Podcast: Episode 53

Episode 53

An Eye and an Eer: College Football Podcast

Tom may be on vacation, but he wouldn't let his buddy Phil down and not show up for this week's show. Hey, there's way too much to discuss.

We start with coaching hires (Brian Kelly, Turner Gill, Butch Jones and Doc Holliday) as well as coaches signing extensions (Jim Harbaugh). We also discuss the pros and cons of the potential growth of the Big 10 to 12 teams (what will we call the conference then?), as well as talk about the first week of the bowl season (really, are any of you going to watch the New Mexico Bowl?).

Phil also tackles some big topics in our weekly Quick Hitters, including if Mark Ingram was a deserving Heisman Trophy winner and the decision of Jake Locker to return to Washington for another year of apprenticeship under Steve Sarkisian. Tom questions why Virginia Tech DC Bud Foster is never considered a top candidate for head coaching jobs and the strength of Big East coaches.

Another week, another show.

Nothing better to do links

Hope this saves you some time and gives you some recent college football news.

* At first glance, Nick Saban's snatching of Auburn coach James Willis seemed like a stomach punch to new coach Gene Chizik. On second glance, Saban may have been suckered.

* I've never thought too highly of South Florida's Jim Leavitt. Now he's proving even more what a paranoid, gutless coach he is.

* Finally, another "intelligent college football fan" who doesn't think a playoff is a better option for Division I.

* Good for Chris Smelley, the former South Carolina quarterback who was treated like a piece of meat by Steve Spurrier. Now he'll be playing baseball for the Crimson Tide.

* Maybe the Florida Gators miss former assistant coach Doc Holliday, who is now at WVU, more than anyone expected.

* Syracuse's biggest recruit may actually be at the University of North Carolina right now. Hey Butch, any restrictions on your transfers?

* Now this criticism of the BCS is one I can support.

* Piling on Rich Rodriguez continues. He, he, he he.

Instead of a podcast ...

With Phil and I taking a week off from the podcast, we decided to have an online discussion about some topics that are of interest to us right now. Email us any questions you would like us to answer in two weeks.

Here we go ...

In 2008, Alabama, Utah and Ole Miss were big surprises. Who do you believe could be the surprise team or teams of 2009?

Phil: Based on the second-year coach at a national power theory that seems to have some legs over the past decade (Ohio State, Oklahoma, Alabama last year) I'll take Nebraska and Bo Pelini. That mix of a new coach, players who have been losing and new infusion of talent always seems to pay off in the second year. The 'Huskers had a nice win over Clemson in the Gator Bowl, seem to have a nice core returning and a coach in his second year. Oh yeah, and they play in the Big 12 North which won't exactly be confused with the SEC East any time soon. Mizzou is really the only challenger.

Tom: This is a bit of a stretch, but I'm going with your theory of second year coaches and taking UCLA and Rick Neuheisel. The Bruins have a lot more to overcome than Nebraska, but Neuheisel is a great recruiter and the Pac-10 is a thin conference. This would allow UCLA to move up quickly. Getting past USC, Oregon and Arizona could still be a challenge, but that's what it takes to be the surprise team. So I'm rolling the dice with the Bruins.

What coach is on the hot seat in 2009?

Tom: There will be a handful of coaches whose jobs are on the line. I could see Rich Rodriguez at Michigan, Bill Stewart at WVU, Charlie Weis at Notre Dame and Al Groh at Virginia all needing improved seasons over 2008 to save their jobs. But Louisville's Steve Kragthorpe. Following a second straight losing season and a late-season collapse, the Cardinals fans are restless. By all accounts Kragthorpe is a good person and good football coach. But this wasn't supposed to be a rebuilding job. The news didn't get much better for Kragthorpe after heir-apparent at quarterback, Matt Simms, announced he is transferring.

Phil: Obviously the big name on the hot seat is going to be Charlie Weis at Notre Dame - especially if Jon Gruden doesn't get another job. Those rumors are already floating around. Another name that might be on the hot seat, for retirement purposes anyway, is Bobby Bowden. The NCAA is about to come down somewhat on the 'Noles for academic improprieties and with Jimbo Fisher there and drawing a nice salary, you have to think the FSU administration will send Bobby riding into the sunset.

What are your thoughts on your rival, Michigan, hiring former Syracuse coach Greg Robinson as the Wolverines defensive coordinator?

Phil: Not sure what to make of it, yet. Robinson was a fairly successful DC at Texas and in the NFL, but his stint at Syracuse was such an unmitigated disaster, it's hard to say what he'll accomplish at UM. Is his confidence shattered? Have offenses changed too much since he was calling signals? Or maybe he'll relish the chance to not be the man in charge anymore and be excited about not having that pressure. One thing is for sure, the UM defense will have a difficult time being worse than it was by the end of last season.

Tom: Robinson has been a successful D-Coordinator and I think he'll fit right in at Michigan. You're right, the Wolverines can't get any worse. He's still very well respected in coaching circles and he'll prove that he's a strong coordinator and miserable HC.

Speaking of coaches potentially on the hot seat, as an old-timey 'Canes fan, what do you make of Randy Shannon firing his offensive coordinator and now losing his defensive coordinator and then saying is he can't find the right fit at DC, he'll just be the DC himself?

Tom: So what he's saying is he wants to be the D-Coordinator. He probably was anyways and explains why the guy left. This is going to have a negative long-term impact on the Hurricanes, though. Who wants to go to Miami now and be a coordinator? Not anyone who is any good. Shannon is proving why he shouldn't be the head coach at the U.

Phil: Shannon's judgment just gets more and more questionable in my eyes. The whole saga surrounding the Robert Marve transfer when Shannon wanted to limit what schools he could go to and then firing Patrick Nix. Now, Bill Young leaves after a single season as DC? Granted it was for a big paycheck at his alma mater, Okie State, but it still sends an interesting message - and to me it seems that perhaps Randy Shannon is feeling the heat and not responding well.

Let's talk about the Buckeyes a little. It seems Jim Tressel's decision to go with freshman Terrelle Pryor over senior Todd Boeckman may have divided the locker room a bit this season. Now that the senior class is gone and a few juniors, can Tressel and Pryor garner the respect they need to lead the Buckeyes in 2009?

Phil: Certainly having the Pryor/Boeckman issue behind this team will help next year. I don't think there's anyone who is going to question Pryor as the quarterback and the 2009 edition of the Buckeyes will have a heavy emphasis on underclassmen. I think what might help is that this group won't have many players who were involved in the Florida or LSU losses or that played much in the loss to USC. I thought last year's group really had some confidence issues that came with those big losses.

Tom: You are way more in touch with this issue than I am, but I have to believe that this was a bigger distraction than anyone involved at OSU led on about. It seemed that many seniors underperformed for the Buckeyes this year and that players had picked sides. I believe Tressel is excited to see a changing of the guard taking place in Columbus.

Speaking of Bill Young going to Okie State for $700K, Illinois tried to hire Larry Johnson Sr. away from Penn State for $400,000. USC hired the former Denver offensive coordinator and rumor had it that they had budgeted up to $1 million for the gig. Are assistant coach salaries out of control?

Tom: The assistants who are getting the big bucks come in two forms. The first group is made up of the nation's top recruiters — WVU's Doc Holliday and Penn State's Johnson. The second group is made of the coaches in waiting — FSU's Jimbo Fisher and Texas' Will Muschamp. It's out of control when you put into perspective the economic times we are living in right now. But honestly, the assistant coaches were woefully underpaid for many years. I think it's about time for them to get paid. However, with the big paycheck come bigger expectations and less tolerance for short-term failure.

Phil: It seems as if the battle for assistant coaches is getting as brutal as recruiting. Realistically, as much as head coaches make, it was only a matter of time until assistant coach salaries skyrocketed, but this seems silly. Staff continuity used to be a huge thing, but now coaches seem more intent on bringing in all-star coaching staffs. Sounds good on paper, but you have to wonder if it will backfire. There are a lot of big egos in those rooms.

The real black out

It's a simple philosophy. Hire the best person for the job. Race, gender, religion, etc. None of it matters. It's something I've always tried to do throughout my professional career.

So when The Black Coaches and Administrators released its Minority Hiring Report Card this week I expected it to say major-college football programs need to do a better job of interviewing and hiring minorities. The BCA even stated it would retain an attorney to provide free consultations for job candidates.

The Report also grades the college football programs on their hiring over the past year. One university none too pleased with its grade is West Virginia. Jennifer McIntosh, while speaking with Chuck Finder from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette took offense to the BCA giving WVU a failing grade.

"We do care here at WVU," said McIntosh, director of the Office of Social Justice. "This is very important. This isn't just publicity. This is how we genuinely feel. It's very painful because I work so hard to do what I do. You think I'd still be here if we weren't committed to this stuff? We have [athletic] coaches of diverse backgrounds. We have women in head athletic positions. I take strong objections to an F."

Hey Jen, you hired an old white guy who had a 9-25 record (.265 winning percentage) at 3 a.m. after an emotional Fiesta Bowl victory. No one even really interviewed Bill Stewart. Instead, the WVU administration kept saying that this was an on-the-job interview and they huddled in a hotel room and consummated the deal. The rest of the potential coaches were not too diverse either.

There were about five finalists for the position vacated by Rich Rodriguez, who left for Michigan. The only African-American candidate I can remember is Illinois offensive coordinator Mike Locksley, who a lot of fans were excited about. But he never received a legitimate shot at the job.

Other finalists who did receive serious consideration were all white. They were Florida assistant Doc Holliday (who is now on the WVU staff), former Auburn coach Terry Bowden, Central Michigan's Butch Jones and Florida State assistant head coach Rick Trickett, an assistant at WVU under Rodriguez. Clearly, all four of these men are more qualified than Stewart.

West Virginia's grade breakdown looks like this: A in search brevity, B in communicating with the BCA and others about minority prospects, C in candidate pool and F's for search committee without minority representation and for affirmative-action observance.

In Finder's article, Dr. C. Keith Harrison, the author and principal investigator in the report who is the director of the Paul Robeson Research Center for Academic and Athletic Prowess, said: "They got an F. They didn't follow the process. It's not real complicated."

Good point. But WVU officials still don't get it.

"Athletics is committed to providing employment opportunities to minorities and women," said outgoing AD Ed Pastilong in a statement.

Words don't excuse actions. It's time to face it. Stewart was the wrong hire for many reasons. No matter his skin color.

Coaching concerns

Special Report

Retired Coach Rick
ACC Correspondent

Charlie Weiss has coached Notre Dame right back to his ability. Talk about overrated coaches. This is a man that didn’t play college football. He was a gofer for years. His title may have been offensive coordinator but I bet real coaches were making the plans. They could pay him less than anyone else and get away with it. Notre Dame will beat schools like The Sister Of The Poor, all of the academies including the Salvation Army and the Ray Charles School of the Blind (probably in overtime).

Bill Stewart of WVU needs to take his nap before the game. Not during it. Why did the backup quarterback have gloves on when he knew he was going to throw a long pass? Coach bring Doc Holliday out of the press box and let him run the game. He has already coached on teams that played for and won National Championships. Don't hide him out in the press box. Put him out there. I will bet you, he won't have trouble with his phones.