This week, he answers some of my questions.
1. Which fanbase is more fun to see baited and lathered-up on the subject of their coaches and why?
A. Rutgers fans with Greg Schiano going to Penn State after this season.
B. UConn fans with Randy Edsall going back to his alma mater after Greg Robinson is fired from Syracuse.
C. West Virginia fans on the subject of life with Bill Stewart within a couple years without Rich Rodriguez around.
D. Louisville fans at the idea of Steve Kragthorpe getting a contract extension.
E. Pitt fans with the suggestion that Dave Wannstedt may never get Pitt to anything more than the PapaJohns.com Bowl.
Well, I’d say West Virginia except the question asks which one is the most “fun” to watch and West Virginia fans fall into the “friggin’ insane to the point where you never want to visit that backwards state…ever.”
Being that I grew up in NJ I have to go with Rutgers. It’s unbelievably hysterical to me the overreaction that Rutgers fans have had to Greg Schiano in the last couple years. No doubt, they’ve improved leaps and bounds, but a Texas Bowl and an International Bowl do not a powerhouse make. Schiano is clearly just biding his time until the Penn State job opens up. He’s got that cushy clause in his contract that basically allows him to walk anytime and without much of a penalty. And when he does leave, so goes Rutgers with him. They probably won’t stoop to the levels that they used to wallow in (and Syracuse currently trolls) but they’ll probably be looking back at the Texas Bowl as their crowing achievement. And that’s awesome.
2. It didn’t get much publicity, but the Big East adopted a new wrinkle to the instant replay rule. Essentially it is supposed to be a way to correct the big screw-ups. Where the officials can use replay to correct “egregious errors” on plays that aren’t actually reviewable. The upshot, though, is making everything reviewable. It’s seems that it is subject to the whims of the officials (and how loudly ESPN playcalling crews make it known how bad the call was or wasn’t). Your thoughts?
With instant replay policies you’re always a bad call away from loving them or hating them passionately. I don’t like the idea of there being some abstract reason to call a replay. I want hard, cold irrefutable reasoning for each and every time they decide to stop play and review. It does sound like this play could end up being something of a “common sense” checker, something that referees sorely need from time to time.
And as for whether or not this allows the ESPN to influence the outcome of the game, well, we all know it’s heading that way eventually…
3. Your choice for the next Big East commissioner and why?
Honestly, I don’t have a clue. The “candidates” as best I can tell seem to be Big East senior associate commissioner John Marinatto, associate commissioner Nick Carparelli, associate commissioner Dan Gavitt, Louisville Athletic Director Tom Jurich and Connecticut Athletic Director Jeff Hathaway. And if I could tell you one thing about any of them its that I don’t know one thing about any of them.
If there’s qualities I am looking for in the next Big East commish, it’s someone who is going to be dedicated to growing Big East football…not just in quantity but in quality, someone who is going to nurture Big East lacrosse which I think is going to become a cornerstone of the sport very quickly, and someone who is going to be there to make the tough decisions regarding Big East basketball. Those decisions may be about looking to the future and the sustainability (word?) of the conference and losing some “old” baggage that’s holding us down (Hi, St. John’s). Or maybe it’s just about someone who will not let the football side completely dictate the basketball side.
At the end of the day, we need someone who can stand up to the other BCS conferences when it matters. We need someone with big brass ones. Is Roger Goddell really locked into that NFL deal?
4.
A. Team that will overachieve?
I’m gonna go with a Pitt team that will finish 8-4. I know they’re Team Frisky right now for everyone but I think 8 wins with their schedule is going to be quite a nice season for you guys.
B. Team the media say overachieved?
Probably South Florida, when they win the Big East and finish the year in the Top Ten. They’re that good now but no one’s gonna buy it until they see it.
5.
A. Team that will underacheive?
Would a 10-2 West Virginia team in the Gator Bowl be considered a underachiever? Based on the predictions and expectations, I’d say so.
B. Team the media will say underachieved?
How bout Cincinnati, who is coming up a very quietly impressive season, but who will not-so-quietly fall back to the Earth this year.
6. Best coach in the Big East?
Greg Robinson.
(wait for it…)
Okay, seriously…gotta go Jim Leavitt. I mean, the dude built the entire football program. He didn’t just take a 1-AA team and turn them into a 1-A nationally-ranked program. He STARTED THE FRICKIN’ PROGRAM FROM SCRATCH and turned them into a 1-A nationally-ranked program. If South Florida does as well as I think they will, he will have his pick of the litter of coaching jobs across the country…and I have a feeling he’ll turn them all down. I get the sense he’s in this for the long haul and that’s great for a conference that most coaches still see as a stepping stone to better things (ahem, Rodriguez. ahem, Petrino). We desperately need more coaches like him. Stable winners.
Also, I think Edsall’s done pretty well turning UConn into a viable program…that’s impressive. Can’t wait until we introduce him as Syracuse’s new coach next season.
Greg Schiano does not have an expansion-related buyout in his contract. He has a $500,000 blanket buyout, and also has to repay a $500,000 loan if he leaves within the next ten years.
I will be at the game, I never had any faith in Dave and never will.
Hopefully Stuart doesn’t jump off the Ft. Pitt bridge after the game.