By
Pete Fiutak
Fire over your questions to me at
pete@collegefootballnews.com. I might not be able to answer them
all, but I promise they're all read. Any e-mails sent to this
address may be published or edited unless requested otherwise.
(Please put ASK CFN in the subject line, and PLEASE keep the
questions short ... it makes my life easier.)
After not doing an
ASK CFN for a few weeks, I thought I’d super-size the number of
questions and rapid firing through. I’ll save the research questions for
January. Now, it’s game on.
Why is there glee nationwide for fans that have no connection to
Michigan other than college football? – MS
A: Everyone likes to see Goliath take a hit every once in a while,
especially when it’s a program that just oozes arrogance from every pore
like Michigan. Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against Michigan.
However, no program, and no fan base, buys into the belief that they’re
above everyone else more than this one. The place actually believes all
the Leaders and Best stuff, and for good reason. We’re talking about the
winningest program in college football history. No one has been better
for longer, or has such deep rooted historical roots to make winning
year in and year out a demand, not just a hope. In other words, the
arrogance is warranted. From the e-mails I’ve been getting and the
people I’ve talked to, the “glee” is because many believe the Wolverines
are overrated year in and year out because of the brand name. Many see
this as an evening out of the justice.
If
Eric Ainge plays an outstanding game, and Tennessee actually
beats Florida and then GA, would he make your Heisman watch
list?
–
RT
A: Yup. Remember, the list is made based on the general
mood, buzz, and realistic potential to at least be a finalist.
Ainge has been great, but the Cal loss, at the moment, doesn’t
even put him on the radar. Beating the Gators would change all
that.
Was last years Michigan team really that good? I wouldn't doubt
it if they were but they were supposed to be even better this
year. This 0-2 start has me flashing back to 2005 when they
ended the year 7-5. Was the big 10 weak last year with
Wisconsin and Ohio State being over hyped, allowing Michigan to
get through to OSU undefeated (another question raised, how good
was the win over notre dame last year?) or is it something else?
- bored and wondering, -Trevor H
A: To everyone who wants to continue to harp on Michigan and
Ohio State being overrated last year, let me try to put this
into some sort of perspective. Last year was an ugly one up and
down every conference. While the SEC was good, every other big
league was in a rebuilding mode. Notre Dame did make the BCS, so
if you’re going to melt all over 2006 LSU, who’s only really,
really good win came over the Irish in the Sugar Bowl (yes,
I’m aware of victory over Arkansas), then you have to give
Michigan credit for the 47-21 blowout in South Bend. Considering
Wisconsin beat Arkansas, and Penn State beat Tennessee, you have
to give credit to Michigan for beating both the Badgers and
Wolverines. Michigan lost to Ohio State in Columbus and USC (who
was far healthier than it was against UCLA) in the Rose Bowl.
That’s not exactly losing to Appalachian State. As far as the
Buckeyes, their win at Texas was one of the five best wins of
the year. Beating Penn State and Michigan was also worthy of
giving OSU the hype. That was a great team that got fat and lazy
before meeting an ultra-motivated, very talented Florida.
What is the last non-conference foe to beat LSU? I seem to
remember Iowa on New Years day a few years back. Who was it
before that? While we are at it, what was the last
non-conference loss by Florida? - GY
A: Yup, the Tigers lost to Iowa on a blown coverage, last
second touchdown in the 2005 Capital One Bowl.
Before that, LSU lost to Texas in the 2003 Cotton Bowl, and the
last non-conference regular season loss came against Virginia
Tech to start off the 2002 season. The last non-conference home
loss came to UAB, 13-10, in 2000. For Florida, the last
non-conference loss was to Miami in the 2004 Peach Bowl. The
last regular season non-conference loss was at home to Florida
State in 2003 on a late Chris Rix touchdown pass.
Just wondering if you still think that I-A and I-AA have no
business playing each other? You sure felt strongly about it
last year, but now that four I-AAs have beaten I-As this year,
again, do you still feel the same way? – DH
A: Yes, I think it more than ever before. Do the Lansing Lugnuts
get to play games that count against the Boston Red Sox? I’ve
always said the top FCSers (I’m forcing myself to use the new
names, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it) can play with
most FBSers, and could beat the bottom 25-40. That’s not the
point. For every Appalachian State over Michigan and Southern
Illinois over Northern Illinois, there are a bazillion other
Georgia Tech over Samfords and Pitt over Grambling States. Did
you see what kind of a game Middle Tennessee gave Louisville?
Instead of the FCSers getting a shot to play a big boy, I’d
always rather see other FBSers get their shot. Every time an FCS
beats an FBS, it gives yet another athletic director an excuse
to not schedule Utah, Nevada, or UCF.
Myself and few buddies had a debate about the top 25 head
coaching jobs in America. Assuming that every job was open,
which college football programs would you consider to be the top
25 jobs for a head coach in America? We talked about factors
like past win/loss history, national titles, heisman
winners, tradition, expectations, salary, facilities, conference
affiliation, fan base (both alumni, students and general public
support), program potential and recruiting landscape. Obviously
some jobs are more valuable to some coaches than others (alma
maters, previous assistant experience etc....), but what would
your top 25 be? Would there be any other factors to take into
consideration?
–
DB
A: We’ve done a piece on this before. There’s a top 25 of
coaching jobs if they’re all open, and then there’s the one I’d
take. Personally, I like big cities and wouldn’t be a fan of the
win-at-all-cost pressure, so I’ve always said I want the Boston
College job (I love the city) and would consider UCLA. But
that’s me. If you asked all the coaches what the best gigs are,
based on prestige, recruiting base, fan base, and all the other
things you stated, and throwing the salary factor out of it,
because some places will pay more to make up for other
deficiencies, here’s my best guess on what the top 25 would be
(remember, this is all about the jobs and has nothing to do with
the current teams). 1. Michigan, 2. Notre Dame, 3. USC, 4. Ohio
State, 5. Texas, 6. Florida, 7. Nebraska, 8. Penn State, 9.
Tennessee, 10. Oklahoma, 11. LSU, 12. Alabama, 13. Georgia, 14.
Wisconsin, 15. Miami, 16. Clemson, 17. Florida
State, 18. UCLA, 19. West Virginia, 20. Auburn, 21. Virginia
Tech, 22. Texas A&M, 23. Oregon., 24. Arkansas, 25. Iowa
Do I have a problem when I would rather watch Cincinnati vs.
Oregon State and Rutgers vs. Navy last Thursday Night than the
opening NFL game between the defending Super Bowl Champs and
what is suppose to be one of the best offenses in the game?
– Michael
A: No, you’re perfectly sane since New Orleans vs.
Indianapolis didn’t really matter. The Saints lost. No big
whoop. It was a must-see for me because of fantasy interests,
but for college fans, watching a rising team like Cincinnati,
seeing Ray Rice do his thing, enjoying the beauty of the Navy
option, or for many, seeing Oregon State’s Yvenson Bernard for
the first time (even if though he was shut down) is far more
entertaining than the antiseptic pros.
What’s your feeling on teams not running plays against cupcakes
and saving the playbook for big games? A prime example is
Maryland at FIU this past weekend. Maryland struggled
offensively after getting a 16-0 lead. UMD didn’t throw long
and ran no reverses. A win is a win. No injuries are
important, too. No turnovers is another reason for not running
some plays. Maybe the coaches wanted the O-line to see 8 men in
the box, so that they will be ready against tougher
competition. On the other hand, some fans feel that it’s
important to win these games big for two reasons. First, the
second and third teams can get some reps. Second, a big win
impresses the voters. – John
A: It’s the smart thing to do, especially if it’s a team,
like Maryland, that doesn’t really need style points to worry
about in the national title race. If you’re talking about LSU,
Oklahoma or USC, then yeah, you keep your foot on the gas and
keep on going. Wisconsin took a huge national hit when everyone
woke up and saw how close UNLV came to pulling off the upset. If
you’re Maryland vs. FIU, you get in, do what you need to do to
get comfortably ahead, work on what you need to, get the
reserves some work, and then go home.
Who is the best 0-2 team? Who is the worst 2-0 team? – EH
A: Going into Saturday, I’d say the worst 2-0 teams are
Connecticut, Indiana, Northwestern, and Wyoming. The best 0-2
team is probably Wake Forest, followed up by Michigan, Utah
(who’s has been destroyed by injuries), Notre Dame and Nevada.
It's probably a little early to be thinking about the Les
Miles-Michigan situation, but the whole thing reminds me of the
Urban Meyer-Notre Dame-Florida love triangle of 2004. Would Les
Miles really want a semi-rebuilding job at his "dream job"
rather than the talent and trophies that go along with being a
premier SEC program? Meyer didn't. – DH
A: Never, ever think you can understand coaches. They’re a
different breed of cat. Remember, part of the reason Meyer
didn’t take the Notre Dame job was because the money was far
less and the situation wasn’t nearly as strong. Meyer can
certainly coach, but he was taking more money for a better
situation. Michigan, if and when Lloyd Carr is gone, isn’t going
to make the same mistake Notre Dame did. It’ll pay to get the
guy it thinks can make the program a national title winner
tomorrow, and the main candidate will get the royal treatment.
While it might seem crazy for Miles to leave a nearly perfect
situation, Steve Spurrier, Nick Saban, and countless others
bolted when everything appeared to be set up to win year after
year after year.
If I was a Michigan fan, which I'm not, because I'm a Buckeye to
the bone, I'd have a problem with what Mike Hart said about his
fans. Him saying that he didn't care about what the fans think
is a slap to his whole team. The poor sportsmanship they show on
and off the field shows a reflection toward the coach. That just
tells you he should be removed. GO BUCKS. P.S. You'll never hear
our coach or players slam the fans, No Matter What!! – JT
A: You never, ever, ever, ever win by being even slightly
negative when it comes to the fans. Players, coaches, and
everyone around teams have to always be robots and say they have
the best fans in the world no matter what the situation and how
rough things are getting. With that said, Hart and the
Wolverines can’t care what the fans think. The fans always think
they care more than the player and coaches when things go bad,
and for that, they’re absolutely, 100% wrong. No one cares more
than the players and coaches since they’re the ones actually
playing the games. And by the way, you’ll never hear Jim Tressel,
Ohio State players, or players and coaches at most schools ever
slamming the fans outwardly, but trust me, they’re thinking
something totally different when things get tough and the
pressure is on.
Did it bother you that Rutgers ran it up with 2 minutes to go
and up by 17 over a service academy? These guys will be
defending our country as soon as next year (for the seniors). I
see no need to embarrass them. And their 1st team was still in
the game. The Rutgers fans tried to justify running it up saying
41-17 sounds better than 34-17 and they need the big wins to
climb in the polls. Any voter that saw the game knows Rutgers
looked sloppy, but still won the game handily. If it was anyone
but a service academy, I could see it. – DH
A: First of all, who cares that it’s against a service academy?
You’re doing everyone a disservice, and you’re actually
disrespecting Navy, to treat it, or the other service academies,
any differently than you’d treat any other team. If the feelings
of the players on the service academies are hurt by losing a
football game by 31 instead of one, I’m not sure I’d sleep well
at night. Secondly, I didn’t really think that was running it
up. It was still a 17 point game with just over two minutes to
play, and while that might seem insurmountable, coaches who
think that way are the ones having to sit and spin when miracles
start to happen the other way. Just look at Northern Illinois
losing to Southern Illinois last weekend. NIU was up 38-7 at
halftime and ended up losing after allowing 14 points in the
final minute. Running Ray Rice for a touchdown if you’re up 35
is running it up. Running him in that situation was perfectly
acceptable. And finally, I’d have no problem even if Rutgers was
running it up. This is a team with national title aspirations,
and yes, looks do matter.