Coaching Carousel Update

Well, that was fast. Louisiana Tech has chosen Sonny Dykes, and ECU has chosen Ruffin McNeill.

Sigh.

Onto the list:

Akron: Hire- Rob Ianello (no)
Buffalo: Hire- Jeff Quinn (no)
Central Michigan: Hire- Dan Enos (no)
Cincinnati: Hire- Butch Jones (no)
East Carolina: Hire- Ruffin McNeill (yes!!)
Florida: Return- Urban Meyer (no)
Florida State: Hire/Appointment- Jimbo Fisher (no)
Kansas: Hire- Turner Gill (yes!!)
Kentucky: Hire/Appointment- Joker Phillips (yes!!)
Louisiana Monroe: Hire- Todd Berry (no)
Louisiana Tech: Hire- Sonny Dykes (no)
Louisville: Hire- Charlie Strong (yes!!)
Marshall: Hire- Jon "Doc" Holliday (no)
Memphis: Hire- Larry Porter (yes!!)
Notre Dame: Hire- Brian Kelly (no)
San Jose State: Hire- Mike MacIntyre (no)
South Florida: Hire- Skip Holtz (no)
Tennessee: Hire- Derek Dooley (no)
Texas Tech- Hire- Tommy Tuberville (no)
UNLV: Hire- Bobby Hauck (no)
USC: Hire- Lane Kiffin (no)
Virginia: Hire- Mike London (yes!!)
Western Kentucky: Hire- Willie Taggart (no)

Meet the new boss

Same as the old boss.

Tennessee named Derek Dooley as their new head coach this past week. Rumor has it that he was the only person willing to come onboard and work with the UT assistants who didn't go to LA. Seems these folks have a total of $3 million in salaries, and a) weren't leaving without it while b) the University didn't want to pay the buyouts.

But we're not here to talk about assistants. Let's talk about Dooley, who comes from Louisiana Tech. While there, this happened:

Remind me again what Kansas' Mangino, TTU's Leach, and USF's Leavitt got fired for? Or, for that matter, Woody Hayes?

Ah well- Here's the updated list:

Akron: Hire- Rob Ianello (no)
Buffalo: Hire- Jeff Quinn (no)
Central Michigan: Hire- Dan Enos (no)
Cincinnati: Hire- Butch Jones (no)
East Carolina
Florida: Return- Urban Meyer (no)
Florida State: Hire/Appointment- Jimbo Fisher (no)
Kansas: Hire- Turner Gill (yes!!)
Kentucky: Hire/Appointment- Joker Phillips (yes!!)
Louisiana Monroe: Hire- Todd Berry (no)
Louisiana Tech
Louisville: Hire- Charlie Strong (yes!!)
Marshall: Hire- Jon "Doc" Holliday (no)
Memphis: Hire- Larry Porter (yes!!)
Notre Dame: Hire- Brian Kelly (no)
San Jose State: Hire- Mike MacIntyre (no)
South Florida: Hire- Skip Holtz (no)
Tennessee: Hire- Derek Dooley (no)
Texas Tech- Hire- Tommy Tuberville (no)
UNLV: Hire- Bobby Hauck (no)
USC: Hire- Lane Kiffin (no)
Virginia: Hire- Mike London (yes!!)
Western Kentucky: Hire- Willie Taggart (no)

An answer to prayers.

After today's news, here's our coaching update:

Akron: Hire- Rob Ianello (no)
Buffalo: Hire- Jeff Quinn (no)
Central Michigan: Hire- Dan Enos (no)
Cincinnati: Hire- Butch Jones (no)
East Carolina
Florida: Return- Urban Meyer (no)
Florida State: Hire/Appointment- Jimbo Fisher (no)
Kansas: Hire- Turner Gill (yes!!)
Kentucky: Hire/Appointment- Joker Phillips (yes!!)
Louisiana Monroe: Hire- Todd Berry (no)
Louisville: Hire- Charlie Strong (yes!!)
Marshall: Hire- Jon "Doc" Holliday (no)
Memphis: Hire- Larry Porter (yes!!)
Notre Dame: Hire- Brian Kelly (no)
San Jose State: Hire- Mike MacIntyre (no)
South Florida: Hire- Skip Holtz (no)
Tennessee
Texas Tech- Hire- Tommy Tuberville (no)
UNLV: Hire- Bobby Hauck (no)
USC: Hire- Lane Kiffin (no)
Virginia: Hire- Mike London (yes!!)
Western Kentucky: Hire- Willie Taggart (no)

We'll take a brief break from our "really? More African Americans aren't getting interviewed for coaching positions?" dose of righteous indignation to point out the obvious.

The perfect coach for these guys:


is this guy:


Please, God... let this happen.

Does it get any better than this??

Wow. I have no words. Actually, I do; but I've already used them.

and now, goodbye...

So, in terms of our coaching tracker, this makes things really interesting. Especially since the names I'm hearing at UT are:

• Fullmer (again; although he'd be crazy to go back given the way they treated him upon his exit)
• Muschamp (DC and coach in waiting at Texas- what if he went to Tennessee and then left in a year or two to go back to Austin? Awesome.)
• Cutcliff (Former UT offensive coordinator, current Duke coach)
• Rodriguez (Please, God, no... he's great at Mich1gAAn. Although it would further screw the program for a couple of years)
  

No mention of my favorite- wouldn't Mike Leach be great in the SEC? I'd love it just for the Tennessee/South Carolina press conferences with Spurrier. Rumors are, though, that the Pirate will be headed to USF. Where they play in a stadium with a real pirate ship. Amazing.

Here's where we are, with a couple of other updates:

Akron: Hire- Rob Ianello (no)
Buffalo: Hire- Jeff Quinn (no)
Central Michigan: Hire- Dan Enos (no)
Cincinnati: Hire- Butch Jones (no)
Florida: Return- Urban Meyer (no)
Florida State: Hire/Appointment- Jimbo Fisher (no)
Kansas: Hire- Turner Gill (yes!!)
Kentucky: Hire/Appointment- Joker Phillips (yes!!)
Louisiana Monroe: Hire- Todd Berry (no)
Louisville: Hire- Charlie Strong (yes!!)
Marshall: Hire- Jon "Doc" Holliday (no)
Memphis: Hire- Larry Porter (yes!!)
Notre Dame: Hire- Brian Kelly (no)
San Jose State: Hire- Mike MacIntyre (no)
South Florida
Tennessee
Texas Tech- Hire- Tommy Tuberville (no)
UNLV: Hire- Bobby Hauck (no)
USC: Hire- Lane Kiffin (no)
Virginia: Hire- Mike London (yes!!)
Western Kentucky: Hire- Willie Taggart (no)

Good times...

Oh, and there's this:

Justice coming

Sure sounds like it:

After almost four years of investigation, the NCAA’s probe into the University of Southern California athletic program has reached a conclusion. Sources familiar with the investigation have told Yahoo! Sports that the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions will meet Feb. 19-21 to address what investigators uncovered at USC. According to typical NCAA procedures, if sanctions are necessary, they will be determined and then made public via a news conference within six to eight weeks of the February hearing.

The NCAA probe has stretched beyond individual athletes, widening its focus to USC’s control of its sports programs, as well as various aspects of compliance and oversight, according to sources. It is expected to make conclusions on USC’s institutional control and whether the school had the proper checks and balances in place to oversee its athletes.

Gives Pete's cowardly exit some context...

Coaching Carroll

Whoops- I meant "Carousel". Not Carroll. So sorry.

Sorry that I've been such a slacker around here. It's like the faithful golden retriever who gets usurped by a new puppy. We'll go out and have a catch soon... and I promise I won't have you put down.

Anywho- a couple of pieces of news in the coaching world. Pete Carroll is headed to greener pastures in Seattle, just ahead of the coming storm that's gonna finally (I hope) hit U$C. The perfect hire? Mike Leach- it would be hard for me not to enjoy the Trojans if the Pirate Cap'n was in charge.

Speaking of hitting things, Jim Leavitt is out at USF; the third coach this season to be dismissed for "abuse" of a student athlete.

Texas Tech missed an opportunity and has hired Tommy Tuberville (as one person called him "the anti-Leach"; good ol' boy who won't ruffle feathers). But, Kentucky has confirmed Joker Phillips, so that's a good thing.

Here's where we are:

Akron: Hire- Rob Ianello (no)
Buffalo: Hire- Jeff Quinn (no)
Central Michigan
Cincinnati: Hire- Butch Jones (no)
Florida: Return- Urban Meyer (no)
Florida State: Hire/Appointment- Jimbo Fisher (no)
Kansas: Hire- Turner Gill (yes!!)
Kentucky: Hire/Appointment- Joker Phillips (yes!!)
Louisville: Hire- Charlie Strong (yes!!)
Marshall: Hire- Jon "Doc" Holliday (no)
Memphis: Hire- Larry Porter (yes!!)
Notre Dame: Hire- Brian Kelly (no)
South Florida
Texas Tech- Hire- Tommy Tuberville (no)
UNLV: Hire- Bobby Hauck (no)
USC
Virginia: Hire- Mike London (yes!!)
Western Kentucky: Hire- Willie Taggart (no)

Later this week (I promise) wrap up of the bowl challenge and our overall winner.

Coaching- Wow...

So- How you been? Anything exciting happen? Yeah, nothing big here...

Our discussion of Urban Meyer's departure was premature. He had a big breakfast at waffle house, and is now headed back to the Gators, most likely by August.

Rich Brooks celebrated Kentucky's loss against Clemson by saying he was "80% sure he wasn't coming back next season". And now, he's gone. Which is perfect, because they've got a great "head coach in waiting" ready to take over. However, if they don't want to follow through, have I got a solution to their problem-

Our good friend Capn' Mike Leach is out of a job, due to player mistreatment and arrogance (if you believe TTU) or salary issues and helicopter parenting/spoiled children (if you believe Leech). Again, if Kentucky's Phillips moves on, Leach would be a perfect fit- runs a similar offense, so no huge transition with personnel; and Kentucky doesn't seem to care about the character of their coaches as long as they win.

However, judging what we saw in the Outback Bowl, Texas Tech has a great coach already on the payroll. And, if he is chosen and Phillips is confirmed at UK, we'll have added two more coaches of African heritage to the roll; both at BCS institutions.

Here's where we are:

Akron: Hire- Rob Ianello (no)
Buffalo: Hire- Jeff Quinn (no)
Central Michigan
Cincinnati: Hire- Butch Jones (no)
Florida: Return- Urban Meyer (no)
Florida State: Hire/Appointment- Jimbo Fisher (no)
Kansas: Hire- Turner Gill (yes!!)
Kentucky: Hire/Appointment- Joker Phillips (yes!!)
Louisville: Hire- Charlie Strong (yes!!)
Marshall: Hire- Jon "Doc" Holliday (no)
Memphis: Hire- Larry Porter (yes!!)
Notre Dame: Hire- Brian Kelly (no)
Texas Tech
UNLV: Hire- Bobby Hauck (no)
Virginia: Hire- Mike London (yes!!)
Western Kentucky: Hire- Willie Taggart (no)

This means that now there are African American coaches in the SEC, the Big East, two in the ACC, and if McNeill is hired at TTU, there will be two in the Big 12. Both coaches in the premier programs in Kentucky are African Americans.

So- Pac 10 and Big T1e1n... What are you waiting on?

Coaching News

During Thanksgiving, our sports minds were tuned to the beginnings of the Tiger Woods story.

Now, during Christmas, those of us in college football have received even bigger news:

Urban Meyer is stepping down as head coach of the University of Florida Gators.

Citing health issues, the coach is making this move after consultation with his family, physicians, and leadership at the University of Florida. It may be remembered that he was hospitalized following the loss to Alabama in the SEC Championship Game.

Even though there was speculation regarding this issue being one surrounding the cyst on his brain outlined in the SI article here, ESPN is reporting that it's related to a heart valve muscle defect.

The Toledo native grew up in Ashtabula, and was a graduate assistant at Ohio State as his first foray into the collegiate level. He eventually ended up as the head coach of the Bowling Green Falcons before jumping to Utah and Florida.

Even though it has been speculated that Notre Dame is his "dream job", he has not pursued that opening during the last two searches the Irish have undergone. There are even rumors that, within his contract at Florida, he had an "out" covering his departure of that position to return to Ohio State as head coach.

Many questions still swirl regarding this decision and announcement:

1. What will happen with the recruits who have given their verbal to the Gators thus far (California's Joshua Shaw recently chose Florida over Ohio State and USC; Matt Elam is another name that might be impacted here)?
2. Who will coach the Gators in 2010? Defensive coordinator Strong has now assumed the head coaching position at Louisville; I'm not sure if there are any other internal candidates, although I know one coach who is available.
3. If it's health related, why wasn't Tebow able to heal him?

At any rate, we wish Coach Meyer and his family the best for this holiday season and transition in their lives.

And, speaking personally, should his health and passion allow, I hope he'll keep Columbus in mind on that day when Jim Tressel ascends from the sidelines to the heavens.

Here's where we are for our offseason:

Akron: Hire- Rob Ianello (no)
Buffalo: Hire- Jeff Quinn (no)
Central Michigan
Cincinnati: Hire- Butch Jones (no)
Florida
Florida State: Hire/Appointment- Jimbo Fisher (no)
Kansas: Hire- Turner Gill (yes!!)
Louisville: Hire- Charlie Strong (yes!!)
Marshall: Hire- Jon "Doc" Holliday (no)
Memphis: Hire- Larry Porter (yes!!)
Notre Dame: Hire- Brian Kelly (no)
UNLV: Hire- Bobby Hauck (no)
Virginia: Hire- Mike London (yes!!)
Western Kentucky: Hire- Willie Taggart (no)

Coaching Carousel

With a couple more moves this week, it's time to update the list:

UPDATE- OK, I'm an idiot. I didn't even know that UNLV was looking.

Akron: Hire- Rob Ianello (no)
Buffalo: Hire- Jeff Quinn (no)
Central Michigan
Cincinnati: Hire- Butch Jones (no)
Florida State: Hire/Appointment- Jimbo Fisher (no)
Kansas: Hire- Turner Gill (yes!!)
Louisville: Hire- Charlie Strong (yes!!)
Marshall: Hire- Jon "Doc" Holliday (no)
Memphis: Hire- Larry Porter (yes!!)
Notre Dame: Hire- Brian Kelly (no)
UNLV: Hire- Bobby Hauck (no)
Virginia: Hire- Mike London (yes!!)
Western Kentucky: Hire- Willie Taggart (no)

Just as a reminder for any BearCat fans swinging by- you can't complain about your coach leaving before a bowl game when the last two guys you hired did exactly the same thing.

So far... AMAZING

With today's news that Turner Gill has assumed leadership at the University of Kansas, four of the eight hires this offseason have have been candidates of African American heritage.

Statistically, it's still only 10 out of 120 (Gill was already at Buffalo), but it's exciting that we went from one BCS program with an African American head coach (Miami) to three (Miami, Kansas, Virginia). There was the possibility of another adding to this list, but Houston's Kevin Sumlin declined the opportunity to interview for the open Cincinnati position (Big East Conference).

Here's where we are:

Akron: Hire- Rob Ianello (no)
Buffalo
Cincinnati
Florida State: Hire/Appointment- Jimbo Fisher (no)
Kansas: Hire- Turner Gill (yes!!)
Louisville: Hire- Charlie Strong (yes!!)
Marshall
Memphis: Hire- Larry Porter (yes!!)
Notre Dame: Hire- Brian Kelly (no)
Virginia: Hire- Mike London (yes!!)
Western Kentucky: Hire- Willie Taggart (no)

Round Two/Three/Four/Five

Last night, as a part of "Football Night In America", Tony Dungy had the following to say:

Breaking sports news video. MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL highlights and more.

That someone has a better chance to coach in the NFL, where there are less than 40 opportunities, than Division 1 football with 120 opportunities, is a travesty.

Dungy implies that the University Presidents would be the ultimate voice for making this change; that they alone have the ability to make the boosters, alumni, and athletic departments change.

However, Presidents know where their bread is buttered, and ain't doing anything. My opinion: this should be examined by the federal government. Equal Opportunity Hiring practices are enforced in every aspect of University employment- faculty/adjuncts/staff. They should also be used for coaches and other athletic personnel. Otherwise, the educational institution becomes a business, and businesses are not tax exempt.

However, things are looking good for minority football coaches this season with two more hires, and at least two more high profile opportunities on the horizon. Both Kansas and Louisville are rumored to be actively recruiting African American candidates, although for Kansas it would only be a change of venue and not an additional "number" for our count. UPDATE: Louisville has made their decision.UPDATE: As have Akron and Notre Dame

Here's where we are:

Akron: Hire- Rob Ianello (no)
Cincinnati
Florida State: Hire/Appointment- Jimbo Fisher (no)
Kansas
Louisville: Hire- Charlie Strong (yes!!)
Marshall
Memphis: Hire- Larry Porter (yes!!)
Notre Dame: Hire- Brian Kelly (no)
Virginia: Hire- Mike London (yes!!)
Western Kentucky: Hire- Willie Taggart (no)

And so, it begins

Time again to start looking at the Coaching Carousel, especially given the big news of the past few days.

As a reminder, I'm interested in the hiring process mostly because I'd like to see if the NCAA can improve on their history of hiring minority candidates. Last season, we had seven African American head coaches at the 120 NCAA Division 1 schools, only one (Randy Shannon) was at a BCS Conference School.

Here's the current list- and we've got GREAT news! The first hire of this season was Memphis obtaining the services of LSU's Larry Porter.

Akron
Florida State: Hire/Appointment- Jimbo Fisher (no)
Louisville
Marshall
Memphis: Hire- Larry Porter (yes!!)
Notre Dame
Virginia
Western Kentucky

Giving Thanks

With a bang and a whimper, the college football season drifts away like so many autumn leaves down the gutter. Can you tell I didn't do well in college writing class?

This week we stopped as a nation to reflect on all that we have to be thankful for. Even though times are difficult, we have so much for which to be greatful. For instance-

I'm thankful I'm not either of these guys:

I'm thankful that I understand the media's rules for covering college football. On Thursday, Texas was in a shootout with and aTm team that can graciously be called "woeful". But that just shows how awesome the Big 12 is and how important rivalry games are. But when a team from the Big T1e1n is in a close game against... well, you know.

I'm thankful for Nebraska- not only have they returned to greatness through solid defense, they understand the important aspects of the game.

I'm thankful that someone, somewhere, still thinks running the ball down your opponents throat is an acceptable way to win football games. Stanford's offense is Mich1gAAn, circa 1999; power running, play action bootlegs. Poor Notre Ame- they couldn't beat either the current incarnation of TTUN or what they used to be.

While I'm thankful that the abomination that is the Weis administration is coming to an end in South Bend, I'm sad that we won't have Charlie to kick around anymore.

Like many Sooner fans, I'm thankful that "Big Game Bob" finally w0n a game that matters. Now they'll have warm memories of him when he's coaching in South Bend next year. (that's your "I think I'm Nostradamus" prediction of the week- Remember you read it here first)

I give thanks every year for the coaches I've known- theirs is a thankless job. You lose, and you're out at Louisville, Marshall, and Virginia. You win, and you're still out at Akron. More on the coaching carousel upcoming.

It's good to see another team from Ohio lifting high the banner of excellence, even if they've got a little "jerk" in them. It's also good to see that the old philosophy "Score bunches of points, don't play defense" isn't limited to Ann Arbor.

I'm thankful that my favorite squadron didn't wear chaps this weekend. Or, has to have a discussion about "do you think it's time for coach to retire?" I'm also thankful for Tim Tebow... there, I said it. No maybe ESPN will stop singing his praises.

As grateful as I am about not choosing certain uniform styles, I'm still glad that this awesome helmet exists. And that they were "stealthy" enough to help Mizzou beat Kansas. The Jayhawks are celebrating the fact that, for the second straight week, Mangino didn't kill someone.

I'm also thankful that, as urgent and dire as my favorite rivalry can be, we don't have coaches who do this:

To set the scene, U$C was up by 14 at the time, had just received the ball back on downs, and had taken a knee to run the clock out. UCLA's coach had called a time out (looking to cover the spread?), and Pete Carroll took umbrage to that. What is above is the result- Deep pass for a TD, Trojan players acting like jerks, UCLA players responding, etc. What do you expect, though- someone painted the bear!

What bothers me (and a lot of people) isn't the "go for the bomb" mentality; heck, St. Woody famously wanted to go for three at the end of a blowout against Mich1gAAn. What doesn't sit well is Carroll's gleeful antics- as a leader of men, you can only lay the blame for his team's response at his feet. I am thankful, though, that he gets to answer questions about being in a close game with a mediocre opponent in a rivalry... whoops, it's not the Big T1e1n, so nevermind. Enjoy the "whatever b0wl the 3rd/4th team in the Pac 10 goes to", Pete.

The Iron Bowl left me with mixed feelings- I'm thankful that our "ApocalypSEC 09" game is still afoot, but not happy that Auburn lost given that they unleashed some of the greatest trick plays assembled.

I'm thankful that the games are actually played rather than just done on paper. It makes rivalry so much more important, and gives us upsets like The Irrelevant Ball Coach over Clemson, Gawguh winning a big one for Ugga against a one loss Tech, WVa overcoming The 'Stache, NC State beating UNC, Kentucky taking Tennessee to overtime, Houston hanging 73 on Rice. Football is good.

I'm always grateful for the small things, too; sweet potato pie, fried turkey, time with family, high school football (even if it is JV). That's why Kirkwood's win on Thanksgiving is sweet, and Webster's Grove's championship adds a double dose of awesomeness to the weekend.

I'm especially thankful for yet another year with friends and family and Michael (I kid, I kid...), playing our picks league. For the last week, we again failed to crack 40 points as a group... with one exception.

Moving back to Georgia must have given Jake an inside track into the rivalries that ended up killing the rest of us. Either that, or Emily decided to help him this week- Do I need to split the points, you two/five?

Even traveling across seventeen states and fourteen accents, Dan managed to score top billing in this week's picks. Aaron had a tough week, and Nate seemed to have experienced tryptophan poisoning.

That brings us to our Champion... despite a full house and PhD work, Jake takes home the crown for the first time ever! Must have been that move away from the distractions of the beach, huh?

As always, I've included the percentages of points correct/points available. The light blue shaded boxes are those people who missed a week or two or three, and the missed weeks are deducted from the total. Just think if Michelle and Emily had been consistent.

Aaron's close week made the "picks" race all that more interesting, but he managed to do what it took to win it all. With Jake and Aaron taking top billing, the lesson is to make an addition to your family if you want to be successful at this. We're adopting again, so I'll leave it up to you to see if you're willing to do what it takes to win.

In the Bragging Rights divisions- Jake beat Emily, Terry and Janie split, Aaron beat Amanda, Dan defeated Michelle, Brian was victorious over Jen. Holding down the fort for the females- my wife beat me. What can I say- I outkicked my coverage with her.

Other "Bragging rights"- Terry/Janie win the Shike group, Dan Williams will not get a favorable performance evaluation from yours truly, Jake wins the SEC grouping, Scott beat me, Michael beat Visser, and Ohio State fans were 2-1 against TTUN.

It's almost time to hand out gaudy gifts- nope, not a stupid hamster that you bought on "chartreuse Saturday" or something- it's "Year End Awards Time". Since I'm a) a blogger, b) not important and c) not a former Heisman Trophy winner, I don't get to vote for the "Big Statue that only one person has won twice, and don't you forget it". But, let's say I did... my ballot would look a little something like this:

1. LaFevour, Central Michigan- Better career numbers than Tebow, passing AND rushing.
   
2. Toby Gerhart, Stanford- This year's Bo Jackson. He's getting the ball, and there's not much you can do about it.
   
3. Colt McCoy, Tejas- Should have won it last year, and has been the sole offense for a team that may be playing for the glassy trophy.
   
4. Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska- Other teams have to change their game plans to deal with him. That's enough for me.
   
5. St. Tebow of Gainesville- Yeah, if only he hadn't been concussed. Or playing with a limited offense this year.

Big Games this week: Pac Ten championship: Nike University vs toOSU. ApocalypSEC 09: 'Bama vs The Tebows. Big 12 Shootout- Bo's Boys against Colt. Big lEast title bout- UChikfila and Pitt. Ohio and my Heisman Candidate meet for the MAC championship. Conference USA championship has Houston and East Carolina squaring off. And, of course, there's still the playoffs in every other division of college football. Heck, even Canada figured out how to do it, and they can't even get the number of downs right.

That's all she wrote for now- we'll get the Bowl Picks up and running in a couple of weeks, and will start tracking the coaching transitions on Monday (big news coming...).

Until then- Thank you.

You don't say...

From today's Chronicle of Higher Education:

Top Posts in College Football Largely Held by White Men, Study Finds

Leadership positions at the top competitive level of college football are largely held by white men, even though a majority of the athletes they supervise are not white, according to a study released this morning by the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport at the University of Central Florida. The study found that, in the 2009 season, there were nine minority head coaches at colleges in the Football Bowl Subdivision, commonly known as Division I-A. Seven of those men are African-American, one is Hispanic, and one is Asian-American. By contrast, the study found that 50.4 percent of Division I-A athletes are African-American, 2.1 percent are Hispanic, and 2.3 percent are Asian-American.

No kidding.

Return to Normalcy

If your definition of "normal" was a week where six road teams won, and there was only one "sure thing" on the picks board, then this week is for you.

We start our review with the end of an era. Yup, it happened- Mich1gAAn played a team with a defensive pulse and lost. Although, the MAChigan State Spartans did their best to "Sparty" it (Midwestern version of "Couging" it for our Pac 10 readers), giving away a 14 point lead in the final quarter. MSU's second consecutive victory over "The Victors" came due to outgaining their "big brothers" 417 to 251 yards, including 197 to 28 on the ground. Here's a video of the winning score in overtime, in case you're teaching a clinic in tackling sometime soon:

Yeah, just do the opposite of that and your team will be fine. At least the Spartans get to go home with an ugly trophy.

Elsewheres in "teams I wish would disappear", the "It's Ty Willingham's Fault" bowl also went to overtime, as Notre Ame beat Washington. A couple of weeks ago, Charlie Weis complained about the officials in their loss to TTUN. Four years ago, Domers complained about U$C's illegal play when someone paid Reggie Bush to push Matt Leinart into the end zone. Well, it looks like the complaints ... uh... prayers have been answered:

Yes, the Irish won, but there were other shenanigans as well. Several receptions were borderline traps, and the last play of the game should have been a double personal foul for leading with the helmet:

The kid was unconscious before he hit the turf... watch his arms. If this type of thing warrants league suspension (and I think it should), then certain "independent" teams should be held accountable by the NCAA. But, we all know that's not going to happen, and now Lou Holtz gets to talk about Clausen as a Heisman candidate. Call me when they beat a team with a winning record and play someone with a defensive pulse (see 4CA, Tate).

For the record, MAChigan State, Mich1gAAn, and Notre Ame have split the series against each other. That's a little like this, only you'd need to replace the steak with a sweaty sock that no one cares about.

Finally, in my "axe to grind" department we head to the balmy climes of South Florida for the Choklahoma match up with the Hurricanes. Granted, the Sooners didn't have their QB (get well soon, Bradford), but that doesn't explain managing to only go into the half up by three when the first two series Miami runs ended in interceptions. As expected, Miami won 21-20, and the uproar that "Miami's Back!" was heard throughout Army Surplus stores across the country.

Mark May continues to call Stoops "Big Game Bob", but I can't for the life of me figure out the last big game he won (and no, I don't consider trouncing an overrated Texas Tech team last year to be in this category).

Elsewhere in college football:

• Nebraska continued to cruise, crushing BYE.
• BYU moved one step closer to being "Champions of Utah", which comes with a $.25 off Wendy's Frosty coupon.
• Wisconsin beat Minnesota for yet another inane Big T1e1n trophy. Make up your mind- Bunyan in Michigan or Wisconsin or Minnesota... Sheesh
  
• Ohio State beat Indiana without any sort of officiating assistance. You know, the one that went for 400+ on Mich1gAAn? Yeah, try 228, even missing our defensive captain and with a lot of young players getting reps. Oh, and there were passes to the tight end and a TD pass to a freshman fullback- the first fullback reception since 2001. Trust me, it's more rare than seeing Coach Mangino say "nope" at the Old Country Buffet.
  
• Virginia woke up to beat North Carolina. Ralph Sampson must have eligibility left.
• Nerd Bowl- Purdues' engineers lost to Northwestern's... uh... nerds.
• Iowa snuck by Arkansas State, and State Penn pounded Illinois (although the Illini scored, so there's that)
• LSU beat Georgia in a game that was only worth watching during the last quarter. Oh, and SEC Speed doesn't preclude officiating shenanigans.
• Alabama and Mississippi State reminded Kentucky and Vanderbilt that it's not basketball season yet.
• Houston's national title hopes went down in flames to UTEP, 58-41. It's called defense, guys... please see my earlier comments on tackling.
• Arkansas whooped (seriously, the only way to describe it) aTm.
  
• U$C helped Cal continue on it's late season slide- why wait 'till November, right?
  
• Stanford (I'm just as surprised as you are) continues to be atop the Pac 10, beating UCLA
• Boise State proved they were worthy of their #5 ranking, beating UC Davis. Please be sure to read the previous with heavy doses of sarcasm.
• Auburn! Wow, that coach has really made a name for himself... War Tigers over the Vols.
  
• Both Oregon schools won, and TCU continues to be undefeated. If it matters.
• Texas, Kansas, Florida were off. Brett Favre is still unretired.
  

Small schools: Anderson dropped a road loss to Hanover, Humbolt handled Azusa, Southern Nazarene defeated tasty, tasty Bacone. Westminster beat HINU 47-14.

In "The League"- Paula returns, Ben flakes, and Dan Williams keeps his name at the top of the scoreboard.

Seriously, I looked at this week's slate of games and basically flipped a coin. Great job by those of you who finished above 500.

Paula, looks like you haven't lost your touch. Doug? You know you can pick well and not jinx TCU, right?

A lot of folks tied up in the middle- Jeff's picks are after two weeks, so he's not there yet.

Nice name change, Matt- now what was that you were saying about beating Michael?

This week, there are a number of great games to watch, starting with Nebraska at Missouri on Thursday night. Saturday's showdowns include a battle of the top teams in the Big T1e1n, as Wisconsin comes to Columbus. Florida and LSU also square off in a "battle for the most mullets" between two top 5 programs. State Penn eats another cupcake, Sparty and the Zooks try to see who can lose first, and Georgia Tech looks for a way to get Bobby Bowden finally fired. Although, you can't fire someone who's undead... explains the Gators' decisions earlier this week.

Small schools- Southern Naz travels to Southwestern Baptist, APU hosts Southern Oregon, and the Fighting Ravens welcome Mt. St. Joseph's for homecoming (or as I call it- "no way am I setting foot on that campus" weekend).

Obscure game of the week: Just a quick "thank you" to our men in uniform, as we highlight the United States Merchant Marine Academy as they travel to play Worcester Tech in a Division Three match up.

Founded in 1947 and located in Kingsport New York, the USMMA strives to train men and women in order to keep our national oceanographic commerce lines running smoothly and safely. Mariner athletes can rest assured that their endeavors will move toward their recognition as a class, as will their ability to create and maintain a well polished binnacle. I have no freaking idea what that means.

One of several colleges in Worcester Massachusetts, Worcester Polytechnic Institute was founded in 1865 with the goal of being a place "where science and technology meet real world problems". That's good, but I'd be interested in seeing if a full beer bottle or empty one would do more damage in a bar fight. That's the type of research I want from a prestigious institution. It doesn't seem like a good place to be a freshman or find a spouse, and I couldn't find anything about students hitting the sauce. The athletic teams are called the "Engineers", although the "Rockets" might also be appropriate.

No update next week- I'll be busy in Yosemite trying not to get killed. See you in two!!

But of course...

The NCAA has dropped the hammer... on Southeast Missouri State Basketball.

Sanctions?

• Public reprimand and censure.
• Three years of probation to be added to the institution's current two-year probationary period,
  
• Reduction by one of the number of scholarships in men's basketball for the 2009-10 academic year from the NCAA maximum limit of 13 to 12. (Self-imposed by the university)
• Reducing the number of off-campus contact and evaluation recruiting opportunities in men's basketball during the 2009-10 academic year by 15. (Self-imposed by the university)
• Reducing the number of occasions in which men's basketball student-athletes may be supervised by strength and conditioning staff to no more than two per week. This is a reduction of 28 opportunities that generally are conducted May-August. (Self-imposed by the university.)
• Vacation of wins in which involved men's basketball student-athletes competed during the 2006-07 and 2007-08 seasons; and the vacation of the individual records of the student-athletes and record of the former men's basketball coach.

Violations:

• impermissible presence of men's basketball coaching staff members during summer strength and conditioning activities
• impermissible observation of out-of-season pick-up games
• impermissible extra benefits: one in the amount of $239, and the other when the former assistant coach drove a student-athlete 171 miles from campus (allegedly to see his newborn baby)

Meanwhile, in Los Angeles... nothing. Well, not completely nothing: LA Times: Pete Carroll is pushing it

"One of our mottos is, a relentless pursuit of competitive advantage in everything we do," Carroll said Thursday.

Um, Pete, that attitude is exactly what has landed USC in trouble.

"We're not in trouble," Carroll said.

Yes, you are. By college sports definition, any time NCAA investigators are hanging around, you are in trouble.

They showed up for the Reggie Bush stuff, and apparently they are going to stay for the Pete Rodriguez stuff, this special teams consultant who admitted he attended USC practices, which is a direct violation of those stupid rules.

And yet, we've only heard crickets from the NCAA. Anyone surprised?

"Michigan Men"

Quick follow up to Jeff's post over on the BBC: Those Who Stay Will Still Be Losers:

In the comments, I also talked about the following-

What’s especially interesting is that, after Feagin’s transfer/arrest/trainwreck, Slick Rod said he didn’t know about previous issues when the student athlete was in HS.

And now, as a response, the AD will “look into the recruiting process”.

I agree wholeheartedly- you should look into the recruiting process that brought you the coach that actively recruited Chris Henry, Adam Jones, Noel Devine, and friends while at WVa.

Oh wait… that was someone named Bill Martin.

To make things even richer, MACh1gAAn has recently obtained the services of Massillon Ohio's Justin Turner, who was struggling to get past the NCAA clearinghouse.

His issues, in summary- he wasn't able to pass all of the sections of the OGT (Test you have to pass in Ohio to get a diploma- "Thank you", No Child Left Behind).

My issue is not that this student athlete isn't capable of doing college level work, and shouldn't be at UM. It's well known that some people don't test well with certain types of testing- It's not indicative of aptitude at any level. He was, from all I can figure out, a 3.4 student in high school and had a solid SAT/ACT score. We wish him the best as he pursues his education and life's calling.

What I want to point out, though, is that the "Harvard of the West" is willing to allow a student athlete on campus when all they need to do is get past the NCAA's standards. You know, the same ones that SEC schools often use...

Meanwhile, just a bit South, Ohio State "lost" a student athlete because he didn't meet the enrollment requirements of the University.

Doesn't seem like the University of Michigan really cares all that much about academics for their athletes.

Seriously?

So let me get this straight:

There were 22 open Head Coaching positions in Division 1 (BSD) last year.

And at no time did anyone interview MAck Strong, Florida's Defensive Coordinator?

Brilliant. More of the same, I guess...

Well, it's a start

We give both Oregon schools a lot of grief, hereabouts... from their continual inflow of Nike money that still hasn't bought a national championship, to the reminders that the Beavers are the otherOTHER OSU, to the uniforms from hell... You'd never know my wife was from there.

But, I will give credit to the state of Oregon, who are considering a version of the "Rooney Rule" for any future head coaching hires.

It was originally aimed at football coaches, but a House committee expanded it to include all sports as well as athletic directors, Greenlick said.

It would require universities to interview at least one minority in each hiring process. The state's Board of Higher Education would enforce the legislation, but the bill specifies no penalties.

The bill easily passed the House. Should it be approved by the Senate and signed by the governor, Oregon would become the first state with such a requirement.

Good timing, too... we've talked about this before, and have even implied that there may be other ways to levy pressure at the national level. Seems that there's at least some investigation into the foundational purpose of College Sports which may help impact this discussion. A report from the Congressional Budget Office implies,

I-A athletic departments get 60% to 80% of their revenue from activities that can be described as commercial.

CBO director Douglas Elmendorf, left, writes: "The high share of commercial revenue for some sports programs raises the questions of whether those programs have become side businesses for schools and, if they have, whether the same preferential tax preferences should apply to them as to schools in general."

With all the discussion about a playoff and monopolies and such, it may be an interesting summer in the world of higher education and sports.

Racial Divide

Couple of articles over the past few weeks that discuss one of our favorite topics

First, The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sports gives college athletics a C+ in terms of racial and gender hiring practices. They gave the FBS (Division 1) football programs an F for hiring- and that don't stand for "Fantastic".

Also, the first African American head football coach to win a Super Bowl opined in the New York Times Op-Ed pages on this topic as well. Tony Dungy gives his insight on why it's so difficult to make any progress at the college level-

At a seminar last spring in Indianapolis with other N.F.L. and college head coaches and university athletic directors, I asked that very question, and was enlightened by the responses of those directors. The biggest factor, they said, was the involvement of other people associated with the universities. It was not just the president and the athletic director who made the hiring decisions — alumni and boosters were involved, and the presidents often felt pressure to hire coaches the boosters would support.

So, it comes down to money (as always). In the NFL, there's a league wide initiative regarding interview processes. But there aren't any areas where all Universities have common incentives that could be leveraged to help encourage this process.

That is, except for their tax exempt status.