DonAZ

August 27th, 2015 at 4:55 PM ^

Reporting from Tucson ... "adore" is a bit strong.  To the extent people here really get into football -- which isn't much -- they are happily content with RR.  Agree that expectations are reasonable.  Football season is the diversion until basketball season starts. 

Plus, football in 90 degrees isn't right. It violates natural law. See my signature line.

Everyone Murders

August 27th, 2015 at 3:47 PM ^

This is correct - RichRod is a "bye".  Uh, a "bi".  Ehhrrrr, a "buy".

/ Cowherded /

The point is he's done really well at Arizona, and if his seat is hot it's only because someone spilled Rita's steamin' nacho dip onto his chair.

snarling wolverine

August 27th, 2015 at 10:40 PM ^

I think he's done fine there.   But to just trot out his record and compare it to Harbaugh's does Harbaugh a disservice.  RichRod inherited a toxic locker room at Arizona, but there was some talent there.  They had gone to bowls three years running before the 2011 upheaval.

As for pre-Harbaugh Stanford, they went 16-40 in the five years before Harbaugh arrived, with losses to the likes of UC Davis and San Jose State.  Their 2006 team failed to rush for 1,000 yards, and barely averaged 10 points per game!  

 

 

evenyoubrutus

August 28th, 2015 at 6:58 AM ^

Fair enough. I don't mean to suggest that Rodriguez is on the same level as Harbaugh, there are just certain fans around here who seem to think everything happens in a vacuum. Declaring that 26-14 is not impressive as if context doesn't matter is very simplistic. I was simply stating that if you're just going to take a coach's record and make a judgment on the job he's doing on the raw numbers without any context then you would need to hold every coach to the same standard.

Everyone Murders

August 27th, 2015 at 4:32 PM ^

Well, he won the 2014 Pac-12 Coach of the Year award, and went 10-2 last year (7-2 in Pac-12 games).  As far as his coaching career in general, he also won two Big East coach of the year awards, innovated the game offensively (practically invented the run spread), and awakaned a moribund program in Tucson.

I get that the Michigan experience was a disaster.  But RichRod's records before and after the Michigan debacle qualify as doing "really well".

Pinky

August 27th, 2015 at 4:35 PM ^

He didn't go 10-2 last year.  He went 10-4.  People love to say how his time at Michigan was an anomaly, but if you actually look at the numbers, his last three years at WVU is the anomaly.  Everything else is just years and years of mediocrity.

Everyone Murders

August 27th, 2015 at 4:51 PM ^

You don't deny that he won Pac-12 Coach of the Year, though.  Do you?  Or the Big East COY awards?  Do you?

gets sense that Pinky doesn't much like RichRod /

If developing a revolutionary offense and succeeding in backwaters like WVU and Arizona aren't doing "really well", I guess we're not getting to yes.

And that's OK - because ...

HARBAUGH

Pinky

August 27th, 2015 at 5:06 PM ^

You don't deny that Brady Hoke won coach of the year in 2011, do you?

I don't hate Rich Rod.  I like him just fine.  But he's been a head coach since 1988 and has a .59 winning percentage.  That's basically a 7-5 season for almost 30 years.   How is that impressive?

Everyone Murders

August 27th, 2015 at 5:08 PM ^

I think that apart from his tenure at Michigan RichRod's done "really well".  I think developing a prominent offensive philosophy is impressive. 

I think winning three Power Five COY awards is impressive.  Especially when you do all that at schools that are backwaters in their conferences.

I think that getting to the Pac-12 championship game last year was impressive.  I think the fact that he beat teams he should have beat last year (his conference losses were to USC, UCLA and Oregon) is impressive.  I think finishing ranked #17 at Arizona last year is doing really well.

We aren't getting to "yes" on this.  And that's OK.

Because HARBAUGH.

acs236

August 28th, 2015 at 9:29 AM ^

Brady Hoke won Big Ten coach of the year in 2011, so....

 

Actually, I think RR is doing a nice job at Arizona, and his willingness to go all-in on those silly videos makes it seem like he's enjoying himself.  I hope he stays there and is happy.

 

The Mad Hatter

August 27th, 2015 at 3:58 PM ^

job someplace that isn't a blast furnace during the summer?

But I do agree, I think it's unlikely for him to leave.  He already crashed and burned at one of the highest profile CFB gigs there is, so he probably won't want to risk that again.  Arizona is a good fit for him.  He can win 8-10 games there every year for the next decade and then retire a wealthy man.

superstringer

August 27th, 2015 at 4:25 PM ^

When DB was dangling RR for a month, I posted that DB was really screwing RR, because RR was the perfect fit at the time for Maryland.  He knew the area, having been at WVU; he loves him some Florida kids, and Maryland is in a conference with 2 Florida schools; and the ACC hasn't seen an actual defense since whenever.  RR would have killed it.

But now, Maryland is off the board for him, I think.  I'm not sure they can/would afford RR, and, they don't play Florida schools anymore.  And seriously, who would willingly join a division -- not conference, division -- where the other coaches include Meyer, Franklin, D'Antonio, and JMFH?

But if the U comes open, I would expect they give RR a call.  But aforementioned $$$ problems at the U make it unlikely, I bet, that they can woo RR.  Facilities, staff, etc. are all affected by bad $$$.

If FSU comes open -- seems unlikely, but, see: Pete Carroll, Chip Kelly -- you'd think they would consider RR.

If ClemPson ever figures out they won't win big with Dabo Sweeney, you'd think RR is their first phone call.

No way he wants UNC, that's still facing a nuclear meltdown.  NC State is a joke.

 

Lionsfan

August 27th, 2015 at 3:40 PM ^

Just an FYI for anybody, the article is suggesting that Rich Rod would voluntarily leave Arizona for a job back east, not that he's going to get fired

 

And fwiw, I think he finishes his career at Arizona. He's adored by the fanbase out there, really seems to fit in with some of the goofier aspects, and I think he remembers that the grass isn't always greener on the other side

boliver46

August 27th, 2015 at 3:47 PM ^

is not on this list because he never sits down!

"I don’t get sick. I don’t observe major holidays. I’m a jackhammer.”

/s

 

lilpenny1316

August 27th, 2015 at 3:55 PM ^

Illinois should've owned the B1G in basketball and football, but they let all the good talent leave Chicago.  I have a hunch he might be crazy enough to go into Chicago and recruit well.  I hope Iowa is stuck with Ferentz a little while longer and Illinois rehires Lou Tepper.

evenyoubrutus

August 27th, 2015 at 3:57 PM ^

Brian Kelly is an interesting one.  I really thought when ND hired him that he would be the next Urban Meyer.  In five seasons he has gone 8-5 three times, 9-4 once and lucked his way into a 12-1 season.  This article mentions him as a flight risk to the NFL but it seems like he could also be walking in thin ice with the fanbase.