2011 Holiday Wish List
Independents to WAC
E-mail
Pete Fiutak
#CFBnews &
#ColFootballNews
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ACC to Conference USA
Independents
Army
For Under The Tree:
The passing game to start to work at
Army under Rich Ellerson like it did at
Cal Poly.
In The Stocking:
A win over Navy. Someday.
BYU
For Under The Tree:
For independence to start to generate
enough of a buzz to make the Pac-12
finally interested.
In The Stocking:
More prospects at Jake Heaps prep
rating, but better on the field.
Navy
For Under The Tree: A defensive
front that can come up with a stop
against the run or a play in the
backfield.
In The Stocking:
The nation's No. 1 running game instead
of No. 4.
Notre Dame
For Under The Tree:
A positive turnover margin, a steady
quarterback, and a return to the early
1990s, when the program mattered.
In The Stocking:
Brian
Kelly to be worth all the "unremarkable"
moments.
MAC
East
Akron
For Under The Tree: Someone who
actually wants to coach this team -
really, you're getting turned down by a
guy from Wayne State?
In The Stocking:
A win over an FBS team.
Bowling
Green
For Under The Tree: The offense
to start working like it did a few years
ago, but with more from the ground game.
In The Stocking:
Dave Clawson to become the next Urban
Meyer.
Buffalo
For Under The Tree: A perfect
storm for Jeff Quinn like Turner Gill
enjoyed in 2008.
In The Stocking:
An efficient passing game against
someone. Anyone.
Kent State
For Under The Tree: Roosevelt
Nix to be enough to make the defense
start to improve.
In The Stocking:
More than 4,000 fans a game.
Miami University
For Under The Tree: A positive
rushing yard after finishing last in the
nation.
In The Stocking:
For this to be the real Miami after the
other one gets blown out of the water by
the NCAA.
Ohio
For Under The Tree: More
opportunites in the MAC championship to
finally come up with the win.
In The Stocking:
Tyler Tettleton to be as good as his
potential showed this year.
Temple
For Under The Tree: A big MAC
win to finally win something important
in conference play.
In The Stocking: Steve Addazio
to not get noticed by the big boys long
enough for the program to move to the
Big East.
West
Ball State
For Under The Tree: The Pete
Lembo defense to match up to the
potential of the offense after the D
finished second-to-last in the nation.
In The Stocking:
One more late season win to get back to
a bowl game after just missing out this
year.
Central
Michigan
For Under The Tree: For Dan Enos
to become good enough for Cincinnati to
want him.
In The Stocking:
A positive turnover margin and far,
far further mistakes.
Eastern
Michigan
For Under The Tree: The
long-suffering program to take a step
from 2011 to 2012 as it did from 2010 to
2011.
In The Stocking:
For people to be talking about one of
the greatest rebuilding jobs in college
football history next year at this time.
Northern
Illinois
For Under The Tree:
Two more years with head coach Dave
Doeren instead of one.
In The Stocking:
A running game like it rocked under
Jerry Kill, and a quarterback who rolled
like Chandler Harnish did.
Toledo
For Under The Tree:
Matt Campbell to get more defense than
Tim Beckman came up with, but keeping
the same offensive production.
In The Stocking:
64 points against Northern Illinois.
Western
Michigan
For Under The Tree: A
seventh year of eligibility for Jordan
White.
In The Stocking: A
fourth quarter against Michigan - and
better blitz protection.
Mountain West
Air Force
For Under The Tree: Better health than the
team got in 2011.
In The Stocking:
A career from the next starting
quarterback as good as Tim Jefferson's
last four years.
Boise State
For Under The Tree: A run of success in
the Big East like it had in the WAC.
In The Stocking:
Made kicks against Nevada in 2010 and
TCU in 2011.
Colorado State
For Under The Tree: For Jim McElwain to restore the glory like
Steve Fairchild was supposed to.
In The Stocking:
A run defense that can finally come up
with a stop, and for lines that can
finally be more physical.
New Mexico
For Under The Tree:
You already got it, New Mexico. Bob
Davie will restore the dignity of the
program.
In The Stocking:
A secondary that can finally stop
getting torched on every deep attempt.
San
Diego State
For Under The Tree:
Another year of Ronnie Hillman, and more
credit for being one of the nation's
best backs.
In The Stocking:
For Big East teams to be very, very
sleepy after the long plane ride before
being mesmerized by being in San Diego.
TCU
For Under The Tree: To show the Big 12
that it really can play with the bigger
boys on a consistent basis.
In The Stocking:
Better anti-perspirant for head coach
Gary Patterson.
UNLV
For Under The Tree: For the team to be
half as physical as Bobby Hauck wants it
to be.
In The Stocking:
Two killer defensive tackles to finally
stop up the run.
Wyoming
For Under The Tree: Dave
Christensen to stick around - no matter
what the contract - for at least another
year.
In The Stocking: Better looking uniforms - anything
other then brown.
Pac
10
North
California
For Under The Tree: The Jeff
Tedford era to get a new breath of life
to be as hot now as it was eight years
ago.
In The Stocking: On
offense that finishes better than in the
middle of the Pac-12 pack.
Oregon
For Under The Tree: New uniforms
from Uncle Phil!
In The Stocking:
More recruiting services to bring in the
top Texas talents.
Oregon State
For Under The Tree: An expanded
piece on Willie Lyles on either 60
Minutes or Real Sports.
In The Stocking:
An offensive line that can open up a
hole for the running game and protect
the passer.
Stanford
For Under The Tree:
A year of success post-Andrew Luck like
it enjoyed post-Jim Harbaugh.
In The Stocking:
A win over an Oregon ... and the speed
on defense to get it.
Washington
For Under The Tree: Steve
Sarkisian to be a "hot" head coach again.
In The Stocking:
The Kevin Price of the first half of the
season.
Washington State
For Under The Tree:
For Mike Leach to actually win
something.
In The Stocking:
No closets.
South
Arizona
For Under The Tree: Just one
quick quarterback, one speedy running
back, and five guys up front who can
wall-off the defenders.
In The Stocking:
Arizona State to hire Todd Graham.
Arizona State
For Under The Tree: For Todd
Graham to be the Todd Graham that was
good enough to get hired at Pitt.
In The Stocking:
A program that can play up to its talent
level for a full season.
Colorado
For Under The Tree:
Gary Barnett production, but without
Gary Barnett.
In The Stocking:
A team that can do one thing at a high
level.
UCLA
For Under The Tree: Jim Mora to
be the next Pete Carroll - fine, no
matter what comes with that.
In The Stocking:
A 6-4, 225-pound bomber who gets the pro
scouts drooling from Day One.
USC
For Under The Tree: Matt
Barkley. With a bow on top.
In The Stocking:
The NCAA to be consistent enough to nail
someone else, anyone else, like it
hammered USC.
Utah
For Under The Tree: One more season when
the rest of the South stinks or is on
probation.
In The Stocking:
A healthy Jordan Wynn for a full season
and an offense that's not the worst in
the Pac-12.
SEC
East
Florida
For Under The Tree: Will Muschamp
to not be coaching at Illinois in three
years.
In The Stocking: For the rest of the SEC East to continue
to suck.
Georgia
For Under The Tree: An SEC
schedule like the 2011 version.
In The Stocking:
More money for Mark Richt's assistant
coaches.
Kentucky
For Under The Tree: An offense
that's better than the third-worst in
the nation.
In The Stocking:
Someone to finally realize what a
special career LB Danny Trevathan had.
South Carolina
For Under The Tree: For Steve
Spurrier to finally show why he's
Steve Spurrier.
In The Stocking:
Alshon Jeffery to come back for a "do
over."
Tennessee
For Under The Tree: A healthy team
for an entire season.
In The Stocking:
A rushing attack, a punting game, a pass
rush, another year of Florida being bad,
a defense that can stop the deep ball
...
Vanderbilt
For Under The Tree:
For James Franklin to be right about
what he can do with the program.
In The Stocking:
21 more points against Georgia,
Arkansas, Florida, and Tennessee.
West
Alabama
For Under The Tree: A rematch
against LSU for the ... oh yeah.
In The Stocking:
For someone to actually care about the
rematch against LSU.
Arkansas
For Under The Tree: A healthy
Knile Davis and more receivers from
where the last batch came from.
In The Stocking:
More time for Tyler Wilson to throw
against LSU.
Auburn
For Under The Tree: Another
quarterback worthy of a $180,000 asking
price.
In The Stocking:
The NCAA already filled it up.
LSU
For Under The Tree: A
first down in the first half on the SEC
championship.
In The Stocking:
The Alabama offensive production from
the first time around.
Ole Miss
For Under The Tree: Hugh
Freeze to be able to pull his weight in
a division of powerhouse head coaches.
In The Stocking:
Admiral Ackbar.
Mississippi State
For Under The Tree: The wayback
machine and the 180K to get Cam Newton.
In The Stocking:
A move to the SEC East.
Sun
Belt
Arkansas State
For Under The Tree: For it to have
been the program, not the coach.
In The Stocking:
Another shot at Virginia Tech and
Illinois.
Florida Atlantic
For Under The Tree: For Carl
Pelini to have the spirit and fight of
Howard Schnellenberger.
In The Stocking:
Miami to go on probation and Mario
Cristobal to take off for a bigger gig.
Florida International
For Under The Tree: Another year
of Mario Cristobal enjoying the greater
Miami area.
In The Stocking:
A far more consistent offense from the
new head coach once Cristobal takes off.
MTSU
For Under The Tree: A run
defense that goes back to the days when
it was active up front.
In The Stocking:
To be on the right side of the turnover
margin on a regular basis.
North Texas
For Under The Tree: More running
backs like Lance Dunbar.
In The Stocking:
For Dan McCarney to make UNT relevant
like he made Iowa State interesting.
Troy
For Under The Tree: For Larry
Blakeney to regain his magic touch on
defense from a few years ago.
In The Stocking:
For the offense to be more consistent
and explosive when the defense doesn't
do its job.
UL Lafayette
For Under The Tree: DVDs of the
New Orleans Bowl finish.
In The Stocking:
Javone Lawson to be every bit as good as
he played at the end of the year.
UL Monroe
For Under The Tree:
Ten more total points against Arkansas
State, Western Kentucky, and
Louisiana-Lafayette.
In The Stocking:
A better offensive line to actually make
it happen.
Western Kentucky
For Under The Tree:
One more year before the world realizes
that Willie Taggart is good enough to do
big things with a bigger program.
In The Stocking:
More talents like Bobby Rainey, and for
the prospects from the good recruiting
classes to play like him.
WAC
Fresno State
For Under The Tree:
The attitude and the fearlessness of Pat
Hill and the production to match.
In The Stocking:
For Tim DeRuyter to finally bring the
program a solid defense.
Hawaii
For Under The Tree: The Norm Chow
that made quarterbacks like Phil Rivers
into legends.
In The Stocking:
It's Hawaii. Who needs anything in the
stocking other than surf wax?
Idaho
For Under The Tree: An invite to the Mountain West party.
In The Stocking:
For the team to keep playing hard under
Robb Akey, even if the talent isn't
there.
Louisiana Tech
For Under The Tree:
An invite from Conference USA ... or
better.
In The Stocking:
A secondary that can come up with a key
stop.
Nevada
For Under The Tree: A running game
more like the 2009 and 2010 versions.
In The Stocking:
A few more years from Hall of Fame head
coach Chris Ault to work his magic in
the Mountain West.
New Mexico State
For Under The Tree:
For DeWayne Walker to finally
have it all come together and to come up
with one big year in the new WAC.
In The Stocking:
For Walker's defensive coaching ability
to finally mesh with enough talent to
start bringing in wins.
San Jose
State
For Under The Tree: Just
eight more points against Idaho, Nevada
and/or Utah State to become bowl
eligible.
In The Stocking:
For the program to take another step
forward under Mike MacIntyre like it did
this year.
Utah State
For Under The Tree:
A close win. PLEASE.
In The Stocking:
For Gary Andersen and his offense to be
just getting started.
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ACC to Conference USA