With a general lack of football news over the weekend and the Heismann
all but a certainty for Jameis Winston, the news of Mack Brown stepping down on
Saturday pretty much filled the air waves on ESPN and other sports news
sources. While many had reported it
early and stated through reliable sources that it was a “Done Deal”, it
appeared that once Powers retained his seat, Brown would be able to keep his
job.
But it would appear that Brown had a change of heart and probably
started thinking to himself: I’m
62. Do I really want to put myself
through this again for an entire season?
And then the answer became quite simple….Brown and the situation he
found himself this season is one of his own making and frankly, a result of his
past success. Brown threw down the
gauntlet when he stated that he believed Texas would win the Big 12 Conference
and also be in the NC discussion. And
the reporters ate it up…Of course, greatness courts failure and the Longhorn’s
1-2 start only amplified the issues at Texas.
Really, Brown was out at that point, probably, even though he hadn’t
figured it out for himself yet.
Another of the lesser known “Facts” regarding the Brown Situation: Mack Brown’s recent recruiting blunders. Johnny Football, Jameis Winston and Robert
Griffin were all Texas QB wannabe’s and when recruited by Texas, were recruited
into other positions. In other words,
they wanted the players, but they didn’t want them to play QB. That doesn’t sit well with any of the in the
know fans and, more importantly: the
bloggers. They get that information out
early and often and missing on those three recruits because Mack didn’t want
them to play QB is just as big an issue (if not bigger) as a 9 win season…
What isn’t as simple, and I will certainly check with my source, is the
way in which the Saban situation was either handled or not handled, depending
on your point of view. It’s my belief
that Saban and his agent used the Texas offer to sweeten the pot as much as
possible at Bama and for Nick to get the retirement bonus “pre-retirement” as
large as possible. I believe Nick when
he says that he’s too old to start over.
What I don’t believe is that Nick’s an idiot and just said, “NO” to
Texas when the unsolicited offers began trickling in the back door. I’m sure the offer(s) was real and he simply
said to Bama – “What’s it gonna be, fellas?”
Granted, he is established and he can probably quit whenever he chooses
and possibly survive a single digit win season…But it will get ugly in
Tuscaloosa when that happens. Success
fatigue isn’t nearly as bad as failure wrath and SEC fans can get ugly when
their team isn’t winning.
So, the real question for Texas is “Who’s next?” As Michigan and others have discovered in
this process, it’s not necessarily about finding the best guy, it’s really
about finding the right fit. And the
right fit at Texas is everything. I
thought Michigan would adjust to Rich Rod and Rich Rod would adjust to
Michigan, but that never happened – on either side. Brady Hoke, on the other hand, once was an
assistant at Michigan and somehow made his persona into that of a “Michigan Man”
and is now riding that into his 4th season. Some would argue his success
is not only mediocre, but Hoke has taken what was once the most explosive
offense ever seen at Michigan and done as much damage on that side of the ball
as Rich Rod did on the defensive side of the ball. But there is no uproar simply because Brady
is a “Michigan Man”….I’m not sure I like that word/phrase any more.
The one thing Brady isn’t doing is running around having the crowd sing
Josh Groban songs…That alone is a huge step in the right direction. But unless Michigan finds itself in the B1G
mix next season with at least 10-11 wins, this fan will be ready for something
to happen. It shouldn’t take this long
at Michigan. If Auburn can right the
ship in one season, it can happen here.
Back to the previous question: I
think Texas will surprise some people and they may not go after the
high-profile current head coach that’s out there. The new AD Patterson is a savvy guy, and one
that won’t bend to the will of the Texas Mob that thinks its running the show
on the 40 Acres….My guess is he interviews less than 3 people and already has
someone in mind. But he had to at least “Give
In” on the Saban offer to prove a point (Saban wasn’t going anywhere) and tell
the billionaire mob to butt out.
A short list of Texas candidates:
Franklin –
Vanderbilt. I know there’s some Commodore
fans that read the blog and are saying to themselves – “No way! James is a Commodore to the end…” I think it would be an interesting hire and
allow Texas to go in a different direction.
And he could be there quite awhile.
Briles – Baylor. Can you see it? The Bears offense at Texas? That would be a change..And while Art would
be seen to some as a long shot, others would welcome the hire with open arms
and minds and realize that college football is moving in a certain direction
and Art is at the front end of that movement.
Of course, so was Rich Rod…..
Cameron, Narduzzi,
Smart, etc - Who are all these guys? Locked in coordinators that have made a name
for themselves at their current schools or in the NFL. But note that several of those names were not
too long ago on the chopping block (Sparty was ready to run Narduzzi out on a
RAIL about 4 years ago) and Cameron was fired from the NFL….But does that make
them better now? I wouldn’t be surprised
if one or more of them find spots in higher profile organizations in the near
future.
Where Texas could screw this up, but I doubt they will, is pursuing
super high profile individuals that have a good gig where they are. Harbaugh, Sumlin, etc will give you a listen,
but more than likely will politely decline.
Even though Harbaugh has declined to re-up in San Francisco due to his
dislike of the GM.
We will see.
The Bowl Mess
They’ve named
the Championship Locations for 2016 and 2017.
Tempe Arizona and Tampa each won a year….If I was the PTB, I would front
sell as many of those games as possible…..I think we are going to see fans that
find the game way to expensive to attend.
This isn’t the Super Bowl where half or more of the seats are corporate
sales. This is going to be regular fans
hard earned cash going on the line…I’m thinking the attendance might drop off a
little based on cost..Just a guess.
So, here’s
the completed chart all the current spreads.
The FMQ will be betting a couple of these games. My circled picks are WITHOUT THE SPREAD. I haven’t seen a bowl pool yet this year, but
if I get in one, this will more or less be my entry. I’m not saying take it to the bank….I’m just
sayin’!
The Hot Seat
Things are “Heating
Up” In the Hot Seat Mascot Play-Off! We’re
down to the Final 4 and all the number 1 seeds have made it. Now, it’s gonna get tough. Who will be in the final contest with a shot
to be the 2013 Hot Seat Mascot of the Year?
The readers will decide!
GONE LIST:
- LANE KIFFIN
- Paul Pasqualoni
- Treadwell
- Carlson – Valpraiso….(I know, not exactly on my
radar, either.)
- Ron English – Eastern Michigan.
- Mussman – North Dakota
- David Christianson – Wyoming
- Mack Brown – Retired…..
- Ellerson- ARMY
- Ogeron – Resigned….
Hot Seat Rank – Getting Serious as
this is the time when the Carousel gets fire up!
- London – Virginia….Its not a good
situation…
- Weiss: Can’t believe he’s still there…
- Paul Johnson – Lost to
Georgia…Look Out.
- Pelini – It’s not good in Corn
land either…
- Biliema: Arkansas Nation does not like a B1G
re-treas – no SEC wins
- Norm Chow - Hawaii
- Holgorensen: No Bowl doesn’t bode well for Dana…
HIRED LIST:
- USC –
Sarkisian
- Washington - Petersen
FMQ
The Bowls!
I’m probably
going to try for a double up in the bowls seeing as how I’m so far down now, I
don’t think I can do any worse in the bowls than I’ve done in the regular
season. So, without further ado:
Fresno State vs. USC(-6.5):
I like Fresno State here.
Something about the underdog and the USC boys may not be as motivated as
Ogeron has already left the building….
Take Fresno State and the 6.5 for $50
Minnesota vs. Syracuse (+4):
Even though they’re getting points, I don’t think Syracuse has the guns
to hang with the Gophers. Gophers
finished strong and are looking to use this as a building block to next season.
Take Minnesota and lay the 4 for $30
BYU vs. Washington (+3):
What a strange game. Two schools
with coaches leaving, but one left and will coach his new team against his old
team! Weird, to say the least….And will
it give Petersen the edge he needs to beat is former guys?
Take Washington and the 3 for $40
Domers vs. Rutgers (+15):
This should be a cakewalk for the domers….Unless they simply don’t want
to be there or it snows….
Take the domers and lay the 15 for $30
Louisville vs. Miami (+3):
I think Louisville proves why they were ranked so high pre-season. And Miami needs to figure out how good they
are or aren’t…
Take Louisville and lay the 3 for $40
Michigan vs. Kansas State (-4.5):
Interesting connection to K-State and Fielding H. Yost…K-State is where
Yost started coaching! So, Michigan is
getting points in a bowl game. I don’t
know what to do with this game, but I want to believe the team we saw against
ohio is the team that can do the same thing against K-State.
Take Michigan and the 4.5 for $60
Nebraska vs. Georgia (-9):
Georgia wins, but I think Nebraska keeps it closer than last year in the
replay…Then again, maybe not….
Take Georgia and lay the 9 for $30
Wiscy vs. USC (E):
In what could also be titled, “The Disappoint Bowl”, the Capitol 1
once again has pitted two of the better
teams this year that didn’t make BCS games….
Take Wiscy for $40
Stanford vs. Sparty(+4.5):
I like Sparty here. I have a
feeling they are on a mission.
Take Sparty and the 4.5 for $40
Clemson vs. ohio (-2.5):
I think ohio is a much better team the frauds from Clemson.
Take ohio and lay the 2.5 for $30
Florida State vs. Auburn (9):
Auburn getting 9 here is very tempting.
The whole discussion about who FSU has played and the SOS are
interesting, but FSU is a very good football team. And they have a defense that may actually
slow down Auburn. Still, 9 is a lot of
points…
Take Auburn and 9 for $50
PARLAYS!
It wouldn’t
be a bowl season without some fun old fashioned Parlays!
The State of Michigan – domer parlay:
Michigan-Sparty-domers $30
The ALL RED Parlay
Louisville – Wiscy – ohio $30
The “Just ‘Cuz” parlay
Fresno-Minnesota – Washington $30
Starting Bank: $573.50
Total Bet: $530
BANK: $3.50
