Chris Petersen to Washington
Chris Petersen expected to be named Washington head coach today. Will be one of highest paid in PAC-12.
— Joe Schad (@schadjoe) December 6, 2013December 6th, 2013 at 2:18 PM ^
I don't buy it. Before USC hired Sarkisian, there were reports that Petersen removed his name from consideration for that job. I suspect that the "source" reporting that it was USC who passed on Peterson and not vice-versa is from the USC side. There is no universe in which Sarkisian is a better hire than Petersen.
December 6th, 2013 at 3:15 PM ^
You might want to consider the success or shocking lack there of of ex Boise St. coaches who moved onto bigger jobs.
December 6th, 2013 at 4:07 PM ^
There's really only one name on that list worth considering, so that's not a great argument. And Peterson has had Boise running a lot longer than Hawkins did. I think Peterson is a much better coach than Sark and Washington fans should be thanking Pat Haden right now.
December 6th, 2013 at 4:44 PM ^
Plus Hawkins walked into a crap hole of a problem at Colorado.
December 6th, 2013 at 4:58 PM ^
Hawkins and Koetter both flamed out. We seen how well Brent Pease did at Florida. Koetter was the one who really got that program going and he didn't exactly light the Pac12 on fire. It most definitely is not a coincidence that Peterson jumped after his wost year at Boise. The expectations are a lot lower at Washington than USC. People who are down on USC hiring Sark are likely the same bunch who thought Pete Carroll was a bad idea. It takes a certain personality to win and recruit at USC.
December 6th, 2013 at 10:08 AM ^
I'm not saying they're the same, but LA is like the opposite end of the spectrum and that would have to a tough administration to work for. How they didn't give Orgeron the job is baffling.
December 6th, 2013 at 2:53 PM ^
When you go 10-25 at Ole Miss after taking over for a guy who posted winning records in five of his six years there (David Cutcliffe), that's a pretty big strike against you. Orgeron deserves a shot at another head coaching job, but not a USC-caliber job.
One a related note, it was great to see Cutcliffe put up a 10-win season and win coach of the year, at Duke of all places. He really got a raw deal at Ole Miss. That is one school whose opinion of itself is far removed from reality.
December 6th, 2013 at 4:48 PM ^
If not wanting to live in LA makes someone a hipster...
Well, I'll put it this way. I lived in LA for several years, and (1) there are hipsters galore in LA, and (2) you could do sooo much worse than hanging out with the hipsters.
December 6th, 2013 at 4:52 PM ^
Holy smokes LA is hispter central. Drive through Silver Lake or Los Feliz and that's all you'll get.
December 6th, 2013 at 5:20 PM ^
Yep. Silver Lake has some great music spots (like Spaceland) that are hipstered to the max. Dudes from that scene (e.g., Beck and Eiliot Smith) are/were pretty much hipsters, before that was even a meme. Santa Monica and West Hollywood have become more hipster/foodie since I left.
December 6th, 2013 at 8:32 AM ^
December 6th, 2013 at 8:35 AM ^
When someone finally gets him to leave BSU, of all places, it's to go to Washington? I didn't see that one coming...
December 6th, 2013 at 11:42 AM ^
Seattle is awesome. Beautiful, laid back, with fairly reasonable people. After spending some time there during the football season -- and seeing their fan support & loyalty -- it makes sense. Not to mention their newly updated stadium, which is AMAZING.
U-M's fans are a lot like USC, Miami, Texas, SEC's of the world in that we expect excellence and when we don't get it quickly enough, a lot of us go nuclear.
I can see why he would turn us or USC down but not UW.
December 6th, 2013 at 12:44 PM ^
I would not compare us to USC or Miami - those places struggle to sell out even when they're good. Texas, maybe. For a historically elite school, I would not say our fanbase is that harsh. The 100,000 streak has survived some rough times.
December 6th, 2013 at 1:58 PM ^
You're right.
December 6th, 2013 at 8:35 AM ^
that Washington was a top 15-20 job. Sark's done a pretty good job of building that program back up to a recoverable level. I guess we'll see how good Peterson really is now. I always assumed he'd get lured away evenutally but this still got a verbal "wow" out of me when I read it.
December 6th, 2013 at 8:37 AM ^
December 6th, 2013 at 9:04 AM ^
wholeheartedly. My wording lacked in that last post.
December 6th, 2013 at 11:02 AM ^
I'm a little less sure of his success. Dan Hawkins had just as much success and then bombed at Colorado. Granted Peterson was his OC and may have been responsible for the success there.
December 6th, 2013 at 8:35 AM ^
December 6th, 2013 at 10:12 AM ^
If I was a Huskies fan I would be stoked. Petersen is an upgrade over Sark. Its not too often that you get to upgrade when your coach leaves for greener pastures.
December 6th, 2013 at 8:36 AM ^
It's never been about how awesome the career move could be. For Petersen, it's about location, location, location. Most people forget that his son is a former cancer patient and the family established a strong bond with the doctors who treated him. Washington is not a very long way from Boise, but most "destination" jobs certainly are (except Oregon).
December 6th, 2013 at 8:42 AM ^
It's like 400 miles vs. 700 miles. Either way, you're jumping a plane if you're going to Boise and the time difference wouldn't be that great.
December 6th, 2013 at 9:06 AM ^
December 6th, 2013 at 9:14 AM ^
It's about the relationship you've established with your doctors. In Petersen's case, I'm sure his wife had more than a little to say about any potential moves that would have taken him too far from Boise.
From first-hand experience, I can also tell you that many juvenile cancer patients become lifetime patients by design (as in the case of C.S. Mott and Children's Hospital of Michigan). That may be the case with Petersen's son, as well. As a result, just "finding a new doctor" isn't such a straight-forward thing, no matter how good they may be in one metro area versus another.
December 6th, 2013 at 12:12 PM ^
While BSU's facilities may not be as good as those in other, bigger schools, health care in Boise is actually quite good, and some of the facilities are highly regarded.
December 6th, 2013 at 8:37 AM ^
B.J. Rains@BJRainsFollow
December 6th, 2013 at 8:46 AM ^
I guess someone's word is only good for a day and a half...
Anyhow, this is an excellent fit for Peterson. Can still recruit NorCal and can recruit a little more nationally. Also, he is at a hip city with new facilities and a gorgeous campus. He'll do well and I'll wager he'll win a PAC-12 Championship within 3 years.
December 6th, 2013 at 10:44 AM ^
When exactly did Dissly talk to Peterson? Could be that until Washington came calling this week, Peterson was happy to stay at BSU. I always find it funny when people complain how coaches change schools after telling people they aren't changing schools. I guess circumstances never change, and new opportunities can never change your mind.
December 6th, 2013 at 12:22 PM ^
Not complaining, just saying that what he said only lasted a day and a half. If I were in Petersen's shoes I would leave too. In the world of sports and in professional life you have to make business based decisions and that's what Petersen did. Washington will always be a better opportunity than Boise.
It sucks for the kids that commit to a coach and then they're gone in a snap. Empathy for the kids is what I'm trying to convey when I say that his word only lasts a short time. I'm sure the kid will be fine, though.
December 6th, 2013 at 9:45 AM ^
December 6th, 2013 at 8:50 AM ^
Well, in any case, Boise State fans were quite prepared with this - HERE - "The Complete List Of Ways To React To Chris Petersen Job Rumors".
Here's a snippet from ESPN's constantly updated story:
"Petersen, who met with Washington on Thursday, felt ready to leave because the timing was right for professional and family reasons and because he felt Washington was the right fit, according to a source."
It will be interesting to see what the contract looks like - Whittingham at Utah makes about $2.5 million, I believe, and I have to wonder if Washington puts him near or right at this level at least. It would be interesting to know what Sarkisian will get at USC and what David Shaw makes as well for possible comparisons / guesses.
December 6th, 2013 at 9:01 AM ^
Too mean?
December 6th, 2013 at 9:08 AM ^
but also too soon.
December 6th, 2013 at 10:15 AM ^
too soon? not soon enough!
December 6th, 2013 at 9:01 AM ^
Is it any wonder that the PAC 10 is pushing the SEC for conference reputation these days? Look at the coaches they hire when there are openings and compare that to the B1G. We seem to go to the hottest MAC coach available instead of opening our B1G network funded checkbooks and hiring the Chris Peterson's of the coaching world.
With the exception of Ohio State and maybe PSU the B1G generally goes "on the cheap" when it comes to replacing coaches and it shows.
December 6th, 2013 at 9:06 AM ^
December 6th, 2013 at 10:16 AM ^
yes, but they weren't mac coaches just before they were hired at the schools he lists.
December 6th, 2013 at 10:42 AM ^
By the way, Bo was hired straight from Miami as was Woody.
December 6th, 2013 at 10:59 AM ^
I know we tend to want to live in the past here, but Woody and Bo are not relevant to this discussion.
Woody coached in the MAC 60 years ago. Bo coached in the MAC 45 years ago. You act like dropping those two names adds any meaningfulness to your point. It doesn't. In fact, it shows how weak your argument is that you have to refence coaches who haven't coached football in over 20 years as prime examples of great MAC coaches.
Things change.
December 6th, 2013 at 1:36 PM ^
I think his point was that it is possible to hire a great coach from the MAC who can come to your program and do great things for a long time.
He might have mentioned Bo and Woody since this is a Michigan blog and it was a common point of reference.
December 6th, 2013 at 2:31 PM ^
There hasn't been a good coach hired directly out of the MAC in over a decade.
December 6th, 2013 at 2:34 PM ^
Yeah, by your argument Ohio should never have hired Tressel. After all, he wasn't even a MAC coach.
December 6th, 2013 at 10:53 AM ^
And Meyer and Saban weren't poached from the MAC. Saban coached Toledo for a year. Meyer at BGSU for 2 years. The MAC hasn't produced a top-notch coach in over a decade, which is one of the reasons why the Big Ten is struggling.
December 6th, 2013 at 9:16 AM ^
You need program builders to build to national prominence. Save the sexy hires for big time programs of which there are exactly 4 and no more in the big 10
December 6th, 2013 at 9:57 AM ^
December 6th, 2013 at 12:25 PM ^
December 6th, 2013 at 1:41 PM ^
He runs the spread.
I bet if we hired someone from the Big East it would go well.