Neverending Mountain West region college football thread

[CPVLIVE]

Originally Posted by xseven

My question to Buffs fans: Who's your top choice for head coach going into the PAC-12 with a BRUTAL 2011 schedule?

Some select schools CU will play in 2011:

At Hawaii
At Ohio State
At Stanford
Home against Oregon
Home against USC
Home against Arizona
At Utah

The schedule shouldn't much factor into the decision. Whomever takes over the CU coaching duties can expect difficult schedules. This is nothing new for CU - year in and year out they play one of the toughest schedules. Some select highlights from recent years. I've included marquee games and ranked teams.

2000:

At USC
Washington
At Texas A&M
Texas
At Nebraska
K-State

2001:

At K-State
Texas A&M
At Texas
Nebraska
At Texas - for BIGXII Championship
Oregon

2002:

USC
At UCLA
At Oklahoma
At Nebraska
Oklahoma - for BIGXII Championship
Wisconsin

2003:

UCLA
At Florida St.
Oklahoma
Nebraska
Missouri

2004:

Texas
At Texas A&M
At Nebraska
Oklahoma
Oklahoma St.

2005:

At Miami
Texas A&M
At Texas
Nebraska
At Texas - for BIGXII Championship
Clemson

2006:

Arizona St.
At Georgia
At Oklahoma
Nebraska
Missouri

2007:

At Arizona St.
Florida St.
Oklahoma
Nebraska
Missouri
Kansas
Alabama

2008:

West Virginia
At Florida St.
Texas
At Nebraska
At Texas A&M
At Kansas
At Missouri
At OKlahoma St.

At least it's not '71 which featured road games against #9 LSU, #6 Ohio State, #2 Oklahoma, and #1 Nebraska.

Or 1990 -now that was brutal -

#8 Tennessee
Stanford
At #21 Illinois
At #22 Texas
#12 Washington
#22 Oklahoma
At #3 Nebraska
#5 Notre Dame

[TonyAnderson]

So where do all the top Colorado prospects go?

[Cirrus]

Here's the list of top Colorado prep recruits for 2011. CU and CSU get a large share, but not as much as they used to. After that it looks like heading west to the Pac is the most popular option, with Big 12 North and Big 10 territory next. Pretty much nobody goes to Big 12 South territory. Utah also looks like it picks up a lot.

[Cirrus]

So now that we can safely speculate about the next coach... thoughts?

Everybody is talking about McCartney. If the guy who won us a national championship wants to come back then it seems like it would be hard to say no, but I'm worried that he's too old and too far gone from the game to be nearly as effective this time around. Having watched Joe Gibbs tread water with the Redskins for 4 years and really accomplish nothing except to waste time, I don't have a lot of confidence that McCartney would get the job done. I think he'd bring us back to basic respectability, but not get much further than that.

That having been said, he's probably my #3 choice.

My #1 choice would be Mike Leach. I fear that recruiting is still going to be a big problem no matter who the coach is, and Leach's whole deal is that his gimmicky offense can be run successfully without the sort of blue chip recruits that go to Texas and Oklahoma instead of Texas Tech. He's capable of winning just about every year with basically middle-of-the-road players, which I think is what CU needs right now. I think we'd be winning 9-10 games a year on a pretty annual basis with him, and also think he's one of the few guys who might do better in Boulder than he did in his last gig.

After Leach, my #2 choice is Auburn's offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn. He's the hottest coordinator in college football right now, and like Leach he runs a lot of unusual schemes that can produce results without the best talent. He isn't as proven as Leach though, and I suspect he'd view CU as a stepping stone to a bigger job elsewhere. Basically, he's a less desirable version of Leach.

My #4 pick would be Ken Niumatalolo, the Navy head coach, for basically the same reasons as the other guys. He runs an option offense that produces wins with really bottom-wrong talent, and not very many teams these days (especially on the west coast) are set up to defend it. That said, I think the option can only take you so far. Also, nobody knows if he's willing to leave Navy. He could be the coach for life there if he so desires.

So:
1. Mike Leach
2. Gus Malzahn
3. Bill McCartney
4. Ken Niumatalolo

[PLANSIT]

1. Leach - cultural fit, gets the most out of talent. Ties to Texas recruits.
2. Bellotti - no reason to think he is interested, but would be awesome. PAC10 experience and recruiting connections.
3. Bieniemy - soon to be hot-commodity. Not sure if now is the right time. Maybe OC? Would kill at recruiting.
3. Malzahn - SEC stud.
5. Miles - another shot in the dark, but has stated Boulder is one of his favorite places. Too expensive at current rate.
6. McCartney - only if he does it cheap, then CU spends $1 - $1.5 million on the OC and DC.
7. Holgorsen - OSU OC is destroying BIG 12 defenses. Resume includes Texas Tech OC and Houston OC.

Not set on this order, but I'm pretty set on the selections. Will be interesting to see how this pans out.

[Brainpathology]

Why doesn't Dave Logan's name come up anymore? I haven't followed his career any lately but his name did seem to be in the mix before the last two (phenomenal!) coaching hires CU made.

Was he caught eating babies?

Or does he just win too much for CU's taste? He's still coaching HS right?

[PLANSIT]

Originally Posted by Brainpathology

Why doesn't Dave Logan's name come up anymore? I haven't followed his career any lately but his name did seem to be in the mix before the last two (phenomenal!) coaching hires CU made.

Was he caught eating babies?

Or does he just win too much for CU's taste? He's still coaching HS right?

He coaches HS too much for CU's taste.

[bunt_q]

His name is coming up a lot in the local press. I just don't think he's any of our favorites. But he's been mentioned on most every list. But he keeps getting compared to that one fellow down at North Texas (?) who made the HS-College leap and sucked it up pretty bad.

[Cirrus]

A high school coach? That reeks of desperation. It reads like a giant "nobody wants to come here" sign floating over the program.

If the guy is a good coach then make him a coordinator or a position coach or something. Or put him charge of recruiting (I'm sure he'd be good at getting the local talent to stay local). But don't make ESPN's headline "CU hires local nobody to run everything." I guarantee that would be a huge turn-off to every recruit from outside Colorado. It would be a declaration of amateurism.

[CaliforniaKid]

Interesting post...

________________________

While I was watching the “BCS Countdown” show Sunday night, Kirk Herbstreit and my dad made the same point at the same time — what has TCU done this year to make people think the Horned Frogs are better than last year, when they lost to the Broncos in the Fiesta Bowl?

And if you break down the numbers, it’s clear. While the Horned Frogs have been slightly more impressive this year against a schedule that ranks the same as last year, the Broncos have been far more impressive than last year against a schedule that ranks significantly higher than last year.

Here are the highlights:

— Boise State’s yardage margin (total offense minus total defense) is 312 yards this year — a 108 percent increase over last year. TCU’s yardage margin is 277 yards, a 28 percent increase.

— Boise State’s scoring margin is 34.4 points per game, a 37 percent increase. TCU’s scoring margin is 32.9, a 29 percent increase.

— Boise State has made larger gains than TCU in rushing offense, total offense, scoring offense, rush defense, total defense, scoring defense and sacks.

— Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore has improved his efficiency rating by 30.73 points — or 19 percent. That’s particularly impressive because Moore finished No. 2 in the nation last year. TCU quarterback Andy Dalton’s rating is up 9.8 percent.

— Boise State’s big wins in 2009 and 2010 are similar — the Broncos were more dominant against Oregon in 2009, but they beat Virginia Tech on the road. TCU’s big wins are similar, too — they crushed Utah this year and crushed Utah and BYU last year.

— Boise State’s most-criticized performance last year was a seven-point win at Tulsa. Its most-criticized performance this year was a 29-point win against Louisiana Tech, a game the Broncos led by 36 when the starters left. TCU’s most-criticized win last year was a three-point decision at Air Force. Its most criticized win this year was a 17-point decision at SMU.

— And, finally, TCU’s schedule ranks 62nd in the Sagarin Ratings. Its schedule was 60th last year. Boise State’s schedule currently ranks 72nd. Its schedule ranked 96th last year. In fact, the Broncos’ schedule this year is projected to finish ahead of TCU’s.

The point: If Boise State was the better team in January, when the Broncos won the Fiesta Bowl, and it’s the more improved team this year, what makes so many people think the Horned Frogs are the better team this year?

•••


Read more: http://voices.idahostatesman.com/201...#ixzz14wugA31I

[bunt_q]

I think it's more of a courtesy than a declaration of amateurism. He's very well liked and has been very successful at one of the better high school programs nationally. Oh, and he's the play-by-play voice of the Broncos, so he is football to some extent. And he's a CU alum (drafted by the NFL, NBA, and MLB) with a respectable NFL career behind him. But nobody really thinks he'll be the one hired.

There's a more positive atmosphere right now than there has been in years. We'll find somebody worth having (even if we are broke).

[Brainpathology]

And here I thought college football WAS amateur....
The NCAA seems to put being amateur ahead of say not having drug dealers and wife beaters on teams anyway.

Cynicism aside though... I can understand why Logan maybe isn't coming up on the lists here.

[xseven]

Originally Posted by PLANSIT

1. Leach - cultural fit, gets the most out of talent. Ties to Texas recruits.

This should be the name at the top of the list for Colorado.

Controversy aside, Mike Leach posted winning seasons at Texas Tech for all nine years as head coach of a Big 12 South program.

Leach may be unorthodox, but he knows how to win. And with his recent past, I'm sure he'd be willing to sign a contract with some fewer dollars than he would like just to get back in to the game.

[BoiseAirport]

Originally Posted by CaliforniaKid

Interesting post...

Agreed, it's interesting to look at the statistical analysis.

It seems like as of this week, people are railing on Boise State for not having a stronger schedule, while giving TCU the benefit of the doubt because they beat #5 Utah. The only reason Boise State doesn't have a strong schedule this year is pure dumb luck.

Even MARK MAY said at the very beginning of the season, regarding Boise State, "They have the schedule. The question is whether they'll go undefeated."

As we were scheduling for this year, we put Virginia Tech on because they were a great team when we scheduled them, and so was Oregon State. There was no way we could've known that those two teams would've had such big losses this season as they did.

But, oh well... I still hold my belief that this year's Boise State and TCU team would certainly win-out in the Big East, the ACC, probably the Big 12, and, with a bit of luck, quite possibly the Big 10, the Pac-10 and perhaps the SEC. But that's just me.

[TonyAnderson]

That's a great point. TCU looked more impressive last year than Boise, then lost to them. TCU has looked more impressive this year as well, but because of last year I have to assume Boise is the better team. I think that's why they're still getting more love and first place votes in the human polls.

[BoiseAirport]

Originally Posted by TonyAnderson

That's a great point. TCU looked more impressive last year than Boise, then lost to them. TCU has looked more impressive this year as well, but because of last year I have to assume Boise is the better team. I think that's why they're still getting more love and first place votes in the human polls.

Except nobody is making that point, since apparently you didn't read past the first sentence.

TCU and Boise State have both improved since last year. The numbers show that Boise State has improved far more than TCU has. And it also shows the double standard of importance in schedule from last year to this year. But whatever, spin it however you want, nobody is making the argument you put forth.

[Cirrus]

Personally I don't think Boise or TCU would go undefeated in any BCS conference except the Big East. They might win the ACC, but I don't think they'd get through unblemished.

You guys are so used to going undefeated you don't fully realize how difficult it is to do in the BCS conferences. The bad teams are still good enough to pull upsets. There are *always* upsets.

[BoiseAirport]

Originally Posted by Cirrus

Personally I don't think Boise or TCU would go undefeated in any BCS conference except the Big East. They might win the ACC, but I don't think they'd get through unblemished.

You guys are so used to going undefeated you don't fully realize how difficult it is to do in the BCS conferences. The bad teams are still good enough to pull upsets. There are *always* upsets.

Well, we'll just agree to disagree. Watching this year's team, I genuinely think that TCU and Boise State could go undefeated with, say, Oregon's schedule. I would hesitate to say we'd go undefeated in the SEC, which is why I said in another thread that the argument that a one-loss SEC team should jump Boise or TCU holds water, depending on the team and how they play, but I don't believe for a second that this year's team would have a four-loss or more record in the SEC like a lot of people seem to want to believe.

[bunt_q]

You mean to say, no joke, you think Boise could play a schedule that included Auburn, LSU, Alabama, Arkansas, Miss St, South Carolina, and Florida, and come out of that undefeated? Unblemished in a conference where in an unlucky scheduling year playing at Georgia might be your fluff week? Ballsy. Good thing you don't have to back that up.

[BoiseAirport]

Originally Posted by bunt_q

You mean to say, no joke, you think Boise could play a schedule that included Auburn, LSU, Alabama, Arkansas, Miss St, South Carolina, and Florida, and come out of that undefeated? Unblemished in a conference where in an unlucky scheduling year playing at Georgia might be your fluff week? Ballsy. Good thing you don't have to back that up.

Listen, if you're not even going to read what I write, then don't even bother posting. I said I genuinely believe we'd go undefeated with OREGON's schedule. Last I checked, Oregon wasn't in the SEC. I said I was HESITANT to say that we would go undefeated in the SEC, meaning that even if we did, it would certainly not be unblemished which is why I said that I would have no honest qualm with, say, a one-loss SEC team going to a national title game over an undefeated Boise State or TCU, depneding on the team and how they've played, just as with any other team.