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Past performance is no guarantee of future success. In Charlie Strong’s case it is.

158 wins to 48 losses…

That’s Mack Brown’s record during his 16 year coaching career at the University of Texas; a coaching career that saw him go 3-1 in BCS bowls, win a national championship, play for another, win 2 conference titles, and make the University of Texas a whole lot of money in the process. And notwithstanding his recent struggles over the past four years (30-21), his consistent struggles against Bob Stoops and Oklahoma (7-9), and the general feeling that the Longhorns underachieved during his tenure, Mack Brown is responsible for the resurgence of a Texas program that lay dormant for 30+ years since its 1969 and 1970 national championships. So before I continue on to talk about the topic at hand … Charlie Strong and the future of the Horns … I want to do something that I never did enough of during the Mack Brown Tenure:


“Thank you Mack Brown for 16 solid years. With its own television network and a valuation of $139M you have created a secure foundation for the future of the Longhorns, and you are a big reason the University of Texas is relevant again in college football. You have always been a class act in the face of all the scrutiny from spoiled fans like me. I truly wish you the best in the next endeavor (hopefully a color commentary spot on Longhorn Network?).” 




Today, the Texas Longhorns will “officially” name Charlie Strong their 29th coach and this appointment will mark the first time a black head coach will be in charge of a major men’s sport (football, basketball, baseball) at the University of Texas. If the reports are accurate, Charlie Strong was probably not the Longhorns first choice. But in my opinion, the appointment of Charlie Strong is the right overall move from a football X’s and O’s standpoint. He will right the defensive side of the football for the Longhorns and ultimately jump start the program back to its winning ways.



At 53 years of age, Strong’s resume speaks for itself; especially on the defensive side of the ball. While at South Carolina in the early 2000s, Strong bucked traditional defensive formations and invented the 3-3-5 stack defense. Predicated on speed, athleticism, and a “fly around a play football attitude,” the 3-3-5 stack placed a myriad of “hybrid” defenders on the field that could do multiple things to disrupt offensive schemes (especially the spread). The result of Strong’s defensive innovation was an 8 game win improvement (8-4 overall after an 0-11 season the year before) for the Gamecocks and an Outback Bowl victory over the Ohio State Buckeyes.

After his three year stint with the Gamecocks, Charlie Strong went on to serve as the defensive coordinator for the Florida Gators from 2002 to 2009. And as the defensive coordinator of the Gators, Strong more than proved his worth with top rated defenses in the 2006 and 2008 national championship years. 

Specifically:
2006
2008
Points per game:
13.5 (7th)
12.8 (5th)
Yards per game:
268.8 (10th)
279.3 (8th)
Total sacks:
36 (5th)
31 (11th)
Total interceptions:
21 (4th)
26 (1st)
Pick 6s
1
5




















In the 2006 national championship game against the Ohio State Buckeyes, the Gator defense held the Buckeyes to 82 yards in their 41-14 victory. In the 2008 title game against the Oklahoma Sooners, the Gators defense held the Sooners to 14 points. During that season the Sooners were averaging 54.0 points per game and had scored a FBS record 702 points. Needless to say, Charlie Strong knows what he is doing on defense.

His tenure as the head football coach at the University of Louisville has been marked by rapid success. In the three seasons before Strong, the Louisville Cardinals were 15-21 with a 5-16 conference record. Over the last four years under Strong’s leadership, the Cardinals have posted a 37-15 record with a 20-9 conference record and a 2012 Sugar Bowl win over the Florida Gators. And not surprisingly during Strong’s tenure the Cardinals have been absolutely stout on defense. From 2010 to 2013 the Cardinals ranked 7th in points per game (18.8), 6th in yards per game (308.1), 10th in yards per play (4.9) and 3rd in sack percentage at 8.3% (1).

Since the early 2000s, the trend in college football and the Big 12 in particular has been for offenses to move towards speed and spread. A consistent theme in Charlie Strong led defenses is to attack the spread with athleticism on defense. An attacking-playmaking defense is something that the current Texas Longhorns haven’t had lately (see the 30-7 Alamo Bowl shellacking they received this past Monday from the Oregon Ducks).

In hiring Charlie Strong, the Texas Longhorns are getting a proven defensive guru. Although past performance is no guarantee of future success at Texas, Charlie Strong’s track record has me convinced that he is the man to turn the Horns around, especially on the defensive side of the ball. If the old adage often rings true, Offense scores points but Defense wins Championships, Strong will be raising a crystal ball during his time in Texas. And at $5.0 million per year, for the next five years the expectation is nothing less.

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Did Mack Brown just buy himself another year? At a minimum he bought himself one more week.

One year ago to the date (see blog post below) I wrote that it was time for the Texas Longhorns to part ways with Mack Brown. To be more specific, I stated that from a win-loss perspective, the Texas Longhorns can’t afford to have Mack Brown as their coach. Since their last national championship appearance in 2009, the Longhorns are 25-18 overall and 13-15 in conference (not including yesterday’s win). And during this same time period, Texas A&M has re-surged on the back of a quarterback that Mack Brown passed on.


The Texas Longhorns are losing the war for the state of Texas to the A&M Aggies and General William Mack Brown is a sleep at the wheel!


Admittedly, I have been one of Mack Brown’s biggest detractors during his most recent struggles. I can list countless issues I have with him till I am blue in the face, the biggest of them being his inability to rally a group of 4 and 5 star recruits to achieve their full potential especially against their biggest rival Oklahoma. But today I am stopping for a moment to give him some serious credit for yesterday’s performance. 

All week long, Mack was defiant when asked about his future, even going as far as to guarantee that he was not going to be fired from Texas. He was adamant that his Longhorns still had everything to play for and his team was going to get this ship righted (i.e. win the Big XII championship and play for a BCS bowl). He was also very bullish on his team’s chances in the Red River Rivalry game against Oklahoma.

I’d be a liar if I said that I believed him and I’d be lying if I told you that I believed the Longhorns had much of a shot heading into yesterday’s game with the Sooners. 

They hadn’t really given me a reason to believe that they were going to be good enough defensively to stop the Sooners run game and Thursday’s last minute victory against Iowa State on the road did little to change my mind. Vegas odds makers seemed to agree with me, listing the Horns a two-touchdown underdog against the Sooners. 

But then Saturday, October 12, 2013 happened…. The Longhorns shocked the Sooners with a 36-20 victory in Dallas. And to be fair, they dominated Oklahoma on both sides of the ball. To borrow a line from Burnt Orange Nation: “Texas thoroughly whipped OU up and down the field, on both sides of the football, from start to finish.” The stats of the game do not lie: of the 82 total plays ran by the Longhorns, 60 of them were rushes for a total of 277 yards. The Horns played old fashioned grown man ground and pound offense. And their defense stepped up in a way we haven’t seen since 2009.

Maybe it was Mack Brown’s “Hulk Hogan” like performance the night before that inspired his Horns to show up and play in all three phases of the game: 


Whatever it was, Mack Brown and his Longhorn players ignored the media and so-called pundits like myself, showed up and simply played great football on Saturday. They ended their three-year losing streak to Bob Stoops and the Sooners and in the process bought Mack some much needed time … At least for one more week.

So with that I say congratulations to William Mack Brown and the Texas Longhorns for a world class performance on Saturday. You circled with wagons, thoroughly whipped your biggest rival, and have set yourselves up for a chance at something bigger.

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Brian Nwokedi’s Sports Life Football Season in Review

The turn of the New Year brings the end of college football and the start of the NFL playoffs, and with that, I wanted to take a moment to give a season and mid-season review of all my Texans’ and my Longhorns’ performances thus far against my expectations:

Houston Texans: 
My comfort level with this season: 9/10

Last year:
10-6 and 1st in AFC South
Won AFC Wild Card game against Cincinnati Bengals
Lost Divisional game against Baltimore Ravens
Custom 2025 Sports Life expectation:
13-3 and 1st in AFC South
Get to the AFC Conference Championship
Current Season result:
12-4 and 1st in AFC South
Won AFC Wild Card game against Cincinnati Bengals

This year I have been pretty quiet about my Houston Texans, primarily because I was uncertain if this year’s team was going to live up to my lofty expectations. After last season’s history making campaign, the Texans came into 2012 no longer a dark horse team in the AFC. Vegas had them as 12/1 odds to win the Super Bowl at the beginning of the season and many “experts” picked them to win the AFC.
The city of Houston was buying into the hype and I too was drinking the Texans’ Kool-Aid. From my perspective it was quite simple:
The Texans went to the 2ndround of the playoffs last year on the back of a great defense and a rookie quarterback in T.J. Yates. The defense, which finished the year ranked #2 behind the Pittsburgh Steelers[1], was only going to get better in year 2 of defensive coordinator Wade Phillips’ scheme. The Texans were also getting their starting QB back. If they stayed healthy, there was no reason for them to not contend for a Super Bowl.
So like many other Houstonians, I fully expected the Texans to have a great year. And after last night’s 19-13 Wild Card victory over the Cincinnati Bengals the Texans haven’t disappointed.
Sure prior to yesterday’s victory the Texans had lost 3 of the last 4 games and were trending the wrong direction going into the playoffs. During this putrid stretch, there was the 42-12 shellacking on Monday Night at the hands of Tom Brady, the 23-6 stink bomb of a game against the Vikings and the lost opportunity of clinching home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
At the same time, the Texans have lived to see another day and that’s more than I can say for the Dallas Cowboys (okay that was a cheap shot and I only slightly apologize to my Dallas friends). Defensively they have found a way to keep it together even after losing ILB Brian Cushing. Offensively, they have re-established their run identify. Although next weekend will be a tall order facing Tom Brady at home, it’s been fun watching these boys ball… Not bad for a team that was established in 2002.  
  
Texas Longhorns
My comfort level with this season: 4/10
Last year:
8-5 overall; 4-5 in conference; 6th in the Big 12
55-17 loss to Oklahoma
27-25 victory over Texas A&M
Won Holiday Bowl against California Golden Bears
Custom 2025 Sports Life expectation:
10-3 overall; 3rd in Big 12
Beat OU
Current Season result:
9-4 overall; 5-4 in conference; 3rd in Big 12
63-21 loss to Oklahoma; loss to TCU
Won Alamo Bowl against Oregon State Beavers

Expectations… Expectations … Oh Expectations…
When you are the University of Texas Longhorns and you pull in top 5 recruiting classes year over year over year, the expectation from the fan base (and me included) is the BCS or bust. We can have a detailed conversation about whether or not this is fair, but this is the reality of big time college football especially when you pay your head coach $5.2 million annually, your nine-assistant coaches $3.6 million annually, and you’re the most valuable college football team in the land[2].
After last season’s 8-5 finish, I have to admit that I wasn’t as delusional as some of my Texas Longhorn brethren who believed in their heart of hearts that the Longhorns were one year away from competing for the Big 12 and of course the National Championship. And after this season’s performance, I can honestly say that the Longhorns are not going in the right direction and here is why:
The fact remains that in football defense wins championships. I don’t care how many points you put on the board… If you cannot stop the other team from scoring, you will get beat.
After 13 games this year, the Texas Longhorn defense gave up a total of 404 yards per game and ranked 66thout of 120. As a point of reference, Alabama and Notre Dame give up 246 and 287 yards per game respectively and are ranked 1st and 6th in total defense[3]. It is no surprise why these two teams are playing for the National Championship tomorrow night.
Even looking at last year, Alabama and LSU were ranked #1 and #2 respectively in total defense giving up 184 and 262 per game. Shocker … Those two teams slugged it out at the end of the year for the National Championship.
In year two of Manny Diaz’s defensive scheme, the Longhorns have regressed. In 2011 Texas finished the year ranked #11 in total defense at 306 per game[4]. In 2010, Will Muschamp’s last year, Texas finished the year ranked #6 in total defense at 300 yards per game.
If defense wins championships, the Longhorns are not playing championship style defense and their 66thranking shows this. So although they have performed decently from a win-loss perspective this year, I have to say that the Longhorns are far from getting this ship turned in the right direction.
For the last couple of seasons, the Longhorns have clearly underperformed (that’s the nice way of saying it). For those of you that follow this blog, you all know where I stand on Mack Brown and his future tenure with the ‘Horns (see below). Call me spoiled, but for a team that is supposed to be in the business of winning championships this isn’t good enough.
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Defense wins Championships not Heisman Trophies

First off, let me start by congratulating Johnny Manziel (a.k.a. Johnny Football) for becoming the first freshman in the history of college football to win the Heisman Trophy. Over the season, Johnny Football racked up over 4,600 yards of total offense, including 1,181 rushing yards and 43 TDs in arguably the toughest conference in college football. 

His “Heisman Moment” came on November 10, 2012 when he passed for 252 yards, 2 TDs, and rushed for another 92 yards in the Aggies’ upset win over the #1 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide. His truly gaudy numbers, general improvisation, exciting play, and overall charisma make him a truly deserving winner. At the same time, a part of me can’t help but feel that Manti Te’o was hard done by yesterday’s result.



In the 78 year history of the Heisman Memorial Trophy Award, 73 players that have claimed this award have either been a quarterback or running back. The other 5 have been some combinations of wide receiver, punt returner, and kick returner. No purely defensive player has ever won the award, and there have only been a total of 23 defensive players (including Manti Te’o) to finish within the top five of voting. Last night, Manti Te’o finished with a total of 1,706 points, the highest point total any purely defensive player has ever received. It still wasn’t enough to make Heisman Trophy history.




With 103 total tackles, 7 interceptions, and 1 fumble recovery, Manti Te’o was clearly one of the most dominant players in college football and most NCAA coaches acknowledged as much. This fact was only further solidified by his winning of the Maxwell Award[1]and the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award[2], two awards that tend to be dominated by offensive players.




The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award is supposed to be awarded to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. Over the last 78 years, most outstanding has been synonymous with most exciting, and most statistically relevant/significant. And yesterday’s vote continued this trend.

The old football adage states that “offense wins games, and defense wins championships.” The 928 voters spoke in complete unison when they invited Johnny Football into the Heisman fraternity. Each member was saying … “Offense wins games … and Heismans”  

P.S. The closest to “defensive player” to win the Heisman was University of Michigan cornerback Charles Woodson. In 1997, he dazzled college football but he won the award primarily because of his punt and kick returning ability.

P.P.S. On an aside, take a look at the list of talented freshman to not win this award in their first year ….

     1. Adrian Peterson (RB) of Oklahoma finished second in 2004 after rushing for 1,925 yards and 15 TDs.


     2. Michael Vick (QB) of Virginia Tech finished third in 1999 after amassing 2,420 total yards at 20 TDs.

     3. Herschel Walker of Georgia finished third in 1980 after rushing for 1,616 yards and 15 TDs.






[1]The Maxwell Award is presented annually to the collegiate football player judged by a panel of sportswriters, head coaches, and sportscasters to be the best football player in the United States.
[2]The Walter Camp Player of the Year Award is presented annually to the collegiate football player judged by a group of NCAA Division 1 head coaches and sports directors to be the player of the year.

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Conference Realignment … In this High Stakes Game of College Football RISK the ACC is at Risk


Maryland leaving the ACC and Rutgers leaving the Big East (both teams are heading to the Big Ten) signals to the rest of college football that super conferences are on their way whether we like it or not (and I do not like it for the record). And when you consider the Big Ten/Pac-12 partnership for the Rose Bowl and the SEC/Big XII newly formed partnership for the so-called “Champions Bowl” (better name clearly still pending), the ACC is in deep trouble. 


Just this past September, things looked very rosy for the ACC. Notre Dame agreed to join the ACC in all sports except for football but also committed to playing a minimum of five football games against ACC opponents annually. Furthermore, the ACC as a group voted to raise the overall exit fee to $50 million, although both Maryland and Florida State voted against this measure. It seemed as though Commissioner John Swofford had done enough to insulate his conference from any further defections. 

But yesterday, Maryland decided it was time for them to move to greener pastures even in the face of a $50 million buyout (Maryland stands to make approximately $24 million annually compared to the $15 million it currently makes in the ACC). And although I’m certain that the ACC will quickly replace Maryland with either UConn or Louisville within the next coming weeks I am still making the following declaration: 

The ACC will cease to exist as a preeminent BCS football conference in the next coming years.

The high stakes game of Conference Realignment (which I’m calling Collegiate Football Risk) comes down to one thing: Acquiring more television markets to generate more Benjamins, and participating in a preeminent BCS bowl.

Although the ACC currently has teams in and around nine of the top 20 U.S. TV markets (New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston, Atlanta, Washington D.C., Tampa, Miami, Orlando), I believe that their lack of a preeminent/important BCS bowl tie (Orange Bowl***) in will be their final undoing even with the impending playoff format. 


***Please note that in my opinion, the Orange Bowl doesn’t really count as an important college football bowl in the grand scheme of it all. It’s located in Miami and far too corporate. And outside of the national championship game in Miami, it has the lowest Nielsen ratings year over year of all the other BCS Bowls (see post #1 for more details about Nielsen’s). 

The two biggest power brokers in conference realignment thus far have been the Big Ten and the SEC. With 14 teams already, both conferences are best positioned to become the first 16-team super conference. As a result, in the post ACC (and Big East) world of college football they will work together to create the first two true 16-team Super Conferences. 
I predict that the SEC will look as follows (please note that in the parenthesis is ranking of the relating larger TV market served by related team):


West                                     
Texas A&M -Houston (10)
Missouri -St. Louis (21)
LSU -New Orleans/Shreveport (53/84)
Arkansas -Little Rock (56)
Alabama -Birmingham/Mobile (40/60)
Auburn -Birmingham/Mobile (40/60)
Mississippi State  -Jackson (90)
Ole Miss -Jackson (90) 



East
Georgia -Atlanta (8)
Va. Tech -Washington D.C. (9)
Florida -Tampa/Jacksonville (13/47)
NC State -Raleigh-Durham (27)
Vanderbilt -Nashville (29)
South Carolina -Greenville/Columbia (36/79)
Kentucky -Memphis (48)
Tennessee -Knoxville (59)


I predict that the Big Ten will look as follows (please note that in the parenthesis is ranking of the relating larger TV market served by related team):



Legends                                     

Illinois -Chicago (3)

Iowa -Des Moines-Ames (71)

Michigan -Detroit (11)
Michigan State -Detroit (11)
Minnesota -MSP (15)
Nebraska -Omaha (76)
Northwestern -Chicago (3)
Wisconsin -Madison (85)

Leaders
Indiana -Indianapolis (25)
Ohio State -Cleveland/Columbus (18/32)
Penn State -Philadelphia/Pitt (4/23)
Purdue -Indianapolis (25)
Boston College -Boston (7)
Rutgers -New York (1)
Maryland -Washington DC (9)
UNC -Raleigh-Durham (27)

Current legislation in the state of North Carolina forces UNC to be in the same conference as NC State unless NC State can find a home in another BCS conference. In other words, UNC can only split from NC State if NC State ends up in another BCS conference. As a result, The SEC and the Big Ten will make a deal to split the Charlotte (24) and the Raleigh-Durham (27) television markets by taking NC State and UNC respectively.
The Big Ten will then move to lock up the Boston television market (even though Boston isn’t necessarily a huge college football market) by taking Boston College. The SEC will round out the overall television market package with Virginia Tech which will give them the Washington D.C. (9), Richmond (58) and Roanoke-Lynchburg (67) television markets
At 16 apiece and a majority of the major U.S. television markets consumed, the Big Ten and the SEC will stop (I hope to God!) leaving the Pac-12 and the Big 12 to fight over the remaining remnants of the ACC and Big East.
The Big 12 currently has 10 members and would need to attract 6 new teams to reach Super Conference status. Current members and their related TV markets are as follows:

Texas -Dallas-Ft. Worth/Austin (5/49)
Oklahoma -Dallas-Ft. Worth/O.K.C. (5/45)
Texas Tech -Dallas-Ft. Worth (5)
TCU -Dallas-Ft. Worth (5)
Oklahoma State -O.C.K. (45)
Baylor -San Antonio (37)
Iowa State -Des Moines-Ames (71)
Kansas -Kansas City (31)
Kansas State -Kansas City (31)
West Virginia – ……… It’s West Virginia
Upon further analysis, you start to see a very consistent theme with the current Big 12 …. It’s very Texas focused. And while I love me some Texas, it’s simply not enough to survive the new cut throat world of conference realignment. As a result they will have to be aggressive in the expansion of their television footprint.
At the same time you have the Pac-12, currently sitting pretty with 12 members but also suffering from the same geographical concentration as the Big 12.

Because both the Big 12 and Pac-12 will be eager to expand (not certain if all the way to 16), the remaining “attractive” teams in the ACC (Miami, Florida State, Clemson, Georgia Tech, Duke, Wake Forest, Virginia, Pittsburgh, and Syracuse) and Big East teams (Connecticut, Cincinnati, South Florida, Louisville) will have the power in deciding where they end up (grade-A suppliers market).

Due to the geographical constraints of the Pac-12 (all remaining teams are approximately 1,500 to 2,000 miles away from the closet Pac-12 school) and the simple fact that there are only four really good television markets remaining, I believe the Big 12 will go to 14 (Miami, Florida State, Clemson, Georgia Tech) bringing them the Miami-Ft. Lauderdale (16), Tampa (13), Jacksonville (47), Greenville (36) and Atlanta (8) television markets.
At 12-teams and their partnership with the Big Ten, the Pac-12 is safe even though they are the smallest conference in terms of numbers but they will definitely have the smallest television contract in the future world of the post Conference Realignment game of Risk.
In closing, I just want to say that as a fan of college football, I am utterly disgusted at the sheer lack of respect for college football traditions. This high stakes game of realignment is driven solely by greed and money. At the same time, I’d be a liar if I told you that if I were the commissioner of a major conference I wouldn’t be doing the same thing for the sake of the overall conference.
So fans of college football, enjoy the last couple years of tradition. In the post conference realignment world, tradition will be all but dead.
P.S. I didn’t talk much about Notre Dame primarily because this year’s performance all but solidifies the fact that they will never join a conference. 

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From a win-loss perspective, the Texas Longhorns can no longer afford to have Mack Brown as their coach

First let me say that my heart goes out to Texas DT Brandon Moore who was injured in the third quarter of today’s game. He has movement in all of his limbs and is in stable condition at a local hospital. This post or better yet rant is clearly irrelevant in the grand scheme of life given the fact that it’s only football games I am talking about.
I started calling for Mack Brown’s resignation after last weekend’s 48-45 home loss to West Virginia, a move that had most of my Texas brethren calling me ungrateful. On Thursday, I wrote that today’s game against Oklahoma would be a referendum on the tenure of Mack Brown. And after today’s 63-21 shellacking, no Longhorn fan can deny that the time has come for the Texas Longhorns to part ways with Mack Brown.

Since 1998, the Longhorns are 145-41 under Mack Brown. With a win percentage of 78% (give or take a couple decimal places), Mack Brown’s tenure at Texas has been one of the most successful in Longhorn history. But like the old adage says … All good things must come to an end.

Since 2002, the Texas Longhorns have had recruiting classes ranked higher than the Oklahoma Sooners 7 out of 11 times (see following chart).
Final Recruiting Rankings Based on Rivals.com
Texas Longhorns
Oklahoma Sooners
2012
2
11
2011
3
14
2010
3
7
2009
5
13
2008
14
6
2007
5
14
2006
5
9
2005
20
3
2004
18
11
2003
15
4
2002
1
7
But during this same time period, the Longhorn’s record against their arch rival has been downright abysmal. Since ‘02 (including today’s game), the Longhorns are 4-7 with blowout losses of 65-13 (2003), 55-17 (2011) and 63-15 (2012). To make matters worse, there was also a blowout in 2000, 63-14.

After today’s game the ‘Horns are now 6-9 overall against the Sooners during Mack Brown’s tenure began in 1998. Like I said in Thursday’s post, this is simply not good enough given how much money Brown is currently being paid by the Texas athletic department and how much next-level talent there is in the program.

My issue with the Longhorns during Brown’s tenure isn’t talent level. Since Mack Brown has been at Texas, 52 players have been drafted into the NFL and 20 have been first round picks. Since Bob Stoops has been at Oklahoma, 53 players have been drafted into the NFL and 12 have been first round picks.

But given the fact that the ‘Horns out-recruit the Sooners (at least based on class rankings) their record against their biggest rival is downright appalling, and the number of blowout losses is unsettling. From and X’s and O’s and motivational standpoint, when it comes to Oklahoma vs. Texas, Bob Stoops is simply better at getting his boys ready to play. His 9-5 record against Texas post today’s game only serve to further proof this fact.


Football can be a very cruel sport to head coaches. When their teams win, they get a fair bit of credit. But when their teams lose, they get all the blame. Fans like me start criticizing their tactics and schemes and start (at times irrationally) calling for their heads. An argument can be made that this isn’t right, but regardless this is the way it is especially given the amount of money coaches are making in college football. Something is no longer working anymore and that something is William Mack Brown. From a purely win-loss perspective the Texas Longhorns can no longer afford to have Mack Brown as their lead head coach.

After today’s dreadful performance, the Longhorns are now 17-14 since their 2009 BCS National Championship appearance. What was once considered the strength of the program, this year’s defense is average at best and the offense is … well … they scored 21 points and gained a total of 289 yards in four quarters of football so enough said. The game was so bad today that ABC stopped showing coverage in my area with 9:00 minutes left in the 4thquarter (probably better for my overall mental health).

The “blame” shouldn’t fall solely on Mack Brown’s shoulders especially since he’s not out there actually playing. But ultimately as the head coach, he is supposed to push the right buttons to get his players to play at their best level. Because he has been unable to do this recently (over the last three years) as the “CEO” of the Texas Longhorns, it’s time for him to step aside and open the door for someone new.
2005 was such a long time ago ….


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Saturday, October 13, 2012 … Dallas, Texas … Oklahoma-Texas … Mack Brown’s last stand…?

Every year about this time (Thursday evening before the Oklahoma-Texas game), I start to get butterflies in my stomach as if I am taking the field in Dallas on Saturday. You may think I’m crazy for this, but if truth be told, my nerves are simply a reflection of the magnitude and importantance of a win in this game (clearly not life magnitude or a matter of life and death but still very important).
Once known as the Red River Shootout (still my favorite name), the OU-Texas Game (now known as the Red River Rivalry) has been played 106 times since October 10, 1900. The Longhorns lead the current series 59-42-5, and since 1945, one or both of the two teams have been ranked within the top 25 61 out of 66 games. This Saturday is no different.


The #15 Texas Longhorns hobble into Dallas to face the #13 Oklahoma Sooners and the stakes couldn’t be any higher. Given last weekend’s home loss to West Virginia and Oklahoma’s early season loss to Kansas State, Saturday’s game is pretty much for all the marbles.
The winner of six of the last ten matchups between the Longhorns and Sooners has played for the BCS National Championship (the Sooners 4 times and the ‘Horns 2 times). The loser of Saturday’s game will have two conference losses, which will all but relegate them to a second place finish and an outside chance at a BCS bowl (although stranger things have happened… See two-loss LSU vs. two-loss Ohio State circa 2007).
To call Saturday’s game “Put up or Shut up Time” for the ‘Horns is an understatement. Since the Mack Brown era began in 1998, Texas has only won six of the last 14 matchups against the Sooners and has lost the last two consecutive matchups. In the past two seasons, the Longhorns are a measly 13-12 and will be taking an eight-game losing streak against teams ranked in the AP Top 25 into Saturday’s Red River Rivalry. To make matters even worse, the ‘Horns are 1-10 in their last 11 games against Top 25 teams. To be frank, things haven’t been this bad in Austin in a while. Saturday’s game in Dallas may be a referendum on the 15 year tenure of William Mack Brown.
Now to be fair, from 2001 through 2009, Mack won 10 or more games each year, won a national championship, played for another, and went 3-1 in big time BCS bowl games. He has worked tirelessly to make Texas relevant on the national stage once again. But like a Fortune 500 CEO, his recent performance is simply not good enough given his annual salary of $5.2 million (which makes him one of top three highest paid coaches in America).
So this Saturday, the Texas Longhorns have a chance to right the ship and stay in the national championship picture. A win Saturday will go a long way towards erasing some of the ‘Horns recent failure. A loss Saturday and the ‘Horns will drop to 1-2 in conference all but sealing their second place finish.
No pressure ….
So let’s hope that Saturday my ‘Horns feel like this ….














And not like this …. 














Favorite Red River Rivalry Game:
October 11, 2008:
Texas 45, Oklahoma 35
Hands down one of the best regular season college football games ever played. It ended as the highest scoring game in the rivalry’s history with the most fans to ever see this game. My boy Chris Ogbonnaya sealed the game with a 62-yard run … Hook ‘Em



Most regrettable Red River Rivalry Game:
October 6, 2001
Texas 3, Oklahoma 14
Down 7-3 late in the 4th quarter the Longhorns had the ball on their own three-yard line. On first down the ‘Horns decided to air it out. As Chris Simms (who I’m still irrationally angry at) dropped back to pass, Roy Williams, starting safety for the Sooner leapt over an offensive lineman (see picture below) and deflected the pass which fell unfortunately into the hands of Teddy Lehman, the Sooners starting linebacker… Game, Set, Match Sooners



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I’m going down to Columbia, SC again and this time Georgia’s coming to town.

Honestly, is it Saturday yet?

Last November while in my second year of business school, I completed my college football tour with the South Carolina-Florida homecoming game in Columbia, SC. I was introduced to a proper SEC-style tailgate (moonshine included) and a more than decent football game … South Carolina outlasted Florida 17-12 to keep its SEC East title hopes alive, which were subsequently dashed the following week when the Georgia Bulldogs beat the Kentucky Wildcats 19-10.

Before this season began, I committed to returning to Columbia, South Carolina for the Georgia game and it’s safe to say that I made a very wise decision since South Carolina and Georgia both won last night. The Georgia-South Carolina rivalry has been contested since 1894 and has become so heated in recent years that sports writers have dubbed this annual game “New Fashioned Hate.”


Saturday’s game between the #5 Bulldogs and the #6 Gamecocks takes this rivalry to new heights. The October 6th contest is already being called “The Biggest Game in South Carolina 
History.” 

Both teams enter the game undefeated and both teams enter the game playing pretty darn good football. 

The Georgia Bulldogs roll into town as the third SEC team in history to score at least 40 points in each of its first five games in a season — not sure if that’s because they play good defense or bad offense in the SEC =). 

South Carolina has won its last nine-games in a row and has won 11 straight games against SEC East opponents dating back to last season. And the Gamecocks have won the last two meeting against the Bulldogs.




At stake is clearly bragging rights but far more important is first place in the SEC East. And the winner of this game will move into pole position for a place in the national championship game.

This game is so big that the original kickoff time of 1:00 pm eastern has been pushed back to 7:00 pm prime-time and I fully expect to take advantage of the additional 5 hours of tailgating time (see picture to the left).

ESPN’s College GameDay will be their first thing in the morning and my man Lee Corso better pick South Carolina and the Ole’ Ball Coach!

Now I just have to get through this work week!



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It really is the SEC and everyone else especially in the biggest games

***Warning, I’m about to rant all because of the Alabama Crimson Tide***

It pains me to say this … I’ve known this as fact for the last 7 years. I’ve known it since the BCS era began with Tennessee beating Florida State. Although top-heavy, the SEC is head over heels the best conference in college football. And if I am very honest, it’s not even close. I’ve been watching college football for a while now but what we are seeing right now is something else. The top of the SEC is stupid good!


Typically conferences and teams trade off their domination of college football. The 1970s were dominated by the Big Ten and the Big Eight. The 1980s were dominated by the Miami Hurricanes and the early 1990s were dominated by the Florida State Seminoles. Oklahoma, USC, Nebraska, Michigan, Ohio State, Notre Dame, and Texas have all had dominate runs, but what we are witnessing right now as college football fans is something different. In particular the Alabama Crimson Tide and the LSU Tigers ….

The very top of the SEC is sustaining their dominance year over year as evidenced by this year’s top 10 AP pre-season poll. The SEC has five teams ranked in the top 10 (#2 Alabama, #3 LSU, #6 Georgia, #9 South Carolina, and #10 Arkansas). As a conference, they have won 8 of 14 BCS national championships and have won the last 6 in a row. When you peel back the SEC’s performance over the last 14 years you start to realize that their success is a function of some very “simple” factors…. NFL-type talent, NFL-type coaches, NFL-type strategies

First off, SEC football is played in a region of the United States that has some of the best high school football talent. Currently, 15 of the top 25 high school programs in this year’s MaxPreps top 25 poll are from Southern states (I’ve included Texas in this primarily because the SEC recruits heavily in Texas). I’m not knocking the brand of high school football played elsewhere. California, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Michigan have all produced their fair share of Division 1 and NFL talent. But the old adage that speed kills is alive and well in Southern football talent. Those defensive ends and tackles that run as fast as wide receivers , those safeties that hit like defensive tackles but run like the wind, and those line backers that run as fast as safeties are all found in the South. Simply put, it’s the defensive talent in the SEC that sets their teams apart from the rest of America!


Secondly, SEC coaches and staff are paid more on average than the rest of the coaches and staff in the nation. The 12 SEC coaches and staff made an average of $5.98 million in 2011 with Alabama, LSU, and Florida, and Auburn paying well above $6.3 million in total compensation[1]. More specifically, of the 10 highest paid head coaches in the country (at public institutions) six were from the SEC[2]. Les Miles, Nick Saban, Urban Meyer, Steve Spurrier, and Gene Chizik are all NFL caliber coaches with NFL caliber coaching staffs. Money talks plain and simple. If you pay more you will get better coaches. Better coaches plus high quality players equals better qualify programs.

And lastly, the brand of football played in the SEC is fundamentally the best way to win football games. Oregon, Oklahoma, Michigan, Texas, and a plethora of other teams have gotten away from the brand of football that wins the big game. Don’t get me wrong, I love the spread. As a former wide receiver, the spread otherwise known as fun ball is my type of style. But when you really think about it, football in general is a run first type of game. Strong running games and great defenses have always been the back bone of most championship teams. The old adage that defense wins championships is clearly alive and well in the SEC. Haters will say that the SEC defenses don’t face real offenses in conference. To that I say, ask the 2010 Oregon Ducks (lost to Auburn), 2009 Texas Longhorns (lost to Alabama), and 2008 Oklahoma Sooners (lost to Florida) to name a few what it felt like to run up against an SEC defense. Each of these teams had top 5 ranked offenses heading into the national championship games and each of these teams were held to their lowest outputs all season.

I am far from an SEC homer in fact I’ve been one of the biggest SEC hater for some time. Primarily because their fans chant the following at their games: “S-E-C, S-E-C, S-E-C.” I am also certain that this eventual dominance will ebb (especially once Nick Saban and Les Miles retire). But after what I just witnessed in this Michigan-Alabama game I have to pay proper respect to college football’s pre-eminent conference (at the moment). I guess I have finally “accepted” it and the rest of the haters should too.


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Did Penn State Football Deserve Permanent Death?



First, let me start off by clearly stating that I in no way support the actions of the Penn State administration, athletic departments, and football leaders in regards to their handling of the years of child sexual abuse at Penn State by Jerry Sandusky. 


Before yesterday’s unprecedented NCAA sanctions of Penn State, I called for the death penalty. But the death penalty I wanted wasn’t your traditional “SMU-type” death penalty were a team is banned for one to two years from competing in a sport. I was calling for a complete shutdown of the Penn State football program … a more “permanent” death penalty.

You see, the problem I have with the sanctions levied by the NCAA isn’t the fact that they aren’t harsh enough; nor is it the fact that the NCAA clearly violated the traditional due process of an investigation it typically affords its member schools. My problem with these sanctions is that Penn State football has a chance to recover (albeit a slim chance). What chance of recovery do the victims really have?

Stuart Mandel of Sport Illustrated wrote yesterday, “Penn State will remain at the front of the news for many years to come, not for the criminal acts of a former assistant coach or its leaders’ abhorrent inaction in handling him, but for its football players’ inevitable on-field futility.” He highlights the fact that the focus is now switched from the actual victims of these atrocities back to the Penn State football team and whether or not they can recover. And to me, that simply isn’t right.

The NCAA missed an opportunity yesterday to send a resounding message the football isn’t king and in fact isn’t bigger than everything else. Although the sanctions levied are crippling, they don’t serve as true justice for the children who were victimized. In essence, by allowing Penn State to still play football, even a reduced version of football, the NCAA sends a message to the victims that football is in fact still bigger then each and every one of them and too big to “completely fail.”

Had the NCAA implemented a complete shutdown of the Penn State football program, I believe they would have provided each victim real justice, helped to close one of the more egregious chapters in the history of The Pennsylvania State University, and really served to deter future atrocious actions of its member universities and administrations.