Official 2015 College Football Week 7 thread

[Butter]

Originally Posted by CU Tiger

Spurrir quit just so he can hang onto the never had a losing season after her 1 at Duke tagline.

Supposedly he mentioned that stat twice to the team tonight.

I'm trying to imagine a more selfish way for him to get out than to quit during a game week, with basically no succession plan in the middle of a bad season during a time of turmoil for the program.

I can't come up with anything. I guess it's good that he tells them now that he has no interest in coaching anymore, but aside from that this is really a pretty horrible way to leave a program.

I wonder if SCAR takes down the banners and various materials around their stadium that they erected for him prior to their next home game?

When I heard he was retiring, I told my wife I was actually worried for Clemson because that would likely mean that his very last game at SCAR would be going against the Tigers in a game that holds no meaning for them other than to beat their rival and win a last game for Spurrier. But since his resignation was "immediate", they won't even have that to play for.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by BillJasper

I just hope Spurrier isn't sick. Seems odd for someone like him to leave in the middle of the season.

This was my first reaction too.

[BillJasper]

Mark Dantonio quickly tosses aside South Carolina discussion | CollegeFootballTalk

Interesting name I hadn't thought of. But, another thought, if Southern Cal is looking for stability, maybe Dantonio isn't a bad place to start looking.

[Kodos]

Why on earth would he leave MSU, where he has been quite successful, to go to South Carolina, where nobody (not even the ol' ball coach) has been more than moderately successful?

[BillJasper]

Originally Posted by Kodos

Why on earth would he leave MSU, where he has been quite successful, to go to South Carolina, where nobody (not even the ol' ball coach) has been more than moderately successful?

It is his alma mater. So I guess that is where they're connecting the dots.

[HomerSimpson98]

Originally Posted by murrayyyyy

You called?

For those who need a recap of the past coaches before him:

1) "Smile" 4-8
2) Bangin' volleyball players 34-17
3) What, Ole Miss called? 75-48
4) Put Clemson on probatino so I'm sure he can win here 26-30-1
5) Can you take over for hte year because see 6 3-6-1
6) Lost to The Citadel at home. 9-15

This gets us back to 1989. If we fire him then we have wasted 2 more years. I hope he grows up one day but I doubt if it happens. I will say this for him, he's not scared of calling a play to try to win a game instead of playing hold the ball which I like about him.

LOL

If USC is smart, they throw a shit ton of money to Sumlin. Here's to hoping they dont.

[HerRealName]

Originally Posted by BillJasper

It is his alma mater. So I guess that is where they're connecting the dots.

This is interesting, I had no idea he was a SC grad. I had it stuck in my head that he played at one of the Ohio MAC schools for some reason.

[dawgfan]

Originally Posted by HomerSimpson98

LOL

If USC is smart, they throw a shit ton of money to Sumlin. Here's to hoping they dont.

They went after him last time and it didn't work.

[murrayyyyy]

Is it too soon for Tom Herman?

If I'm So Cal I throw mad money at Whittingham or Kelly first.

[MrBug708]

They should but they wont

[bob]

Originally Posted by HomerSimpson98

If USC is smart, they throw a shit ton of money to Sumlin. Here's to hoping they dont.

Which USC? USCw or USCe? This is starting to get confusing.

[BillJasper]

Holy Shit!!!

Former Texas A&M WR Thomas Johnson arrested on murder charge | CollegeFootballTalk

[CU Tiger]

Isn't Whittingham like a very devout Mormon who holds a high office in the LDS church?

IOW, it would literally take an act of God to get him out of Utah.

If Sumlin leaves aTm, I'm betting Chad Morris is hired within the hour.

Strong to SC is my worst case as a Clemson fan.
The word down here is Smart is the odds on favorite, which I am hopeful will happen as I see him as Will Muschamp 2.0

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by CU Tiger

Isn't Whittingham like a very devout Mormon who holds a high office in the LDS church?

IOW, it would literally take an act of God to get him out of Utah.

If Sumlin leaves aTm, I'm betting Chad Morris is hired within the hour.

Strong to SC is my worst case as a Clemson fan.
The word down here is Smart is the odds on favorite, which I am hopeful will happen as I see him as Will Muschamp 2.0

Kirby Smart to University of Southern California or to South Carolina?

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Poor Maty. He just can't stop digging holes.

Mizzou’s Maty Mauk caught favoriting tweets that were critical of Drew Lock | The Kansas City Star

[CU Tiger]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

Kirby Smart to University of Southern California or to South Carolina?

South Carolina

FWIW I stick by the sentiment that USC is in California and Carolina is in Chapel Hill

So if you see USC from me it is So Cal and

SC is South Carolina.
or USCjr, or Carlsjr, or USC-least are also SC references.




FWIW I know nothing out west, but doesnt Chip Kelly to USC just make too much sense not to happen?

[MrBug708]

Kelly hates recruiting and boosters.

[Butter]

Originally Posted by CU Tiger

The word down here is Smart is the odds on favorite, which I am hopeful will happen as I see him as Will Muschamp 2.0

I agree. I am keeping my fingers crossed for that and not Fuente from Memphis or Herman from Houston.

[MacroGuru]

Originally Posted by CU Tiger

Isn't Whittingham like a very devout Mormon who holds a high office in the LDS church?

IOW, it would literally take an act of God to get him out of Utah.

Devout, yes. Holding a high office in the church no.

Right now, things are going good on the field for him but there is a major beef with him and the AD. The AD is saying money is tight, hence the reason he lost the bulk of his staff this offseason, because Dr. Chris Hill wouldn't pony the $ up to keep them or renew their contracts, which in turn caused them to think about loyalty to them and the school. Kalani turned down other D1 jobs as a DC (I know of a few in the SEC and the ACC) to stay at Utah.

For Whitt, I think it will boil down to what happens right after the season is over with him and the AD.

[HomerSimpson98]

Originally Posted by CU Tiger

If Sumlin leaves aTm, I'm betting Chad Morris is hired within the hour.

I sure as hell hope not.

[BillJasper]

Classy outfit they're running at SoCal...

Steve Sarkisian reportedly learned of firing via email, texts on way to rehab | CollegeFootballTalk

They already had an interim coach in place, so they could've waited to release the news they were terminating Sarkisian until they got in contact with him.

[dawgfan]

Originally Posted by BillJasper

Classy outfit they're running at SoCal...

Steve Sarkisian reportedly learned of firing via email, texts on way to rehab | CollegeFootballTalk

They already had an interim coach in place, so they could've waited to release the news they were terminating Sarkisian until they got in contact with him.

Haden is proving himself to be a scumbag.

[molson]

So he's reading text messages and emails, but he's not noticing anyone trying to call him?

There's not really an ideal time to fire someone in a scenario like this.

[Logan]

I'm guessing he didn't have his phone turned on while on the plane, so he missed the calls, but the texts/emails came through when he turned them on.

Either way, I don't blame Haden there...a) Sark made his bed with his reported actions and b) when you make a decision on something like this, it gets out so quickly that I doubt he would have been able to get to him first if he waited until he knew he was off the plane.

I do blame Haden for Sark being there after August though.

[CU Tiger]

Originally Posted by HomerSimpson98

I sure as hell hope not.

Why?
He would be a home freaking run.

[dawgfan]

Originally Posted by Logan

Either way, I don't blame Haden there...a) Sark made his bed with his reported actions and b) when you make a decision on something like this, it gets out so quickly that I doubt he would have been able to get to him first if he waited until he knew he was off the plane.

What was the rush? Why couldn't Haden have waited a few more hours or even a day to have the common decency to tell Sark directly?

[molson]

Originally Posted by dawgfan

What was the rush? Why couldn't Haden have waited a few more hours or even a day to have the common decency to tell Sark directly?

I'm sure people would complain if he "waited" until after Sarkisian checked into rehab before firing him. Heck, people were complaining when he wasn't fired the same day he was placed on leave.

I blame the guy that showed up drunk for work.

[dawgfan]

Originally Posted by molson

I'm sure people would complain if he "waited" until after Sarkisian checked into rehab before firing him. Heck, people were complaining when he wasn't fired the same day he was placed on leave.

I blame the guy that showed up drunk for work.

Sure, but there's plenty of blame for the AD that acted like someone could go through treatment while remaining a full-time head coach.

Sark made his bed and he has to live with it, but Haden has acted like a scumbag. He didn't give two shits about Sark getting better - he wanted to have an easy out if Sark didn't win enough.

[BillJasper]

Originally Posted by dawgfan

Sure, but there's plenty of blame for the AD that acted like someone could go through treatment while remaining a full-time head coach.

Sark made his bed and he has to live with it, but Haden has acted like a scumbag. He didn't give two shits about Sark getting better - he wanted to have an easy out if Sark didn't win enough.

+1

If Haden actually cared, they would've sent Sarkisian to rehab at the first sign of trouble. Not waited until the season was on the rocks.

[molson]

I think people just really don't like this Haden guy. It's not his responsibility to make sure Sark treats his alcohol problem. He's his employer, not his father.

Hopefully Sark will learn in treatment that Haden isn't responsible for all of his personal problems. The fact that this claim even got out that Sark learned of his firing on text and email probably means that Sark was frantically telling people this as he's driving to rehab. Probably because he sees himself as a victim, which is pretty common at this stage of recovery. It really doesn't matter how he was told, I'm sure Haden was under pressure to get the job done as soon as that became the decision and it cleared legal. That's usually how things go in large organizations, that's what the lawyers advise you, you don't delay decisions like that for days or weeks, you get it done and you move on. Sark could very well have been avoiding the calls.

[BillJasper]

Originally Posted by molson

I think people just really don't like this Haden guy. It's not his responsibility to make sure Sark treats his alcohol problem. He's his employer, not his father.

Hopefully Sark will learn in treatment that Haden isn't responsible for all of his personal problems. The fact that this claim even got out that Sark learned of his firing on text and email probably means that Sark was frantically telling people this as he's driving to rehab. Probably because he sees himself as a victim, which is pretty common at this stage of recovery. It really doesn't matter how he was told, I'm sure Haden was under pressure to get the job done as soon as that became the decision and it cleared legal. That's usually how things go in large organizations, that's what the lawyers advise you, you don't delay decisions like that for days or weeks, you get it done and you move on. Sark could very well have been avoiding the calls.

But what exactly would it have hurt to make sure to talk to the coach before releasing a statement to the media?

I'm not saying they shouldn't have fired Sarkisian (though if he is 5-0, Haden doesn't give a shit about the alcoholism), but there was a right way to handle it and Southern Cal missed the mark by a mile.

[molson]

Originally Posted by BillJasper

But what exactly would it have hurt to make sure to talk to the coach before releasing a statement to the media?

I'm not saying they shouldn't have fired Sarkisian (though if he is 5-0, Haden doesn't give a shit about the alcoholism), but there was a right way to handle it and Southern Cal missed the mark by a mile.

Once a decision had been made, the lawyers don't like the organization to sit around and allow allow anything to change their analysis. Firings happen fast at big organizations. Haden even said he texted Sark and his people (and I'm sure all of that is documented).

What if he was avoiding calls and texts and wasn't going to take any in rehab? Is USC supposed to just wait until November? And then fire a treated Sark after Sark did everything he could to improve the situation? I think if you're the head coach of a giant football school it's on you to be in a position for your employer to reach you, even when you're on leave. You don't get to disappear for a day when you're the head coach of USC (unless you tell everyone where you'll be and where you're going and how they can reach you).

Edit: This is such addict behavior. Get out of touch so things can't go smoothly, and then make sure, on your way to rehab, that everyone knows how you've been mistreated. It's a pretty common dynamic that is really destructive to families and groups that have addicts in them, to try to make others around you the bad guy to minimize and detract from your own problems. Families have to tolerate it to an extent but USC just needed him gone ASAP. (And ya, they shouldn't have hired him at they should have at least fired up previous times he was drunk on the clock).

[JPhillips]

I understand why they fired him. I don't understand what the suspension was about if they planned on more.

[HomerSimpson98]

Originally Posted by CU Tiger

Why?
He would be a home freaking run.

Aggie or not, I dont think you could sell, with a straight-face, an SEC West team contender, with a rabid fan base and a bunch of money flowing into the program (thanks Johnny!) a coach that has a grand total of 6 D1 coaching games under his belt. And he's 1-5. Granted its SMU, true. But we arent exactly rebuilding and dont need a complete program overhaul.

[murrayyyyy]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

I understand why they fired him. I don't understand what the suspension was about if they planned on more.

Odds are that you suspend someone immediately so they can't get in the middle of an investigation into allegations.

If (and this is playing the part of Hayden) you to Sark to get help after the booster meeting blow up and Sark has lied to you about being intoxicated at the ASU game or the practice then you suspend immediately and interview the other coaches/player. With 125 pairs of eyes, someone will tell you the truth eventually.

Also I know everyone says Hayden should be watching Sark but there are other parts of the athletic department he has to oversea.

And lastly, Sark had a problem identified and didn't have any desire to take care of his problem.

[HomerSimpson98]

Who the F cares how they fired him?? The rules are simple, he knew them, he broke them, bye bye. Its not the way I would have done it but come on.

[CU Tiger]

Originally Posted by HomerSimpson98

Aggie or not, I dont think you could sell, with a straight-face, an SEC West team contender, with a rabid fan base and a bunch of money flowing into the program (thanks Johnny!) a coach that has a grand total of 6 D1 coaching games under his belt. And he's 1-5. Granted its SMU, true. But we arent exactly rebuilding and dont need a complete program overhaul.

I understand your position, but lets look at it another way.

He has been a D1 OC for 4 years. Had a Top 10 offense nationally everyone of those 4 years. He has been a HC for 6 games and in those 6 games his team has scored more points than they did in all 12 last year.

He is a proven recruiter. He is a BAUCE in TX high school coaching circles. Coaches would hand deliver TX best to College Station to play for Morris.

Give him 3 more years at SMU and aTm will be scared to play them.

[BillJasper]

Originally Posted by HomerSimpson98

Who the F cares how they fired him??

The next potential guy might. Like I said, I had no issue with them firing him. I just thought they should have talked to him before releasing a statement to the media.

I don't understand the rush to make it public?

[Logan]

Originally Posted by BillJasper

The next potential guy might. Like I said, I had no issue with them firing him. I just thought they should have talked to him before releasing a statement to the media.

I don't understand the rush to make it public?

Having players and assistants talk about how he coached drunk speeds up the process.

[CU Tiger]

Originally Posted by BillJasper

The next potential guy might. Like I said, I had no issue with them firing him. I just thought they should have talked to him before releasing a statement to the media.

I don't understand the rush to make it public?

Think this through a little bit with neutral eyes.

You have a coach, one you now know is a known alcoholic and out of control, however at this moment he is still an employee of the University and you cant find him to notify him that his employment status has changed. Plus you have no proof that he has been terminated. If he is driving drunk and hits and kills/injures someone the University may have exposure, especially if he is in a University vehicle.

This is a classic scenario where you HAVE to publicly fire him just to disassociate.

[HomerSimpson98]

Originally Posted by CU Tiger

I understand your position, but lets look at it another way.

He has been a D1 OC for 4 years. Had a Top 10 offense nationally everyone of those 4 years. He has been a HC for 6 games and in those 6 games his team has scored more points than they did in all 12 last year.

He is a proven recruiter. He is a BAUCE in TX high school coaching circles. Coaches would hand deliver TX best to College Station to play for Morris.

Give him 3 more years at SMU and aTm will be scared to play them.

We've chatted on here a few times about him and I like him (except he refers to himself in the 3rd person in interviews ). Ive told you that SMU is a cesspool and I dont think anyone can win there with consistency. The whole Larry Brown fiasco proves that. If he is there in 3 years, he needs to fire his agent.

[CU Tiger]

I understand and agree with you, however I can tell you with absolute certainty that he does not. You have to remember his age and where he is from etc. He graduated and started his coaching career during the Pony Express era. In his mind that is the "normal" for SMU and the last 25 years have been an aberration. He truly believes he can win a National Championship there, and knows with the big money that is around there that if he does he will be rewarded handsomely.

Let me put it this way. In a private conversation with nothing to gain he said "This was the dream scenario for me. No way was I taking those other options. I wasn't going to North Carolina State(though he interviewed), nor Vanderbilt(though he interviewed), not even Florida(he talked but never formally interviewed). None of those places were better than what I had here as an OC. But SMU, now that is different. That is home. That is Texas. That one was special.

Let that sink in... in his mind this pecking order existed:
SMU HC
Clemson OC
Florida HC

I'm telling you he will stay there unless/until UT/aTm/Baylor/TCU come calling.

And he will win there. Look at what he is doing with a cast of misfit toys. Then look at who is visiting and coming there...

I LOVE Kevin Sumlin as a Coach. I think in time he will play for a NC there. I am positive Morris would win multiple there.

[bronconick]

There's no "good" way to fire a guy in Sark's situation. Haden does now have fired two coaches midseason, but USC is still a premier job so I don't think he'll be poison to prospective coaches.

[cartman]

That Owusu catch last night was redonkulous.

[Karlifornia]

Originally Posted by cartman

That Owusu catch last night was redonkulous.

I'm about to read my favorite book today: All Quiet on the Westwood Front

I know they have had injuries and such, but always feels nice to see the two fighting siblings down south get swept.

[MacroGuru]

Gonna be a shootout tonight between Cinci and BYU. If BYU is smart, they lean on the big boys to help them pound it out with a gimpy Tanner.

[BishopMVP]

Wow. 6 first half turnovers by Boise, down 38-10 to Utah State late in the first half. (Maybe a 7th turnover just now - under review.) EDIT - 7th turnover gets overturned on review, so Boise throws a tipped 90-yard pick 6. 45-10 at halftime. 2nd half comeback not looking good now.

Tom Herman also looking better and better by the game. Idk if he's actually this good as a coach, but he can certainly get video game numbers out of a QB.

[Suicane75]

It really strikes me how much more I enjoy Saturdays than Sundays this time of year. So many intriguing matchups tomorrow. Really excited for Ole Miss/Memphis.

[tarcone]

I agree. But not only because of matchups, but also the variety of the game. Not everyone runs the same thing. You get all types of offenses and defenses.

[General Mike]

Memphis looking good in regular season