Marrone is God to Cuse fans

Just so no one confuses us of becoming a Rich Rodriguez blog, above is a hilarious video produced by the funny folks over at Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician. And if you watch the entire spot you'll see maybe there's a tiny bit of a knock on RichRod. Enjoy. The bloggers at Nunes Magician also had one of the funniest Tweets yesterday in reference to Practice Gate at Michigan.

"I refuse to believe that a coaching staff that includes Greg Robinson could be working its players too hard."

It's all about perspective and these guys had to deal with some rough times under Robinson. Hopefully it gets better with Marrone. The Big East needs Syracuse to be a player again.

Who's up for the 'Cuse?

Reports out of North Carolina this morning are saying that East Carolina's Skip Holtz has turned down the Syracuse job and the $12 million offer. If that's the case, who's up next?

Maybe now Syracuse AD Daryl Gross will get serious about the best candidate—Buffalo's Turner Gill. Rumors coming out of The Plains are that Gill isn't going to get the Auburn job to replace Tommy Tuberville. Gill just seems like a great fit for the Orange.

He's a proven winner, overall good person and better recruiter than Greg Robinson. Hey Daryl, don't mess this one up buddy. Go get Gill now.

For the latest on the Orange go to the blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician.

State of denial

Excerpt From Coach Greg Robinson's Last News Conference

From everything I have ever read, former Syracuse coach Greg Robinson is a great human being. But he's also a little delusional. This video clip from The Post Standard is all the proof you need.

Let the healing begin

Syracuse finally admitted something today--firing Paul Pasqualoni in 2005 was a mistake. How did they do so? By firing Greg Robinson today.

Robinson, who took over a proud and tradition rich Syracuse program, will coach the final two games of 2008. What looked like a promising hire has resulted in shocking numbers. Robinson is 9-36 and 3-24 in the Big East.

Robinson will never be mentioned with Orange coaching greats Ben Schwartzwalder, Frank Maloney, Dick McPherson and Pasqualoni.

UConn's Randy Edsall is the popular name being thrown around as a replacement. But Syracuse isn't as attractive an option as it was four years ago. The 'Cuse have been passed by newer Big East additions Louisville, Cincinnati and South Florida, as well as Rutgers and UConn in the east.

The Big East needs Syracuse to be competitive again.

But today is about letting the 'Cuse heal. Tomorrow the fans can set the unrealistic expectations of who should be the next coach.

Observations from Saturday's Games (Nov. 8)

Sitting here watching Texas Tech-Oklahoma State I am gaining more respect for Graham Harrell with each completed pass. Also pissed that I don't have ESPNU and the Mountaineers are losing 20-7 at half to Cincinnati.

So with that in mind, here are my thoughts from Saturday's games (so far):

1. I got it now. WVU should fire its special teams coach. What's his name again? Stewart? The Mountaineers have the worst kickoff coverage in the nation and how did they open Saturday's game? They allowed a 100-yard return for a score. Great job.

2. Worse than I thought. Tennessee has been bad this season, but nothing like Saturday's 13-7 loss to a bad Wyoming team. That's right, the Cowboys who entered Neyland Stadium with a 1-5 record in the powerhouse conference Mountain West. Let's hear that SEC chant now.

3. Rose Bowl still in site. Of course Penn State is bummed after losing 24-23 at Iowa, but the Nittany Lions need to remember that a Big 10 title is still there to get as well as a much deserved shot at the Rose Bowl. This also allows the rest of us to avoid any guilt of being happy when an undefeated Penn State team is left out of the championship game. Thanks Iowa.

4. A little luck. That's what it takes to win a national title. I can't think of a team that won it all that didn't get a little somewhere along the way. Alabama didn't play its best at LSU, but an overtime win in that hostile environment is a good victory. I still think the Tide will fall in the SEC Championship, but Nick Saban is working miracles and is at least a year ahead of schedule.

5. Wake-up call. All week Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez was getting whipped by the media. He was short and pissy in press conferences. It was rumored the players and UM officials were growing tired of his selfish acts. So what team was that at Minnesota today? The Wolverines were playing great defense, appeared to be having fun and rolled to an easy 29-6 victory. Still don't like the man, but if they give him time Michigan will be unbeatable in a few years.

6. OAC supremacy. Talked about this earlier in the week, so for anyone who cares Mount Union took care of business and easily defeated Otterbein 49-20 in a great match-up of ranked Division III teams in Ohio. The Purple Raiders scored early and often and remain the No. 1 team in the nation and will win its 20th Ohio Athletic Conference championship. Each team has one regular season game remaining and both should advance to the playoffs in two weeks.

7. What are you waiting for Syracuse? It's time to join the other struggling Division I programs in your search for a new coach. You can let Greg Robinson finish out the year, but we all know he's done. End the Robinson experiment and give yourself a shot at a decent coach.

8. Love that 'Stache. Really? Pitt is bowl eligible? It's about time. For three years all we have heard is how great Dave Wannstache's recruiting classes have been. Not until the Panthers' 41-7 thrashing of Louisville Saturday had Pitt been eligible for a bowl. Now my concern is Pitt could actually become dominant in the Big East. Nah! The 'Stache will always blow a couple games a year.

9. ACC confusion. It was an interesting day in the ACC, but what's even more intriguing is that we're still not sure who'll be playing in the title game. I like Wake Forest (Atlantic Division) and North Carolina (Coastal Division) now, but don't count out Florida State (Atlantic) and Virginia Tech and Miami in the Coastal.

10. The worst. I don't want to pick on Washington State, but the Cougars are by far the worst team in a BCS conference (and possibly the worst Division I team). Wazzu allowed 531 yards of offense against a good Arizona team as the Wildcats rolled 59-28. The Cougars played one of their better games this season, but still became the first Pac-10 team to give up 500 points in a season. Even worse news, they still have three more games to play.

Coaching carnage

College football has entered a new era. Four head coaches (and at least one high profile coordinator) have been fired during the season.

With the firing of Ron Prince today, Kansas State officially joined the coaching carousel. The Wildcats also entered the daily rumor mill. The hot target? South Florida's Jim Leavitt, who coached under program architect Bill Snyder. Leavitt hasn't officially denied interest in the position. Instead, he was quoted in the St. Petersburg Times as saying, "You guys know this (South Florida) is my heart and soul. I'm very fortunate to be here. I think it's the best job in the country."

Leavitt to K-State makes so much more sense than many of the other rumors surrounding Tennessee, Clemson and Washington right now. Leavitt built the Bulls from the ground up, but he's taken this program as far as he can get it. He's probably ready for the new challenge on a much bigger stage. Only reason to stay is the better athletes available in Florida.

So the only thing left to figure out? Who's next? Syracuse may announce Greg Robinson's fate real soon, but don't be surprised if they don't wait until after the final game. Auburn's Tommy Tuberville could get an early exit as well if the Tigers can't get two more victories in 2008.

Clearly, some of these coaches needed to go. But other schools could take a lesson from Ball State. Coach Brady Hoke had a miserable first three years (10-24) before the Cardinals finally turned it around starting in Year 4. Since 2006, Hoke's teams have gone 21-13 (which includes an apparent victory tonight against Northern Illinois) -- thanks Nate Davis.

Patience can pay off. Unfortunately no one at the big time programs are willing to wait.

Another day, another coach

It was nice knowing you Phil Fulmer. I'm sure the Bama fans are sad to see you go. Now the search begins for the replacement. Is it Butch Davis at North Carolina? Doubt it. Maybe David Cutcliffe at Duke returns.

When is Syracuse going to part with Greg Robinson so they have a shot at a good coach?

5 Job Openings in 2009 (and who should be hired)

Arizona
Current Coach: Mike Stoops
Who the Wildcats should hire: Chris Petersen (Boise State)

Stoops can save his job by getting into a bowl game this season. But a 36-28 loss to a weak New Mexico is not a good sign. Arizona is 3-1 right now and securing four more wins is not out of the question. However, I see Petersen taking over in Tucson. He has become one of the top young coaches in the nation. Boise is 26-3 in two-plus seasons under Petersen, including a 15-1 mark in Western Athletic Conference play.

Syracuse
Current Coach: Greg Robinson
Who the Orange should hire: Turner Gill (Buffalo)

I know everyone thinks (or wants) former USC assistant and former Oakland Raiders coach Lane Kiffin, but Gill has done an amazing job at Buffalo. The Bulls wisely gave Gill a contract extension through 2012 after guiding Buffalo to a 5-7 record. Buffalo is just 2-3 this season, but this is a program that was a doormat before his arrival. There have been rumors that former Michigan coach Lloyd Carr is considering the job. Just seems like a very odd fit.

Tennessee
Current Coach: Phil Fulmer
Who the Volunteers should hire: Skip Holtz (East Carolina)

The buzz about Holtz has dimmed a bit following consecutive losses by his Pirates, but he would be a great fit at Tennessee. He’d be talking in that Tennessee drawl about 30 seconds into the press conference announcing his hiring. Skip learned how to be a head coach during five seasons at UConn (38-23) and now in his fourth season at ECU, where he guided the Pirates to back-to-back bowl games. He was considered a favorite to get the West Virginia job last winter before Bill Stewart led the Mountaineers to a big win in the Fiesta Bowl. He would get the Vols back on top in the SEC.

Virginia
Current Coach: Al Groh
Who the Cavaliers should hire: Jerry Moore (Appalachian State)

OK, maybe this is a bit of a stretch and wouldn’t make too much since for the long haul since Moore will be 70 in July. But he’s a great coach. What he has accomplished for the Mountaineers is amazing. He is 169-72 with three consecutive Football Championship Series titles. Moore has BCS experience as he coached Texas Tech from 1981-85.

Washington
Current Coach: Tyrone Willingham
Who the Huskies should hire: Jim Mora Jr. (Seattle Seahawks)

I still believe Willingham should be given another year, but with a new AD (Scott Woodward) his time in Seattle is probably coming to an end. Now my suggestion may not be realistic since he is expected to be promoted to the Seahawks head coach next year. But the former walk-on linebacker is an intense competitor and should be an excellent recruiter. He could rebuild Washington into a national contender again very quickly. Remember, one of the reasons he was run out as the Atlanta Falcons head coach was because of a radio interview he did in Seattle where he said he’d leave the NFL to return to his alma mater.

Syracuse school spirit

Syracuse fans have an interesting way of showing school spirit these days. Three students have created "Greg Robinson Farewell Tour" T-shirts that they are selling before games. Where do I get mine?

Observations from Saturday's games

Between diaper changes and playing in my daughter's kitchen, I managed to take in some college football action Saturday. I wish I could have taken in more games, but here are some interesting observations I made.

1. Georgia did exactly what it had to in Columbia, S.C. If the Bulldogs are to have any chance of playing for a national title this season, escaping with a narrow 14-7 road SEC victory won't hurt a bit. I don't care what the analysts say. This is one big victory down and only nine more to go. Up next? Ouch. A jaunt across the country to play an athletic Arizona State squad.

2. The Gamecocks (1-2, 0-2) showed plenty of grit against the No. 2 Bulldogs (3-0, 1-0). The Ol' Ball Coach still hasn't found any offense, but still a gallant effort after last week's shocking loss to Vandy.

3. With Lou Holtz in South Bend giving pep talks, kissing up to the Notre Dame faithful and unveiling a statue, watching halftime on ESPN games was bearable. Can someone else bring him to their campus next week?

4. Syracuse's Greg Robinson looks like a dead-man walking on the sidelines. He tries to pretend like he's still coaching, and that any of the players are actually listening. His assistants are networking with the opposing coaches for potential employment next year. 0-12 is looking like a reality.

5. I didn't see any of the East Carolina-Tulane game, but I was not shocked to see that they barely escaped New Orleans with a 28-24 victory. Following consecutive upsets of the ACC favorite (Virginia Tech) and Big East favorite (West Virginia), the No. 14 Pirates (3-0, 1-0) almost became the upset victim. Coach Skip Holtz' team needed a late TD pass in their Conference USA opener. Hey guys, I would get used to it. The rest of the conference is going to give you their best each week.

6. The Pac-10 just helped the Big East and ACC with their conference inferiority complexes (barring USC's performance against Ohio State). It took Cal about 2 1/2 hours to wake up at Maryland and didn't have enough magic and lost 35-27. Other embarrassing losses were Baylor over Washington State, BYU humiliating UCLA, and TCU over Stanford. Luckily Oregon rallied against Purdue and won on the road in OT.

7. Buffalo's Turner Gill will be coaching somewhere else next year. This former Nebraska standout has done an amazing job with the Bulls, who are now 2-1 after a 30-28 win over Temple. The last time Buffalo was over .500 and it not be Week 1 as a Division I-A team was back in 1969, when the Bulls finished 6-3.

8. This isn't the first time I have mentioned Ball State's Nate Davis, but many outside of the Mid-American Conference don't know who he is. He's easily the best quarterback that no one knows. He was lights out again on Saturday, completing 24-of-36 for two scores in a 41-24 win against Akron.

9. Could it be that David Cutcliffe has Duke fans not looking forward to basketball season already? The Dookies improved to 2-1 with a 41-31 victory over Navy at Wallace Wade Stadium. All right that's a stretch, but he's doing one impressive job. Probably the best since Spurrier roamed the sidelines back in the late 1980s.

10. Note to self (pick Missouri to score the most points each week in my College Picks league).