play.
9/3 Georgia Tech at Virginia Tech: Let me say this again, opening up with a conference game is a nightmare for both squads. To know that you can be in an 0-1 league hole just after Labor Day is frightening. This game is a on Monday night at Blacksburg, Va. That means a hostile crowd awaits the Yellow Jackets. However, the Hokies have to face a triple option team right off the bat. The Ramblin' Wreck is just 1-4 v. the Hokies in the last five years.
9/22 Clemson at Florida State: This game comes early in the year. A loss here by the Tigers and their annual collapse could begin earlier than normal. An FSU win will have the east coast writers pumping up FSU for several weeks. The home team in this series is 9-1 over the last ten meetings.
10/20 Florida State at Miami: Yes, this doesn't have the allure of those 1990's tilts, but the 'Canes could be just dangerous enough to ruin FSU's big plans for 2012. 10 of the last 11 games between these two has been decided by seven points or less.
11/8 Florida State at Virginia Tech: VaTEch needs this game. However, the Seminoles hold almost all the cards going into this one. Even though this game is on a Thursday night on the road, the 'Noles will be coming off a bye and own a 13-2 record v. the Hokies.
ACC Scheduling Odds & Ends
An FCS double dip; Florida State will open up with two FCS schools this season. West Virginia backed out of a game with the 'Noles after jumping to the Big XII. So, FSU opens up with four games in a row at home and the first two are against Murray State and Savannah State.
Two double-doubles; Clemson only plays four real road games this year and those four come in two sets of two games each. On 9/22 and 9/29 the Tigers go to Florida State and Boston College. Then they hit the road again on 10/25 and 11/3 for dates at Wake Forest and Duke.
Someone had to do it; North Carolina State drew the short straw and will host that great power of college football, The Citadel on 9/22.
A tough trio; Boston College is the only school in the ACC that will play three straight road games. The Eagles will travel to Army, Florida State, and Georgia Tech in the first three weeks of October.
A perfect symmetry; Maryland's schedule is a model in balance. The Terrapins play their four conference games first, have a bye, then play eight straight conference games to finish the season. They also play six home games and six away games. The home and away split is in six perfect couplets: H/A H/A H/A H/A H/A H/A.
A first date; North Carolina will play it's very first WAC opponent ever this year when they host Idaho on 9/29. I don't what shape Idaho will be in when they show up to Chapel Hill, though. The Vandals will have already made a road trip to LSU on 9/15.
Halfway in the door; Virginia Tech will play at Pittsburgh on 9/15. The two were rivals in the Big East, and they will be again in 2013 in the ACC.
Shades of a tier two bowl; BYU plays at Georgia Tech on 10/27. Sounds like an old Sun Bowl matchup to me. All I need is for Verne Lundquist to tell me how nice it is in El Paso this time of year.
A tough trio redux; Virginia will take on Penn State, Georgia Tech, and TCU in three straight weeks. The latter two on the road.
Big East
Five Big Ones- Non Conference
9/2 Kentucky at Louisville: This battle for the commonwealth is an extension of the great hoops rivalry between the two schools. As for the football side of things, this series is only 24 games old. There was a gap in the rivalry from 1925-1993. The Wildcats had won four straight before Louisville broke through for a 24-17 win last year.
9/8 USC v. Syracuse: All the 'Cuse alumni in New York will be there for this game at still new MetLife Stadium. It will most likely be a hot and muggy day for a USC team that will be playing after a 3,000 mile trip at 12:30 PDT. This game is a rematch of the 1990 Kickoff Classic where USC whipped the Orange, 34-16, in the old Meadowlands.
9/15 Connecticut at Maryland: Games with a revenge theme can be ugly and fun to watch. This could be just that. Beating current Maryland HC Randy Edsall will be foremost among the minds of UConn's players. Afterall, Edsall was the man who as HC of the Huskies took them from the FCS to the FBS ranks.
9/22 Rutgers at Arkansas: This game seems a little more winnable for Rutgers now that Bob "Harley" Petrino is not in charge of the Hogs. Regardless of who's in charge for the Hogs, this game will come down to Big Offense v. Big Defense. Arkansas can light up the scoreboard, while Rutgers has the best returning defense in the Big East.
9/29 Florida State at South Florida: If South Florida wants to claim its' place as big time program in the state, Big East and the nation, they need to win this game. A win crushes FSU's title hopes, and makes USF a national story. USF won the last time they met in 2009, but in 2012 the stakes will be higher.
Five Big Ones- Conference
9/29 Cincinnati v. Virginia Tech: This game will be at FedEx Field in Landover, MD. The Bearcats are on the edge of being a contender this year in the Big East and an upset of the Hokies would give them great momentum for the rest of their season.
10/5 Pittsburgh at Syracuse: This is the final Big East meeting for this pair before they bolt for the ACC in 2013. Despite the lawsuits against both schools by the league, they will surely be gone. That will mean that of the original Eight Big East schools, only two will be left by 2013.
10/6 South Florida at Temple: This game is Temple's welcome back to a BCS conference. The Owls have made this their homecoming game. It's the first meeting ever between the two schools as Temple had already been kicked out of the Big East before USF joined.
10/20 South Florida at Louisville: USF owns a 4-3 lead in this series since they joined the league. This could easily be the game that determines the Big East champion. Average margin of victory in the last four game of this series is seven points, with the Cardinals winning by 10 last year at USF.
11/29 Louisville at Rutgers: This Friday night ESPN showcase could be Louisville's coronation as the 2012 Big East champs. However, it could also end up being a lame game that will have running out to see a high school playoff game.
Big East Scheduling Odds & Ends
Quick turnaround; After taking a near 3,000 mile road trip to Reno to take on the Nevada Wolfpack on 9/8, South Florida has just four days to prepare for their league opener with Rutgers the next Thursday, in Tampa.
Been awhile; Rutgers game at Arkansas this year is the Scarlet Knights' first with an SEC team since they hosted and beat Kentucky, 24-8, in 1990.
Cupcakes for the Panthers; Pitt will face two FCS schools as Youngstown State and Gardner-Webb both will make visits to the Steel City.
Reunited; When Connecticut hosts Massachusetts on 8/30, it will be the 72nd meeting between the two schools and their first in the series since 1999. That prior meeting was UConn's last FCS game. This game will mark the Minutemen's first game on the FBS level.
Checking out the Big Ten; Syracuse is doing a small homage to Notre Dame by taking on Northwestern and Minnesota this year.
A BCS battle again; With Temple back in the Big East this season, the Owls matchup with Penn State will be between two BCS conference schools. It hasn't been this way since 2003.
Until next time folks, remember that the Big East may lose its' automatic qualifier status pretty soon.
-The Commissioner
Sunday, June 10, 2012
The Coaching Carousel
Hey All,
It's now under 85 days to kickoff of the 2012 season, so here's another installment of info to get you ready for the upcoming season. We still miss you, Alan Malamud.
Let's take a ride on the ol' Coaching Carousel
27 new head coaches will grace the sidelines during the 2012 season. Here's a snapshot of all the hires.
Akron Zips
OUT: Rob Ianello/ IN: Terry Bowden
Bobby Bowden's other son jumped back into coaching after 10 years off, when in 2009 he took the North Alabama job. He led his squad to three straight D-II playoff appearances. He then threw his hat into the ring for the Akron job and to everyone's surprise got hired. He'll try to revive a program that has gone 2-22 over the last two seasons. Remember, he did have an undefeated season as the HC at Auburn back in 1993 when they were on probation and serving a two year bowl ban.
Arizona Wildcats
OUT: Mike Stoops/ IN: Rich Rodriguez
Oh, Pac 12 fans, we will all miss Mike Stoops' red-faced rages on the sidelines, but we will have Rich Rodriguez to entertain us. He'll bring in a flashy offense. RichRod also managed to grab his old defensive coordinator from West Virginia, Jeff Casteel, to install a new 3-3-5 defense in Tucson. Rodriguez may do a lot better at UofA than Michigan because he won't have someone always telling him, "That's not the way we do it here at Michigan."
Arizona State Sun Devils
OUT: Dennis Erickson/ IN: Todd Graham
Dennis Erickson is gone, but his roster of future felons and head cases remains. Into the mix comes Todd Graham, who didn't even have a face-to-face meeting with his Pittsburgh squad to tell them he was leaving for the desert. They were notified via text message. Stay classy, Todd Graham. I'm sure Graham will just be renting a home in Tempe. This is his fourth HC gig in the last seven seasons.
Arkansas Razorbacks
OUT: Bob Petrino/ IN: John L. Smith
I always knew motorcycles could be dangerous. So how much did Petrino lose after one little accident? His Job, his wife, his hot little girlfriend on the side and several million dollars. What did he gain? A nasty case of road rash and the status of being a national joke. Hopefully, John L. Smith will stay out of the headlines and rack up a bunch of W's to make the Razorback faithful forget about the Hell's Angel wannabe.
Arkansas State Red Wolves
OUT: Hugh Freeze/ IN: Gus Malzahn
Freeze got the Red Wolves to 10 wins last year and bolted for The Ole Miss job replacing Houston Nutt. So, who comes in for Freeze? Gus Malzahn. Malzahn was the HC from Springdale High in Arkansas who ended up as an assistant at the University of Arkansas under HC Houston Nutt when he delivered Mitch Mustain and few other prized recruits to Fayetteville. Now, Nutt is unemployed and Malzahn is still standing. Oh irony, you cruel comedian!
Colorado State Rams
OUT: Steve Fairchild/ IN: Jim McElwain
Steve Fairchild's tenure at CSU is forgettable with his teams racking up a 9-27 record over the last three seasons. Jim McElwain comes in after being Nick Saban's offensive coordinator the last three seasons at Alabama. It seems weird for McElwain to leave the SEC to come west, but not really. He grew up in Missoula, MT, played at Eastern Washington, and coached at both EWU and Montana State.
Florida Atlantic Owls
OUT: Howard Schnellenberger/ In Carl Pelini
Gone is the man who took FAU into the FBS and was their only HC at this level. Schnellenberger's career is a storied one that goes from coaching for Bear Bryant at Alabama to winning a national title as the HC at Miami. Carl Pelini comes in from Nebraska where he was the defensive coordinator under his brother Bo Pelini.
Fresno State Bulldogs
OUT: Pat Hill/ IN: Tim DeRuyter
Even though his firing came as a shock to those around the FSU program, Hill's mantra of "Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere" may have been losing its' meaning to his team. The Bulldogs were only 40-41 overall in Hill's last seven seasons including last year's 4-9 mark. Tim DeRuyter takes over after spending the last two seasons as the defensive coordinator for Texas A&M. He's a graduate of the Air Force Academy which means he will try to put some discipline back into a program that hasn't shown much of that on the field lately.
Hawaii Warriors
OUT: Greg McMackin/ IN: Norm Chow
Yes, Trojan fans, Norm Chow finally has a job as a head coach. He follows Greg McMackin who retired/was forced out at the end of the 2011 campaign. He's native Hawaiian who will make this his last gig in a long career according to Warrior "insiders." Norm's first game will come at the Coliseum against USC. I wonder if Norm still knows the words to Fight On! He'll be hearing it a lot on 9/1.
Houston Cougars
OUT: Kevin Sumlin/ IN: Tony Levine
When Sumlin left for Texas A&M, Levine stepped in to be the interim coach of the Cougars. He guided his squad to a 30-14 win over Penn State in the Ticket City Bowl and the UH Administration rewarded him by removing the interim tag. We'll see how he does this season without Case Keenum under center.
Illinois Fighting Illini
OUT: Ron Zook/ IN: Tim Beckman
See what happens when you start out 6-0, then lose the next 6? Even a win over a pathetic UCLA squad in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl couldn't save The Zooker. Tim Beckman comes in as a rising star. He took over a Toledo team that was reeling from a point shaving scandal and guided the program to two bowl games in the last three seasons. The last one was a thrilling 42-41 win over Air Force in the Military Bowl. That game dropped an L on almost everyone in my bowl pick 'em contest last year. Gee, thanks Tim.
Kansas Jayhawks
OUT: Turner Gill/ IN: Charlie Weis
The man with the schematic advantage is back. After his Notre Dame tenure and a couple years with the Chiefs as their OC, Weis is back in the college ranks. He replaces Turner Gill who showed a lot of promise when he left the University of Buffalo. Gill went a miserable 10-26 at the helm which included an embarrassing loss to North Dakota State in 2010. Weis talked his way into the job and managed to talk ND transfer Dayne Crist and BYU transfer Jake Heaps into coming along to bolster the QB situation. Charlie will soon learn how hard it is to be a football coach at a basketball school.
Memphis Tigers
OUT: Larry Porter/ IN: Justin Fuente
Porter learned that going 3-21 will get you fired. Now, he'll coach the running backs at ASU under Todd Graham. In his stead now is Justin Fuente. He was TCU's offensive coordinator last year and was the QB coach for six seasons at Illinois State. He spent his college career playing for Oklahoma and Murray State as a QB where he set a ton of passing records for the Racers. Being the tutor for Andy Dalton at TCU will enable him to find a big arm for Memphis offense.
New Mexico
OUT: Mike Locksley/ IN: Bob Davie
Mike Locksley was and absolute train wreck of a head coach. I thought nobody could be worse than Fred Von Appen when he was at Hawaii in the late 1990s. Locksley managed just a 2-26 record while racking up bad off field incidents. He was sued for sexual harassment, punched one of his assistant coaches, and one of his players was caught for a DUI while driving one of Locksley's vehicles. So, the program is looking to do a 180 degree turn with Bob Davie taking over. Davie hasn't walked the sidelines since he was fired at Notre Dame. This is a tough rebuild job since no head coach has complied a winning record at the school since Marv Levy went 14-6 during his two year stint that covered the 1958 and 1959 seasons.
North Carolina Tar Heels
OUT: Butch Davis/Everett Winters /IN: Larry Fedora
Larry Fedora's job is to lead the Tar heels out of their upheaval from scandal and make the Tar Heels respectable winners. The previous regime had agents being lined up for players by coaches, illegal benefits and grade fixing, yet the Tar Heels didn't get hammered by the NCAA. Hmmmmm. In fact, Larry Winters who ran the team in Butch Davis' absence during the 2011 campaign is now Urban Meyer's co-defensive coordinator. Fedroa is a good coach and should do well at UNC. He led Southern Mississippi to a 34-19 reword at USM with 12-2 record and a win over Houston in the C-USA title game.
Ohio State Buckeyes
OUT: Luke Fickell/ IN: Urban Meyer
Well, well, well. Mr. Meyer has miraculously recovered from his heart problems and his need to spend more time with his family. He takes over an OSU squad still reeling from the Jim Tressel scandal of 2010 where Theeeee OSU committed many major violations, but didn't really get punished. Hmmmmmm. Meyer is up to his old tricks as several Buckeyes have already been arrested. I'm sure he'll crack down on them. I'm sure they'll miss at least a play or two in OSU's season opener.
Mississippi Rebels
OUT: Houston Nutt/ IN: Hugh Freeze
So, as alluded to earlier, Freeze is the new HC at Ole Miss. To say Houston Nutt's years in Oxford were a disappointment is an understatement. Nutt took former HC Ed Orgeron's recruits and turned in two straight 9-4 seasons with a pair of Cotton Bowl wins. Then the wheels came off. a 4-8 season followed by a 2-10 season in 2011 and three straight Egg Bowl losses to Mississippi State lead to Nutt's firing. Freeze comes to Ole Miss off doing the near impossible. He turned Arkansas State into a 10 win team with a bowl bid in just one season. The Rebs hope Freeze isn't just a flash in the pan.
Penn State Nittany Lions
OUT: Joe Paterno/ IN: Bill O'Brien
Well, where do we begin? Do I start with Jerry Sandusky's heinous behavior or how Joe Paterno paid the price for being a good man who did nothing when he needed to act? One of College football's longest running shows has closed and now Bill O'Brien starts his act in Happy Valley. He comes from the NFL where he was the offensive coordinator of the New England Patriots. He's an ivy leaguer who went to Brown just like Paterno. This decision could go either way. Penn State's last HC from Brown won 409 games. However, Notre Dame hired a former Patriot OC and didn't do so well with that hire. Oh, and one more thing, Paterno's exit leaves Va Tech HC Frank Beamer as the winningest active HC in the FBS with 251 wins.
Pittsburgh Panthers
OUT: Todd Graham/ IN: Paul Chryst
The king of texting is out at Pitt and Paul Chryst now stands at the helm. Chryst is a Wisconsin guy. He was a state champion QB at Platteville High and played QB for the Badgers all while his father was the HC at UW-Platteville. His latest job was OC for the Badgers under Brent Bielma. Pitt just hopes he stays there awhile. the Panthers have gone through four HCs in the last 13 months.
Rutgers Scarlet Knights
OUT: Greg Schiano/ IN: Kyle Flood
Greg Schiano toiled for years at the state college of New Jersey. He built a good program then, like a lot of New Jersey folks, moved to Florida. He's now the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Flood was Schiano's O-line coach for the last seven seasons. His hiring is believed to be one that will maintain stability for the program. However, we've all seen how the hiring of the longtime assistant ends up being a disaster. West Virginia in the aftermath of Rich Rodriguez's departure comes to mind.
Southern Mississippi
OUT: Larry Fedora/ IN: Ellis Johnson
If at first you don't succeed... Johnson was after this job before. He lost out to Larry Fedora in 2008. Now, the job is his. Johnson has deep southern ties. He played for, then coached for Bobby Ross at The Citadel in the mid 1970s. He was the LB coach on Alabama's 1992 title team and recently spent the last three seasons as the defensive coordinator at South Carolina working for Steve Spurrier.
Texas A&M Aggies
OUT: Mike Sherman/ IN: Kevin Sumlin
Mike Sherman couldn't march his Aggies through the Big XII, going just 26-25 from 2008-11. So, he was relived of his duties and Kevin Sumlin is the new/old Aggie. Sumlin served under RC Slocum during the 2001 season. Sumlin had offers on the table from Arizona State and Illinois before deciding to lead the 12th Man into the SEC.
Toledo Rockets
OUT: Tim Beckman/ IN: Matt Campbell
After Tim Beckman bolted for Champaign-Urbana, Matt Campbell was promoted from within. He's just 32 years old, but he was Tim Beckman's offensive coordinator for a team that racked up 42 points per game in 2011. He's no stranger to success as he played his college ball at D-III powerhouse Mount Union. He was a defensive standout on teams that won there straight D-III national titles.
Tulane Green Wave
OUT: Bob Toledo/ IN: Curtis Johnson
Buffet Bob has left the field and is hanging out on Bourbon Street. Toledo's teams went just 15-46 over the last five seasons. Toledo was bad, Curtis Johnson could be worse. He's never coached anything but wide receivers for the last 24 seasons. This hire just doesn't make sense.
University of Alabama- Birmingham Blazers
OUT: Neil Callaway/ IN: Garrick McGee
The Blazers don't draw big crowds and with good reason. UAB has gone just 43-76 over the last decade. Garrick McGee comes into his first HC gig after leaving Arkansas before Petrino-gate hit the front pages.
UCLA bRuins
OUT: Rick Neuheisel/ Jim Mora, Jr.
Slick Rick is gone. Skippy's teams at UCLA were worse than those during the Karl Dorrell era. That is hard to believe, isn't it? Karl Dullard went 35-28 in five seasons as the HC. Neuweasel went just 21-30 in four seasons at the helm. Jim Mora, Jr. now comes in to pick up the pieces of a program that was humiliated out of the LA Coliseum when USC crushed the bRuins, 50-0 last November. Mora will find that Skippy did leave some talent behind for him. UCLA needs Mora to build the program now. If he doesn't and USC keeps dominating the rivalry with limited scholies, things could hit rock bottom in Westwood.
Washington State Cougars
OUT: Paul Wulff/ IN: Mike Leach
The Cougs have had some tough stretches in their history and the Bill Doba/Paul Wulff era has been one. Wullf's teams went an awful 9-40 during his four years in Pullman. That includes the infamous 2008 season where the Wazzu defense gave up over 60 points four times. How bad the defense is may not matter with Mike Leach as the new HC in the Palouse. Wazzu may not win much, but they will be fun to watch and Leach will be a great source of quotes for the scribes. Oh, and Paul Wulff didn't spend much time on the unemployment line. He's now on Jim Harbaugh's staff with the San Francisco 49ers.
Wow, it took a long time to get to the end of this column. Until next time, remember that the coaching carousel is always turning.
-The Commissioner
It's now under 85 days to kickoff of the 2012 season, so here's another installment of info to get you ready for the upcoming season. We still miss you, Alan Malamud.
Let's take a ride on the ol' Coaching Carousel
27 new head coaches will grace the sidelines during the 2012 season. Here's a snapshot of all the hires.
Akron Zips
OUT: Rob Ianello/ IN: Terry Bowden
Bobby Bowden's other son jumped back into coaching after 10 years off, when in 2009 he took the North Alabama job. He led his squad to three straight D-II playoff appearances. He then threw his hat into the ring for the Akron job and to everyone's surprise got hired. He'll try to revive a program that has gone 2-22 over the last two seasons. Remember, he did have an undefeated season as the HC at Auburn back in 1993 when they were on probation and serving a two year bowl ban.
Arizona Wildcats
OUT: Mike Stoops/ IN: Rich Rodriguez
Oh, Pac 12 fans, we will all miss Mike Stoops' red-faced rages on the sidelines, but we will have Rich Rodriguez to entertain us. He'll bring in a flashy offense. RichRod also managed to grab his old defensive coordinator from West Virginia, Jeff Casteel, to install a new 3-3-5 defense in Tucson. Rodriguez may do a lot better at UofA than Michigan because he won't have someone always telling him, "That's not the way we do it here at Michigan."
Arizona State Sun Devils
OUT: Dennis Erickson/ IN: Todd Graham
Dennis Erickson is gone, but his roster of future felons and head cases remains. Into the mix comes Todd Graham, who didn't even have a face-to-face meeting with his Pittsburgh squad to tell them he was leaving for the desert. They were notified via text message. Stay classy, Todd Graham. I'm sure Graham will just be renting a home in Tempe. This is his fourth HC gig in the last seven seasons.
Arkansas Razorbacks
OUT: Bob Petrino/ IN: John L. Smith
I always knew motorcycles could be dangerous. So how much did Petrino lose after one little accident? His Job, his wife, his hot little girlfriend on the side and several million dollars. What did he gain? A nasty case of road rash and the status of being a national joke. Hopefully, John L. Smith will stay out of the headlines and rack up a bunch of W's to make the Razorback faithful forget about the Hell's Angel wannabe.
Arkansas State Red Wolves
OUT: Hugh Freeze/ IN: Gus Malzahn
Freeze got the Red Wolves to 10 wins last year and bolted for The Ole Miss job replacing Houston Nutt. So, who comes in for Freeze? Gus Malzahn. Malzahn was the HC from Springdale High in Arkansas who ended up as an assistant at the University of Arkansas under HC Houston Nutt when he delivered Mitch Mustain and few other prized recruits to Fayetteville. Now, Nutt is unemployed and Malzahn is still standing. Oh irony, you cruel comedian!
Colorado State Rams
OUT: Steve Fairchild/ IN: Jim McElwain
Steve Fairchild's tenure at CSU is forgettable with his teams racking up a 9-27 record over the last three seasons. Jim McElwain comes in after being Nick Saban's offensive coordinator the last three seasons at Alabama. It seems weird for McElwain to leave the SEC to come west, but not really. He grew up in Missoula, MT, played at Eastern Washington, and coached at both EWU and Montana State.
Florida Atlantic Owls
OUT: Howard Schnellenberger/ In Carl Pelini
Gone is the man who took FAU into the FBS and was their only HC at this level. Schnellenberger's career is a storied one that goes from coaching for Bear Bryant at Alabama to winning a national title as the HC at Miami. Carl Pelini comes in from Nebraska where he was the defensive coordinator under his brother Bo Pelini.
Fresno State Bulldogs
OUT: Pat Hill/ IN: Tim DeRuyter
Even though his firing came as a shock to those around the FSU program, Hill's mantra of "Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere" may have been losing its' meaning to his team. The Bulldogs were only 40-41 overall in Hill's last seven seasons including last year's 4-9 mark. Tim DeRuyter takes over after spending the last two seasons as the defensive coordinator for Texas A&M. He's a graduate of the Air Force Academy which means he will try to put some discipline back into a program that hasn't shown much of that on the field lately.
Hawaii Warriors
OUT: Greg McMackin/ IN: Norm Chow
Yes, Trojan fans, Norm Chow finally has a job as a head coach. He follows Greg McMackin who retired/was forced out at the end of the 2011 campaign. He's native Hawaiian who will make this his last gig in a long career according to Warrior "insiders." Norm's first game will come at the Coliseum against USC. I wonder if Norm still knows the words to Fight On! He'll be hearing it a lot on 9/1.
Houston Cougars
OUT: Kevin Sumlin/ IN: Tony Levine
When Sumlin left for Texas A&M, Levine stepped in to be the interim coach of the Cougars. He guided his squad to a 30-14 win over Penn State in the Ticket City Bowl and the UH Administration rewarded him by removing the interim tag. We'll see how he does this season without Case Keenum under center.
Illinois Fighting Illini
OUT: Ron Zook/ IN: Tim Beckman
See what happens when you start out 6-0, then lose the next 6? Even a win over a pathetic UCLA squad in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl couldn't save The Zooker. Tim Beckman comes in as a rising star. He took over a Toledo team that was reeling from a point shaving scandal and guided the program to two bowl games in the last three seasons. The last one was a thrilling 42-41 win over Air Force in the Military Bowl. That game dropped an L on almost everyone in my bowl pick 'em contest last year. Gee, thanks Tim.
Kansas Jayhawks
OUT: Turner Gill/ IN: Charlie Weis
The man with the schematic advantage is back. After his Notre Dame tenure and a couple years with the Chiefs as their OC, Weis is back in the college ranks. He replaces Turner Gill who showed a lot of promise when he left the University of Buffalo. Gill went a miserable 10-26 at the helm which included an embarrassing loss to North Dakota State in 2010. Weis talked his way into the job and managed to talk ND transfer Dayne Crist and BYU transfer Jake Heaps into coming along to bolster the QB situation. Charlie will soon learn how hard it is to be a football coach at a basketball school.
Memphis Tigers
OUT: Larry Porter/ IN: Justin Fuente
Porter learned that going 3-21 will get you fired. Now, he'll coach the running backs at ASU under Todd Graham. In his stead now is Justin Fuente. He was TCU's offensive coordinator last year and was the QB coach for six seasons at Illinois State. He spent his college career playing for Oklahoma and Murray State as a QB where he set a ton of passing records for the Racers. Being the tutor for Andy Dalton at TCU will enable him to find a big arm for Memphis offense.
New Mexico
OUT: Mike Locksley/ IN: Bob Davie
Mike Locksley was and absolute train wreck of a head coach. I thought nobody could be worse than Fred Von Appen when he was at Hawaii in the late 1990s. Locksley managed just a 2-26 record while racking up bad off field incidents. He was sued for sexual harassment, punched one of his assistant coaches, and one of his players was caught for a DUI while driving one of Locksley's vehicles. So, the program is looking to do a 180 degree turn with Bob Davie taking over. Davie hasn't walked the sidelines since he was fired at Notre Dame. This is a tough rebuild job since no head coach has complied a winning record at the school since Marv Levy went 14-6 during his two year stint that covered the 1958 and 1959 seasons.
North Carolina Tar Heels
OUT: Butch Davis/Everett Winters /IN: Larry Fedora
Larry Fedora's job is to lead the Tar heels out of their upheaval from scandal and make the Tar Heels respectable winners. The previous regime had agents being lined up for players by coaches, illegal benefits and grade fixing, yet the Tar Heels didn't get hammered by the NCAA. Hmmmmm. In fact, Larry Winters who ran the team in Butch Davis' absence during the 2011 campaign is now Urban Meyer's co-defensive coordinator. Fedroa is a good coach and should do well at UNC. He led Southern Mississippi to a 34-19 reword at USM with 12-2 record and a win over Houston in the C-USA title game.
Ohio State Buckeyes
OUT: Luke Fickell/ IN: Urban Meyer
Well, well, well. Mr. Meyer has miraculously recovered from his heart problems and his need to spend more time with his family. He takes over an OSU squad still reeling from the Jim Tressel scandal of 2010 where Theeeee OSU committed many major violations, but didn't really get punished. Hmmmmmm. Meyer is up to his old tricks as several Buckeyes have already been arrested. I'm sure he'll crack down on them. I'm sure they'll miss at least a play or two in OSU's season opener.
Mississippi Rebels
OUT: Houston Nutt/ IN: Hugh Freeze
So, as alluded to earlier, Freeze is the new HC at Ole Miss. To say Houston Nutt's years in Oxford were a disappointment is an understatement. Nutt took former HC Ed Orgeron's recruits and turned in two straight 9-4 seasons with a pair of Cotton Bowl wins. Then the wheels came off. a 4-8 season followed by a 2-10 season in 2011 and three straight Egg Bowl losses to Mississippi State lead to Nutt's firing. Freeze comes to Ole Miss off doing the near impossible. He turned Arkansas State into a 10 win team with a bowl bid in just one season. The Rebs hope Freeze isn't just a flash in the pan.
Penn State Nittany Lions
OUT: Joe Paterno/ IN: Bill O'Brien
Well, where do we begin? Do I start with Jerry Sandusky's heinous behavior or how Joe Paterno paid the price for being a good man who did nothing when he needed to act? One of College football's longest running shows has closed and now Bill O'Brien starts his act in Happy Valley. He comes from the NFL where he was the offensive coordinator of the New England Patriots. He's an ivy leaguer who went to Brown just like Paterno. This decision could go either way. Penn State's last HC from Brown won 409 games. However, Notre Dame hired a former Patriot OC and didn't do so well with that hire. Oh, and one more thing, Paterno's exit leaves Va Tech HC Frank Beamer as the winningest active HC in the FBS with 251 wins.
Pittsburgh Panthers
OUT: Todd Graham/ IN: Paul Chryst
The king of texting is out at Pitt and Paul Chryst now stands at the helm. Chryst is a Wisconsin guy. He was a state champion QB at Platteville High and played QB for the Badgers all while his father was the HC at UW-Platteville. His latest job was OC for the Badgers under Brent Bielma. Pitt just hopes he stays there awhile. the Panthers have gone through four HCs in the last 13 months.
Rutgers Scarlet Knights
OUT: Greg Schiano/ IN: Kyle Flood
Greg Schiano toiled for years at the state college of New Jersey. He built a good program then, like a lot of New Jersey folks, moved to Florida. He's now the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Flood was Schiano's O-line coach for the last seven seasons. His hiring is believed to be one that will maintain stability for the program. However, we've all seen how the hiring of the longtime assistant ends up being a disaster. West Virginia in the aftermath of Rich Rodriguez's departure comes to mind.
Southern Mississippi
OUT: Larry Fedora/ IN: Ellis Johnson
If at first you don't succeed... Johnson was after this job before. He lost out to Larry Fedora in 2008. Now, the job is his. Johnson has deep southern ties. He played for, then coached for Bobby Ross at The Citadel in the mid 1970s. He was the LB coach on Alabama's 1992 title team and recently spent the last three seasons as the defensive coordinator at South Carolina working for Steve Spurrier.
Texas A&M Aggies
OUT: Mike Sherman/ IN: Kevin Sumlin
Mike Sherman couldn't march his Aggies through the Big XII, going just 26-25 from 2008-11. So, he was relived of his duties and Kevin Sumlin is the new/old Aggie. Sumlin served under RC Slocum during the 2001 season. Sumlin had offers on the table from Arizona State and Illinois before deciding to lead the 12th Man into the SEC.
Toledo Rockets
OUT: Tim Beckman/ IN: Matt Campbell
After Tim Beckman bolted for Champaign-Urbana, Matt Campbell was promoted from within. He's just 32 years old, but he was Tim Beckman's offensive coordinator for a team that racked up 42 points per game in 2011. He's no stranger to success as he played his college ball at D-III powerhouse Mount Union. He was a defensive standout on teams that won there straight D-III national titles.
Tulane Green Wave
OUT: Bob Toledo/ IN: Curtis Johnson
Buffet Bob has left the field and is hanging out on Bourbon Street. Toledo's teams went just 15-46 over the last five seasons. Toledo was bad, Curtis Johnson could be worse. He's never coached anything but wide receivers for the last 24 seasons. This hire just doesn't make sense.
University of Alabama- Birmingham Blazers
OUT: Neil Callaway/ IN: Garrick McGee
The Blazers don't draw big crowds and with good reason. UAB has gone just 43-76 over the last decade. Garrick McGee comes into his first HC gig after leaving Arkansas before Petrino-gate hit the front pages.
UCLA bRuins
OUT: Rick Neuheisel/ Jim Mora, Jr.
Slick Rick is gone. Skippy's teams at UCLA were worse than those during the Karl Dorrell era. That is hard to believe, isn't it? Karl Dullard went 35-28 in five seasons as the HC. Neuweasel went just 21-30 in four seasons at the helm. Jim Mora, Jr. now comes in to pick up the pieces of a program that was humiliated out of the LA Coliseum when USC crushed the bRuins, 50-0 last November. Mora will find that Skippy did leave some talent behind for him. UCLA needs Mora to build the program now. If he doesn't and USC keeps dominating the rivalry with limited scholies, things could hit rock bottom in Westwood.
Washington State Cougars
OUT: Paul Wulff/ IN: Mike Leach
The Cougs have had some tough stretches in their history and the Bill Doba/Paul Wulff era has been one. Wullf's teams went an awful 9-40 during his four years in Pullman. That includes the infamous 2008 season where the Wazzu defense gave up over 60 points four times. How bad the defense is may not matter with Mike Leach as the new HC in the Palouse. Wazzu may not win much, but they will be fun to watch and Leach will be a great source of quotes for the scribes. Oh, and Paul Wulff didn't spend much time on the unemployment line. He's now on Jim Harbaugh's staff with the San Francisco 49ers.
Wow, it took a long time to get to the end of this column. Until next time, remember that the coaching carousel is always turning.
-The Commissioner
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Summer Reading
Hey All,
It's less than 100 days until toe meets leather on Labor Day Weekend, thus starting the 2012 college football season. I'm already looking forward to tailgate prep, road trips, and trying to set my DVR up to record as many games as possible. I also look forward to my weekly column, so I'll get an early start this season and put out a couple of columns before the season starts. So enjoy this post, and always remember, we still miss you, Alan Malamud.
Observations
...Hello Bisbee! Arizona has a new HC in Rich Rodriguez and now another helmet. This year for special occasions, the Wildcats will sport copper helmets. Yes, COPPER. So, Trojan fans, get ready to see those buckets when USC goes to Tucson. I'm sure that will be a special occasion.
...ASU is still loving their new sets of uniforms from last year, yet rumors persist that the Sun Devils will bring back the old helmets with Sparky on the side.
..Bulldogs with no bite in their conference: One of the reasons that Pat Hill was let go at Fresno State was a lack of hardware for the trophy case. With all the press about their brutal non-conference tilts, Fresno State did not finish higher than second place in the WAC since 1999 and hasn't won an outright league title since winning the Big West Conference crown in 1989.
...That natural feel; Florida State and Georgia Tech are the only two FBS schools that will play all their 2012 regular season games on natural grass.
...Just not the right time; In a letter to bRuin football boosters, the groundwork for more alternate uniforms was laid down along with a caveat. All new uniforms for UCLA would be introduced with better regards to timing. Translation: UCLA won't break out any new uniforms v. USC ever again.
...No grass stains; Minnesota, Western Michigan, Central Michigan, Miami (OH), and Arkansas State will play their full 2012 slate on artificial turf.
...Busy as Bees in the Big XII; Do not underestimate the impact of the Big XII making a deal for a bowl game with SEC. The game is supposed to host the champions of both leagues in case both don't make it into the BCS Championship game. Let's look at this a few years down the road. With the Big Ten and Pac 12 continuing to face each other in the Rose Bowl, the Big XII-SEC Bowl could easily be the other half of a college football final four. After those two games are played, it's real easy to match the winners up in a +1 bowl for the national title.
...I think the whole reason the Sun Belt Conference exists is to provide the SEC with the seventh home game on their schedules. The FCS exists to give them the eighth home game.
...I've got an idea for a cool plus one; Stanford hosts Duke this year and Northwestern hosts Vanderbilt. I'd like to see the winners play each other in the first annual Brain Bowl. The players on the winning team will get a free ride to grad school.
...Epic Fail; I knew nobody liked Crag James, but now it's official. The reviled former SMU Mustang and ESPN blowhard garnered a paltry 4% of the vote in the Texas Republican primary for the US Senate.
That speaks volumes about how reviled he must be. How do you get just 4% of the vote in Texas when you're good looking, rich, and a gen-u-ine Texas football hero?
...Officer Bob; I heard that Bob Petrino has a new job to fulfill the conditions of his buyout by Arkansas. He's going to be the campus chief of motorcycle safety.
...Why darker? Nike got ahold Minnesota's uniforms for the 2012 season and the Golden Gophers will sport a darker shade of maroon. Which begs the question why? Minnesota is the only school with its' own registered special color: Minnesota Maroon. So, why ever change it?
...And you thought their uniforms were ugly; Last season Maryland broke out some pretty ugly uniforms. Now, it will be their field. The Terps are putting in a new artificial surface. The field won't be green, that's for sure. The skinny/rumor is that the field will be a black turtle pattern with the state flag in the endzones. Here's a mock up...
Rules Changes for 2012
...Goin' Low: Offensive players in the tackle box at the snap of the ball who are not in motion will be allowed to block below the waist legally and without restriction. The rule change is a field day for option teams.
...Keep 'em up strapped up tight; If a player's helmet comes off during a play, that player must sit out the next play.
...No up and over; On punts the defense can no longer try to leap over the protection shilled or personal protector for the punter in an attempt to block the kick.
...Those Dangerous Kickoffs: A New Hope; The NCAA views the kickoff as the most dangerous play in the sport. The powers that be feel that there are just too many high speed collisions that occur during the kickoff. So, to cut down on collisions, kickoffs for the 2012 season will be moved up 5 yards to the 35-yard line.
...Those Dangerous Kickoffs: The Offense Strikes Back; To compensate for the increase in touchbacks by kicking off from the 35-yard line, offenses will start from the 25-yard line after a touchback.
...Those Dangerous Kickoffs: Return Of The Pooch Kick; No coaches will want to give up those extra five yards this year. Expect to see a lot of pooch kicks that land about the 5-yard line and about the same number of collisions as before the rules changes.
...Those Dangerous Kickoffs: The 5-Yard Menace; players on the kickoff coverage units can't line up more than 5 yards behind the line of scrimmage. No more running starts.
Conference Musical Chairs
...That Wacky WAC; Fresno State and Hawaii are out. The Texas State Bobcats and University of Texas- San Antonio Roadrunners are in. The Bobcats and Roadrunners are making their FBS debuts this season. That leaves the WAC with just seven teams: Louisiana Tech, Utah State, San Jose State, Idaho, New Mexico State, Texas State, and UTSA.
...That Mountain West high; TCU is out, Fresno State and Hawaii are in. The league now has 10 teams: Boise State, Nevada, Fresno State, Air Force, San Diego State, Wyoming, Colorado State, Hawaii, UNLV, and New Mexico.
...Big XII fuzzy math; The Big XII still has just 10 teams, but did do some shuffling as Missouri and Texas A&M left while West Virginia and TCU came in to take their place. Here's the league for 2012: Oklahoma, Texas, Oklahoma State, West Virginia, TCU, Kansas, Kansas State, Texas Tech, Baylor, and Iowa State.
...Big East barely hangs on; West Virginia left, but Temple came in to keep the league at eight teams. Temple's return to a BCS Conference is a remarkable story. Remember folks, Temple is the only school that played so badly, that it was kicked out of its' own league. The Big East showed Temple the door after the 2004 season. At that point Temple had suffered 18 straight losing seasons. The Owls then stumbled around as an independent for two seasons , then joined the MAC and got a lot better. So, fast forward to 2012 where the Big East needs teams just to ensure survival, Temple agreed to a second go-around with the Big East. Here's the eight teams for 2012: South Florida, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Connecticut, Syracuse, and Temple.
...The SEC is the biggest league in the FBS now at 14 teams with the additions of Texas A&M and Missouri.
...Bad geography; The MAC lost Temple, but picked up Massachusetts. Yup, the Umass Minutemen are now in the Mid-America Conference. The league has 13 teams: Western Michigan, Northern Illinois, Toledo, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Ball State, Ohio U., Miami (OH), Bowling Green, Kent State, Buffalo, Akron, and Umass.
...A bigger belt; The Sun Belt Conference adds another notch this year as South Alabama makes their FBS debut. The South Alabama Jaguars are the first big experiment in college football genetic engineering. This program did not work its' way up to the FBS from the lower reaches of college football. This program was born in 2007 with the express goal of playing in the FBS as a soon as a possible. The early results are promising with the Jaguars piling up a 23-4 mark along the way. The Jags will take their lumps in 2012, but it will be interesting to see how fast it takes South Alabama to become a good FBS team.
...Pacific is spanish for calm; The Pac 12 still has the same 12 teams from last season.
...C-USA stability; Conference USA still sits at 12 teams with no changes for 2012.
...Four against the world; Notre Dame, Army, Navy, and BYU are the only independent teams in the FBS this season.
Next time folks, we'll look at 2012 schedules and take a trip on the coaching carousel.
-The Commissioner
It's less than 100 days until toe meets leather on Labor Day Weekend, thus starting the 2012 college football season. I'm already looking forward to tailgate prep, road trips, and trying to set my DVR up to record as many games as possible. I also look forward to my weekly column, so I'll get an early start this season and put out a couple of columns before the season starts. So enjoy this post, and always remember, we still miss you, Alan Malamud.
Observations
...Hello Bisbee! Arizona has a new HC in Rich Rodriguez and now another helmet. This year for special occasions, the Wildcats will sport copper helmets. Yes, COPPER. So, Trojan fans, get ready to see those buckets when USC goes to Tucson. I'm sure that will be a special occasion.
...ASU is still loving their new sets of uniforms from last year, yet rumors persist that the Sun Devils will bring back the old helmets with Sparky on the side.
..Bulldogs with no bite in their conference: One of the reasons that Pat Hill was let go at Fresno State was a lack of hardware for the trophy case. With all the press about their brutal non-conference tilts, Fresno State did not finish higher than second place in the WAC since 1999 and hasn't won an outright league title since winning the Big West Conference crown in 1989.
...That natural feel; Florida State and Georgia Tech are the only two FBS schools that will play all their 2012 regular season games on natural grass.
...Just not the right time; In a letter to bRuin football boosters, the groundwork for more alternate uniforms was laid down along with a caveat. All new uniforms for UCLA would be introduced with better regards to timing. Translation: UCLA won't break out any new uniforms v. USC ever again.
...No grass stains; Minnesota, Western Michigan, Central Michigan, Miami (OH), and Arkansas State will play their full 2012 slate on artificial turf.
...Busy as Bees in the Big XII; Do not underestimate the impact of the Big XII making a deal for a bowl game with SEC. The game is supposed to host the champions of both leagues in case both don't make it into the BCS Championship game. Let's look at this a few years down the road. With the Big Ten and Pac 12 continuing to face each other in the Rose Bowl, the Big XII-SEC Bowl could easily be the other half of a college football final four. After those two games are played, it's real easy to match the winners up in a +1 bowl for the national title.
...I think the whole reason the Sun Belt Conference exists is to provide the SEC with the seventh home game on their schedules. The FCS exists to give them the eighth home game.
...I've got an idea for a cool plus one; Stanford hosts Duke this year and Northwestern hosts Vanderbilt. I'd like to see the winners play each other in the first annual Brain Bowl. The players on the winning team will get a free ride to grad school.
...Epic Fail; I knew nobody liked Crag James, but now it's official. The reviled former SMU Mustang and ESPN blowhard garnered a paltry 4% of the vote in the Texas Republican primary for the US Senate.
That speaks volumes about how reviled he must be. How do you get just 4% of the vote in Texas when you're good looking, rich, and a gen-u-ine Texas football hero?
...Officer Bob; I heard that Bob Petrino has a new job to fulfill the conditions of his buyout by Arkansas. He's going to be the campus chief of motorcycle safety.
...Why darker? Nike got ahold Minnesota's uniforms for the 2012 season and the Golden Gophers will sport a darker shade of maroon. Which begs the question why? Minnesota is the only school with its' own registered special color: Minnesota Maroon. So, why ever change it?
...And you thought their uniforms were ugly; Last season Maryland broke out some pretty ugly uniforms. Now, it will be their field. The Terps are putting in a new artificial surface. The field won't be green, that's for sure. The skinny/rumor is that the field will be a black turtle pattern with the state flag in the endzones. Here's a mock up...
Rules Changes for 2012
...Goin' Low: Offensive players in the tackle box at the snap of the ball who are not in motion will be allowed to block below the waist legally and without restriction. The rule change is a field day for option teams.
...Keep 'em up strapped up tight; If a player's helmet comes off during a play, that player must sit out the next play.
...No up and over; On punts the defense can no longer try to leap over the protection shilled or personal protector for the punter in an attempt to block the kick.
...Those Dangerous Kickoffs: A New Hope; The NCAA views the kickoff as the most dangerous play in the sport. The powers that be feel that there are just too many high speed collisions that occur during the kickoff. So, to cut down on collisions, kickoffs for the 2012 season will be moved up 5 yards to the 35-yard line.
...Those Dangerous Kickoffs: The Offense Strikes Back; To compensate for the increase in touchbacks by kicking off from the 35-yard line, offenses will start from the 25-yard line after a touchback.
...Those Dangerous Kickoffs: Return Of The Pooch Kick; No coaches will want to give up those extra five yards this year. Expect to see a lot of pooch kicks that land about the 5-yard line and about the same number of collisions as before the rules changes.
...Those Dangerous Kickoffs: The 5-Yard Menace; players on the kickoff coverage units can't line up more than 5 yards behind the line of scrimmage. No more running starts.
Conference Musical Chairs
...That Wacky WAC; Fresno State and Hawaii are out. The Texas State Bobcats and University of Texas- San Antonio Roadrunners are in. The Bobcats and Roadrunners are making their FBS debuts this season. That leaves the WAC with just seven teams: Louisiana Tech, Utah State, San Jose State, Idaho, New Mexico State, Texas State, and UTSA.
...That Mountain West high; TCU is out, Fresno State and Hawaii are in. The league now has 10 teams: Boise State, Nevada, Fresno State, Air Force, San Diego State, Wyoming, Colorado State, Hawaii, UNLV, and New Mexico.
...Big XII fuzzy math; The Big XII still has just 10 teams, but did do some shuffling as Missouri and Texas A&M left while West Virginia and TCU came in to take their place. Here's the league for 2012: Oklahoma, Texas, Oklahoma State, West Virginia, TCU, Kansas, Kansas State, Texas Tech, Baylor, and Iowa State.
...Big East barely hangs on; West Virginia left, but Temple came in to keep the league at eight teams. Temple's return to a BCS Conference is a remarkable story. Remember folks, Temple is the only school that played so badly, that it was kicked out of its' own league. The Big East showed Temple the door after the 2004 season. At that point Temple had suffered 18 straight losing seasons. The Owls then stumbled around as an independent for two seasons , then joined the MAC and got a lot better. So, fast forward to 2012 where the Big East needs teams just to ensure survival, Temple agreed to a second go-around with the Big East. Here's the eight teams for 2012: South Florida, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Connecticut, Syracuse, and Temple.
...The SEC is the biggest league in the FBS now at 14 teams with the additions of Texas A&M and Missouri.
...Bad geography; The MAC lost Temple, but picked up Massachusetts. Yup, the Umass Minutemen are now in the Mid-America Conference. The league has 13 teams: Western Michigan, Northern Illinois, Toledo, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Ball State, Ohio U., Miami (OH), Bowling Green, Kent State, Buffalo, Akron, and Umass.
...A bigger belt; The Sun Belt Conference adds another notch this year as South Alabama makes their FBS debut. The South Alabama Jaguars are the first big experiment in college football genetic engineering. This program did not work its' way up to the FBS from the lower reaches of college football. This program was born in 2007 with the express goal of playing in the FBS as a soon as a possible. The early results are promising with the Jaguars piling up a 23-4 mark along the way. The Jags will take their lumps in 2012, but it will be interesting to see how fast it takes South Alabama to become a good FBS team.
...No falling apart until 2013; The ACC has no changes for 2012. However, Florida State and Clemson are still beating their chests about bolting to the Big XII.
...More fuzzy math: The Big Ten still has 12 teams. The same 12 from last season.
...More fuzzy math: The Big Ten still has 12 teams. The same 12 from last season.
...C-USA stability; Conference USA still sits at 12 teams with no changes for 2012.
...Four against the world; Notre Dame, Army, Navy, and BYU are the only independent teams in the FBS this season.
Next time folks, we'll look at 2012 schedules and take a trip on the coaching carousel.
-The Commissioner
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)