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College Football 2017 Offseason: We're Not a Football School Anyway

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MugiwaraCole

Member
ag-my001 said:
There's a podcast topic for Lonestar to handle in the future. Given the successes(?) of the Saban tree in the SEC, should Bama hire a current/recent assistant when he retires, or go for the biggest name outside the state?
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I'm of the opinion that you get the best available coach that will come to you. Alabama already spent years a shadow of their former selves trying to chase a Bryant clone.

That said, I've already made it clear Dabo has my vote (for now). Yeah, he's goofy, but he's done a damn good job building a championship caliber program at Clemson. He's not so much an X's and O's guy, but I don't think that makes him less a CEO type. Quite the opposite, actually. You've gotta surround yourself with the right people and establish a successful culture if you're not much of a technical coach. At some point, to be great, you need to get your team to really believe they belong at the top, which is harder than it sounds. He's done that, with a program that had a term for "failing at meeting expectations in college football" named after them. I don't see why hiring him at a storied program like Alabama can't keep the talent (players and coaches) pumping in.
 
R

Randolph Freelander

Member
Dabo can be emperor for life at Clemson. I don't think he goes to Alabama.

It's generally hard for me to imagine anyone leaving a place where they've already been to the mountaintop if it's not to go to a professional league. How many championship winning coaches have left one school to go directly to another? Surely it's rare (though, to be fair, it would be rare by default, since winning championships is itself rare).
 
E

El_Chino

Member
Randolph Freelander said:
Dabo can be emperor for life at Clemson. I don't think he goes to Alabama.

It's generally hard for me to imagine anyone leaving a place where they've already been to the mountaintop if it's not to go to a professional league. How many championship winning coaches have left one school to go directly to another? Surely it's rare (though, to be fair, it would be rare by default, since winning championships is itself rare).
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Urban Meyer.
 
R

Ryuuroden

Member
El_Chino said:
Urban Meyer.
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Saban

Although yes he went to the NFL, but that makes it same move as Urban who left for a year. By this I mean Urban left florida in real retirement from coaching several months before tressel was fired in a scandal that no one at the time knew was coming. So its not like he retired so he could coach at osu like everyone insinuates.
 
A

andycapps

Member
Ryuuroden said:
Saban

Although yes he went to the NFL, but that makes it same move as Urban who left for a year. By this I mean Urban left florida in real retirement from coaching several months before tressel was fired in a scandal that no one at the time knew was coming. So its not like he retired so he could coach at osu like everyone insinuates.
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That's to be debated.
 
M

MugiwaraCole

Member
Randolph Freelander said:
Dabo can be emperor for life at Clemson. I don't think he goes to Alabama.

It's generally hard for me to imagine anyone leaving a place where they've already been to the mountaintop if it's not to go to a professional league. How many championship winning coaches have left one school to go directly to another? Surely it's rare (though, to be fair, it would be rare by default, since winning championships is itself rare).
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You underestimate how much Alabama means to him. You could be right, he may not come to Bama. But I think that'd have more to do with him not wanting to follow Saban, and I wouldn't blame him. I don't doubt he'd jump at the chance to coach in Tuscaloosa if he thought he could be successful doing it though.
 
E

El_Chino

Member
Randolph Freelander said:
He "retired."
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Ryuuroden said:
Saban

Although yes he went to the NFL, but that makes it same move as Urban who left for a year. By this I mean Urban left florida in real retirement from coaching several months before tressel was fired in a scandal that no one at the time knew was coming. So its not like he retired so he could coach at osu like everyone insinuates.
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What was it again? Oh yeah, chest pains.

urban-meyer-sad-eating-pizza.jpeg

bucknuticus said:
We all know the truth, Florida is a stepping middle tier program and Urban was ready to thrive!
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That must've been it.
 
M

MugiwaraCole

Member
Meyer just dipped outta having to play Saban every other year to claim a natty. Which is funny cause OSU ain't winning the Big 10 every year anyways.
 
A

andycapps

Member
cdyhybrid said:
To be fair, eating Papa John's will give anyone chest pains.
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Gives me the runs.

MugiwaraCole said:
Meyer just dipped outta having to play Saban every other year to claim a natty. Which is funny cause OSU ain't winning the Big 10 every year anyways.
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It could be that he knew the recruiting was starting to suffer and started to have difficulty, didn't know how to lose, and quit.

SI has an article up about players skipping bowl games. Cover lots of perspectives, but these from the NFL side are worth keeping an eye on.

NFL officials speak with a bluntness about this issues that offers a sharp contrast to the idealism and wistfulness of college coaches. When discussing Fournette for a feature a few weeks ago, NFL officials consistently chuckled at the notion of skipping a bowl game hurting his or McCaffrey’s draft stock. “He’s got a billion-dollar set of knees,” one personnel director said of Fournette. “What are you doing playing in a nothing bowl game?”

Added another personnel director after the draft: “I think you will see more top players do it due to the minimal effect it had on their draft stock. If a player’s team isn’t playing for a national title, why risk your future earnings? The NCAA isn’t paying them.”

But he added: “If you are not a top pick, your ass better play in the [bowl] game.”
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M

MugiwaraCole

Member
That SI article is basically where I'm at with it. If a player wants to do it, let em, but the only ones who will do it are guaranteed first and second round picks with something to lose. Everyone else isn't exactly in the same bucket.

Even so, a Leonard Fournette is 99.9% of the time definitely playing in a playoff bowl game. They want a natty too. It's easy. No epidemic. Just business and common sense.
 
D

Draxal

Member
Sparty has major issues. I do think PSU was a fluke last year but they are on the upswing, and Harbaugh has yet to win one against OSU. Other three have no chance.


Problem is that OSUs recruiting is insane compared to the rest of the upper echelon in the division.
 
M

mre

Golden Domers are chickenshit!!
Bama just got lucky it drew Washington last year. Otherwise, tOSU would have done to Bama what tOSU did to Clemson.
 
E

El_Chino

Member
MugiwaraCole said:
Meyer just dipped outta having to play Saban every other year to claim a natty. Which is funny cause OSU ain't winning the Big 10 every year anyways.
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Honestly, I just think he thought it would be easier to win an another conference and wasn't used to tough competition especially with Saban and Miles at the moment.
 
M

MugiwaraCole

Member
bucknuticus said:
Sabans dominating 2-2 head to head record vs Urbz
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It was 2-1 and every factor was moving ever more in Nick's favor before Urban bounced and regrouped though 😂 Tell the whole story, bruh.

El_Chino said:
Honestly, I just think he thought it would be easier to win an another conference and wasn't used to tough competition especially with Saban and Miles at the moment.
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Pretty much. Can't say I blame the guy. Look at the SEC now. That's pretty much on Saban. Just waiting to see if Urban will win the conference more consistently given the apparent talent disparity between OSU and everyone else. Does he have that in him? *shrug*

All I know is, two teams last season were pretty well far ahead of everyone else in the field, Urbz and co. included. I only regret Clemson couldn't score one more TD to bring balance for all those Buckeye claims of "MSU shouldn't even be there! That never would've happened to us!" we had to endure last season.
 
L

Limedust

Member
Regarding the Saban successor talk...

I feel confident that Greg Byrne can make a good hire, based on his history at other schools.

I think Dabo stays at Clemson for the foreseeable future. He really seems to like it there, and has already won a MNC.

I don't think Bama goes after anyone like Meyer, Harbaugh, or Jimbo, mainly because I don't think a coach like that would drop an already good situation to jump into the Bama pressure cooker. I would expect the initial Saban successor to be someone like Pruitt or (apologies to other Bama fans) Dan Mullen, who does quite well with duct tape and bailing wire in Starkville.
 
M

MugiwaraCole

Member
I've accepted the likelihood that the initial replacement is less than ideal, but hopefully followed by a great candidate. If Pruitt sticks around long enough to throw his hat in the mix for the job, I won't be too unhappy. At least we'll keep our defense for the time being.

What do you guys think of the playoffs so far? I feel like the first one perfectly acquitted itself since the two teams that played for the title would've been the two teams left out under the BCS, but then the next two kinda stunk. We could've basically skipped the semis both years. How do y'all see it playing out this season?
 
P

Purple Cheeto

Member
Limedust said:
Regarding the Saban successor talk...

I feel confident that Greg Byrne can make a good hire, based on his history at other schools.

I think Dabo stays at Clemson for the foreseeable future. He really seems to like it there, and has already won a MNC.

I don't think Bama goes after anyone like Meyer, Harbaugh, or Jimbo, mainly because I don't think a coach like that would drop an already good situation to jump into the Bama pressure cooker. I would expect the initial Saban successor to be someone like Pruitt or (apologies to other Bama fans) Dan Mullen, who does quite well with duct tape and bailing wire in Starkville.
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If there is anything the current SEC should teach us is that hiring a Nick Saban assistant is the best way to doom yourself to mediocrity.
 
M

MugiwaraCole

Member
Purple Cheeto said:
If there is anything the current SEC should teach us is that hiring a Nick Saban assistant is the best way to doom yourself to mediocrity.
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Eh. To be fair, the other assistants reside in the SEC, where Nick is still coaching and has a monopoly on most of the best talent, player and coaching wise. Two of his previous assistants have done quite well for themselves outside the conference (Jimbo and Dantonio).
 
A

andycapps

Member
Purple Cheeto said:
If there is anything the current SEC should teach us is that hiring a Nick Saban assistant is the best way to doom yourself to mediocrity.
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The jury is still out on this, really. McElwain has done well at Florida. Smart is entering his second year.

Muschamp is the major disappointment.

What this should tell us is that unless you want to build out the support structure, commit to facilities, recruit at a very high level for years running, and have a coach with the acumen of Saban, it's going to be hard to compete.
 
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