2015 Coaches on the Hot Seat

The Doofus just wasn't getting the cards last weekend

Dan was bachin’ it last weekend. Mrs. Dan was away from town so the invite went out. Who’s up for poker night on the Scalawag Slats? The responses flooded in. There was going to be pretty good attendance.

Chris claimed he was going to treat us like his personal ATM – just keep on taking and never having to deposit. Perhaps, but given the stakes, it was more like a Greek ATM. Even if he cleaned up – he would only move up his retirement by about 20 seconds.

Turns out, Chris was the big winner. He started out the first couple of “7 card low hold games” with back to back four of a kind. When it came time for Mr. H to deal he wanted to play “Ace and Jack and the King with the Axe, natural sevens split the pot”. By the time he explained it the second round of martinis was kicking in. I didn’t have a chance. Apparently 3 pairs isn’t worth much.

It got so bad that in one of the few good hands I had – I was pushing the pot. Chris finally checked. “Four Aces!” I proudly showed my best hand of the night. Chris had a straight flush. Crap.

Pretty much everyone was down for the night. Bruce, Dan, Mr H and Dwink, we all contributed to Chris' retirement

I was the biggest money loser on the night (par for the course for me and poker) but I more than made up for it in finely crafted martinis and manhattans.  

Dobby and Ellis broke even mainly due to they didn’t play. They were content to sit, watch and lob in various ill advised betting strategies. My cards were bad enough without their help.

All in all a great night. Cards, adult beverages, cigars – even a little triva mixed in (name the 4 biggest cities in the US starting with the letter B – not boroughs like Brooklyn – answer below)

We had a epilogue to the night too when Dan sobered up and hosted an afternoon at the movies on his deck the next day. A Million Ways to Die in the West. Hilarious but no way a date night type of movie. The kind of movie you watch with the guys. Great time/Great weekend. 

And with another weekend in the books - It’s getting closer. There are only 2 more months until College Football kicks off! Pretending to enjoy baseball, but really using it as an excuse to drink outside – those days are rapidly coming to a close. getting closer. 

A few updates back we looked at the new head coaches. Now it’s time to look for the openings that will likely occur at the end of the season. The Annual College Coaches on the Hot Seat! These can be fantastic betting opportunities, particularly when bad coaches lose their teams and start tanking the season. 

Last year I listed 11 coaches on the hot seat. Three got canned – Will Muschamp (Florida), Charlie Weiss (Kansas) and everyone’s favorite Brady Hoke (Michigan). Not as many as I expected.

 Six somehow survived. But they are on life support - Ron Turner (Florida Int’l), Mike London (Virginia), Norm Chow (Hawaii), Darrel Hazell (Purdue), Tim Beckman (Illinois) and Todd Monken (Southern Miss). 

Two may have turned it around and could be in for a good run – Dana Holgersen (West Virginia), Skip Holtz (La Tech).

But before we get into the dregs of the coaching ranks how about a little Spartan Pump Up Video!!

2015 MSU Football

OK Now I'm psyched


For this year's Starting 11 Head Coaches on the Hot Seat - let's start with the six head coaching zombies from last year. The ones who should have been canned but are back to disappoint the fan base for another year.

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Ron Turner - Florida International
Overall Record 5-19

Mike London - Virgina
Overall Record 23-38

Norm Chow - Hawaii
Overall Record 8-29

Darrell Hazell - Purdue
Overall Record

Tim Beckman - Illinois
Overall Record 12-25

Todd Monken - Southern Mississippi
Overall Record 4-20

I pissed all over this hire back in 2013. Ron promptly started off in glorious fashion going 1-11. Last year he started to make a bit of a turn around going 4-8 overall and 3-5 in CUSA play. In 2013, FIU lost by an average of a whopping 27 points. In 2014 they cut the deficit to 1.8. Four of the eight losses were by a FG or less primarily due to an improved attacking defense.  

Hopes for continues progress on the defenseive side of the ball were dashed when DC Josh Conklin left for Pitt. Pitt new head coach Pat Narduzzi knows a thing or two about defense and like what he saw happening down at FIU. 

The offense also made great strides too as the led college football in improved scoring per game going from 9.8 to 23.0 - a whopping 135% increase.. 

But for all the improvements on offense and defense, FIU still only out yarded the opposition once last year (a wn over Div 1AA Wagner). Turner is 2-22 in getting out yarded their opposition. Until that stat improves, wins will be difficult and Turner will remain firmly on the hot seat

It’s pretty bad when 5 wins is considered a success. Since Mike London took over the program in 2010, the Cavaliers have had only one winning season (2011) while averaging just over four wins each year. Virginia has finished last in the relatively weak ACC Coastal three of the five year’s under London. Things won’t get any easier this season as Virginia faces the second-toughest schedule in the ACC. 

London and his staff have recruited relatively well, (which it should, considering the fertile recruiting base in the nearby Tidewater region) but except for an eight-win season in 2011, his teams have underachieved.

The defenses have been fine under DC (and former Yellow Jacket DC) John Tenuta. Five of the eight losses were be eight points or less. But the quarterback play has been abysmal, and it doesn't look like it will be all that good this fall, either.

London has a 17-38 FBS record over five seasons, with one bowl trip. If he doesn’t go bowling in his sixth season, it’ll be all over. This year’s schedule won’t help – the ‘Hoos play 10 teams that went bowling last year.



 

Remember when Norm Chow was once considered an elite mind in college football? He was Pete Carroll’s first offensive coordinator at USC from 2001 to 2004 and oversaw the development of the superstars on USC to start the 21st century. 


That was a long time ago. Chow went on to get fired by the Tennessee Titans, then went to UCLA, got demoted to Utah before finally getting a HC gig in his native Hawaii. 

It’s been a three year disaster. Chow has gone 3-9, 1-11, and 4-9. Even worse, the Rainbow Warriors started Mountain West play 1-15 and has won a total of four MWC games under his leadership. And his teams are awful on the road going 1-17 on the mainland.  

For such an offensive guru, it was the defense that kept Hawaii in games with only two bad losses during the season – Utah State 35-14 and Colorado State 49-22. The defense will get a new DC with former SMU interim head coach Tom Mason taking the reins. 

The offense was putrid finishing 111th in points scored even when playing in the high flying, defensively challenged Mountain West. 

The university is in the middle of a budget crisis so it’s tough to imagine the school coming up with the money to buy out the remaining year of his contract. But with a new AD in place and slumping attendance, failure to make a bowl could put the old Norm out to pasture. 

Chris’ real alma mater Purdue hired Darrell Hazell in 2013 after the team made it to bowl games in two consecutive seasons under former HC Danny Hope. Hazell’s job? Take the team to even greater heights. 


The outcome? A 1-15 conference record after two seasons, and a 4-20 overall record including only two wins over BCS schools. Hazell has even managed to have a losing record to the MAC going 1-2. Losing two in a row to your arch rival, the even more pathetic, Indiana, doesn’t help your cause either.

No wonder Chris roots for Ohio State.

The Boilers were inept on both sides of the ball ranking 99th in points allowed and only slightly better in scoring, ranking 98th overall.

The last thing a rebuilding team needs is distractions during the off season. No such luck. QB Danny Etling, who started 12 games over the last two seasons announced he is transferring to LSU. Then, DE Gelen Robison, son of Glenn Robinson, got caught drinking and driving. He was already on probation for under age drinking. No word yet, but a suspension sounds like its coming down.

The schedule isn’t doing Hazell any favors. It ranks as the toughest in the Big Ten and 6th overall in the nation. 

Yeah, Beckman’s record has improved each season – going from 2-10 to 4-8 to 6-7. He even made a bowl. The flea bag Heart of Dallas bowl where he got his doors blown off 35-18 by former hot seat buddy Skip Holtz.

Even last year’s improvement struggles under scrutiny. There was a loss to Purdue and narrow wins over Texas State (42-35) and Western Kentucky (42-34).  In the Big Ten, Beckman has managed to go 4-20 with only one win coming by more than four points. All seven losses last year were by double digits. 

And to top it off, three of Beckman’s 12 wins have come against 1AA schools and two against the MAC. 

Now there are player allegations over mistreatment. Just the distraction a beleaguered head coach needs.

There is some hope though. Star QB Wes Hunt returns after missing the final five games last year. If he can stay healthy, a big if as Hunt is a stiff in the pocket, Hunt can tear defenses apart.

Ron Zook was fired after consecutive seven win seasons. Beckman will need more than that to come back next year. Too bad too – he will be missed. Beckman was a bettors dream going 10-20 against the spread in the Big Ten and 1-6 as a favorite. 

Southern Miss is a proud program that is not used to losing. Monken inherited a deep pile of dog doo doo from the winless Ellis Johnson. Monken went right on the hot seat by winning only one game his first year. Last year he showed improvement but three wins is three wins. This for a program that won 10 bowls in 11 years from 1997-2007 and went 12-2, won the CUSA and beat Nevada in the Hawaii Bowl under Larry Fedora in 2012. Three win seasons don’t cut it in Hattiesburg.

Line play is the biggest problem for the Golden Eagles. Last year they recorded only 14 sacks while allowing 36. Southern Miss was also ranked 124th in rushing while slightly better stopping the run, finishing 112th. To top it off, their best pass rusher, DT Rakeem Nunez-Roches opted to leave early for the NFL (6th round – Kansas City)

Monken has be raiding the JUCO ranks and looking for transfers to rebuild the program. A sign he feels the heat to improve right away. But it comes at the expense of player development and long term sustainability.

Monken is going to have to show further improvement in 2015 to be around in 2016 starting with being competitive in the CUSA. Back to back 1 win years don’t help his cause. Being bowl eligible (even if not getting invited) is probably the hurdle.

For the 5 New Comers to the starting 11 lets go with:


Al Golden - Miami (FL)
Overall Record 28-22

Paul Haynes - Kent State
Overall Record 6-17

Paul Rhodes - Iowa State
Overall Record 29-46

Trent Miles - Georgia State
Overall Record 1-23

Ron Caragher - San Jose State
Overall Record 9-15

Golden seemed like the perfect fit for the Hurricanes after he took perennial cupcake Temple to respectability four years ago. 

The he walked into a cluster f. Just as he was about to start his first season, Miami found itself under the national spotlight when convicted Ponzi Schemer and low life jock sniffer, Nevin Shapiro outlined for Yahoo sports a decades worth of violations with proof galore. 

Golden was giving a pass for a couple of years as the school sorted things out going 6-6 and 7-5 in his first two seasons. 

Then he raised expectations going 9-4 in 2013. 

It came crashing down in 2014 as the Canes went 6-7 including five double digit blow out losses. 

What is most vexing to the Cane fan base is that talent is not the issue. The Canes had seven players drafted this year - tied with Alabama. How does Golden so little with so much?

Getting to 9 wins is probably the bar for Golden. A difficult task with the 9th most difficult schedule that includes. Ga Tech, Clemson, Nebraska and Florida State. 

Al Golden is probably wishing he took the Penn State job when he had the chance. 

Haynes has Kent State going in reverse. After inheriting a team that went 11-3 under Darrell Hazell, Haynes started out 4-8. Then he took it down another notch by going 2-9 last year. Definitely a turnaround - just not the kind that keeps you employed.   


Much of the problem had to do with youth. The offense sported 9 freshman and sophomores, including all five of the starting offensive line. The results? Teams outrushed the Golden Flashes by and average of 215 yards to 82. 

Tasked with turning the offense around is new OC Don Treadwell. Treadwell ws the OC at Michigan State before he crashed and burned as the HC at Miami (OH)  
With 9 starters returning on offense and all 11 on defense, Kent State better be bowl eleigible or bye bye Paul

Things started out well for Rhoads. There were bowl games in three of the first four seasons. Pretty good for doormat like Iowa State.

Yet he has had only one winning season. Things have gotten steadily worse with only five wins over the last tow seasons. Things hit rock bottom when the Cyclones got blown out by 20 by Kansas.

Iowa State has now had five straight losing seasons with back to back losses to Div 1AA teams in season openers. All the good will created by the near miss controversial loss to Texas back in 2013 is now long gone.

The offense hopes to improve now that OC Mark Magione is in his second year. QB Sam Richardson returns and the receiving corps is among the beter in the Bg 12.

The 125th ranked defense has to improve. A tall task given their awful linbackers and that their leading tackler graduated.

The Cyclones will likely need to make a bowl to save Rhoads job. If they don't and Rhaods is back its because of the 10 year contract that Rhoads signed in 2012.  

Miles did a great job in turning around Indiana State, a bad FCS program But the Panthers have been horrible under Miles, with the only win coming by one point over Abilene Christian. A team that was playing its first game in Div 1AA after moving up from Division II. 


To compound matters, Georgia Southern -- which would seem to be a natural rival for Georgia State -- won nine games last season in its first year in Div 1A. Included in those nine victories was a 38-point win over Georgia State and near misses to Georgia Tech and NC State. Oh, and a Sun Belt title too. 

Both sides of the ball sucked with the defense arguably worse. The fewest points they gave up was, oddly enough, to Clemson in a 28-0 shut out, Its a defense that could stop the Dooofus Deck with Ellis at QB as they finished 128th (that's right - dead last) in points allowed. 

The offense? try 103rd in points scored.

Georgia State probably doesn't need to make a bowl to save Mile's job but they need to be a lot more competitive. 

 

Ron Caragher seemed like the perfect hire for the San Jose State Spartans in 2013 to succeed Mike McIntyre (now at Colorado). After all, he had continued the success of Jim Harbaugh at San Diego for six years, more than paying his dues, and was clearly familiar with the area.

But in two years, the Spartans have regressed dramatically. Caragher inherited a team that went 10-2 had a Top 25 finish the year and a star QB in David Fales. Going 6-6 his first year was a let down. .

Fales left for the NFL (6th Round - Chicago) and the regression continued. SJSU went 3-9.They saved the worst for last - losing their last six games and scoring only 14 points over the last three games. The team gave up. 

If the other Spartans get off to a rough start, icluding s stretch where tehy face @ Air Force, @ Oregon State, Fresno State and @ Auburn - they might tank it again. Could set up a Mega Bet when the host BYU Nov 7th. 

Coming off the bench this year and potential starters for next years Coaches on the Hot Seat are:

Mark McIntyre - Colorado
Overall Record 6-18

Derek Mason - Vanderbilt
Overall Record 

Mike Leach - Washington State
Overall Record

Paul Petrino - Idaho
Overall Record 2-21

Colorado has now had losing seasons for nine straight years. The Buffs actually had a worse record in 2014 than in 2013. And they are on an eight game losing streak. 

A new AD doesn't help McIntyre's chances

Teams usually don't fire their HC after one season but Mason came close. An opening loss to Temple and near loss to UMass put Mason on the hot seat from the get go. 

The offense was the biggest offender scoring 17 ore fewer points eight times. 

Leach is a dick but he does know how to win. 


Or did. In 10 seasons with the Texas Tech, Leach never had fewer than 7 wins, In three seasons at Washington State, he’s never had more than 6 wins with two 3-9 seasons.

Things need to change fast before fans begin to simply think that Leach’s system is outdated in college football or just does not fit in well with Pac-12 play.

Good ol boy Petrino was an odd fir for Big Sky Idaho. Sure wins have always been few and far between for Idaho. But at some point they are going to want to try another fresh start. Maybe, this tme someone with connections to the West

Trivia Answer to What are teh 4 biggest cities in the US starting with the letter B
Boston
Baltimore
Buffalo
Bakersfield

Remember the GO JUMBO trip is Nov 7th at the Westgate Resort