The Jimbo Fisher thread

[exCyDing]

I'd want no part of coaching in the SEC. Sure money is insane but so many solid programs in that conference and OU and Texas coming in that constant high level winning is hard to do.

If you're looking for one more stop and don't care too much about how you go out, SEC makes a ton of sense.

Between the deranged fanbases and donors, ADs with more money than they can reasonable spend, intense competition and general sliminess of how SEC schools operate, it sure seems like a suboptimal place for a younger coach who wants to stay at it for 10+ years.

 

[BillBrasky4Cy]

I've seen similar thinking bandied about by Iowa State fans and the logic doesn't hold that well. Sure, none of those teams are very likely become a national power but for some reason some of you guys think the non-elites of the Big 10 are going to have to play all the blue bloods every year. That's not how any of this works. At most they'll play two of those. To make the playoffs they'll probably either need to beat one of the two or win the other 10 convincingly. That's even assuming the elite schools mentioned are actually elite in the year you play them. Pretty safe assumption with Ohio State. Not sure the same could be said for the rest of them.

That's not that different from the pre-division days. Iowa beat both UM and PSU in 2002 and 2009 and lost to UM but beat OSU and PSU in 2004. You can go back and look at MSU's successful seasons and they'll have beaten two of the three as well. Same for Wisconsin. That's probably where the second tier of Big 10 teams ends (you can add Washington to this tier probably, we'll see on UCLA)

My point is I don't think the additions to the conference impact how many times each of those teams make the playoffs. When those teams have been really good, it hasn't mattered if the elite teams were on the schedule or not. The important thing is hiring the right coach that is actually capable of producing those teams. Fickell is playing a dangerous game completely overhauling Wisconsin's offensive identity but maybe it'll work for him if given enough time. I have my doubts but if he can win in Cincinnati he can win at Wisconsin. We'll see who MSU hires. Dantonio had some really good football teams so if they hire the right guy, no reason to think it can't be done at MSU. As for Iowa, I think Kirk has one more top 12 team in him, but not two. Then we'll see who the next guy is.

The mid level Big 10 teams have never been every year BCS bowl contenders so no reason to think they'll ever get to the point that they'd be every year playoff contenders unless one of them gets a homerun hire. But I also don't see why they won't be what they are now, where two or three times a decade you'll field a team capable of competing for a playoff spot.

There's no doubt Iowa's schedule will be significantly harder annually. Look at Iowa's wins and losses over the last 5 years. They've beaten nobody! Those schedules are done.

 

[DSMCy]

There's no doubt Iowa's schedule will be significantly harder annually. Look at Iowa's wins and losses over the last 5 years. They've beaten nobody! Those schedules are done.

Yes mostly done, but ferentz was smart to get Wisc, Neb, and Minnesota as protected rivals. Teams he can beat or compete with each year.
Get 2-3 non-con wins (2 if Campbell can ever figure his crap out), plus those 3 and they've got 5 or 6 wins basically guaranteed every year.

I guarantee this is why Iowa pushed to have those 3 rivals.

 

[intrepid27]

Aggie boosters are hurting, because they are losing the ****-measuring contest. Sark has whorn boosters looking at the CFP. Jimbo... not so much.

Agree, the fact that the Longhorns may make the playoffs has got to be driving A&M booster crazy. Well, power to them. Open up your checkbooks so you can have bragging rights at Thanksgiving dinner.

 

[Clark]

There's no doubt Iowa's schedule will be significantly harder annually. Look at Iowa's wins and losses over the last 5 years. They've beaten nobody! Those schedules are done.

ok, you act like those are the only seasons Iowa has been successful. That is not the case which I pointed out.

They will be significantly harder annually than they have been the last few years, that is absolutely true. My point is that when Ferentz has had his big years, most of the time the strength of schedule hasn't been a factor (2015 is the outlier, that was not one of his better teams but had a beneficial schedule)

As for getting back on topic, I think the A&M jobs is a fantastic job where only a handful of coaches would be wise to turn down. Now that you can pay players, a top 5 recruiting class is virtually guaranteed. If you're any good at all building a program it's one of the very few jobs where a national title could be a realistic annual goal.

 

[jbhtexas]

This payout is insanity. Overcompensation of employees/execs can be grounds for revocation of 501(c)(3) status. I'd love for someone to file a complaint with the IRS against the Aggie AD and the other organizations paying for this.

 

[cyclone13]

This payout is insanity. Overcompensation of employees/execs can be grounds for revocation of 501(c)(3) status. I'd love for someone to file a complaint with the IRS against the Aggie AD and the other organizations paying for this.

Would love that to happen but unfortunately it won't.