The University of Notre Dame has found their new head coach – Brian Kelly. Kelly coached the Cincinnati Bearcats to a perfect 13-0 record during the 2009 College Football season, good for a #3 ranking in the BCS Poll (#4 Associated Press Poll). Cincinnati is slated to play BCS #5 Florida in the Allstate Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Day. It is unclear whether or not Kelly will coach the Bearcats in the bowl game, but it is unlikely that Notre Dame would have hired Kelly and allow him to coach the game. Notre Dame hired Kelly within 9 days of firing former Head Coach Charlie Weis (35-27 in 5 years as the Irish Head Coach; 1-2 in Bowl Games) and ND brass will likely want Kelly to get moving on recruiting for the 2010 season. It also makes sense given the University’s decision not to accept a bowl game bid this year. Bringing in a new coach, implementing a new system and dealing with the departures of starting quarterback Jimmy Clausen and starting wide receiver Golden Tate to the 2010 NFL Draft – it didn’t make sense for the Irish to practice for a “meaningless” bowl game.
Cincinnati has its annual football banquet tonight and the school has uninvited media to the event. Although neither the Kelly camp or the University of Notre Dame have confirmed the Kelly hiring, sources close to the story are stating that the deal will be announced at some point on Friday. Terms of the deal have nor been disclosed…
We have some great conference championship games today:
12 Noon – #5 Cincinnati v. #15 Pittsburgh in the Big East Championship Game
4PM – #1 Florida v. #2 Alabama in the SEC Championship Game
8PM – #3 Texas v. #2 Nebraska in the Big 12 Championship Game
There are a lot of implications for today’s BCS Championship picture, especially if some of the “underdogs” win. Here’s how it will all shape up.
If Florida defeats Alabama and Texas defeats Nebraska, then Florida and Texas will square off in the BCS Championship Game in Pasadena at the Rose Bowl on January 7, 2010. And if Alabama “upsets” Florida, then they would match up against the Longhorns.
The big question comes up if Nebraska beats Texas. Then we would we see a rematch of the Florida-Alabama game in the BCS Championship Game? Or would that allow an undefeated TCU (currently #4) or an undefeated Cincinnati (assuming they defeat Pittsburgh today) to slide into the BCS Championship Game?
Cincinnati ultimately has the most to lose today. While Texas and the loser of the SEC Championship Game will still likely get selected for a BCS Bowl Game, if Cincinnati loses, they will definitely not get picked for one of the other big 4 bowls.
Should be fun to watch today – about 12 straight hours of unbelievably good college football action – we can’t wait…
The University of Notre Dame finally fired Head Coach Charlie Weis on Monday afternoon. The writing was on the wall – Notre Dame had lost 3 straight games heading into Notre Dame’s final game of the season at Stanford this past Saturday and Athletic Director Jack Swarbrick asked Weis to return to South Bend after the game instead of staying out in California to recruit like he has done the last 4 seasons. Weis should have taken the time to listen to good resources like former Head Coach Lou Holtz (shown above) instead of being the jerk that he was (see below). Maybe then he would have figured out how to be a good head coach both on and off the field to his players and his university. Weis’ performance clearly shows that he is not head coach material.
Weis just finished his 5th season as Notre Dame’s Head Coach (6-6 in 2009). His 35-27 record (.565 winning percentage) was worst then each of Notre Dame’s previous head coaches – Bob Davie and Tyrone Willingham. Weis had 6 years left on his contract, and it is believed that the University will have to pay Weis a contractual buyout somewhere in the $15-18 million range.
While Weis was a great recruiter – see Jimmy Clausem, Golden Tate, Michael Floyd, Robert Hughes, Armando Allen, just to name a few – he never seemed to be able to develop his highly touted recruits. On the defensive side of the ball, Weis’ teams were even worse. Notre Dame never lost a game by more than 7 points this year, but you never got the sense that the team knew how to close out games. Except for blowouts against Nevada and Washington State, Notre Dame’s other 4 wins came by 3, 3, 7 and 4 points. Not a big endorsement about a team on the rise. These were all of Weis’ guys, and it was clear that Weis does not have what it takes to mold and nurture collegiate athletes as they grow at this stage of their football careers.
If Jimmy Clausen and Golden Tate return in 2010 (both have been rumored to want to leave early for the NFL), the incoming coach will have a great bed of talent with which to work. There are plenty of great coaches out there – ND needs to reach out to Urban Meyer (Florida) and Bob Stoops (Oklahoma), even if both have publicly acknowledged that they have no interest in the Notre Dame job. Come on, what else are they going to say. But who knows, maybe you can woo one of them away – each have accomplished their goals at their schools now with national championships, so maybe it’s time they give it a whirl at a new school with lots of talent like Notre Dame.
While I place a lot of the blame for the Head Coaching debacle on Weis, the athletic department is also at fault. Weis is not a nice guy, plain and simple. Weis is arrogant and hates to admit when he is wrong. Weis hates making adjustments to counteract the team is playing against on that given Saturday. With all that in mind, why did the athletic department find it so necessary to give him an extension so early in his head coaching career at Notre Dame. Hadn’t the school gotten into a jam like that with each of Davie and Willingham? Now the school is on the hook to pay Weis a HUGE sum of money because of that contract extension. Someone needs to be held accountable for that decision.
A quick look to the future – assuming Meyer and Stoops both say no – who is next on the horizon? Cincinnati Head Coach Brian Kelly seems to be a nice fit. Stanford’s Jim Harbaugh and TCU’s Gary Patterson have also been mentioned. On the pro level – what about a John Gruden or Bill Cowher? Only time will tell – to avoid previous mistakes and public embarassments, Swarbrick on the Notre Dame brass need to get this done quickly and quietly to put a team in place right away so as not to lose out on the 2010 recruiting frenzy that is about to start right now. Let’s hope they can avoid the mistakes of the past and bring in someone that wants to, and will, stay in South Bend for years and years to come…
What a great day for college football on Saturday. There are meaningful games all over the land with BCS implications galore.
Oklahoma and Texas will battle in the Red River Shootout on Saturday at 12 Noon EST at the Cotton Bowl. Reigning Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford will be back at the helm for Okalahoma (3-2, #20) after suffering an injury in the 1st game of the season. Heisman Trophy hopeful Colt McCoy leads the Texas Longhorns attack. At 5-0 ranked 3rd in the country, Texas controls its own destiny. If they win out, Texas will play for the national championship in the BCS Championship Game at the end of the year.
Also at 12 Noon EST is a road test for the #11 Iowa Hawkeyes (6-0) at Wisconsin in Madison. Iowa has its sights set on a BCS bowl game and a tough win on the road will go a long way for the Hawkeyes.
And at 3:30 EST, the USC Trojans will invade South Bend, Indiana to take on the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. USC still has hopes of winning a national championship despite losing a few weeks ago at Washington. The Trojans are still 4-1 and ranked 6th in the country and have one of the most formidable defenses in the land. Jimmy Clausen leads the Irish passing attack and has Notre Dame on the right track. With a 4-1 record and 25th ranking, the Irish are poised to pull off the upset on their home turf. USC Has had it’s way with the Irish during the last decade, so it will surely be a hard-fought battle in the trenches all day long.
We’ll keep you posted with how everything turns out over the weekend here at the Ticket Chest blog. Don’t forget to check back early and often for the latest team and player news…
South Carolina got the NCAA college football week off to a phenomenal start with the 16-10 upset of 4th ranked Ole Miss in Columbia. Will we see more upsets this weekend? There are some great match-ups – Iowa v. Penn State; Miami v. Virginia Tech; Notre Dame v. Purdue; & Houston v. Texas Tech.
It should be another wild and exciting college football weekend – check back here at the Ticket Chest blog for the latest college football news and scores…
