The coaching carousel is almost at a stop and now we are getting closer to signing day. Who will go where? I don’t know. But one thing I do know is the Crib Sheet will keep you updated with all of the latest commitments and decommitments:
- With TCU heading to the Big East, it seems that are also heading to the big time in recruiting. Local star, Brandon Carter changed his commitment from the venerable Oklahoma Sooners over to the Horned Frogs. Maybe the Texas kids are thinking they can shine better in the Big East than the tougher Big 12?
- Jim Leavitt is going to the big time. Not Kansas State Defensive Coordinator, but San Fransisco 49ers linebackers coach. It stinks for Wildcats fans as they were hoping Leavitt would come in and fix the defense. Maybe Bill Snyder 2.0 has something else up this sleeve? Meanwhile, defensive backs coach Keith Burns is taking his show back to Ole Miss.
- ESPN and the Texas Longhorns reached a 20 year, $300 million deal for a Longhorns Network. The school will be up for a tasty profit while the broadcast network will food the technical bills. Is this the end of the Big 12? Check back here in about 2 years.
- Texas Tech dropped TCU from their schedule last year and they are doing it for the upcoming season. It seems they need some room for the tougher Big 12 schedule.
- Speaking of the Red Raiders, a Texas judges tossed out a portion of Mike Leach’s suit against the university, only allowing non-monetary claims for the firing of Leach over Adam James’ concussion. If you’re wondering why Leach has yet to be yired, look no further than here.
- It seems Kansas is picking up the trail on the recruiting side of things. Turner Gill’s stealing recruits from neighboring states. I’m guessing his pitch is like this, “I’m a Nebraska guy that’s still in the Big 12. Kansas will be the new Nebraska of the Big 12.” That can seal some kids right there.
- Oklahoma Sooners coach Bob Stoops coached the Harlem Globetrotters Sunday. I wonder if he got to toss the bucket of confetti on the ref during the game?
- Fired sportscaster Ron Franklin is suing ESPN over the incident where he called a woman, “Sweetheart” in a production meeting. She objected and he called her an a-hole. I don’t know what to think about this. In the workplace, you can’t trust anyone when you say something because they may be out to get you canned, especially if it’s gender-related. I would say it’s safer to just be quiet and act professional. That said, “sweetheart” and “a-hole” is a pretty weak case to get fired over.
- Here’s your BCS payout sheet. So the Big 12 was on the lower tier of payouts for the 6 BCS Conferences. Not bad, but if they had 2 teams in the BCS bowls then they would’ve been up higher. Notre Dame gets a pretty good chunk for being independent. The argument against the BCS right here is that the small guys are getting the smaller piece of the pie. I will merely point to TCU and how they are moving up by winning.
- Some donors have high expectations. Take Robert G. Burton, major booster for UConn. Apparently he doesn’t like the athletic director and wants his $3 million in donations back and his name taken off the stadium. I’m pretty sure once you donate something, you can’t expect to get it back. But then again, if I had that kind of cash then I’d feel like I can run anything, too.
- Ex Kansas athletic director Lew Perkins agreed to a $4,000 fine for improperly receiving exercise equipment as a gift. This should be the last we hear of this guy.
- 12 Iowa football players were hospitalized for kidney issues related to offseason workouts. What’s going up there? Between drugs, legal issues, and now improper condition, this team is falling apart. Yet, they beat Missouri in the Insight Bowl. Just think, if all of this stuff was gone, they might have contended for a Big 10 title for real.
- Welp, since TCU is leaving the Mountain West Conference, the conference retaliated by changing the site of the Boise State game with the Horned Frogs back to Idaho. It was supposed to be at TCU’s home field. Way to get your revenge, mid-con.
The bowl season ended Monday and there was a ton of news that happened over the last week. It’s mostly who’s coming and who’s going. It’s what I like to call the Carousel Hell. So put your seatbelt on get ready to go round and round, here’s this week’s Crib Sheet:
- Mike Leach’s legal battle with Texas Tech may have cost him the Maryland job. He said that he thought he was the frontrunner, but the Terps went with UConn coach Mike Edsall. He hasn’t been contacted by other schools at the moment.
- RichRod is officially out of Michigan now. Blow up the program part two. It makes me warm inside to think the same thing that happened to Nebraska a couple of years ago with Bill Callahan is now happening with another team I dislike immensely. Good days.
- It’s even better for Brady Hoke. The former Michigan alum and former San Diego State head coach is now your new Michigan head coach. They wanted a Michigan man and they got one. I give it about another 3 years before a turnaround happens.
- After showing up Michigan’s Denard Robinson and holding the team to 14 points, Manny Diaz will take his talents to Texas as defensive coordinator. He leaves Mississippi State and will be belting buckles in Austin. Let’s hope he didn’t fall for that ‘coach in waiting’ stuff.
- No surprises here. Fox has the rights to the Pac 12 Championship Game. They already show conference games on Fox Sports Net so it makes sense they do the title game.
- The Playoff PAC is looking to stir up some smoke on the BCS. They are filing a complaint with the IRS regarding a cruise the Orange Bowl put on for college athletic directors over the summer. Shady or not, this seems like arrows instead of missiles for the Playoff PAC people. If there’s going to be a change, they can’t dink and dunk it.
- Stanford’s Andrew Luck is staying behind for another year of college. This will make Blaine Gabbertt a sexier pick for the NFL Draft coming up in a couple of months. He’ll have to battle for the top quarterback spot with Arkansas’ Ryan Mallet, though. Gabbert may see his Aldon Smith in the NFL as well.
- So TCU won the Rose Bowl. Someone then paid for a billboard congratulating the team. Except it was in Columbus, Ohio. Yeah someone with big pockets wanted to rub it in the Ohio State President E. Gordon Gee’s face. He was running his mouth earlier about the mid-con teams not being worthy and now I guess he gets to eat crow.
- Speaking of the Horned Frogs, head coach Gary Patterson notched himself a 2 year extension with the program. You go undefeated in two regular seasons, you deserve that and a ham sandwich.
- Stud Oklahoma receiver Ryan Broyles will be coming back for another year.
- A Boise State assitant coach is going to big time. By big time I mean Texas Offensive Coordinator. It seems Mack Brown and company lured Bryan Harsin away from the Broncos to infuse the team with a flashier offense.
- Texas Tech told the NCAA that they texted too much. That’s alliteration. And that’s the news!
- Head BCS Honcho Bill Hancock reminded everyone that a playoff is way below in priority for the college bowl partners. He said that even the old way of bowls would be considered first. Seriously, he does a great job of stirring the pot.
- Kansas State athletic director John Currie also gets a two year extension to his contract chock full of some tasty incentives. He’s done an alright job. The goal now is to maintain it.
- The BCS Championship Game happened Monday and it garnished the best cable ratings ever. Yet, the actual viewership is down. This is what happens when the biggest game of the year ends up on cable. Seriously, why didn’t Disney toss the game on ABC instead of ESPN? Television is becoming more live sport driven than anything else. Still, until I can replicate the experience of a sports bar in my basement, I will be going out for the games.
- LSU’s Les Miles went to Michigan to talk about an open job but decided to stay with the Tigers. Listen up childrens, this is the classic strategy head coaches employ to get them off the hot seat or get a raise.
- Man we feel for UGA VIII, the mascot of the Georgia Bulldogs. He didn’t make the trip to the bowl game last week and now we know why. UGA VIII has lymphoma. Jinkies, is the team as cursed as this dog is?
- Former South Florida football coach Jim Leavitt settled out of court for some extra cash from the school. He was canned for reportedly striking a walk on student. He’s a defensive guy and because of that, the rumors are now flying about Leavitt coming back to Kansas State to take a defensive coordinator position. Tune in next week, this is getting hotter.
Hey, I trucked down to SXSW here in Longhorn Country and Austin, Texas. So who would’ve thunk that we would actually be diligent enough to post another Crib Sheet? Well, we did. Here’s this week’s shortened Crib Sheet:
Coaches come and coaches go, but we can’t believe how things are getting turned around in the very start of this off season. Coaches leaving. Coaches coming. Some with long tenures, some with short. The heads at the KCCGD headquarters are still a little scrambled. Fortunately, we have this week’s Crib Sheet to help sort things out. We’re sure you are about as confused as we are so let’s get right to it:
- Missouri apologized for its band playing over the Navy’s fight song during their bowl game earlier. It was the only thing they had over Navy in that game. Navy’s still tooting their horn over the thumping they gave the Tigers.
- South Florida fired Jim Leavitt after allegations of Leavitt beating up some kids. The hammer is falling fast on tough coaches and it looks as though it will continue. It almost seems like that’s enough for colleges to get out from under big contracts. Either that or in this time and age you tell you assistant coach to rough up a kind instead of yourself. So, Jim, take a deep breath and come back home to K-State. Or hire a lawyer.
- Meanwhile, on the fired coaches trip, Mike Leach accuses Texas Tech of slander and libel due to the fallout from his firing as head coach. Leach’s camp states that the allegations from his treatment of Adam James hurts Leach’s reputation and his ability to get another job. This legal battle will play out for a long time. As you guessed it, Texas Tech asked the court to throw the case out.
- In the meantime, Texas Tech already hired Tommy Tubberville as their new head coach. He’s been trolling around for a new job since he got canned from Auburn. He was displaying interest in Kansas when that job opened up. Looks like Tech found a good replacement.
- While we are in Texas, the Longhorns trainer officially told the press that there was no way Colt McCoy could continue to play in the BCS National Championship. A pinched nerve and a dead arm is a serious thing. Apparently, Colt tossed the ball to his high school coach dad and could only muster 7 yards in the locker room. This will seal the deal on the mystery of Colt and what could of happened.
- Nick Montana, son of NFL Hall of Famer Joe Montana, returns to Notre Dame this year after a year away at community college. It wasn’t because of grades, it was because he was not physically in shape for college ball. We don’t think he’ll be a starter quick but it’s nice to see that a former Domer’s kid can make the same team.
- Pete Carroll is your new NFL Seattle Seahawks head coach. He talked about the process earlier this week. The rumor mill was all over the place since Friday and Monday confirmed it. There’s going to be a huge hole at USC and we’re still not sure who can fill it next. Tune in next week.
- When rumors of a coach leaving a school pops up, you tend to see other schools scramble to keep their coach. Such is the case with Oregon State and Mike Riley. He’s been really good with the Beavers and even the faintest rumor of a USC job got him a 3 year extension.
- So who did USC get? Well, Lane Kiffin, of course! Rumors were flying all over about new candidates, but the former NFL Oakland Raiders head coach and now former Tennessee Volunteers head coach will take over. Kiffin was an alumni for USC and a former Offensive Coordinator under Pete Carroll. The time was really short for Kiffin’s tenures at both the pros and the college ranks. We’re thinking that this is a ‘coming home’ type situation and that he’ll be there at least 3 years. Hopefully.
- So who’s number one for Tennessee now? (Getting kind of ridiculous, isn’t it?) Welp, Texas Defensive Coordinator and head coach heir Will Muschamp. He was on the list last year when the Vols needed a coach so this will be the same kind of dance again. Wethinks that Will’s getting another massive pay raise.
- Colt McCoy’s moving on with life after a BCS Championship injury. He proposed to his girlfriend at the Longhorns’ Memorial stadium. It’s not as sweet as the Boise State guy doing it during the game, but it’s still a very sweet play on McCoy.
College Sports, Kansas City style
