Friday College Football Games
Few solid games today with ISU/Texas and ND/UNC. For those around and curious if Matt Campbell would be a solid option from Iowa St., watch them play today at 12 est. vs. Texas. Huge game in Big 12. Hopefully UNC can upset ND, only real competition left for ND before a possible Clemson rematch in ACC championship. Cristobol another name thrown around as possible replacement, he coaches Oregon vs. OSU in the night game.
I love Campbell’s coaching style and what he has done at Isu, but for many, they probably don’t know much about him/ISU/etc. ISU was a dumpster fire program before he got there, the fact he has them in a position to win Big 12 is remarkable.
November 27th, 2020 at 11:38 AM ^
I've watched Campbell since he was at Toledo (and attended a few of his games). He's a good coach, but not as great as some people make it out. He's prone to some head scratching decisions and glaring mistakes as well. He had success at Toledo, but much of it was just continuing the process begun by Beckman, his predecessor. Also, his success at Iowa State has been just as much due to his efforts as it was the overall weakness of the rest of the conference (and he has also had some bad non-conference losses).
He could still turn out great, a dud, or somewhere between the two. Not sure he would be the guy to get at UM just now, but maybe in a few years if he keeps winning.
November 27th, 2020 at 11:42 AM ^
Agree, I've watched KSU beat them year after year (aside from the Covid shellacking this year.) He's fine, but i'm not sold on him as coach at UM. Could work out I guess, plus people will love the 3 TE sets he runs!!!!!!!
November 27th, 2020 at 12:51 PM ^
Kansas State was an established program when Campbell took over one of the worst programs in NCAA. He lost to KSU by 6, 1, 4, then 10 points. Now he has his guys and beats KSU by 45, but that doesn't count, bc of something both programs are dealing with?
I have concerns about Campbell. I don't know if his D would translate to the Big Ten. And I would prefer someone with more tempo on offense. But citing losses he had when he first took over a terrible program as evidence doesn't move the needle much. The wins he pulled off over highly ranked teams are more impressive.
November 27th, 2020 at 1:00 PM ^
KState was also in decline during those years, leading to the 2nd (and likely final) retirement of Bill Snyder.
November 27th, 2020 at 12:23 PM ^
I wouldn't say that's accurate at all...Tom Amstutz had pretty much let the program to go shit by the end of his tenure.
November 27th, 2020 at 12:25 PM ^
That's Michigan's problem. Always waiting too late to hire a guy. What more do you need to see from Campbell? He's having a historic amount of success at a doormat program. Reminds me a lot of what Mullen did at Miss St. If I could go back 5-7 years I would hire Mullen in a heartbeat.
November 27th, 2020 at 12:38 PM ^
Could have hired Mullen after he gave Rich Rod a historic ass beating really.
November 27th, 2020 at 12:52 PM ^
Hiring a coach requires much more deliberation than that. You need to determine how much success is due to the coach himself and not just the circumstances (or his staff, who may not come with him).
Chris Creighton has also had incredible success at EMU relative to their expectations and past performance - that doesn't mean he should be snapped up by the next major P5 with an opening.
November 27th, 2020 at 1:01 PM ^
You're talking about MAC vs Big 12. Regardless of what you think about the quality of the Big 12, Campbell has managed to beat perennial playoff team Oklahoma twice (once in Norman), he's beaten perennially good team Oklahoma State, he beat a top 5 TCU team, a top 6 West Virginia team. He's not only elevated ISU from perennial doormat to Big 12 contender, but he's shown an ability to pull off big upsets and win big games along the way. He's only 40, still young and hungry. That's really all I need to see.
November 27th, 2020 at 1:43 PM ^
Which is exactly the line of thinking that brought RR to Michigan.
November 27th, 2020 at 2:18 PM ^
RR is the shining example of what's wrong with Michigan. They hired him as the spread was starting to explode and was no longer something he uniquely ran. His offense got figured out and his complete disregard for the other side of the ball ended up doing him in. Not sure Campbell is the same, but I'd rather take a chance on him than watch Harbaugh continue to circle the drain.
Urban Meyer is the only proven name I would want at this point. The people clamoring for Bob Stoops or similar proven names, guys who are 60 years old and haven't coached in 5 years or probably don't have the same fire they had 20 years ago are gonna watch us wind up right back in this same spot in 5 years. Much rather take a chance on a young up and comer.
November 27th, 2020 at 3:51 PM ^
No further "deliberation" is going to help at this point. Campbell turned around a doormat program and has them in position to win a Power 5 conference. He's going to be snapped up by a struggling Blue Blood program sooner rather than later. The comparison to Chris Creighton is totally ridiculous. How many wins does Creighton have against Oklahoma? The dude is 11 years older and hasn't had nearly as much success.
Rich Rod was a can't miss coach and Harbaugh even more so. Clearly anyone can fail at Michigan. Short of Urban Meyer, it's a crapshoot. I'll take my chances with Matt Campbell. Harbaugh has one more year left on his contract. There is no useful information Michigan will get by taking their chances leaving Harbaugh in for a lame duck year and waiting on a coaching decision. At this point you have to either fire Harbaugh or just resign him for another 5 years.
November 27th, 2020 at 12:43 PM ^
I am not on his band wagon just because I dont think the big 12 is that good of a conference. For years Ive been saying Oklahoma was overrated, And usually the inevitable blowouts prove me right. The lack of viable defenses in the conference can lead to upsets each week.
November 27th, 2020 at 12:46 PM ^
If your argument for not hiring him is that the conference isn't very good then you would be limiting your hiring pool to basically...the SEC and the Big Ten.
November 27th, 2020 at 12:58 PM ^
The PAC-12 and ACC are not nearly as weak as people make them out to be.
The ACC is certainly very very top heavy (Clemson), especially with the "addition" of ND this year, but there are some solid programs with excellent head coaches: VT, UNC, BC, Miami.
The PAC-12 really only has the appearance of being a down conference due to USC's recent struggles. Oregon, Washington, and Utah, and to a lesser extent ASU, have all been good-to-great programs in the past few years.
The weakest conference is clearly the BIG-12 and it's really not even close. But I agree with you that using the "they coach in a weak conference" as a criteria of a potential Matt Campbell hire is not a good way to evaluate his successes.
November 27th, 2020 at 1:14 PM ^
I agree, weak argument. I guess what Im saying is the teams in the conference arent as good as advertised. In turn a coach like Campbell looks more successful than not.
November 27th, 2020 at 1:51 PM ^
Yoda? Is that you?
November 27th, 2020 at 1:55 PM ^
OU is perennially overrated. Terrible conference. Always lose one baffling upset then get blown out in the BCS.
November 27th, 2020 at 1:35 PM ^
Ok but who are these mythical perfect coaches out there ahead of Campbell?!
Headscratching decisions?! Holy hell what have we been watching for 6 years now!?
November 27th, 2020 at 2:06 PM ^
It's not a myth to point out "better" coaches out there than Campbell who could be poached by UM. That's not my point. He could work out great here... he could also be a complete flop.
My point is that the grass is not actually always greener on the other side.
November 27th, 2020 at 3:17 PM ^
Holy shit we're 2-3 and were just lucky to escape a dogfight with Rutgers...you're telling me the grass isn't greener? We can find plenty of other coaches who can do that.
November 27th, 2020 at 3:37 PM ^
You do realize there are significant extenuating circumstances this year, right? Hell, penn state is 0-5... do you think that is an accurate reflection of their program status?
November 27th, 2020 at 3:41 PM ^
Its been years of this crap. Stop being dense. If you don’t mind this, that’s fine. Don’t act like there haven’t been problems for years.
November 27th, 2020 at 3:52 PM ^
"Years of this crap" - meaning the 2 or 3 years which UM was one loss away from clinching the Big Ten East?
You should calm down and actually evaluate what has gone wrong vs what has gone right. I'm not saying the final season-end results the last few years have been outstanding, but is it really the dumpster-fire that you're claiming?
Keep this up and we enter Nebraska coaching adventure territory.
November 27th, 2020 at 4:08 PM ^
I've got news for you chump, we are ALREADY in Nebraska territory. Actually we may be worse. Nebraska has played in Indy and they did it by beating Michigan. Get the fuck out of here with your "the grass is always greener" bullshit. The grass is bone dry and torn to shreds by OSU cleats. JFC how dense do you have to be to watch Harbaugh go 0-6 against OSU, win zero division titles, get blown out by Indiana, and conclude that "hey it could still be worse". Who the fuck cares anymore? Are a handful of wins against PSU and MSU worth committing to permanent mediocrity with Harbaugh? What's the worst that's going to happen? GOD FORBID we might finish 6th in the division instead of 3rd.
November 27th, 2020 at 4:35 PM ^
Have you watched Nebraska the last few years at all? If you honestly believe we are as in as bad a position (or worse) than them... seek help.
Your ad hominems already belie any rationality in your objectivity.
November 27th, 2020 at 5:29 PM ^
I wouldn't like to see our program return to less than .500 football consistently but I'm also willing to risk it A. because we're playing less than .500 football this year and B. I'm not interested in 9 wins with a bowl loss as being the ceiling every year
November 27th, 2020 at 3:22 PM ^
Please provide names of realistic, “better” coaches. Urban Meyer is not coaching here. Neither is Nick Saban. Hell, Mullen isn’t leaving Florida.
Also, the grass is pretty dead here. Unless you’re fine with the way things have been going, a change has to be made. And that’s fine if you are.
November 27th, 2020 at 4:00 PM ^
Chris Peterson, Gary Patterson, Brian Harsin, Mack Brown, Tom Allen, Jeff Brohm, Pat Fitzgerald, are just a few (among many others) that are just as good, if not better, from a coaching and recruiting (wrt to expectations) standpoint.
And do you honestly believe Michigan couldn't buy out even better guys from large P5 schools, including Florida, if they wanted them badly enough?
I like Campbell and, as I've already said previously, he may end being great at a major program - but you are putting far too much stock in the immediate results.
November 27th, 2020 at 4:25 PM ^
The fact you included Mack Brown in this list proves you are trolling or literally brain dead. The guy is 69 years old. At *best* he has 4 more years in him, more likely 2. Patterson is 60 and has been at TCU for 20 fucking years, he quite obviously doesn't want to go anywhere otherwise he'd have been hired away a decade ago. Similar situation with Pat Fitzgerald. He's younger but isn't exactly a rising star and doesn't seem to want to leave Evanston. Chris Peterson would be a good hire, but he's 56 and doesn't have longevity seeing as he just retired due to stress. Is he really going to want to take on the Michigan job at this point? I doubt it. Brian Harsin inherited Peterson's work, hasn't really improved on it, and plays in a truly dogshit conference. He's not the worst option in the world but I wouldn't count on him to lead a turnaround. Tom Allen and Jeff Brohm are fine candidates but haven't done anything better than Campbell. There is no possible way to determine which guy would have the best shot at success at Michigan. Just pick one and go with it.
November 27th, 2020 at 4:37 PM ^
Youth beats experience always?
Have you seen what UNC is doing right now? That 69 year old still knows a thing or two.
November 27th, 2020 at 5:09 PM ^
UNC is a basketball school with minimal football expectations. It’s basically an after thought. Much different environment. Stop being intentionally dense.
November 28th, 2020 at 1:42 AM ^
Curious that you claim my comments are "dense", yet you seem to waive off the accomplishments of Mack Brown at UNC the last two years simply because it is a "basketball school" with minimal football expectations... if anything that only further reinforces his achievements.
November 28th, 2020 at 9:35 AM ^
I’m not waiving them off. He’s done a good job for where’s he’s at, which is a basketball school with minimal football expectations. If you honestly think the expectations between the two programs are the same, or that Mack Brown has 5 years left in him at a place like Michigan, then okay. Not really what to to tell you. This is just you being dense and contrarian if you can’t see the difference between the two programs. We get it you don’t want to get rid of Harbaugh.
November 27th, 2020 at 4:31 PM ^
You think a 70 year old Mack Brown is a better idea than a 43 year old Matt Campbell?
And no, nobody is coming from Florida to Michigan. Florida has had much more success in the last 30 years and it isn't even close.
November 27th, 2020 at 4:40 PM ^
See comment above regarding your ageism.
Tell yourself whatever you want about Florida - but it would be a lateral move in either direction. You put enough money down, you can pull whoever you want. That's how this works.
November 27th, 2020 at 4:57 PM ^
I said realistic. Meaning they might actually come to Michigan. This list is anything but. Chris Peterson retired because he couldn’t deal with the stress at Washington - you think Michigan is any better? And he’s a lifer on the west coast. Mack Brown is basically Lloyd Carr, no thanks. And he probably doesn’t have a rebuild at a pressure cooker left in him. Gary Patterson isn’t leaving TCU.
Harsnin is an interesting name and one I haven’t given enough consideration to. I doubt he leaves the west coast, but who knows. I’m not putting much stock on an intra-conference move with the rest of the coaches. I’d like Tom Allen, but I don’t see him leaving for Michigan.
I never said we couldn’t buy out. But you do need someone willing to come. Do you honestly think Mullen is leaving Florida? He basically has to beat Georgia to get to the title game and has one of the most talent rich states in his back yard.
November 27th, 2020 at 5:06 PM ^
These names are not unrealistic in terms of "get-ability"... why do you think Patterson would never leave TCU, for example?
That doesn't mean they would be targeted in a (hypothetical) Michigan coaching search.
This is all academic right now anyway. Unless Harbaugh wants out, he's not leaving just yet. This season is essentially a mulligan with all the ridiculousness going on. Next season has become more of a litmus though.
November 27th, 2020 at 5:14 PM ^
Because he’s passed up other opportunities to leave TCU, has been there for over 20 years, and makes 5.1 MM. He has a very good thing going there. He will retire at TCU. He’s not going anywhere.
November 27th, 2020 at 11:58 AM ^
No wonder Meredith Wilson wrote "Iowa Stubborn" for "The Music Man" - he also was noting that, the entire time, Iowa was trying to shit out another state.
November 27th, 2020 at 12:02 PM ^
Don't listen to this guy. Fake news. Your daughters are in danger!
November 27th, 2020 at 9:15 PM ^
A libertarian...socialist???
November 27th, 2020 at 9:42 PM ^
You have to suspend disbelief.
November 27th, 2020 at 11:52 AM ^
Rooting for UNC today. Otherwise, hoping to enjoy a good game or two. Don't really care who wins the other matchups.
November 27th, 2020 at 12:08 PM ^
Enough Football for all day left-over turkey sandwiches.
ISU @ Texas Noon ABC
Nebraska @ Iowa 1pm Fox
ND @ UNC 3:30 ABC
OU at OSU 7:30 ESPN
November 27th, 2020 at 12:13 PM ^
Go Tar Heels.
November 27th, 2020 at 12:13 PM ^
Still not convinced about ND although Ian Book has turned out better than I expected. This will be a high scoring affair. Pulling for the Tar Heel upset !!
November 27th, 2020 at 12:38 PM ^
Campbell seems like a great coach but every season his teams struggle against an fcs or group of 5 opponent and I don’t really know why. Obviously he would have far more talent at Michigan but those early season games tell me he might not be good at preparing for a season opener. Also he’s winless against his biggest rival Iowa. Luke Fickell might be the better option but right now I would take either option over Harbaugh.
November 27th, 2020 at 12:58 PM ^
What if neither Campbell or Fickell want to coach here?