BCS Bowl Possibilities

A want to write a quick post detailing what I think will happen in regards to the participants of the five BCS bowls. I'm particularly interested this year, because Boise State has a great opportunity to become the first non-AQ to be selected from the at-large pool. Onto the discussion:

Here's what I know for sure. The winner of the SEC championship game will be in the title game, and the loser will be in the Sugar Bowl. The winner of the ACC championship game will be in the Orange Bowl. The loser won't be in a BCS bowl. Ohio State will be in Rose Bowl. The winner of the Civil War (Oregon vs Oregon State) will also be in the Rose Bowl. TCU will be in one of the BCS bowls. Those six teams are in.

The most likely scenario is that Texas wins the Big 12 championship game, Cincinnati beats Pitt, and Boise State beats New Mexico State. In this case, Texas goes to the title game and Cincinnati goes to a BCS bowl. Now two spots are open. The Big Ten will get one, and it should go to Iowa over Penn State. The most likely options for the last spot will be Georgia Tech if they lose Ssturday, Virginia Tech, Miami, Pitt, Oklahoma State, Oregon if they lose Saturday, and Boise State. Boise State would be 13-0 with a win over Oregon. Every other team in that list would have three losses. If a BCS bowl chose a 3-loss team over Boise State, chaos would ensue. In 2007, the Rose Bowl took a undeserving Illinois team, but that was a slightly different situation because the Rose Bowl wanted to keep the Big 10-Pac 10 tradition. That would not be the case this season. I have to think Boise State would be chosen, regardless that they play in the WAC and the non-conference slate ended up having only one big game.

A second scenario would be Texas and Boise State winning, but Cincinnati losing to Pitt. Pitt would earn the auto-bid and Cincinnati would go to the at-large pool. Cincinnati and Iowa would probably both get bids over Boise State in this situation.

If Cincinnati and Boise State win, but Texas loses, then it ends up being essentially the same situation. Texas and Iowa get the at-large bids and Boise State gets the shaft. Then the main topic will be who plays in the title game. While TCU is ranked higher right now, I think Cincinnati would jump to #2. With no one-loss teams outside of SEC loser and Texas, Cincinnati would be the only option from a BCS conference.

If Texas and Cincinnati lose, then it gets interesting for a different reason. Texas obviously gets an at-large, but Iowa and Cincinnati would have to fight it out for the last spot. Cincinnati would have the better resume and the better non-conference win (at Oregon State vs Arizona at home.) The problem is that the Big East lacks a certain amount of prestige, and Iowa has a bigger fanbase for ticket sales and TV ratings. TCU would be next in line to play in the title game, but I have a hard time believing that will happen. I doubt you'll see a SEC rematch, so Texas may be able to back its way into the title game without winning the Big 12. If you like chaos, root for this situation.


My latest prediction of the BCS Bowls:

BCS National Championship Game: Florida vs Texas
Fiesta Bowl: Cincinnati vs TCU
Rose Bowl: Oregon vs Ohio State
Orange Bowl: Georgia Tech vs Boise State
Sugar Bowl: Alabama vs Iowa

2009 Week 14 Top 25

It's conference championship weekend, so there are several top matchups this weekend. The Big 12 and the SEC championship games pit two ranked teams against each other. Cincinnati and Pitt are playing de facto championship game, with the winner taking the conference and a BCS bowl invite. Oregon and Oregon State have a similar situation, where the winner will go to the Rose Bowl. The ACC and even the MAC are on the verge of having ranked teams square off, with Clemson and Ohio just a little outside of my Top 25 rankings.


1 - Florida (1)
2 - Alabama (2)
3 - Texas (3)
4 - Cincinnati (4)
5 - TCU (5)
6 - Boise St (6)
7 - Oregon (9)
8 - Ohio St (10)
9 - Georgia Tech (7)
10 - Pitt (8)
11 - Iowa (12)
12 - Virginia Tech (13)
13 - Penn St (14)
14 - LSU (16)
15 - Houston (17)
16 - Nebraska (19)
17 - BYU (24)
18 - Oklahoma St (12)
19 - Miami (20)
20 - USC (21)
21 - West Virginia (UR)
22 - Utah (15)
23 - Wisconsin (23)
24 - Oregon St (UR)
25 - Central Michigan (UR)


Others Receiving Votes: Cal, Clemson, Ohio, Stanford, Troy
Added: West Virginia, Oregon St, Central Michigan
Dropped: Clemson, Mississippi, Cal

11/29 Coaching Update

Coaching Carousel has been updated with the Akron, Louisville, and Marshall openings. I'm expecting more annoucements to be made Monday or Tuesday. Specifically, I'm expecting to hear about a change being made at Notre Dame, Virginia and Maryland. Colorado and UTEP have come out and said their coaches will be retained. I wouldn't be surprised if Mike Price decides to retire though. It has been reported that Memphis has hired LSU assistant head coach and RB coach Larry Porter, although that's not been made official yet.

While I was typing this, ESPN reported that Al Groh is out at Virginia. The carousel will be updated. Also, Bobby Bowden wants to coach another season at FSU, but his fate has not been decided. Expect an announcement one way or the other in the next day or two.

2009 Week 13 Picks

Week 1: 63-15 (80.8%)
Week 2: 51-11 (82.3%)
Week 3: 47-17 (73.4%)
Week 4: 45-16 (73.8%)
Week 5: 37-15 (71.2%)
Week 6: 45-10 (81.8%)
Week 7: 44-11 (80%)
Week 8: 43-12 (78.2%)
Week 9: 39-16 (70.9%)
Week 10: 40-15 (72.7%)
Week 11: 48-12 (80%)
Week 12: 42-11 (79.2%)
Season: 544-161 (77.2%)


Tuesday, November 24
Ball St at Western Michigan


Thursday, November 26
Texas at Texas A&M


Friday, November 27
Rutgers at Louisville
Temple at Ohio
Illinois at Cincinnati
Northern Illinois at Central Michigan
Wyoming at Colorado St
Toledo at Bowling Green
Eastern Michigan at Akron
Buffalo at Kent St
Alabama at Auburn
Nebraska at Colorado

Memphis at Tulsa
Pitt at West Virginia
Nevada at Boise St


Saturday, November 28
Syracuse at Connecticut
Wake Forest at Duke
North Carolina at NC State
Clemson at South Carolina
Mississippi at Mississippi St
Oklahoma St at Oklahoma
Southern Miss at East Carolina
New Mexico at TCU
UCF at UAB
North Texas at Arkansas St

Tulane at SMU
Marshall at UTEP
Arizona at Arizona St
Florida St at Florida
Miami at USF
Boston College at Maryland
Virginia Tech at Virginia
Missouri vs Kansas at Kansas City
Western Kentucky at FAU
MTSU at Louisiana-Monroe

Utah St at Idaho
Utah at BYU
Texas Tech vs Baylor at Arlington
Washington St at Washington
Tennessee at Kentucky
Arkansas at LSU
Troy at Louisiana-Lafayette
New Mexico St at San Jose St
Notre Dame at Stanford
Georgia at Georgia Tech

Rice at Houston
San Diego St at UNLV
UCLA at USC
Navy at Hawaii

2009 Week 13 Top 25

The BYU-Utah Holy War is the only matchup this weekend against ranked teams. The Pitt-West Virginia game almost made it to that status. Regardless, this is rivalry weekend and there should be several good games. It's worth noting that Temple has won nine straight games and has entered my receiving votes category. Another win this weekend would put them in the MAC Championship game.

1 - Florida (1)
2 - Alabama (2)
3 - Texas (3)
4 - Cincinnati (4)
5 - TCU (5)
6 - Boise St (6)
7 - Georgia Tech (7)
8 - Pitt (8)
9 - Oregon (10)
10 - Ohio St (11)
11 - Iowa (12)
12 - Oklahoma St (14)
13 - Virginia Tech (15)
14 - Penn St (13)
15 - Utah (17)
16 - LSU (9)
17 - Houston (18)
18 - Clemson (19)
19 - Nebraska (22)
20 - Miami (20)
21 - USC (12)
22 - Mississippi (UR)
23 - Wisconsin (16)
24 - BYU (UR)
25 - Cal (UR)


Others Receiving Votes: Central Michigan, North Carolina, Oregon St, Temple, West Virginia
Added: Mississippi, BYU, Cal
Dropped: Rutgers, Stanford, Oregon St

2009 Week 12 Picks

Week 1: 63-15 (80.8%)
Week 2: 51-11 (82.3%)
Week 3: 47-17 (73.4%)
Week 4: 45-16 (73.8%)
Week 5: 37-15 (71.2%)
Week 6: 45-10 (81.8%)
Week 7: 44-11 (80%)
Week 8: 43-12 (78.2%)
Week 9: 39-16 (70.9%)
Week 10: 40-15 (72.7%)
Week 11: 48-12 (80%)
Season: 502-150 (77%)


Wednesday, November 18
Buffalo at Miami (OH)
Central Michigan at Ball St


Thursday, November 19
Colorado at Oklahoma St


Friday, November 20
Akron at Bowling Green
Eastern Michigan at Toledo
Boise St at Utah St


Saturday, November 21
Maryland at Florida St
Louisville at USF
North Carolina at Boston College
Ohio St at Michigan
Minnesota at Iowa
Duke at Miami
Mississippi St at Arkansas
Chattanooga at Alabama
FIU at Florida
Oklahoma at Texas Tech

Kent St at Temple
Memphis at Houston
Iowa St at Missouri
Northern Illinois at Ohio
Tulane at UCF
TCU at Wyoming
Connecticut at Notre Dame
Wisconsin at Northwestern
Purdue at Indiana
Penn St at Michigan St

LSU at Mississippi
UAB at East Carolina
Rutgers at Syracuse
Virginia at Clemson
UTEP at Rice
Baylor at Texas A&M
Air Force at BYU
NC State at Virginia Tech
Arizona St at UCLA
Army at North Texas

San Diego St at Utah
FAU at Troy
SMU at Marshall
Arkansas St at MTSU
Oregon St at Washington St
Louisiana Tech at Fresno St
Colorado St at New Mexico
Louisiana Monroe at Louisiana Lafayette
Vanderbilt at Tennessee
Tulsa at Southern Miss

Cal at Stanford
Kentucky at Georgia
Kansas St at Nebraska
Oregon at Arizona
Hawaii at San Jose St
Kansas at Texas
Nevada at New Mexico St

Coaching Update

The Coaching Carousel has been updated with the upcoming UNLV and San Jose State openings.

Several other jobs will open up in the next few weeks, so I'll make some predictions about what could happen in each conference.

ACC: Florida State needs to beat Maryland at home this weekend or beat Florida in the finale to keep its bowl streak alive. I think Bobby Bowden wants to stick around one more year, but missing out on a bowl may be what pushes him out. Maryland and Virginia will almost definitely make a change. Maryland has tabbed OC James Franklin as the head coach in waiting, but it's also possible to see them gut the entire staff regardless if they want a blank slate.

Big 12: Eight teams are bowl eligible and three others could become eligible. The only team that definitely isn't going to the postseason is the only job that might come open. Colorado is 4-7, and more importantly doesn't seem to be improving under Dan Hawkins. Mike Sherman at Texas A&M is a longshot, but they only need to beat Baylor this weekend to get to six wins. The Aggies have been very erratic, but they have improved in Sherman's second season. It's possible that neither program will make a move for financial reasons.

Big East: Louisville is probably coming open this offseason. Steve Kragthorpe hasn't had anywhere near the success that Bobby Petrino had previously, hovering just under a .500 record. The move might not be based entirely on the on-field results. Louisville is expanding its stadium to hold 60,000 in 2010, including many luxury boxes and premium seats. The administration may want to make a splashy hire to get the fanbase excited and help sell the premium tickets. No other coach in the conference will get fired, but Brian Kelly at Cincinnati will be mentioned for every elite job that comes available.

Big Ten: Michigan is an interesting situation. After making 33 straight bowl games, Michigan is a very likely loss to Ohio State away from missing the postseason for two straight seasons. When the only conference win is against Indiana, the fanbase is going to be restless. Couple the lack of success with an ongoing NCAA investigation, and the Rich Rodriguez era could meet an abrupt end. I would say Ron Zook might be on the hot seat at Illinois, but the AD has said the Zook's job is safe for next season.

C-USA: Tommy West at Memphis is already out. Mark Snyder might be back on the host seat after back-to-back conference losses to UCF and Southern Miss. At one point, Marshall was leading to win the East division and was on the way to win 7-8 regular season games. Now they are back at .500 and a move might be made even if they go bowling. George O'Leary looked like a possibility earlier in the season, but knocking off #15 Houston should go a long way. UCF is looking at a 7-8 win season and probably an invite to the nearby St. Petersburg bowl. Mike Price at UTEP could be gone. The administration and fanbase are probably sick of the early and midseason potential prior to the annual November collapse. A loss to Rice this weekend may seal his fate.

Independents: Army and Navy are safe, so that just leaves Notre Dame. The Irish's four losses have come by a combined 18 points, but most of the wins have been close too. Most of Weis's critics wouldn't be quite so loud if he didn't lose home games to Syracuse and Navy.

MAC: Stan Parrish at Ball State might not make it to his second season, after taking a 12-2 team to a 1-9 record with likely losses in the final two games. The good: they've been competitive, losing seven games by 10 or fewer points. The bad: some of those close losses were to North Texas at home, FCS member New Hampshire, and Army. The only other possible firing would be J.D. Brookhart at Akron, who is mired in a 2-8 season and four years removed from their last bowl game.

Mountain West: Mike Sanford at UNLV is gone. Mike Lockley could be gone after just one season due to a combination of blowout losses and an embarassing scandal. They haven't won a game all season. The loss to rival New Mexico State was the first since 2002. Oddly enough, they played BYU very close last week, so maybe the team is improving and Locksley will be given a second chance.

Pac-10: Paul Wulff at Washington State could be gone after two seasons. They've barely improved in year two of his system. The offense is averaging fewer than 14 points per game, and the defense is giving up 39 ppg. I don't know how patient the adminstration can be with Wulff.

SEC: Every job should be safe. Rich Brooks at Kentucky is almost 70 years old and may be on retirement watch. Also, every season it seems that there are rumors that Steve Spurrier is going to retire, although he always denies them.

Sun Belt: David Elson at Western Kentucky is already gone. Steve Roberts at Arkansas State has had a disappointing season with several close losses, and it is taking a long time for Todd Dodge at North Texas to get his system working. Regardless, both coaches should be safe this offseason.

WAC: Dick Tomey at San Jose State is retiring at the end of the season. No other job should become avaiable.

2009 Week 12 Top 25

My Top 7 stayed the same this week, as #8 Iowa was my highest ranked team to lose. The Stanford-USC caused the most movement. USC fell nine spots and more than likely out of a BCS bowl. Stanford jumped into the Top 25 despite not even receiving votes last week. Stanford has two more chances for good wins with the Big Game this weekend and hosting Notre Dame after Thanksgiving.

There are no matchups this week between ranked teams. The closest is the Cal-Stanford game, with Cal just barely outside the rankings.

1 - Florida (1)
2 - Alabama (2)
3 - Texas (3)
4 - Cincinnati (4)
5 - TCU (5)
6 - Boise St (6)
7 - Georgia Tech (7)
8 - Pitt (9)
9 - LSU (10)
10 - Oregon (11)
11 - Ohio St (13)
12 - Iowa (8)
13 - Penn St (16)
14 - Oklahoma St (18)
15 - Virginia Tech (22)
16 - Wisconsin (20)
17 - Utah (15)
18 - Houston (14)
19 - Clemson (23)
20 - Miami (17)
21 - USC (12)
22 - Nebraska (UR)
23 - Rutgers (UR)
24 - Stanford (UR)
25 - Oregon St (25)


Others Receiving Votes: Boston College, BYU, Cal, Central Michigan, West Virginia
Added: Nebraska, Rutgers, Stanford
Dropped: Arizona, West Virginia, USF

2009 Coaching Carousel

New Head Coach:

Akron: J.D. Brookhart was fired after finishing the season 3-9. He was 30-42 in six seasons. Brookhart did lead Akron to a MAC conference championship and the program's only major bowl game in 2005, but four straight losing seasons convinced the AD that it was time for a change.
Possibilities: Paul Chryst (Wisconsin OC)
I would hire: TBD
Akron Hired: Rob Ianello (Notre Dame WR coach and recruiting coordinator)


Buffalo: Kansas hired Turner Gill away from Buffalo. Buffalo reached unprecedented heights under Gill, who led the Bulls to their first MAC Championship and the first bowl game since moving up to FBS. Buffalo may be best off by promoting from within Gill's staff in an attempt to keep some continuity and level of success. While you may say that only one winning season in his four seasons wasn't that impressive, recognize that Buffalo has only had two winning seasons since 1987. Strangely, Buffalo was not fielding winning teams when moving up from Division 2 or moving up from Division 1AA.
Possibilities: Danny Barrett (OC Buffalo, interim HC), Bryan Harsin (Boise OC), Joe Moorhead (UConn OC), Tom Williams (Yale HC)
I Would Hire: Danny Barrett
Buffalo Hired: Jeff Quinn


Central Michigan: Cincinnati hired away Central Michigan's coach for the second time in four years. Central Michigan will look for a coach that can continue the success of the previous two coaches. CMU has won three conference titles in the past four years. Brian Kelly and Butch Jones took the program to four straight bowls games, despite that the Chippewas hadn't been to the postseason in 12 seasons and had only been to two other bowl games previously.
Possibilities: TBD
I would hire: TBD
Central Michigan hired: Dan Enos (Michigan State RB coach)


Cincinnati: Notre Dame hired Brian Kelly, and now Cincinnati is looking for a new head coach. Kelly had a 33-6 record with three straight double-digit win seasons at Cincinnati. He also led Cincinnati to a perfect 12-0 record in the regular season and back-to-back Big East Championships. It will be difficult to find a coach that will lead the Bearcats to that level of success.
Possibilities: Skip Holtz, Al Golden, Jeff Quinn (Cincinnati OC, interim HC), Butch Jones
I Would Hire: TBD
Cincinnati Hired: Butch Jones


East Carolina: Skip Holtz left East Carolina for the USF vacancy after leading the Pirates to back-to-back C-USA championships and Liberty Bowl appearances. He had a 38-27 record in five seasons and went to four bowl games. He led the Pirates to three straight wins over ranked teams (Boise State, Virginia Tech, West Virginia.) He also picked up wins over Virginia, NC State, and North Carolina.
Possibilities: Jeff Jagodzinski, Al Golden, Mike Leach, Ruffin McNeill, Greg Hudson, Rick Stockstill, Terry Bowden, Tommy Bowden, Dave Clawson, Danny Rocco
I would hire: Jeff Jagodzinski
East Carolina hired: Ruffin McNeill


Florida State: Bobby Bowden chose to retire after the bowl game this season to cap off a long and glorious career. Happy trails, Bobby. I hope you enjoy retirement. Florida State will promote OC Jimbo Fisher to be the head coach next season. Jimbo's first big decision will be replacing DC Mickey Andrews, who is also retiring after the end of this season.
Florida State Hired: Jimbo Fisher


Kansas: Mark Mangino stepped down as head coach of Kansas. He finished this season with a seven game losing streak and was facing an investigation over treatment of players. He was 50-48 in his tenure, but he took over a program that had six straight losing seasons. He took Kansas program to new heights in 2007 with a 12-1 record and a Orange Bowl victory. He also took Kansas to four bowls (three wins) in eight seasons. Kansas had only been to eight bowl games previously. Unless there is more behind the scenes to the investigation, I don't think getting running off Mangino was the right move.
Possibilities: Randy Edsall (KU AD hired him at Connecticut), Kevin Sumlin, Larry Fedora, Nolan Cromwell (Texas A&M OC and KU alum), Skip Holtz, Jim Harbaugh, Turner Gill, Brent Venables (Oklahoma DC)
I Would Hire: Harbaugh is unlikely to accept the job, so my pick would be Sumlin of Houston.
Kansas Hired: Turner Gill


Kentucky: Rich Brooks has retired after coaching Kentucky for the past seven seasons. Kentucky had gone bowling the past four seasons following a seven season postseason drought. This wasn't really a surprise since Brooks is almost 70 years old. He did a good job building Kentucky back up to respectability. Offensive coordinator Joker Phillips was named the head-coach-in-waiting two seasons ago, and will take over immediately. Happy trails, coach.
Kentucky Hired: Joker Phillips


Louisiana Monroe: In the first surprising move of the offseason, Louisiana Monroe chose not to extend the expiring contract of head coach Charlie Weatherbie. He was 31-51 in his seven year tenure. He did not take the program to the postseason, but two 6-6 seasons and two 5-6 seasons. I think this was a mistake, as he was consistently competitive in the Sun Belt. For a program that has never been to a bowl game, firing a coach that had you on the cusp of the postseason doesn't make much sense to me.
Possibilities: TBD
I would hire: TBD
Louisiana Monroe Hired: Todd Berry


Louisiana Tech: Derek Dooley left to become the new head coach at Tennessee. Dooley only had a 17-20 record, but had shown potential. His best win was over Mississippi State, and he led them to a win over Northern Illinois in the Independence Bowl in 2008. Dooley is also the Athletic Director at Louisiana Tech, so both positions will need to be filled. OC Frank Scelfo has been named the interim head coach.
Possibilities: TBD
I would hire: TBD
Louisiana Tech hired: Sonny Dykes


Louisville: As expected, Louisville fired Steve Kragthorpe after a loss to Rutgers to end the season. Kragthorpe was 4-8 this season and 15-21 in his three-year tenure with no bowl game appearances. These results are a far cry from the heights that Bobby Petrino had taken the progam previously. The change needed to be made.
Possibilities: Phil Fulmer, Kevin Sumlin, Tommy Tuberville, Charlie Strong, Gus Malzahn, Butch Jones
I would hire: Tommy Tuberville
Louisville Hired: Charlie Strong


Marshall: Mark Snyder will not return as head coach of Marshall despite a 6-6 record and a likely bowl berth. Snyder was 22-37 in five seasons. Marshall had been very successful, winning at least 8 games for 13 straight seasons under Jim Donnan and Bob Pruett. Snyder was hired at the same time that Marshall moved from the MAC to C-USA. This season was Marshall's highest win total since joining the conference. Regardless, Mark Snyder could not meet the high expectations set by his predecessors. Dwindling attendance figures were probably a factor as well.
Possibilities: Bud Foster, Gunter Brewer, Rick Minter, Butch Jones, Rick Trickett (Florida St OL coach/asst HC), Brad Lamert (Wake Forest DC), Danny Rocco (Liberty HC)
I Would Hire: Bud Foster signed a new deal with VT, so I would go with Butch Jones or Danny Rocco.
Marshall Hired: Doc Holliday (WVU associate HC)


Memphis: Tommy West was ousted after nine seasons with Memphis with a record of 49-58. West had his good and bad moments during his tenure. He led Memphis to five bowl games although the program had only been to two others previously, and one was something called the Burley Bowl in 1956. Even with the postseason appearances, Memphis never won a conference championship. Tommy West had plateaued at Memphis, and the administration thought it was time to move on.
Possibilities: Tommy Tuberville, Tommy Bowden, Terry Bowden, Gus Malzahn (Auburn OC), Larry Porter (LSU asst HC, Memphis alum), Bud Foster (VT DC) has expressed interest, Gunter Brewer (Ok St OC), Charlie Strong (Florida DC), Rick Stockstill, Phil Fulmer?
I would hire: Tuberville is the best option, but has said he doesn't want to coach at a non-BCS school. Malzahn is probably the most proven coordinator. Brewer and Porter supposedly are the leading candidates.
Memphis Hired: Larry Porter


Notre Dame: As expected, Charlie Weis is out at Notre Dame. This situation has been beaten to death already, so I'll just say that I agree that it was time for a change. This opening is obviously the biggest and most interesting.
Possibilities: Brian Kelly, Urban Meyer, Jon Gruden, Pat Fitzgerald, Jim Harbaugh, Skip Holtz, Kirk Ferentz, Gary Patterson, Randy Edsall, Brian Billick
I would hire: Brian Kelly
Notre Dame Hired: Brian Kelly


San Jose State: Dick Tomey is retiring at the end of the season. It hasn't been a good season for the Spartans, as their only win was over an FCS team. Tomey coached San Jose for the past five seasons and took them to a bowl game for the first time in 16 years in 2006, a win over New Mexico. Happy trails, coach.
Possibilities: TBD
I would hire: TBD
San Jose State Hired: Mike MacIntyre (Duke DC)


Tennessee: Lane Kiffin left to take the USC after just one season at Tennessee. He finished the season 7-6 with a 23-point loss to Virginia Tech in the Chick-Fil-A Bowl. Tennessee wasn't expecting to have to go through another coaching search so quickly. A lot of different names are being thrown around, and it will be interesting to see who they get this late is the offseason.
Possibilities: David Cutcliffe, Jon Gruden, Skip Holtz, Gary Patterson
I would hire: David Cutcliffe, although he wasn't interested in the job last year
Tennessee hired: Derek Dooley


Texas Tech: Mike Leach has been fired by Texas Tech due to way he treated a player after an injury. Leach is a good coach and will be picked up somewhere, although the only other current opening is Central Michigan. Leach may choose to take a year off and wait for more prestigious jobs to come available. For Texas Tech, defensive coordinator Ruffin McNeal has been named interim head coach.
Possibilities: Ruffin McNeal, Tommy Tuberville, Art Briles
I would hire: Tommy Tuberville
Texas Tech Hired: Tommy Tuberville


UNLV: Mike Sanford was fired near the end of his fifth season with the Rebels. His record was 15-43. UNLV has not gone to a bowl game in his tenure. In fact, UNLV hasn't been to a bowl game since the year 2000. Sanford never beat instate rival Nevada, and only won one games against the Big Three teams in the Mountain West. Most of the conference is improving, so UNLV needed to make a change to keep up. UNLV will hire an AD before hiring a head coach.
Possibilities: Dennis Franchione, Dirk Koetter, Bobby Hauck (Montana HC)
I would hire: TBD
UNLV Hired: Bobby Hauck


USC: Head coach Pete Carroll has returned to the NFL agreeing to a deal as the head coach of the Seattle Seahawks. He had spent the past nine seasons building and maintaining one of the top programs in college football. Despite all of the success, Carroll leaves in the middle massive NCAA investigation and is coming off a his worst season outside of his first at the program.
Possibilities: Mike Riley, Steve Sarkisian, Chris Petersen, Kyle Whittingham
I would hire: TBD
USC hired: Lane Kiffin


USF: USF has been fired with cause facing charges that he grabbed and struck one of his players. Leavitt was the only coach in the history of the football program. He compiled a 95-57 record over 13 seasons. He also took the Bulls to five bowl games, winning three.
Possibilities: Dan McCarney, Calvin MaGee, Tommy Bowden, Jeff Jagodzinski
I would hire: TBD
USF hired: Skip Holtz


Virginia: Al Groh is out after nine seasons at his alma mater. Groh had some success including a Gator Bowl appearance, but never could turn the team into a contender in the ACC and only beat in-state rival Virgina Tech once. A 3-9 season with a bad loss to Wiiliam & Mary meant it was time for a change to be made.
Possibilities: Mike London is a popular name, Al Golden, Skip Holtz, Butch Jones, Tommy Tuberville, Phil Fulmer
I Would Hire: TBD
Virginia Hired: Mike London


Western Kentucky: David Elson was fired after seven years, mired in a winless season as the Hilltoppers are trying to transition to the FBS level. It seems wrong to fire Elson, this team was just getting used to playing FBS quality opponents on a weekly basis. I'm not really sure who would want this job either. It's a massive building project to get this team competitive in the Sun Belt, while dealing with buy games versus major programs in the non-conference schedule.
Possibilities: I'm going to use this
link from the Bowling Green Daily News for a list of possible candidates.
I would hire: ???
Western Kentucky Hired: Willie Taggart (Stanford RB coach and WKU alum)

2009 Week 11 Picks

Week 1: 63-15 (80.8%)
Week 2: 51-11 (82.3%)
Week 3: 47-17 (73.4%)
Week 4: 45-16 (73.8%)
Week 5: 37-15 (71.2%)
Week 6: 45-10 (81.8%)
Week 7: 44-11 (80%)
Week 8: 43-12 (78.2%)
Week 9: 39-16 (70.9%)
Week 10: 40-15 (72.7%)
Season: 454-138 (76.7%)


Tuesday, November 10
Ohio at Buffalo


Wednesday, November 11
Toledo at Central Michigan


Thursday, November 12
USF at Rutgers
Bowling Green at Miami (OH)
Ball St at Northern Illinois


Friday, November 13
West Virginia at Cincinnati
Temple at Akron


Saturday, November 14
Syracuse at Louisville
South Dakota St at Minnesota
Tennessee at Memphis
Georgia Tech at Duke
Clemson at NC State
Florida St at Wake Forest
Indiana at Penn St
Texas at Baylor
Michigan at Wisconsin
VMI at Army

Northwestern at Illinois
Houston at UCF
Michigan St at Purdue
Kentucky at Vanderbilt
Missouri at Kansas St
Virginia Tech at Maryland
Western Michigan at Eastern Michigan
Colorado at Iowa St
BYU at New Mexico
UAB at Memphis

San Jose St at Utah St
Louisiana-Lafayette at MTSU
UTEP at SMU
Stanford at USC
Idaho at Boise St
Miami at North Carolina
Iowa at Ohio St
Washington at Oregon St
Tulane at Rice
Boston College at Virginia

Nebraska at Kansas
Delaware at Navy
Florida at South Carolina
Arkansas St at FAU
Western Kentucky at Louisiana Monroe
Fresno St at Nevada
Southern Miss at Marshall
UCLA at Washington St
UNLV at Air Force
Auburn at Georgia

Louisiana Tech at LSU
Texas A&M at Oklahoma
Alabama at Mississippi St
North Texas at FIU
Troy at Arkansas
Utah at TCU
Texas Tech at Oklahoma St
Notre Dame at Pitt
Wyoming at San Diego St
New Mexico St at Hawaii

Arizona at Cal
Arizona St at Oregon


Sunday, November 15
East Carolina at Tulsa

2009 Week 11 Top 25

Four teams in the top eleven spots lost this past weekend. Injuries and a propensity for playing close games finally caught up with Iowa, who lost for the first time to Northwestern. Now only six unbeaten teams remain.

Utah travels TCU attempting to spoil TCU's perfect season and become the favorite in the Mountain West. Iowa travels to Ohio State, and the winner will most likely attend the Rose Bowl. Cincinnati and West Virginia will play a high profile Big East game on Friday night.

1 - Florida (1)
2 - Alabama (3)
3 - Texas (2)
4 - Cincinnati (5)
5 - TCU (8)
6 - Boise St (7)
7 - Georgia Tech (9)
8 - Iowa (4)
9 - Pitt (12)
10 - LSU (10)
11 - Oregon (6)
12 - USC (14)
13 - Ohio St (16)
14 - Houston (13)
15 - Utah (17)
16 - Penn St (11)
17 - Miami (15)
18 - Oklahoma St (18)
19 - Arizona (19)
20 - Wisconsin (20)
21 - West Virginia (21)
22 - Virginia Tech (22)
23 - Clemson (UR)
24 - USF (24)
25 - Oregon St (UR)


Others Receiving Votes: Boston College, BYU, Central Michigan, Nebraska, Rutgers
Added: Clemson, Oregon St
Dropped: Notre Dame, Cal

2009 Week 10 Picks

Week 1: 63-15 (80.8%)
Week 2: 51-11 (82.3%)
Week 3: 47-17 (73.4%)
Week 4: 45-16 (73.8%)
Week 5: 37-15 (71.2%)
Week 6: 45-10 (81.8%)
Week 7: 44-11 (80%)
Week 8: 43-12 (78.2%)
Week 9: 39-16 (70.9%)
Season: 414-123 (77.1%)


Tuesday, November 3
Bowling Green at Buffalo


Thursday, November 5
Virginia Tech at East Carolina
Miami (OH) at Temple
Eastern Michigan at Northern Illinois


Friday, November 6
Boise St at Louisiana Tech


Saturday, November 7
Wisconsin at Indiana
Western Michigan at Michigan St
Purdue at Michigan
Illinois at Minnesota
Syracuse at Pitt
UCF at Texas
Louisville at West Virginia
Northwestern at Iowa
Virginia at Miami
South Carolina at Arkansas

Kansas at Kansas St
Tennessee Tech at Georgia
Eastern Kentucky at Kentucky
Maryland at NC State
Furman at Auburn
Texas A&M at Colorado
FAU at UAB
Baylor at Missouri
BYU at Wyoming
Navy at Notre Dame

Rice at SMU
Washington St at Arizona
Oregon at Stanford
Washington at UCLA
Wake Forest at Georgia Tech
Oklahoma St at Iowa St
Duke at North Carolina
Ohio St at Penn St
LSU at Alabama
Army at Air Force

Kent St at Akron
Louisiana-Lafayette at Arkansas St
UTEP at Tulane
TCU at San Diego St
Louisiana-Monroe at North Texas
FIU at MTSU
Troy at Western Kentucky
New Mexico at Utah
Oregon St at Cal
Memphis at Tennessee

Vanderbilt at Florida
Northern Arizona at Mississippi
Houston at Tulsa
Florida St at Clemson
USC at Arizona St
Oklahoma at Nebraska
Connecticut at Cincinnati
Colorado St at UNLV
Utah St at Hawaii
Fresno St at Idaho


Sunday, November 8
Nevada at San Jose St

2009 Week 10 Top 25

Oregon makes the biggest leap this week, jumping up to #6 with a decisive win over USC. Now the Ducks are the favorite to win the Pac-10, and probably need just a couple of upsets to get to the national title game. Pitt also makes a sizable jump despite having an off week. This is due to a combination of teams in front of them losing and my decision that I had been underrating them. I'm really looking forward to the Cincinnati-Pitt game the last week of the season.

Two big games matching up ranked teams this weekend. LSU travels to Alabama in the biggest SEC West game of the year. The winner will have a clear path to the SEC Championship game. Ohio State plays at Penn State this weekend. The Big Ten is still Iowa's to lose, but the winner of this game would be in position to get an at-large bid to a BCS bowl game. Of course, if Ohio State wins out, they will also win the conference.


1 - Florida (1)
2 - Texas (2)
3 - Alabama (3)
4 - Iowa (4)
5 - Cincinnati (5)
6 - Oregon (12)
7 - Boise St (6)
8 - TCU (7)
9 - Georgia Tech (8)
10 - LSU (9)
11 - Penn St (11)
12 - Pitt (17)
13 - Houston (15)
14 - USC (10)
15 - Miami (14)
16 - Ohio St (19)
17 - Utah (20)
18 - Oklahoma St (16)
19 - Arizona (21)
20 - Wisconsin (23)
21 - West Virginia (18)
22 - Virginia Tech (13)
23 - Notre Dame (25)
24 - USF (UR)
25 - Cal (UR)


Others Receiving Votes: BYU, Central Michigan, Clemson, Oklahoma, Rutgers
Added: USF, Cal
Dropped: Central Michigan, South Carolina