I’ve devoted a significant amount of my posts on this blog criticizing the NCAA. Admittedly, the organization is an easy target, and its hypocritical policies strike a sensitive chord for me as it does anyone else who loves college sports more than they probably should.
But after this most recent revelation in the ongoing case against Miami and NCAA President Mark Emmert’s “pass the buck” attitude, I’m beginning to wonder what would happen if member schools finally said enough and started ignoring the NCAA.
Seriously. Think about it for a sec ........................ What would happen if Miami President Donna Shalala called up Emmert’s office in Indy and said, “Screw you guys,” and removed themselves from the NCAA completely? What would happen if they convinced the Florida schools or ACC schools to join them? Or if Penn State, USC, UCLA, and Ohio State all joined in after they went through their own garbage investigations? With mega-conferences an inevitability, is it really that far fetched?
Schools are NCAA members by choice. I don’t understand the legality of the agreement between the two entities (and I don’t pretend to), but I do understand no one is forcing any of these member institutions to go along with NCAA by-laws. The organization exists because universities allow it to exist, which makes all this uproar about the Miami case all the more ironic.
P.S. In the mood for more frustrating, hypocritical irony? Check out this little gem on the NCAA attacking academic freedom.
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Monday, February 11, 2013
What it Means to be Great in College Basketball
LeBron James and Dwayne Wade were at the Miami-UNC game.
Think about that. @KingJames and Wade (who would have never considered playing for the Hurricanes as 18 year-olds) were sitting court side wearing glasses they don’t actually need to see the U play an unranked UNC. It was an incredible show of validation for the hottest thing going in college basketball.
Miami has two bad losses, one against Florida Gulf Coast in just the second game of the season and the other in overtime against Indiana State on Christmas Day in Hawaii in a game I’m sure no one wanted to play or watch. But since, the Canes have been on an absolute tear, winning on average by nearly 14 in conference play. They are 10-0 in the ACC. They’ve routed both UNC and Duke. They're currently the favorite to earn the number one overall seed in the tournament.
So why is it, with a team playing as well as anyone in any season, are sports writers, analysts, and fans (myself included) continuing to lament the end of great, legendary teams in college basketball?
It's time we all changed what it means to be great.
In my generation, the sport has been dominated by four programs: Duke, UNC, Kentucky, and UConn. Combined, they’ve won 13 titles since 1991. Florida, Kansas, and Michigan State have had great, Final Four teams during this time as well, and they’ve all produced top level, pro talent. Just off the top of my head, I can think of ten NBA All-Stars and two sure-fire Hall of Famers (Grant Hill and Antwan Jamison).
As a fan of one of the 200 or so other D-1 schools, this is very, very boring.
In sports, parity can be an incredible asset and the lack thereof can be a debilitating weakness. (The contrasting trends in popularity between the NFL and MLB is a perfect example.) When more teams have a shot, more fans watch. March Madness is the biggest “any team can win” tournament in American sports, and its television ratings were at an 18 year high in 2012 (even with Duke and UConn losing in the first round). Even when VCU and Butler made the Final Four in 2011, ratings were tied for the highest since 2005. That period includes the 2008 tourney when all four top seeds made it to the final weekend
Miami doesn’t look the part of a traditional powerhouse program, but, ironically, it has so much that basketball romantics romanticize. The team is mostly upperclassmen, the best player is a senior (Durand Scott), and all five starters average nine points or more. If the Hurricanes can win at Cameron on March second, this team has a legit shot to go undefeated in conference play. (Something the ’05 and ’08 Tar Heels couldn’t do.) The only difference between this team and the “great” teams before is Miami is winning without consensus All-Americans or lottery picks. And isn’t that more exciting? And more impressive?
College basketball has problems, but problems shouldn’t be confused with change. The game is different than it was in 1973, ‘83’, ’93, and ’03, so why would it not continue progressing in 2013? Rather than singing dirges of what’s been lost, why not embrace that the sport has become wide open with can’t miss excitement every night? Baseball would kill for something like that. Especially in Miami.
Think about that. @KingJames and Wade (who would have never considered playing for the Hurricanes as 18 year-olds) were sitting court side wearing glasses they don’t actually need to see the U play an unranked UNC. It was an incredible show of validation for the hottest thing going in college basketball.
Miami has two bad losses, one against Florida Gulf Coast in just the second game of the season and the other in overtime against Indiana State on Christmas Day in Hawaii in a game I’m sure no one wanted to play or watch. But since, the Canes have been on an absolute tear, winning on average by nearly 14 in conference play. They are 10-0 in the ACC. They’ve routed both UNC and Duke. They're currently the favorite to earn the number one overall seed in the tournament.
So why is it, with a team playing as well as anyone in any season, are sports writers, analysts, and fans (myself included) continuing to lament the end of great, legendary teams in college basketball?
It's time we all changed what it means to be great.
In my generation, the sport has been dominated by four programs: Duke, UNC, Kentucky, and UConn. Combined, they’ve won 13 titles since 1991. Florida, Kansas, and Michigan State have had great, Final Four teams during this time as well, and they’ve all produced top level, pro talent. Just off the top of my head, I can think of ten NBA All-Stars and two sure-fire Hall of Famers (Grant Hill and Antwan Jamison).
As a fan of one of the 200 or so other D-1 schools, this is very, very boring.
In sports, parity can be an incredible asset and the lack thereof can be a debilitating weakness. (The contrasting trends in popularity between the NFL and MLB is a perfect example.) When more teams have a shot, more fans watch. March Madness is the biggest “any team can win” tournament in American sports, and its television ratings were at an 18 year high in 2012 (even with Duke and UConn losing in the first round). Even when VCU and Butler made the Final Four in 2011, ratings were tied for the highest since 2005. That period includes the 2008 tourney when all four top seeds made it to the final weekend
Miami doesn’t look the part of a traditional powerhouse program, but, ironically, it has so much that basketball romantics romanticize. The team is mostly upperclassmen, the best player is a senior (Durand Scott), and all five starters average nine points or more. If the Hurricanes can win at Cameron on March second, this team has a legit shot to go undefeated in conference play. (Something the ’05 and ’08 Tar Heels couldn’t do.) The only difference between this team and the “great” teams before is Miami is winning without consensus All-Americans or lottery picks. And isn’t that more exciting? And more impressive?
College basketball has problems, but problems shouldn’t be confused with change. The game is different than it was in 1973, ‘83’, ’93, and ’03, so why would it not continue progressing in 2013? Rather than singing dirges of what’s been lost, why not embrace that the sport has become wide open with can’t miss excitement every night? Baseball would kill for something like that. Especially in Miami.
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Thoughts on Ray Lewis and Why God Probably Won't Help You Pass a Drug Test
I’ve wanted to write a post on Ray Lewis since the win over the Broncos. Partly out of spite since watching Peyton Manning lose was a little devastating for me, but mostly because I find his misuse of scripture so infuriating. Claiming “No weapon formed against me shall prosper” as God’s promise to make your blitzes against Denver’s O-line more effective takes disrespect to another level.
But I admit, I set my sensibilities aside Sunday. I cheered for the Ravens because I like the elder Harbaugh, I think Flacco and Rice are criminally underrated, and I can’t stand the egotistical attitude of the 49ers (“Kapernicking”, Jim Harbaugh’s tantrums, everything about Michael Crabtree, etc.). I chose to forget about Lewis and enjoy the game in blissful ignorance.
And I did enjoy it. It was an amazing game, and I had as much fun as I’ve had in weeks with friends I too often fail to spend time with. It was everything you could want from a sporting event, which is both its beauty and downfall. We want so badly to see athletes do something amazing and transcendent that we’ll set aside our personal and moral beefs long enough to get what we want. My brother-in-law jokes he has to check his brain at the door before watching college football because of the rampant corruption and blatant BS going on in recruiting and in the NCAA, and I know I did the same thing on Sunday evening. It’s incredibly easy to do, but incredibly difficult to defend.
But after reading Bill Simmons’s article on PEDs, defending my blind eye just got a lot harder.
The article goes into the utter absurdity of Lewis coming back from a torn tricep in just two months when it typically takes at least six months to recover. The fact that he did it at 37, and had two of his best games in frigid temperatures (Denver and New England) make it even more inconceivable, giving validity to the claims he used PEDs (deer antler spray) to speed up his recovery. He goes on to say how frustrating to watch the sports media skate around this possibility (himself included) because of the damning ramifications of even remotely hinting at a player’s PED use without solid proof (i.e. a friggin’ syringe or something).
It was a bold and passionate article, and it made me remember why I can’t stand Ray Lewis.
Sports fans, like anyone else, want something incredible. Something unbelievable. It’s what made Lewis’s story so amazing at first and seem so fake now. It’s like Lance Armstrong; overcoming incredible adversity to become a champion, only to be outed as a fraud. Lewis, however, brought God into his deception, manipulating the faiths and beliefs of his audience. As my friend Matt put it, “it demonstrates at best an incredibly immature faith and at worst an understanding that playing the God card is a pretty good way to end any particular line of questioning.”
If guilty of taking PEDs, Ray Lewis using God as his source of superhuman strength to conceal his drug use is along the lines of fake pastors who claim healing powers while preying on those desperate to believe in something. It’s calculating. It’s scheming. It’s despicable.
Simmons concluded his article by saying, if given the choice, he’d rather see Lewis pee in a cup than watch Beyonce at halftime. While I understand the sentiment, maybe it’s time to look elsewhere for our sports heros. I’m starting with this guy.
But I admit, I set my sensibilities aside Sunday. I cheered for the Ravens because I like the elder Harbaugh, I think Flacco and Rice are criminally underrated, and I can’t stand the egotistical attitude of the 49ers (“Kapernicking”, Jim Harbaugh’s tantrums, everything about Michael Crabtree, etc.). I chose to forget about Lewis and enjoy the game in blissful ignorance.
And I did enjoy it. It was an amazing game, and I had as much fun as I’ve had in weeks with friends I too often fail to spend time with. It was everything you could want from a sporting event, which is both its beauty and downfall. We want so badly to see athletes do something amazing and transcendent that we’ll set aside our personal and moral beefs long enough to get what we want. My brother-in-law jokes he has to check his brain at the door before watching college football because of the rampant corruption and blatant BS going on in recruiting and in the NCAA, and I know I did the same thing on Sunday evening. It’s incredibly easy to do, but incredibly difficult to defend.
But after reading Bill Simmons’s article on PEDs, defending my blind eye just got a lot harder.
The article goes into the utter absurdity of Lewis coming back from a torn tricep in just two months when it typically takes at least six months to recover. The fact that he did it at 37, and had two of his best games in frigid temperatures (Denver and New England) make it even more inconceivable, giving validity to the claims he used PEDs (deer antler spray) to speed up his recovery. He goes on to say how frustrating to watch the sports media skate around this possibility (himself included) because of the damning ramifications of even remotely hinting at a player’s PED use without solid proof (i.e. a friggin’ syringe or something).
It was a bold and passionate article, and it made me remember why I can’t stand Ray Lewis.
Sports fans, like anyone else, want something incredible. Something unbelievable. It’s what made Lewis’s story so amazing at first and seem so fake now. It’s like Lance Armstrong; overcoming incredible adversity to become a champion, only to be outed as a fraud. Lewis, however, brought God into his deception, manipulating the faiths and beliefs of his audience. As my friend Matt put it, “it demonstrates at best an incredibly immature faith and at worst an understanding that playing the God card is a pretty good way to end any particular line of questioning.”
If guilty of taking PEDs, Ray Lewis using God as his source of superhuman strength to conceal his drug use is along the lines of fake pastors who claim healing powers while preying on those desperate to believe in something. It’s calculating. It’s scheming. It’s despicable.
Simmons concluded his article by saying, if given the choice, he’d rather see Lewis pee in a cup than watch Beyonce at halftime. While I understand the sentiment, maybe it’s time to look elsewhere for our sports heros. I’m starting with this guy.
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
The Drag of Swag: Marshall Henderson Needs to Get Over Himself
I assume I’m like most people when I say there is something about arrogance that is so irresistible. Extreme confidence. It sucks me in. I find myself rooting for or against teams or players based solely on their level of humility shown. It’s an asinine rationale since I’m coming to this conclusion of who these athletes are as people by what I can see on my 19 inch screen, but it happens almost every time I watch sports.
For this reason, Marshall Henderson has drawn more attention to Ole Miss than anyone not named Manning for both his 19 PPG and his apparent desire for an opposing student section to throw batteries at him. He’s so totally contrary to the humble, soup kitchen volunteer, athlete long glorified by the NCAA that his divisiveness has risen to Carmelo Anthony levels.
But Tuesday night was when Henderson’s extreme belief in himself came to a screeching halt. Against ultra-arrogant John Calipari and ultra-arrogant Kentucky, Henderson was a complete non-factor. He finished with 21 points, but in the same way Allen Iverson used to score in the 30s or 40s. He was just 5 of 19 from the floor, including 2 of 11 from range. It was one of those games you wish Bob Knight was announcing so he could rip apart what missing 14 shots can do to a team.
Bravado aside, Henderson is in reality a very mediocre shooter. He’s just 35 percent from the field in conference play, which is just slightly below his season average of 38 percent. He consistently misses double digit shots, and in the now infamous Auburn game, he was a putrid 26 percent from the floor. A performance hardly worthy of the performance he gave after the game.
But it was that show of cockiness to the Auburn student section that drew the national spotlight on Oxford last night, and left Ole Miss exposed as a team that’s not ready to join the nation’s elite. On how his team could handle Henderson, Calipari said he told his players:
“Oh, I’d like us to lose our composure. That’s what I’m looking for. Like, lose your composure. Get mad. Get angry. Be mad to be great. (Pretends to be moping, then getting bumped by someone) ‘Oh, sorry.’ What? Be mad. And if he talks to you, talk back to him. I mean, just be mad. Compete, fight, battle, toughness, swagger. It’s hard to have a swagger when you’re ducking and you’re running. You gotta dig your heels in. That’s why I’m saying all this stuff is good for our team. If we’re going to get it, it’s competing in games like this and learning and growing.”
This is what the Rebels can expect every game. Elite athletes hate to be shown up, probably more so than any other group of people, and Henderson has unfairly and selfishly put this target on his team. Ole Miss has great potential to do something special this season, but it will continue to underachieve unless it’s lead scorer learns to get over himself.
For this reason, Marshall Henderson has drawn more attention to Ole Miss than anyone not named Manning for both his 19 PPG and his apparent desire for an opposing student section to throw batteries at him. He’s so totally contrary to the humble, soup kitchen volunteer, athlete long glorified by the NCAA that his divisiveness has risen to Carmelo Anthony levels.
But Tuesday night was when Henderson’s extreme belief in himself came to a screeching halt. Against ultra-arrogant John Calipari and ultra-arrogant Kentucky, Henderson was a complete non-factor. He finished with 21 points, but in the same way Allen Iverson used to score in the 30s or 40s. He was just 5 of 19 from the floor, including 2 of 11 from range. It was one of those games you wish Bob Knight was announcing so he could rip apart what missing 14 shots can do to a team.
Bravado aside, Henderson is in reality a very mediocre shooter. He’s just 35 percent from the field in conference play, which is just slightly below his season average of 38 percent. He consistently misses double digit shots, and in the now infamous Auburn game, he was a putrid 26 percent from the floor. A performance hardly worthy of the performance he gave after the game.
But it was that show of cockiness to the Auburn student section that drew the national spotlight on Oxford last night, and left Ole Miss exposed as a team that’s not ready to join the nation’s elite. On how his team could handle Henderson, Calipari said he told his players:
“Oh, I’d like us to lose our composure. That’s what I’m looking for. Like, lose your composure. Get mad. Get angry. Be mad to be great. (Pretends to be moping, then getting bumped by someone) ‘Oh, sorry.’ What? Be mad. And if he talks to you, talk back to him. I mean, just be mad. Compete, fight, battle, toughness, swagger. It’s hard to have a swagger when you’re ducking and you’re running. You gotta dig your heels in. That’s why I’m saying all this stuff is good for our team. If we’re going to get it, it’s competing in games like this and learning and growing.”
This is what the Rebels can expect every game. Elite athletes hate to be shown up, probably more so than any other group of people, and Henderson has unfairly and selfishly put this target on his team. Ole Miss has great potential to do something special this season, but it will continue to underachieve unless it’s lead scorer learns to get over himself.
Saturday, January 26, 2013
The NCAA has Become a Joke, Which Makes Them Even More Dangerous
To this day, Joaquin Phoenix’s portrayal of Caesar in Gladiator is my favorite villian. He’s got everything in that role; equal parts powerful and bat-shit crazy. At any moment, he could either embrace you or rip off your ears, and both would be completely believable.
The NCAA is the non-murderous version of this. (unless you’re a Penn State or SMU fan, then they are definitely murderous.) While claiming to be the savior of the purity of college sports, President Mark Emmert could easily jump between statements like (concerning the Miami investigation) “I am deeply disappointed and frustrated, even angry about these circumstances,” and “AM I NOT MERCIFUL?!?!?!” It wouldn’t be that far of a stretch.
Emmert and Co. have been taking it on the chin for a while, and they’ve responded by puffing their chest and coming down even harder to prove they’re in charge (i.e. Penn State and USC). This is a frightening position for Miami, considering all the backlash might propel the NCAA to fight even harder and punish stronger to assure its control (like a dictator squashing a rebellion). Dan Le Batard of the Miami Herald said on The Herd;
“You don’t know whether to laugh at them or fear them,”... “These people have to justify their existence. They have to justify the time, money, and resources spent on the investigation over a couple of years, and it’s always scary when you’re looking for fairness from people who have to do this.”
But even with all this uncertainty hanging over them, you gotta love Miami’s “F--- you” message while blowing out Duke, the NCAA’s golden calf. Classic Hurricanes.
The NCAA is the non-murderous version of this. (unless you’re a Penn State or SMU fan, then they are definitely murderous.) While claiming to be the savior of the purity of college sports, President Mark Emmert could easily jump between statements like (concerning the Miami investigation) “I am deeply disappointed and frustrated, even angry about these circumstances,” and “AM I NOT MERCIFUL?!?!?!” It wouldn’t be that far of a stretch.
Emmert and Co. have been taking it on the chin for a while, and they’ve responded by puffing their chest and coming down even harder to prove they’re in charge (i.e. Penn State and USC). This is a frightening position for Miami, considering all the backlash might propel the NCAA to fight even harder and punish stronger to assure its control (like a dictator squashing a rebellion). Dan Le Batard of the Miami Herald said on The Herd;
“You don’t know whether to laugh at them or fear them,”... “These people have to justify their existence. They have to justify the time, money, and resources spent on the investigation over a couple of years, and it’s always scary when you’re looking for fairness from people who have to do this.”
But even with all this uncertainty hanging over them, you gotta love Miami’s “F--- you” message while blowing out Duke, the NCAA’s golden calf. Classic Hurricanes.
Friday, October 26, 2012
For What It's Worth: The Real Cost of Hiring Bobby Petrino
The desire to win will make you do crazy things, like inject yourself with a substance that will some day shrink your testicles and give you “man-boobs”. It’ll also make you say things like, “Hey, how about Bobby Petrino?”
Yes, rational, competent adult SEC fans have uttered such a phrase about this man. The man who hired his unqualified mistress to his staff at Arkansas, abandoned his NFL team after 13 games, and interviewed secretly for a position at Auburn while he was still head coach at Louisville.
Yeah, that guy.
It’s difficult to believe Tennessee fans and boosters have such a short memory. Lane Kiffin anyone? Remember the train wreck? The carnage? The burning mattresses? This is what happened when winning was given precedent over integrity. Does anyone want to experience that again?
But fans at Tennessee are clamoring for Petrino, and they’re not the only ones. Fans at Auburn, Kentucky, and yes, even Arkansas are joining in on the Scumbag Sweepstakes. This irrational fervor is summed up nicely by Grantland’s Bryan Curtis. “The point is not that Petrino is an OK guy. It’s that college football has festered for so long that even Petrino’s awfulness seems pedestrian.”
So if fans want Petrino, then fine. Sign him, but you have to own it. When he screws over the university for more money (a la Louisville AND Atlanta), or abandons the young men who trust him because a hot, co-ed gives him a second look (a la Arkansas), accept it. It’s happened everywhere he’s been. Why on Earth would it change at Tennessee or anywhere else?
I’d rather go 7-5 and wait for Jon Gruden to come save the day.
Thursday, October 4, 2012
A Case for Derek Dooley: Why Tennessee Fans Need a Reality Check
Far be it from me to tell SEC fans to be reasonable. We’re a zealous bunch when it comes to football, and having a losing team is damn near the equivalent to wearing the “cone of shame.” This unrelenting passion is what pays Nick Saban $5 million per, has Gene Chizik on the hot seat less than two years removed from a national title, and it’s what motivates this guy. And this guy.
But this passion also breeds a culture where adaptation is seen as weakness and tradition is carried like a flag into battle. Even if that tradition is fading.
Such is the case of Derek Dooley at Tennessee.
After being about the eighth offer to replace one-and-done Lane Kiffin, Dooley’s two-plus years in Knoxville have been disastrous by Tennessee standards. He’s 0-12 against ranked teams and winless against conference rivals Florida, Alabama, South Carolina, and Georgia. He’s yet to earn a conference win on the road, and the 26 game win streak over Kentucky ended last season.
Ugh.
But for those clamoring for Dooley’s head, it’s time to wake up and face reality. The school and fan base need to redefine what it means to be a national power in modern college football.
It was easy to get spoiled after decades of winning the old way, when the Tennessee brand carried it’s own weight. But that world has gone the way of cable tv and paper back books. Now, college football is being shaped more by flashy uniforms and YouTube videos than anything you might consider traditional. Play in front of 102,000 in Neyland Stadium? Please... Try playing USC while wearing state of the art apparel fresh off the design floor at Nike in front of a TV/online audience of millions with LeBron and D Wade on the sidelines at Autzen Stadium while trending on Twitter.
This is the new college football; an NFL D-League where recruits are lured by amenities and “cool”-factor. Sell a high schooler on tradition? You might as well give them a Mel Torme album for its cultural significance.
Comparatively, Tennessee purists seem more like bitter old men stashing money in their mattress than forward thinking investors. Alternate uniforms? It’s happened only once and radio stations and message boards lit up with fans appalled by the change. (It was ironically the last time the team beat a ranked opponent.) Modern facilities? UT’s brand new, $45 million updates pale in comparison to Southern Cal’s $70 million John McKay Center. Recruiting without these advantages? Dooley has been left to rely on his charisma and personality... and we all know what that’s like...
Therefore, the university must decide what it wants to be. To maintain the present course is to accept a future somewhere in the median. But if years of invites to the Music City Bowl are ahead, then blaming Dooley for losing to programs who’ve made far greater investments into winning is asinine. No individual coach is powerful enough to overcome odds like these. Even those with household names like Saban and Spurrier need major commitments from their respective universities to succeed. Without this, they might as well be coaching a high school team to state titles.
I don’t believe Dooley will ever be looked upon as a football genius or as a legend like his father, but neither will 99 percent of all coaches. If he’s fired this season, I’ll feel terribly for him because doesn’t deserve it. If the university wants to win now, then good luck making another Kiffin-esque hire. Desperation can lead to some very poor decisions. Just ask Arkansas.
But this passion also breeds a culture where adaptation is seen as weakness and tradition is carried like a flag into battle. Even if that tradition is fading.
Such is the case of Derek Dooley at Tennessee.
After being about the eighth offer to replace one-and-done Lane Kiffin, Dooley’s two-plus years in Knoxville have been disastrous by Tennessee standards. He’s 0-12 against ranked teams and winless against conference rivals Florida, Alabama, South Carolina, and Georgia. He’s yet to earn a conference win on the road, and the 26 game win streak over Kentucky ended last season.
Ugh.
But for those clamoring for Dooley’s head, it’s time to wake up and face reality. The school and fan base need to redefine what it means to be a national power in modern college football.
It was easy to get spoiled after decades of winning the old way, when the Tennessee brand carried it’s own weight. But that world has gone the way of cable tv and paper back books. Now, college football is being shaped more by flashy uniforms and YouTube videos than anything you might consider traditional. Play in front of 102,000 in Neyland Stadium? Please... Try playing USC while wearing state of the art apparel fresh off the design floor at Nike in front of a TV/online audience of millions with LeBron and D Wade on the sidelines at Autzen Stadium while trending on Twitter.
This is the new college football; an NFL D-League where recruits are lured by amenities and “cool”-factor. Sell a high schooler on tradition? You might as well give them a Mel Torme album for its cultural significance.
Comparatively, Tennessee purists seem more like bitter old men stashing money in their mattress than forward thinking investors. Alternate uniforms? It’s happened only once and radio stations and message boards lit up with fans appalled by the change. (It was ironically the last time the team beat a ranked opponent.) Modern facilities? UT’s brand new, $45 million updates pale in comparison to Southern Cal’s $70 million John McKay Center. Recruiting without these advantages? Dooley has been left to rely on his charisma and personality... and we all know what that’s like...
Therefore, the university must decide what it wants to be. To maintain the present course is to accept a future somewhere in the median. But if years of invites to the Music City Bowl are ahead, then blaming Dooley for losing to programs who’ve made far greater investments into winning is asinine. No individual coach is powerful enough to overcome odds like these. Even those with household names like Saban and Spurrier need major commitments from their respective universities to succeed. Without this, they might as well be coaching a high school team to state titles.
I don’t believe Dooley will ever be looked upon as a football genius or as a legend like his father, but neither will 99 percent of all coaches. If he’s fired this season, I’ll feel terribly for him because doesn’t deserve it. If the university wants to win now, then good luck making another Kiffin-esque hire. Desperation can lead to some very poor decisions. Just ask Arkansas.
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