If there are even two games more games as close as ND and Cal, I pray for y'all's cardiovascular systems.
That's the $64,000 question, isn't it? Charlie pledged today to "get more involved" in the defense and that he would fix it.So when does Vance Bedford's seat start to get a little hot? I watched Rewind with Charlie Strong last night and he had some not nice things to say about the defense, particularly the secondary.
one game suspension, counseling, community service and "further internal discipline".Shit. Kent Perkins was arrested for DWI last night. Losing their left tackle going into conference play is not going to help.
I'm assuming Charlie will drop a suspension on him.
I would definitely bet the over on that one. Mason what's-his-name is going to throw for about a thousand yards.Okie Light's gonna roll us Saturday. :/
BoB won't ever go back to be a college head coach. He hated the dog-and-pony show he had to do at Penn State. He just wants to be a football coach, not a fundraiser and public figure for a university.I'm a lot less sure of that. You have great coaches that would take that spot in a heartbeat. I would be surprised if any of Tom Herman, Larry Fedora, Les Miles or maybe even the newly fired (projecting) Bill o'Brien wouldn't get down on all fours and bark like a dog for that gig.
If they give up 50+ and lose by three+ touchdowns Saturday, he's fired Sunday.They'd have to back up a fleet of Brink's trucks for any of the big names. We're talking about a program with no forward momentum and whose coach has a crippling amount of media responsibilities. If Strong doesn't right the ship starting on Saturday, this program is in a load of trouble.
That assumes that the AD and the BoR don't screw it up again. Mack was an accident; the first choice was Gary Barnett. Since Coach Royal retired the Texas Athletics Department and the BoR have conspired to screw up every major football coaching search. Dave Campbell was Coach Royal's choice so naturally the Regents chose Freddy. After Freddy drove the program off a cliff the best compromise they could come up with was a beloved but incompetent David McWilliams. Don't even get me started on Mackovic. Then they seriously tried to get Gary Barnett. Then Strong, who appeared to be a good choice at the time but clearly wasn't vetted thoroughly enough. What success Texas football has had has been in spite of its management. I have zero confidence - ZERO - that they'll get it right this time. Probably go after someone like Lane Kiffen or Jon Gruden. I said it last season and I'll say it again: we are looking at another lost decade of football at Texas.I'm a lot less sure of that. You have great coaches that would take that spot in a heartbeat. I would be surprised if any of Tom Herman, Larry Fedora, Les Miles or maybe even the newly fired (projecting) Bill o'Brien wouldn't get down on all fours and bark like a dog for that gig.
A high-ranking Texas official said on Sunday night that Strong is "very close" to losing his job at the end of the season after back-to-back road losses to Cal and Oklahoma State. The official said that there will be no move made during the year on Strong. Part of that comes from the fact that there's no logical candidate on the staff to take over the program. Strong announced Monday that defensive coordinator Vance Bedford has been demoted after the Longhorns gave up 99 points the past two games. Strong will take over play calling duties.
Strong is 13–16 overall in his third year in Austin. Texas officials are pleased with how he's recruited and overhauled the program's talent and culture in the wake of the lack of talent and discipline left behind at the end of Mack Brown's tenure. But there are too many details in game management and special teams that the Longhorns have struggled with. Texas getting three extra points blocked in the first half at Oklahoma State on Saturday perpetuated the notion that the Longhorns have failed to pay attention to detail under Strong.
Disagree. We're talking about a program that's still a destination for any coach who isn't an alum of Florida, Ohio State, USC, Notre Dame, Michigan, and the small group up for debate that's part of this circle. Strong could wither for another three years and UT would still draw anyone not included in the aforementioned.They'd have to back up a fleet of Brink's trucks for any of the big names. We're talking about a program with no forward momentum and whose coach has a crippling amount of media responsibilities. If Strong doesn't right the ship starting on Saturday, this program is in a load of trouble.
Why do you think Jon Gruden would be a bad pick?That assumes that the AD and the BoR don't screw it up again. Mack was an accident; the first choice was Gary Barnett. Since Coach Royal retired the Texas Athletics Department and the BoR have conspired to screw up every major football coaching search. Dave Campbell was Coach Royal's choice so naturally the Regents chose Freddy. After Freddy drove the program off a cliff the best compromise they could come up with was a beloved but incompetent David McWilliams. Don't even get me started on Mackovic. Then they seriously tried to get Gary Barnett. Then Strong, who appeared to be a good choice at the time but clearly wasn't vetted thoroughly enough. What success Texas football has had has been in spite of its management. I have zero confidence - ZERO - that they'll get it right this time. Probably go after someone like Lane Kiffen or Jon Gruden. I said it last season and I'll say it again: we are looking at another lost decade of football at Texas.
Never say never. If he is fired at Houston his options will be to be an NFL coordinator or take a college gig. Given that HC of Texas is one of the top 20 most prestigious jobs in all of football, i think he would happily hop in.BoB won't ever go back to be a college head coach. He hated the dog-and-pony show he had to do at Penn State. He just wants to be a football coach, not a fundraiser and public figure for a university.
I think things look bad from the inside because you see all the cracks. A high energy coach, or a big name coach would see a weak conference, a massive alumni base, fertile recruiting grounds, world class facilities and a town that is actually worth living in. Texas has been hurt by the rise of Baylor, Houston and TCU, that is for damned sure, but let'a be honest, getting the burnt orange to be the hip kid at the soda shack won't take a ton of work.They'd have to back up a fleet of Brink's trucks for any of the big names. We're talking about a program with no forward momentum and whose coach has a crippling amount of media responsibilities. If Strong doesn't right the ship starting on Saturday, this program is in a load of trouble.
I think - and you made the point - that he has to get in the playoffs and win a game to be safe. If he fails to make the playoffs - which is a decent chance - I think he is gone.O'Brien? Yammer, the Texans are gonna win the South again. McNair won't fire him for that. Maybe, maybe if they make the playoffs again in 2017 and don't win a game.
Edit: and if he was canned, I wouldn't be surprised at all to see him end up back in NE as OC for a couple years
Choosing to stay in the weakest of the P5 conferences was probably the right decision for the university as a whole, but from the standpoint of the football coach, it sucks. Other programs (including A&M) get a lot more national TV exposure, plus a one-loss conference championship season doesn't guarantee you a spot in the playoff like it does in the SEC or PAC-12. And Texas has, what, one national title in the integrated era? In the eyes of the audience that matters most to a coach (recruits and their parents), Texas doesn't have the pedigree of Oklahoma, which competes for TX recruits along with A&M and the schools you mention.I think things look bad from the inside because you see all the cracks. A high energy coach, or a big name coach would see a weak conference, a massive alumni base, fertile recruiting grounds, world class facilities and a town that is actually worth living in. Texas has been hurt by the rise of Baylor, Houston and TCU, that is for damned sure, but let'a be honest, getting the burnt orange to be the hip kid at the soda shack won't take a ton of work.
You have to be kidding. Texas travels as well as any program not named Notre Dame or tOSU. When they had Vince Young they were on tv every Saturday nationwide.Choosing to stay in the weakest of the P5 conferences was probably the right decision for the university as a whole, but from the standpoint of the football coach, it sucks. Other programs (including A&M) get a lot more national TV exposure, plus a one-loss conference championship season doesn't guarantee you a spot in the playoff like it does in the SEC or PAC-12. And Texas has, what, one national title in the integrated era? In the eyes of the audience that matters most to a coach (recruits and their parents), Texas doesn't have the pedigree of Oklahoma, which competes for TX recruits along with A&M and the schools you mention.
None of which is to suggest that Texas isn't a plum job -- clearly, it is. But it's not USC by a longshot. It's probably a tick better than LSU, but only because of prospect of playing Saban annually for the next 5 years is deeply unappealing.
Ole Miss was on national TV all the time when they had Eli Manning. Nobody thinks that makes them a marquee program now.You have to be kidding. Texas travels as well as any program not named Notre Dame or tOSU. When they had Vince Young they were on tv every Saturday nationwide.
If the Big 12 was a great launching pad (or even a decent one), TCU would've been in the playoff two years ago instead of tOSU. Times have changed -- it's better to be in a strong conference than it used to be.Texas is so ludicrously better than the LSU gig it isn't funny. At LSU you get to be the coach of a state program in a state that is shit-ass broke, whereas at UT you get to be the coach of a program where ludicrously rich alums fall out of every tree. One loss National championships have a lot of style points in them and there is no better place to earn style points than in the big 12.
OU integrated almost a generation before the other southern programs, which allowed them to dominate in the '70s and '80s, which gives them more pedigree today than just about anyone else.A good coach at UT would crush the Oklahoma pipeline, and I say that as a guy who loves Bob Stoops.
I'd put USC, Oklahoma and Alabama in my top tier, followed by Florida State and Florida. After that, I don't think there's a big difference between #6 and #20; both LSU and Texas fall somewhere in that range.I'd rank Texas overall fourth or fifth:
ND
USC
Michigan
Texas
O$U
Bottom three pretty interchangeable.
USC has historically failed to live up to what it should be. LSU is somewhere in the teens. Pretty irrelevant - they have a better perspective in the north than they do in the region.
Wow, I don't see Florida as anywhere close to any of those other schools, including Texas.I'd put USC, Oklahoma and Alabama in my top tier, followed by Florida State and Florida. After that, I don't think there's a big difference between #6 and #20; both LSU and Texas fall somewhere in that range.
Funny, I actually edited that post -- didn't have Florida listed, and I said there wasn't much difference between #5 and #20. Maybe I should've stuck with that.Wow, I don't see Florida as anywhere close to any of those other schools, including Texas.
Most all are the highest paid state employee by a good chunk. How much higher should the number be?Those ludicrously rich alums aren't necessarily a positive at most P5 programs.
It's one reason I don't think coaches are making enough $$$.
Florida have had two, brief, spurts of relevance under Spurrier and then under Meyer/Tebow. Let's not confuse that with an elite program.Funny, I actually edited that post -- didn't have Florida listed, and I said there wasn't much difference between #5 and #20. Maybe I should've stuck with that.
That said, Florida is still recovering from the Muschamp era. I think they'll be back to their dominant ways in a couple of years. They're like Michigan, without the high-profile coach but with a much better recruiting base.
A few things on this.Ole Miss was on national TV all the time when they had Eli Manning. Nobody thinks that makes them a marquee program now.
More to the point, when Texas had Vince Young, the Big 12 was a stronger conference than it is now. The Big 12 was a loser in the big realignment of a few years ago; Texas had a good reason to stay (TLN), but their football program would be better off if they had joined the SEC or PAC-12. If Texas had a Heisman-caliber QB now, they wouldn't get as much national exposure as A&M did when they had Manziel, because nobody outside the southwest gives a shit about the crappy teams that Texas plays.
If the Big 12 was a great launching pad (or even a decent one), TCU would've been in the playoff two years ago instead of tOSU. Times have changed -- it's better to be in a strong conference than it used to be.
I'm not sure what the affluence of a state or an alumni base has to do with anything. I mean, I'd rather spend my life in Austin than Baton Rouge too, but it's clear that college football coaches and players don't think like you and I do. If they did, Vanderbilt would be a dynasty and Alabama would be an also-ran.
OU integrated almost a generation before the other southern programs, which allowed them to dominate in the '70s and '80s, which gives them more pedigree today than just about anyone else.