Can't spell "Suck it, Lane!" without UT

After being jilted by the hot, young thing they left their wife for, Tennessee appears to be running back to the old ball and chain, as Phil Fulmer Jr., errr David Cutcliffe is considered the clubhouse leader for the head coaching job.

Cutcliffe has nine wins in two seasons at Duke, which is like 20 wins at any normal school. But his biggest achievement was making Ole Miss just good enough to get himself fired.

Texas defensive coordinator Will Muschamp and Air Force coach Troy Calhoun have each issued the standard coaching hire denials: "Who? What? I've never heard of them before. Tennesse? Don't even know where it is."

Podcast: Episode 57

We tried to take a week off from podcasting, but then USC, Pete Carroll and Lane Kiffin had to blow up this week.

Phil and Tom dissect the decisions of all three parties and where Tennessee goes from here in this impromptu podcast. Could the Vols go with Will Muschamp at Texas, Troy Calhoun at Air Force or throw everyone off and go an entirely different direction.

Speaking of Tennessee, what the heck was that athletic administration thinking by allowing the Traitor Kiffin to conduct a media conference at their facility. Bad call folks. So much for a week off. Enjoy the show.

Coach-in-Waiting no more

Congratulations Chip Kelly. You've accomplished what Florida State's Jimbo Fisher hopes to do to Bobby Bowden, and what Texas' Will Muschamp may wait a very long time for Mack Brown to hand over the keys to the Longhorns.

Kelly becomes the head coach at Oregon on March 30 after Mike Bellotti announced his resignation today to become the Ducks' Director of Athletics on July 1. Bellotti will be a tough act to follow. He finishes with a 116-55 record, and his 72 Pac-10 victories ranks sixth in conference history.

Kelly is considered one of the top offensive coaches in the country, and his understanding of the Xs and Os made him a top coaching candidate. Therefore, Oregon brass decided to follow the latest trend and name him Bellotti's coach-in-waiting. He just didn't have to wait that long.

That has to piss off Fisher and Muschamp.

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.

Tennessee: 2008's Michigan

Big-name coaches are lining up to tell University of Tennessee thanks, but no thanks.

Today, Duke's David Cutcliffe, North Carolina's Butch Davis and South Carolina's Steve Spurrier have all publicly stated they aren't interested in the void left by the bitter Phil Fulmer.

Programs like Tennessee (Clemson and Syracuse pay attention) need to realize they aren't that attractive to established coaches. (See post below. Rich Rodriguez had it much better at WVU than he does at Michigan). Those coaches don't need the headache or rebuilding nightmare that it requires.

Now Texas defensive coordinator Will Muschamp is ready for the challenge and would embrace it. Or maybe consider Florida defensive coordinator Charlie Strong or consider a young and emerging coach like Buffalo's Turner Gill (who may be a better fit at Syracuse).

Observations from Saturday's games (Oct. 11)

Another great Saturday. The Red River Rivalry (er, Shootout) was exciting and eye opening. North Carolina and Notre Dame had a wild finish (thanks to the crappy Big East officials), and Florida is taking it to LSU right now. Here are some interesting observations I made this Saturday:

1. So maybe it wasn't all Tony Franklin's fault. Just a few days after firing its offensive coordinator, not much changed for Auburn as the Tigers were outgained by Arkansas 416-193 in a 25-22 loss at Jordan-Hare Stadium. The Tigers only managed one offensive TD all day. All is not well in Auburn.

2. Texas is legit because of Will Muschamp. The dig on Mack Brown is that he won it all because he had Vince Young to cover up his coaching deficiencies. On Saturday, we learned the Longhorns can play with anyone because of first-year defensive coordinator Will Muschamp and his more aggressive style. Texas may have allowed 435 total yards against No. 1 Oklahoma, but the Sooners applied pressure to Sam Bradford and didn't allow the Sooners to do much on the ground. Now Texas has to stay focused as it hosts No. 3 Missouri this week.

3. What's wrong with WVU? Each week I keep thinking the Mountaineers will turn the corner on the 2008 season. Then the game starts and I realize something just isn't right in Mo-Town. A 17-6 victory over Syracuse (even without Pat White) is embarrassing for a team with this much ability. The play calling under first year offensive coordinator Jeff Mullen has been suspect all season. It's time to get more creative an allow the athletes to do what they do best. The offensive line is also a weak link. They need to be tougher.

4. Holy Toledo. It would be easy to pick on Michigan's Rich Rodriguez here. As the head coach to end the Wolverines 24-game winning streak (with no losses) to Mid-American Conference schools is not how you want to make the record section of the media guide. The chirping in Ann Arbor has to be at an all-time high now. But Rodriguez will turn this around. His first year and half at WVU were miserable and then things started to click. Yes, it helped getting Pat White and Steve Slaton, but he'll find players with speed and then Michigan will be a national title contender. It actually pisses me off that I feel this way. If he were still at WVU the Mountaineers would be undefeated right now. Yes, he was that important (see Bill Stewart for proof).

5. Virginia is schizophrenic. Al Groh just may save his job in Charlottesville. After looking clueless and overmatched in three of their first four games, the Cavaliers have consecutive impressive wins. This week UVA worked over East Carolina 35-20 behind an outstanding showing from Cedric Peerman, who rushed for 173 yards and two touchdowns. The schedule doesn't bode well, but UVA just may pull off another surprise or two.

6. North of ordinary. What's going on at Minnesota? Just one season after finishing 1-11, the Gophers are 6-1 following an upset at Illinois. Juice Williams was frazzled by Minnesota's defense, and DeLeon Eskridge scored on runs of 1 and 46. As weak as the Big 10 is this season, all of the Gophers remaining games are winnable.

7. Feel-good no more. Maybe Vanderbilt just couldn't handle the heightened expectations. One week after holding off Auburn 14-13, the Commodores missed opening the season 6-0 after slipping up at Mississippi State 17-14. The Bulldogs held Vandy to 109 total yards in upsetting the 13th-ranked Commodores. Vandy should still get bowl eligible with potential wins against Duke and Tennessee on the schedule. But this loss really hurts.

8. Off the air. Arizona at Stanford was not on TV because the Cardinal were not willing to adjust their homecoming plans to accommodate a broadcast. The plan worked. Jim Harbaugh's boys (according to reports) played great defense and defeated the Wildcats 24-23. It wasn't a good day for the Stoops brothers.

9. Penn State is good. As much as I hate to admit this one, the Nittany Lions are the best team in the Big 10. This is the most athletic and physical team I have seen out of State College in more than a decade. I still believe PSU is one of the nation's most overrated teams each year, and I won't be surprised if they go 12-0 that they get left out of the championship party. The game isn't over at Wisconsin, but a 24-7 lead is looking pretty solid against the Badgers weak offense.

10. Poll shakeup. At least two Top 5 teams will move out this week with the Oklahoma loss and the apparent LSU loss. So how will the Top 5 look on Sunday? If Missouri holds on to beat Oklahoma State, I think the Tigers should be No. 1, but Alabama will probably get it in the AP poll. You could also argue that Texas is the best team in the nation following the impressive win at the Cotton Bowl.

Bonus. I won't talk about Division III football often, but Larry Kehres coaches a machine in No. 1 Mount Union. The Purple Raiders faced Ohio Athletic Conference rival Capital, which entered Saturday ranked fourth. Should be a great game, right? I guess if you root for Mount Union. The Purple Raiders rolled to a 49-7 victory.