I want to wish each and every one of you a safe and Happy Thanksgiving!

Grilled Pepper Poppers

The game between Texas and Texas A&M is traditionally played on Thanksgiving.  It is this Thanksgiving’s Thursday Night Spotlight on ESPN at 8pm.  The rivalry between these two football teams is the third longest in the nation and the longest running rivalry for these two schools. Texas host the Hex Rally and A&M host the Aggie Bonfire in preparation for this game each year.  Beyond football, this rivalry continues into all sports at both schools.  The State Farm Lone Star Showdown was created and encompasses ALL sports that both teams field a varsity squad in.  The winner is determined based on a point system annually.

It is that time of year again and many coaches find them self on the hot seat or in front of a firing squad of fans.  This off season looks like it could become more of a coaching carousel with many changes looking like they may occur.  I don’t like to copy other articles into my blog.  This particular article is the best I’ve seen regarding coaches on the hot seat and analysis of all 117 D-1 coaches.  Matt Hooper wrote a great article that I think all college football fans will enjoy reading.  Check to see where your favorite coach falls on his list.  The link is provided to the site, but the article is also below for those who would like to read it.

Firing Season:  coaches on the hotseat

By Matt Hooper

Before the postseason can commence, college administrators across the country must begin dumping their dead weight (and while that’s not a direct shot at Notre Dame…it is quite fitting, wouldn’t you say?). It’s firing season once again and Birmingham Weekly’s Matt Hooper has ranked every FBS school in the country by hotseat – that is to say, how likely a school is to fire their head football coach. As of Nov. 23, three coaches have already been canned, leaving 117 jobs hanging in some degree of limbo…

KEY: The rankings go in order from 1 to 117, most likely to be fired to least likely. Ranking, coach, school, 2009 record, overall record as a head coach and my rationale.

Already out the door
- David Elson – Western Kentucky – 0-10 (0-10) -WKU fired new head coach David Elson on Nov. 9, in the midst of WKU’s first season of I-A competition.
- Tommy West – Memphis – 2-9 (84-95) - Despite leading the Tigers to five bowl games over the last seven seasons, West was fired two weeks ago.
- Mike Sanford – UNLV – 4-7 (15-43) - Considering Sanford inherited a terrible program and squeezed out five wins last season, his firing seems a tad premature.

Positively Combustible
1. Charlie Weis – Notre Dame – 6-5 (35-26) - Not only  tore his ACL and MCL while coaching on the sideline, but also managed to gain weight after gastric bypass surgery. Can this guy catch a break?
2. Dan Hawkins – Colorado – 3-8 (69-37) - Not only has he been an enormous flop as the Buffaloes head coach, he might not be right in the head. However, his  “Division I football” rantis at or near Mike Gundy-level.
3. Mark Mangino – Kansas – 5-6 (50-47) -Whatever Mangino may or may not have done to Jayhawks players during practice, he seems to have (quickly) worn out his welcome.
4. Al Groh – Virginia – 3-8 (85-92) - Every year he seems to pull his marshmallows out of the fire just in the nick of time, but with four or more losses in each of his nine seasons…
5. Mike Locksley – New Mexico – 1-10 (1-10) - Locksley’s already dragged the program through several embarrassing incidents, including allegations that he punched and choked one of his former assistant coaches.
6. Steve Kragthorpe – Louisville – 4-7 (44-42) - The fans in Louisville have developed a cottage industry around selling paper bags to wear over their heads at Cardinal games.
7. Bobby Bowden – Florida State – 6-5 (385-128-4) - It would take a boatload of cash and lot of guts to give Bobby the heave-ho, but his presence on the sidelines is getting pretty sad.

Muy Caliente
8. Todd Dodge – North Texas – 2-9 (5-29) - To go from successful high school coach to successful college coach is virtually impossible. Dodge was the former, he hasn’t been the later.
9. Ron Zook – Illinois – 3-7 (44-51) – The real question is  why Illinois hired him in the first place…
10. Rich Rodriguez – Michigan – 5-7 (113-78-2) - Firing him after two seasons seems a little quick on the draw, but he’s really grating on Big Blue’s nerves.

Sweating it…
11. Mike Price – UTEP – 3-8 (204-166) -  Pricemade the most of his first two seasons in El Paso (16-8), but has endured four straight losing seasons since.
12. Mike Sherman – Texas A&M – 6-5 (10-13) - Average doesn’t cut it in Texas when it comes to football. It’s only been two seasons, but impatience is growing in College Station.
13. Paul Wulff – Washington State – 1-10 (55-54) - Hard to believe that Mike Price had the Cougars in the BCS at the beginning of the decade…
14. Tom O’Brien – N.C. State – 4-7 (90-66) - After two very successful seasons at Boston College, O’Brien’s been a bust thus far in Raleigh.
15. Ralph Friedgen – Maryland – 2-9 (66-45) - Those three straight 10+ win seasons from 2001 through 2003 seem distant don’t they?
16. Bill Lynch – Indiana – 4-8 (95-90-3) - Lynch assumed the job under very difficult circumstances (see  Terry Hoeppner), but has struggled of late.
17. Jim Tressel – Ohio State – 10-2 (228-78-2) - Why is Tressel anywhere near the top of the list? Simply put, fans are tired of being embarrassed in BCS bowl games. Another blowout this year and things could get ugly.

Eh…probably safe. For one more year.
18. Bob Toledo – Tulane – 3-8 (85-84) – Tulane isn’t a football powerhouse anymore, and they certainly haven’t been since Toledo arrived. But, then again, expectations are low.
19. Doug Martin – Kent State – 5-6 (24-45) - In six seasons at Kent State, Martin hasn’t made a whole lot of progress in terms of wins and losses.
20. David Bailiff – Rice – 2-9 (36-36) - Last year, Bailiff led Rice to their first bowl win since they beat Alabama in the 1954 Cotton Bowl. That should buy the him a little more time.
21. J.D. Brookhart – Akron – 2-9 (24-37) - Brookhart coached the Zips into the Motor City Bowl in 2005, but has been mediocre at best since.
22. Mark Snyder – Marshall – 6-5 (22-36) - Strange…I could have swore  Matthew McConaughey was the coach at Marshall.
23. Dennis Erickson – Arizona State – 4-7 (167-81-1) -Two straight subpar seasons for the journeyman Erickson…although he would likely retire before ever allowing himself to be fired.
24. Tim Brewster – Minnesota – 6-6 (13-22) - Brewster’s made up for his inauspicious debut in 2007 with two decent seasons. But the Gophers want a team worthy of their  expensive new stadium…
25. Steve Spurrier – South Carolina – 6-5 (176-67-2) - No one is going to fire the  Head Ball Coach…but can they coax him into retirement? Can anyone do any better at USC?
26. Mark Richt – Georgia – 6-5 (88-27) - Richt’s had a rough year recovering from draft depletion, but his assistants will most likely get the ax after this season, not him.

Reasonably safe
27. Dick Tomey – San Jose State – 1-9 (182-144-7) - At least Tomey’s three previous SJS teams have been fairly competitive…
28. Greg McMackin – Hawaii – 5-6 (12-13) - His  gay slur controversyonly served to tighten his leash, but McMackin probably has at least a couple more years to coach in paradise.
29. George O’Leary – Central Florida – 7-4 (85-73) - O’Leary’s Knights have been competitive every other year…so after next season he might not be safe.
30. Rick Neuheisel – UCLA – 6-5 (76-43) – It helps that USC is down this season, because UCLA really hasn’t made many strides under Neuheisel during his two-year stint.
31. Mark Dantonio – Michigan State – 6-6 (40-33) -Dantonio is still riding last year’s 9-4 record to safety, but needs a big year next year to be sure.
32. Pat Hill – Fresno State – 7-4 (99-65) – That “anywhere, anytime” motto is great and all, but if Hill can’t start winning some of these non-conference games, he could be fired anywhere, anytime.

Should we really expect better?
33. Steve Roberts – Arkansas State – 2-8 (86-90-1) – Roberts hasn’t been gangbusters in eight seasons at State, but what else would you expect from Arkansas State?
34. DeWayne Walker – New Mexico State – 3-8 (3-9) - Walker’s had roughly the season you’d expect for a first year coach in a football graveyard.
35. Gary Andersen – Utah State – 3-8 (7-15) - Why don’t you go recruit players to Logan, Utah, and then criticize?
36. Bobby Johnson – Vanderbilt – 2-10 (89-102) - He led the Commodores to a bowl victory last year…for the first time since 1955!
37. Art Briles – Baylor – 4-7 (42-43) -Baylor’s not exactly a football powerhouse, but Briles so far hasn’t been able to transfer his success from Houston over to Waco.

Too new not to be safe
38. Mike Haywood – Miami (Ohio) – 1-11 (1-11) - Haywood replaced Shane Montgomery this season, and so far it’s been a season to forget. But it’s year one…
39. Stan Parrish – Ball State – 1-10 (57-44-3) - Poor guy had to follow up Brady Hoke’s improbable run last year…give him a break!
40. Ron English – Eastern Michigan – 0-11 (0-11) - First-year head coach Ron English should get the benefit of the doubt for a few more seasons at least.
41. Doug Marrone – Syracuse – 4-7 (4-7) - If you had to clean up  Greg Robinson’s mess, you’d be happy to have four wins in your first season.
42. Steve Fairchild – Colorado State – 3-8 (10-14) - This is just Fairchild’s second season in Fort Collins. He led the Rams to a bowl victory in 2008.
43. Tim Beckman – Toledo – 5-6 (5-6) - First year, struggling program. He’s got time…
44. Rich Ellerson – Army – 5-6 (65-46) - Remember, it’s hard to recruit men to play football at Army. You know, because they kinda have to join the Army.
45. Brady Hoke – San Diego State – 4-7 (37-44) - Hoke turned Ball State around last season, Aztec fans have to hope he’ll do the same for them in time.
46. Dave Clawson – Bowling Green – 6-5 (61-49) - Six wins at Bowling Green in year one isn’t bad, is it?
47. Steve Sarkisian – Washington – 3-7 (3-7) - After a winless season last year, the Huskies are just glad to be heading (even slowly) in the right direction.
48. Danny Hope – Purdue – 5-7 (40-30) - Hope’s trying to carve a post-Joe Tiller niche, which should take a while.
49. Dan Mullen – Mississippi State – 4-7 (4-7) - State’s ills can only be solved through solid, strategic recruiting, which will take several more years.
50. Dave Christensen – Wyoming – 5-6 (5-6) - Christensen won’t be at Wyoming for much longer, but that’s likely going to be his decision to make.
51. Paul Rhoads – Iowa State – 6-6 (6-6) – Note to Gene Chizik: Apparently you can win at Iowa State.
52. Lane Kiffin – Tennessee – 6-5 (6-5) - Kiffin’s team has been up and down this season, but fans seem optimistic that recruiting will eventually make the Vols competitive again in the SEC East.
53. Gene Chizik – Auburn – 7-4 (12-23) - By and large, Chizik has won the games he was supposed to this year. That’s about what we expected from the Tigers in 2009.
54. Frank Spaziani – Boston College – 7-4 (8-4) -Spaziani is beloved by the BC fan base, which has been recently jilted by both Tom O’Brien and Jeff Jagodzinski.
55. Dabo Swinney – Clemson – 8-3 (12-6) – Still in his first full season as the Tigers’ head coach, Dabo has, if nothing else, so fully embraced the Clemson tradition that the fans are in his corner…for now.
56. Chip Kelly – Oregon – 9-2 (9-2) -After a disastrous start to his new gig at Boise, Kelly has the Ducks in contention for the Pac 10 title.

Safe
57. Turner Gill – Buffalo – 4-7 (17-26) - By leading the lowly Bulls to a bowl last season, Turner Gill bought himself at least a decade at Buffalo…if he wants it.
58. Howard Schnellenberger – Florida Atlantic – 3-7 (136-120-3) - He’s a legendary coaching figure, he built the Owls’ program from scratch and he’s led them to two bowls in three years.
59. Mario Cristobal – Florida International – 3-8 (9-26) - Cristobal is recruiting his Panthers into relevancy, which takes time.
60. Rickey Bustle – Louisiana-LaFayette – 6-5 (23-34) -Football success is a contradiction in terms at LaFayette, but Bustle has done as well as any one could expect.
61. Derek Dooley – Louisiana Tech – 3-8 (16-20) -Dooley’s 2008 success bought him at least three or four more years in Ruston.
62. Bill Cubit – Western Michigan – 5-6 (68-44-1) - The Broncos probably won’t be bowling this season, but who the hell cares? It’s Western Michigan.
63. Charlie Weatherbie – Louisiana-Monroe – 6-5 (76-114) - After  beating Alabama on the roadin 2007, Weatherbie should be set for life at ULM.
64. Neil Callaway – UAB – 5-6 (11-24) -Callaway put his hot seat on ice after upsetting Southern Mississippi mid-season. He now has the Blazers in position to be bowl eligible.
65. Todd Graham – Tulsa – 4-7 (32-20) - 2009 was a rebuilding year for Tulsa.
66. Jim Grobe – Wake Forest – 4-7 (89-83-1) - Grobe’s built Wake Forest into a respectable football school over the past four seasons.
67. Larry Fedora – Southern Miss – 7-4 (14-10) - Fedora had big – and unenviable – shoes to fill after Jeff Bower’s departure.
68. Frank Solich – Ohio – 8-3 (87-47) -One of the great unanswered questions of our time…where would Nebraska be right now with Frank Solich as their coach?
69. Rick Stockstill – Middle Tennessee – 8-3 (25-23) - Considering the number of BCS teams MTSU is forced to play each year, five to eight wins seems like a godsend.
70. June Jones – SMU – 6-5 (82-57) - After a disastrous 1-11 season in 2008, Jones seems to be finally turning things around for the Mustangs.
71. Jerry Kill – Northern Illinois – 7-4 (111-62) - What can we say…the Huskies are probably going bowling two years in a row.
72. Randy Edsall – Connecticut – 5-5 (63-65) - Yes, UConn has been a little down in 2009; but tragedy had a role in that, not coaching.
73. Robb Akey – Idaho – 7-4 (10-25) - A big season for this perennial doormat means Akey’s the toast of the town.
74. Troy Calhoun – Air Force – 7-5 (24-14) - The service academies will never dominate like they used to, but Calhoun has the Falcons in really good shape.
75. Gary Pinkel – Missouri – 7-4 (139-82-3) -After losing Jeremy Maclin and Chase Daniel, the Tigers were due a rebuilding year.
76. Bobby Petrino – Arkansas – 7-4 (53-20) – Wooing Ryan Mallett to Fayetteville? Big, big, big win for Bob Petrino.
77. Pat Fitzgerald – Northwestern – 8-4 (27-22) - Fitzgerald seems to have the Wildcats consistently getting better each season.
78. Bill Stewart – West Virginia – 7-3 (25-32) -Despite WVU remaining relatively competitive after RichRod’s departure…why are we still leery of Bill Stewart? Because  he reminds us of  Bob Davie?
79. Houston Nutt – Mississippi – 8-3 (128-78) -  He can’t win the big games, but then again, Ole Miss has never won the big games either. They’re made for each other.
80. Butch Jones – Central Michigan – 9-2 (25-13) -Having that LeFevour kid playing under center probably makes Jones look like a better coach than he actually is. I guess we’ll see soon enough.
81. Kevin Sumlin – Houston – 9-2 (17-7) -Sumlin has reestablished Houston’s football tradition after just two seasons as head coach. This year, the Cougars are headed to their second straight bowl game.
82. Bo Pelini – Nebraska – 8-3 (18-7) -Pelini has been an improvement over  Bill Callahan to be sure, but Husker fans are expecting a Big 12 title sooner rather than later.
83. Mike Stoops – Arizona – 6-4 (31-38) - After a rough start, Stoops finally has the Wildcats heading in the right direction.
84. Randy Shannon – Miami (Fla.) – 8-3 (20-16) - Shannon has brought stability back to the ‘Canes program, but he’s going to have to start competing for BCS berths against the perennially weak ACC.
85. Jeff Tedford – California – 8-3 (67-33) – Tedford beats Stanford like a drum and always fields a competitive team. But for some reason, the Bears just can’t seem to get over the final hump in the Pac 10.
86. Mike Gundy – Oklahoma State – 9-2 (36-25) -  He’s a man, he’s 42 and he’s a certified reverend of the Church of Universal Life. Oh, and this year he’ll make a fourth-straight bowl appearance.
87. Bret Bielema – Wisconsin – 8-3 (36-14) -No Big Ten titles yet, but Bielema has the Badgers improving this season after two sub-par years in a row.
88. Les Miles – LSU – 8-3 (78-35) - The  Mad Hatter has a chance this season to collect 10 or more wins for the fourth time in five years in Baton Rouge.
89. Paul Johnson – Georgia Tech – 10-1 (125-44) - Who knew the triple option could work so effectively in a BCS conference?

Controlling their own destinies
90. David Cutcliffe – Duke – 5-6 (53-43) - Cutcliffe has managed to breathe some much needed life into a long dormant program.
91. Skip Holtz – East Carolina – 7-4 (74-48) - Skip maybe the missing link we’ve been looking for to determine if  coaching can be genetic.
92. Rich Brooks – Kentucky – 7-4 (128-153-4) - Brooks has the ‘Cats competitive, has already tabbed a coach-in-waiting…he’ll call the shots on his departure.
93. Bill Snyder – Kansas State – 6-6 (142-74-1) - Snyder has coaxed the program he helped build off the ledge and back to buoyancy. He’ll dictate his eventual departure.
94. Chris Ault – Nevada – 8-3 (206-94-1) - He’s one of four active coaches already inducted into the College Football HOF.
95. Mike Leach – Texas Tech – 7-4 (83-43) - After Leach flirted with Washington, it became obvious that Tech will do what they can to keep him for as long as they can.
96. Jim Leavitt – South Florida – 7-3 (94-54) - He built the Bulls from scratch, turned them into a legitimate contender and will leave when he’s ready.
97. Al Golden – Temple – 9-2 (19-28) - Simply put, Golden has executed one of the most fantastic turnarounds in college football history this season at Temple.
98. Ken Niumatalolo – Navy – 8-3 (16-9) - One more win over Notre Dame and they’ll name a ship after this guy soon enough.
99. Greg Shiano – Rutgers – 7-3 (53-54) -Pulling Rutgers out of the bog like he has means that Shiano will, at some point, be made an offer he can’t refuse.
100. Mike Riley – Oregon State – 8-3 (64-45) -Riley has quietly established himself as one of the Pac 10’s best coaches. At some point, will he want out of obscure Corvallis?
101. Butch Davis – North Carolina – 8-3 (70-36) - He’s slowly building a contender at UNC, but how much longer will he stick around a school where basketball is (by far) king.
102. Bronco Mendenhall – BYU – 9-2 (47-15) -Mendenhall will be able to write his own ticket out of Provo when he wants to. After all, isn’t the Las Vegas Bowl getting a little stale.
103. Kyle Whittingham – Utah – 9-2 (46-16) - He’s beaten Alabama in the Sugar Bowl and proved that there is life after Urban Meyer.
104. Jim Harbaugh – Stanford – 7-4 (45-25) -Harbaugh has been mentioned as a candidate for numerous potential jobs around the country…including at his alma mater, Michigan.
105. Larry Blakeney – Troy – 8-3 (152-75-1) -Blakeney has made Troy a household name in the college football world. What more could the Trojans ask?
106. Kirk Ferentz – Iowa – 10-2 (92-74) -Ferentz had a rough patch from 2005 through 2007, but came within an overtime sack of vying for a Big Ten title this season.
107. Dave Wannstedt – Pittsburgh – 9-1 (34-24) -  So what if he looks like a pirate? Wanny has the Panthers rollin’ to a potential BCS berth in 2009. And he’s got a frosh runningback that you have to see to believe.
108. Chris Peterson – Boise State – 10-0 (45-4) - He’s not a god-like being yet, but if after his eventual departure from Boise he translates his success to a BCS-level school…then I’ll upgrade him.
109. Brian Kelly – Cincinnati – 10-0 (169-57-2) – Just imagine how much money Notre Dame would offer this guy…
110. Gary Patterson – TCU – 11-0 (84-27) - Patterson seems happy at TCU, but he’s young and he’s talented. Eventually, you’d expect, he’ll bolt out of Fort Worth for greener digs.

God-like beings
111. Bob Stoops – Oklahoma – 6-5 (114-29) - Seven BCS bowls in 11 years at Oklahoma. Just consider this season an outlier.
112. Mack Brown – Texas – 11-0 (211-100-1) - Brown was always a bridesmaid until pulling off the USC upset in the national title game back in 2005. Now he’s back in contention in 2009.
113. Pete Carroll – USC – 7-3 (95-18) - So what if the Trojans couldn’t reload like usual this season, Carroll has won at least 11 games in seven of his nine seasons at USC.
114. Frank Beamer – Virginia Tech – 8-3 (222-114-4) – Eight seasons of 10 or more wins in the last 11 years…not to mention he gets a royalty anytime a team blocks a kick (Beamer Ball!)
115. Nick Saban – Alabama – 11-0 (121-50-1) - If the U.S. Census Bureau kept track of kid and pet names in Alabama, what’s your best guess on how many new Sabans we have running around right now?
116. Urban Meyer – Florida – 11-0 (94-17) - Meyer’s won two BCS titles in five years at Florida and is vying for a third this year. Will Tim Tebow’s departure give him cause to start over again in South Bend?
117. Joe Paterno – Penn State – 10-2 (392-130-3) -  JoePa will never, ever be fired. Ever. The fact that he survived that rough stretch from 2003-04 means that his departure will be on his schedule alone

 Coach Mack Brown began his career at Texas in 1998.  He was often called “Coach February” because of his great recruiting skills early in his career at Texas.  In five of  his first eight seasons rival Oklahoma eliminated the chance of a conference championship those years and fans and boosters felt they could do better.  The had aspirations of National Championships for Brown and Texas.  In fact, in his first six season at Texas he failed to lead the Longhorns to a BCS bowl game at all.  They settled for lower tier bowl games where his record was 3-3.  It wasn’t until 2004 that the Longhorns reached the Rose Bowl (BCS game) under Brown’s leadership. This game was special because not only was it a BCS game it was also the BCS National Championship game which Texas won by defeating USC.  The first national championship for Texas in 35 years.  The last five years of Brown’s career at Texas he has had the Longhorn’s in 3 BCS games and two lower tier games, but bowl bound regardless.  This year, barring any unforeseen circumstances, Texas will most likely play for another BCS National Championship under Brown.  Not too bad for a guy who has coached and the same school for over a decade.

This video below provides a true look into Mack Brown’s job.  At about the two minute mark you will truly get to see Mack Brown and not just the preseason hype of the Texas Longhorns.  In this video you will see what most average fans don’t realize what exactly goes on behind the season.  The hours these coaches spend breaking down film and game planning.  Great insight into a coaches routine.

This is rivalry week for three big teams this week. Florida plays Florida State at home this weekend. Florida will be the favorite, but in a rivalry game emotions can affect the outcome.  The Iron Bowl will also be played this weekend.  This is the rivalry game between Auburn and Alabama.  Auburn plays at home and had a bye week last week.  Alabama should be on high alert for an upset even though they should easily win this game.  Last big rivalry this week is the Thursday night game, Texas travels to Texas A&M.  This is a very short week for both teams making it hard to prepare.  Regardless of Texas being favored, anything can happen.

What exactly went wrong at Notre Dame?  Only Charlie Weis really knows that answer, but many can speculate on their thoughts and opinions.  Who will be their #1 target if they do in fact decide to release Weis?  Urban Meyer has already said he isn’t interested.  Brian Kelly, Cincinnati, will most likely be the target, but will he be the man and why him over other candidates?  He is a proven winner and Notre Dame can’t afford to lose anymore.  Jesse Palmer provides the best analysis of this situation I have seen to date.

The man who has no imagination has no wings.

– Muhammod Ali

Florida’s Meyer says Notre Dame not an option

As Weis rumors swirl, coach says he’ll be Gator ‘as long as they’ll have me’

	With rumors swirling about Charlie Weis’ future at Notre Dame, Urban Meyer squashed any potential speculation about leaving Gainesville for South Bend.
Al Messerschmidt / Getty Images

updated 49 minutes ago

 GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Florida coach Urban Meyer says he plans to coach the Gators “as long as they’ll have me.”

 With rumors swirling about Charlie Weis’ future at Notre Dame, Meyer squashed any potential speculation about leaving Gainesville for South Bend.

Meyer’s news conference Monday was his most emotional in five seasons at Florida, with the coach having to pause and compose himself several times while talking about quarterback Tim Tebow and other seniors’ final home game Saturday against rival Florida State.

No movement in the top 17, however several have their big rivalry games this week.  Everyone knows with rivalry games anything can happen.  It is amazing to think there may actually be 5 remaining unbeatens at the end of the season and it all comes down to this weekend.