The new rumor for Mike Leach has him going to Auburn

[DMBclone]

I just saw on ESPN that Leach is staying at Tech with a 5 year extension worth 12 million

[cycloneML]

I just saw on ESPN that Leach is staying at Tech with a 5 year extension worth 12 million

offered or accepted?

[bfross]

auburn is one of the most storied programs in the country. it would make sense for him to go there. too bad he didnt last year, cuz i doubt julio jones would have picked sabans run first offense over leach's run hardly offense.

I am not saying that Washington is the better gig for him, but I am not sure that Auburn is that much more storied than Washington. Looking purely from a wins/conf & national titles perspective, they are pretty equal.

Aburn (football started in 1891, stadium capacity 87,450, SEC starting in 1933):
all time wins = 683
conference championships = 10 (most recent in 2004, before that 1989)
national championships = 1 (1957)

Washington (football started in 1889, stadium capacity 72,500, Pac-10 starting in 1959):
all time wins = 653
conference championships = 15 (most recent in 2000, before that 1995)
national championships = 1 (1991)

[cybsball20]

I think Washington would be a better gig FOR HIM. It's really hard for an outsider to fit in in the south and Leach is the ultimate outsider, a law school grad from SoCal? That doesn't impress the Auburn folk... UCLA was probably the ultimate job for him, but he didn't get it.

[usedcarguy]

My bet is that he's shopping around to encourage the big contract which he's just been offered. Harrell's role in all of this IMO is just to stir the pot a little to help out his coach.

$2.4M a year is still decent money, even in today's CF arms race.

[cyclonenum1]

I think he would be stupid to leave at this point. He's god in Lubbock. Too many expectations if he leaves. However If he does leave I think Washington is a better fit. He seems like more of a Seattle guy than an Alabama guy.

I laughed at this...do you think he seems like a "west Texas guy". The bottom line is they don't care what kind of "guy" you are as long as you win.

If he comes to the SEC West he is in for a dog fight...first with Saban at Alabama (my money would be on Saban) and then with the rest of the teams that have a lot of tradition, great coaches and talent.

It would be curious for Auburn to hire him. They have traditionally been very run oriented (Cadillac Williams and Ronnie Brown come to mind recently) and this year when Tuberville brought in Tony Franklin to institute the spread offense they forced him to fire they guy half way through the season. Does Auburn think Leach runs the power I?

[jdoggivjc]

If I were Leach I wouldn't go with either - both situations will likely only offer a coach 3 years to turn that program around, and I think both are in situations were neither are likely to happen that quickly. Auburn is in a difficult SEC - 'nuff said.

As far as USC being the only team in the Pac 10, well they may be the only team that wins it every year, but that's hardly the case. It's kind of funny saying that USC's the only team in the conference when you're behind the likes of Cal, Oregon, and Oregon St (teams that on a yearly basis are good enough to give USC fits). Washington's going to have to get better than those three teams before it can even begin to think about placing itself in the USC category again, and Washington is so down right now 3 years might not be enough to put them even in that realm...

[dustinal]

The irony is that the spread offense is what got Auburn in trouble this year and why they dumped their new offensive coordinator less than halfway through the season. If Leach is their coach, guess what they're going to run?

EDIT -- Never mind, I guess. I just read DMBclone's post at the top of this page.