The Rest of College Football

[iam416]

The defense was flawed. I'm happy to discuss any aspect of OSU's team seriously. I believe it's been explicitly stated by many that the OSU team is of no interest except for and but murders committed by Gators/Patriots. So, I'll keep it simple. The defense was flawed.

LOL about everything else.

Auburn is the best program in the SEC. LOLZ.

[whodean]

The Rest of CF

Fickell

[hack]

At least it's a Michigan team keeping those fuckers from c-bus from claiming any kind of flag ship status.

Not OK. Even just to trashtalk a Buckeye. Shudder.

[iam416]

It's some shameful shit, Hack.

Personally, I'd opt for mocking OSU's for having a 1-game losing streak or not winning the B10 or not going to the Orange Bowl. That's perfectly within the realm of acceptable even if it's identical to Mississippi State fans mocking Alabama. However, to take it a step further and champion Michigan State, well, that's some shameful fucking shit aside from it's laughability.

But, hey, if some of you boys can look yourselves in the mirror and say Go Green, Go White, then so be it.

[WM Wolverine]

Ohio is stlll the class of the B10, despite a lousy performance against Sparty. Sparty just had it's once every 25-year type of season where they had an amazingly easy schedule, played a weak B10 and are in the Rose Bowl...

Without knowing their schedule, I see them as a 7-9 win program going forward. We'll see if they fall off the cliff next season when they lose most of their top defenders and potentially lose a couple guys to the NFL too but short-term, I don't see them being near as successful as they've been the past ~4 years.

[hodgkal]

"I see them as a 7-9 win program going forward."

Seems to me we've heard that refrain for the past couple of years now. Now if someone picks off Narduzzi I'll look at things a little differently.

[lineygoblue]

OlieO and MSU pretty much share the top spot in the B1G right now.

But, college football can change like a woman during PMS. I expect OlieO to continue to challenge for the top going forward.

I would expect Michigan to challenge for a title, if they had competent coaching. Other coaches out there can take borderline talent, and make a very good team of it. I'm not confident in Hoke and his staff's ability to do so. Maybe the "blind squirrel/nut" thing will come along, but I'm not counting on it.

I also expect MSU to regress a bit with the loss of their key defensive personnel, but I am also forced to believe that Dantonio will get the most out of whatever he has left. They will be a force to be reckoned with going forward.

[Jeff Buchanan]

Thinking back, under Dantonio, I don't think he has ever had a top 15 recruiting class nationally. His recruiting classes are usually middle of the B1G.

I don't get that some here think MSU will regress to a norm of 7-5. That's wishful thinking set in the context of what used to be. What 5 games are they going to lose every year? If you give them one OOC loss that means they have to lose 4 conference games. Are we forgetting that M finished 3-5 in the conference? Things have changed.

The point is that MSU has a great coaching staff capable of developing good but not elite players into winners. Until that coaching staff changes, MSU is going to be looking at M in their rear view mirror.

[Jeff Buchanan]

It's some shameful shit ....... But, hey, if some of you boys can look yourselves in the mirror and say Go Green, Go White, then so be it.

My statements regarding MSU have nothing to do with cheering for that program. They have something to do with mocking osu.

Look, all M fans have left is the stupidity of mocking couch burning in EL and the fact that on the sidelines, Dantonio looks like he just broke wind and accidentally left a load in his pants.

But he wins games. More importantly he's 5-2 v. M on his watch and the games he's won have been humiliating beat downs. If noting that means I'm cheering for them, I don't know what to say.

[entropy]

As of Saturday morning, Dec. 14, Mack Brown was going to be the Texas football coach in 2014. It had not been announced, but the decision had been made. Brown held a breakfast for recruits who were in town on official visits, and new athletic director Steve Patterson dropped by the breakfast to visit with the prospects.

Afterward, Brown and Patterson spent hours discussing the future of the program, potential improvements in the athletic department and other aspects of their working relationship going forward.

About an hour after that meeting ended, Brown got a call from Patterson, according to a source with intimate knowledge of the situation. The tone was completely different from the upbeat meeting that had just occurred.

"I've got to come over [to the football offices]," Patterson said.

The source told Yahoo Sports that Patterson arrived at the football building with a jarring change of heart for Brown: You need to resign. That was the decision of University of Texas president Bill Powers, and Patterson was the apologetic messenger. The source said Powers, a longtime friend and supporter of the football coach, abruptly yanked the rug out from beneath Brown after supporting his continued tenure the previous two days.

Thus the 16-year Mack Brown Era at Texas was terminated not by the coach himself, but at the insistence of an embattled school president. Although the school's official release and every public statement has said Brown decided on his own to step down, he was pushed ? after being told the decision was his.

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Mack Brown will coach the Longhorns in the Alamo Bowl against Oregon as his final game at Texas. (AP)
Patterson had just started his job in Austin Dec. 1 and was supportive of Brown continuing as coach, according to the source ? but the decision was out of his hands. Powers and Brown still had not talked as of late last week, the source said.

"Mack doesn't feel betrayed," the source said. "But I think [Powers] should have done it himself."

Through university spokesmen, Brown, Patterson and Powers all declined speak to Yahoo Sports. Nick Voinis, spokesman for Patterson, said the athletic director had nothing to add beyond his comment in a statement released by the university Dec. 14, when Brown stepped down.

That statement from Patterson said, "We appreciate everything Mack has done for The University of Texas. He's been a tremendous coach, mentor, leader and ambassador for our university and our student-athletes. He is truly a college football legend. I've had a number of talks with him recently, and he has always said he wanted what was best for The University of Texas. I know this decision weighed heavily on him, and today he told us he's ready to move forward."

In the same university release, Powers said, "This is a very difficult day for everyone in The University of Texas family. Mack Brown is one of the best football coaches in the country, a tremendous representative of our University, and, most importantly, a great friend. He has produced championship teams with tremendous student-athletes and has always done so with the utmost class and integrity. Mack is just the best and he will be missed. With that said, I'm excited for the future and the opportunity to work with him in a new capacity for the years to come and am thrilled that he and Sally will remain part of our family. He is an unbelievable resource for us and will always be a valuable member of the Longhorn community."

Powers' reversal led to the school's announcement Saturday evening that Brown would indeed be stepping down. And that ended a season of intrigue, drama, distrust and ultimately broken promises.

For months, Brown had been assured by his bosses that there was nothing to the rumors of a January 2013 discussion between Texas boosters and the agent for Alabama coach Nick Saban. Then, after the season started poorly for the Longhorns, it came out via media reports in September that those discussions had indeed taken place. In addition to the misinformation from within the school, the source said there was an element of disappointment for Brown that Saban ? a professed friend ? would have his agent discuss a job that wasn't open.

But the last week before Brown's resignation was probably the worst. After losing handily to Baylor to finish 8-4, speculation swirled intensely.

"He didn't win, and it's all about winning," a Texas source said. "If we'd beaten Baylor, we wouldn't be having this conversation. But we didn't."

In the wake of that loss, media reports began to erupt Dec. 10 that Brown was done.

But as the stampede of speculation gained strength, Brown never acted like it was over. He went to the National Football Foundation gala in New York. He went on the road recruiting in the South. He said the rumors of his demise were greatly exaggerated.

On Dec. 12, when Brown was back in Austin, Powers won his own power struggle with the Texas Board of Regents. They gave him a vote of confidence, after factions had been hard at work to have him removed after a drawn-out power struggle.

That was seen as a victory for Brown, who needed all the allies he could get as boosters maneuvered to have him forced out. Last Friday, secure in who his bosses were, Brown met with Powers and Patterson.

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Texas president Bill Powers, left, and athletic director Steve Patterson attended Brown's resignation news conference. ?
According to the source, Brown asked them, "What do you want me to do? What is best for Texas?"

The answer, the source said, was the same from both president and athletic director: Stay on the job. We will support you.

Powers, according to the source, then suggested Brown announce that he was staying on that night at the Texas football banquet. Brown balked, hesitant to take the spotlight off his team and turn the night into a story about his employment.

At the end of a banquet without any news, the source said that Powers told Brown: "I'm so glad you're staying."

Less than 24 hours later, Powers was forcing out Brown via proxy.

So what changed? The source speculated, "Some of the Regents called and said, 'If you don't change coaches, we're changing our votes on you.' "

That falls in line with what Orangebloods.com reported earlier in the week: Booster pressure on Powers forced him to relinquish his support of Brown. Literally overnight, the coach lost his biggest ally and lost his job.

It wasn't long after Brown's announced resignation Saturday night that the phone started ringing. The source confirmed an Austin American-Statesman report that a representative of Nebraska called to check on Brown's interest in coaching there.

He was counseled against it.

"They're doing the exact same thing to Bo Pelini that Texas did to you," Brown was told, according to the source. Why would you want to go there?"

Army inquired as well. And although coaching at West Point had long been a dream of Brown's, it wasn't a move his family was ready to make.

So a year without coaching seems inevitable at this point. But first Brown is coaching out the string, trying to get the Longhorns ready as a decided underdog to Oregon in the Alamo Bowl.

It will be a bittersweet game, but also a relief to have the drama over with.

"This year," said the source, "has been hell."




Post Extras:

[Mike]

ESPN reporting Bill O'Brien is headed to the Houston Texans. Al Golden being floated as possible replacement at PSU.

[Hannibal]

Golden would be making a mistake if he takes that job, unless he just loves Penn State so much that it is his "dream job".

2014 and 2015 will be dismal years for Penn State. Maybe 2016 too.

[entropy]

some interesting stats... especially compared to the SEC dominance of Div 1

============

FCS National Champions
North: 21
South: 14

Streaks
North: 5 consecutive
North: 8 of last 10
Of seven schools with multiple titles, 5 are North schools (Georgia Southern has the most with 6)

DII National Champions
North: 26
South: 15

Streaks
North: 4 of 5
North: 14 of last 20
Of eleven schools with multiple titles, 7 are North schools (North Dakota State has the most with 5)

[UMStan White]

Great. We dominate the minor leagues.

[entropy]

No.. It means something is different between div 1 and the rest of football