Pat Haden to USC: Thoughts on the open NBC color analyst job for Notre Dame football and who might be a good choice to replace him.

Gotta start with this Pat Haden thing. As crazy as this sounds, isn’t this the second biggest story of the ND offseason besides the hiring of Brian Kelly?? A changing of the guard in the announcer booth for NBC ND home football telecasts is rarer than a new pope these days. When was the last time Haden and Hammond haven’t regularly called ND games together?? The mid-90s?? I honestly don’t remember. It is certainly far rarer to be changing announcers than coaches.

I think the second most debated topic about ND football (besides discussing the head coach) in the last ten years has been the announcers. During the season, there are minimum 2-3 lengthy threads on the various message boards about the announcers. And now we actually have an opening.

I actually liked Pat Haden. Super nice guy, extremely intelligent, about as classy as can be (uh oh, there’s that word. Maybe we need someone a little less “classssssssssssy" this time. Is Lamaar Thomas available?). I heard Haden speak at ND about 5-6 years ago and was extremely impressed. He couldn’t have been more complimentary about ND in terms of academics, culture, and tradition. Heck, it sounds like he wants to bring some of the ND culture to USC and put an end to all the renegade stuff there.

I know he went to USC, but I’m not old enough to remember him as a former Trojan quarterback. I only know him as an announcer. It’s not like he would tell a bunch of stories about his USC days during the ND telecasts. You would never even know he went to USC from listening to him.

Think about Pat Haden’s life for a second. He has probably the greatest Wikipedia page of all time. USC legend, good NFL career with the Rams, Rhodes Scholar, 25 year announcing career, big time attorney, partner at some huge private equity firm, and now AD at USC. That’s like ten different careers wrapped into one life.

I see no reason to think he won’t change the culture at USC, but what if he overdoes it and turns USC into an ND/Stanford kinda place?? Would USC fans even be happy about that?? I expect him to clean up the nonsense, make USC an actual university again for athletes and not just a football factory, and guide USC through the NCAA mess, but will that result in winning?? Would USC fans be happy to go 7-5 but be clean?? I can tell you as an ND fan that it's not all that rewarding. I'd rather win first and worry about the other stuff second.

Should be interesting to see what approach Haden takes with Lane Kiffin. Can’t imagine those two will always see eye to eye, especially since Haden didn’t hire him. Will Haden tolerate the Pete Carroll/Lane Kiffin "Wild Boys" culture? If Kiffin looks shaky in year one, is Haden going to want to get “his guy” in place?? Tough to say.

Back to the announcing though. Even though I liked Haden, I’m ok with making a clean break from the past and finding a new voice for Notre Dame football. When I hear Haden and Hammond, I immediately think of bad ND football. I think of all the USC losses and home losses to Navy and Syracuse and UConn. I think of terrible special teams and soft defense and poorly-coached teams. I think of Rickey Dobbs running wild on our defense, and Adrian Dantley’s kid. I think of the Bush Push and the 4th and 10 Leinart pass. I can’t get the past out of my mind when I hear those guys.

ND needs a new voice to represent the Brian Kelly era. Haden and Hammond have gone stale, and a new announcing team might bring some energy to the telecast. NBC owes it to ND fans to look into a new duo. Nothing against Hammond, but it’s kind of a slap in the face at this point for NBC to keep trotting Hammond out there even though ND fans are tired of him and associate his voice with bad ND football.

When is NBC going to actually invest in their product to make it a higher quality production? Just seems like NBC has been going through the motions with us for ten years. These days, they just use the NBC ND telecast to promote their Sunday Night NFL game. If they don’t care about our product, why are we even with them?? Why not just make the leap to ESPN/ABC?? Say what you want about ESPN, but at least they care about sports and a quality product. NBC treats our games like a glorified public access game. Hands down the worst run television network.

Anyway, let’s just assume that NBC sticks with Hammond because they are too cheap to push him permanently over to horse racing and decides only to replace Haden. Who are they going to hire??

Two opening thoughts:

(1) It’s a color analyst -- Can we stop with the Dick Enberg and Ron Franklin talk as a replacement for Pat Haden?? Do people not realize that those guys are play by play guys?? The open spot is for a color analyst. This is not that difficult of a concept. There is a play by play guy and a color guy. Dick Enberg is not coming in as a color guy.

Quite honestly, I’m not even sure I’d want Enberg or Franklin anymore. Both those guys have aged in dog years. I love Dick Enbeg’s pipes, but he has lost it. He can’t keep up with the game anymore. It’s fun to hear his voice at the NCAA Tournament, but then you realize quickly that he’s a shadow of his former self. It would get old over time to always hear him messing up names and failing to keep up with the action.

(2) I wouldn’t mind an ex-ND guy -- Seems like there are mixed reviews from ND fans on whether they want a former ND guy in the booth. I don’t understand this. Why not?? The telecast is “Notre Dame Football Saturday.” Don’t people already assume it’s a pro-ND telecast?? They play the fight song going into every commercial break! There is nothing neutral about it. Why not just hire an ND guy who is going to call the game as he sees it but has an affiliation with the university??

If I am going to watch the same announcing crew week after week (admittedly I’m usually in South Bend and only watch 1 or 2 home broadcasts a year), at least give me someone who is going to ride the ups and downs with me. No different than a baseball radio crew. Why is this a bad thing?? The NBC-ND relationship is very unusual in sports since we're the only college football program with our own set of announcers. Might as well get guys who are going to give you the perspective of an ND insider.

I’m not necessarily saying NBC should hire some Ron Santo type. Hire a guy who knows football and is going to do a professional job. But a guy with ND ties who wants the job shouldn’t be eliminated just because he went to ND.

Here’s how I’d break this thing down:

Godfather offers -- Superstar color guys who probably would never take the job but NBC should talk to anyway

Gary Danielson – Hands down the best color analyst in college football. Easily the most prepared and insightful guy out there. How he is not a head coach in the SEC at this point is something I have yet to figure out. He is literally calling out the play from the booth before the snap. Amazing. At the very least, some random school like Kentucky or South Carolina should bring him in as a consultant to study film and point out tendencies.

Danielson is the best in the business. Not only does he watch film like a coach would, but he’s also got a good personality. If NBC wants to get serious about college football, they should offer Danielson whatever he wants to get him in the fold. And then go to the ACC or the Big 12 and try to work out a deal to get some other college football broadcasts on NBC. With an expanded lineup, maybe NBC could talk him into coming on board.

He probably would never leave CBS though. Why would he?? He’s the top analyst for the best conference in America, and spends his fall in places like Athens and Gainesville and Tuscaloosa and Baton Rouge. Probably not happening.

Cris Collinsworth -- Collinsworth is to the NFL what Danielson is to college football. Another film guru who is loaded with insight. Why don’t more analysts do this stuff?? Shouldn’t all analysts be in the film room breaking it down all week?? Why do only a handful of guys do this?? Isn't this their job??

Would Collinsworth consider a double duty now that his son is a freshman safety/WR at ND?? That’s the only way I could see him doing it. If he’s already going to be in South Bend for home games, why not just do the broadcast as well??

ND guys with broadcasting experience –

Paul Hornung – On second thought, maybe not such a good idea. Best case scenario, he brings a legendary voice to ND fooball. Worst case scenario, he calls out the administration on air after a tough loss for not allowing enough black guys into the school. We can build on this! He’d be our very own Champ Kind.

Rocket Ismail -- Ehh. Nothing against Rocket, but 8 games a year as an analyst?? Just doesn’t have the broadcasting chops to do it.

Aaron Taylor -- I could be talked into Aaron Taylor. I thought he was decent at ABC. Never heard him call a game before.

Jerome Bettis -- If you’re looking for a big time personality and likeable guy, Bettis might be on the radar. Everyone likes Bettis, he has some announcing experience, and most people associate him with the NFL instead of Notre Dame. A lot of younger fans probably don’t even know he went to ND.

Is he capable of being a college guy though?? I’ve never really heard him talk much about college football. I want the next NBC guy to be someone who really embraces college football, and doesn’t feel the need to compare it to the NFL like the Fox guys did during the BCS games.

Steve Beurlein – Another name that makes a ton of sense. Former ND qb, good analyst on CBS, young guy, good personality. Would he leave CBS?? You’d have to sell him on the whole ND package, and maybe sell him on a future Notre Dame network where he could be the man.

Lou Holtz – Hear me out on this! If you toned him down, I think Lou would be great. It’s Lou Holtz!! One of the most entertaiing sports personalities of all time in college football.

I know everyone associates Lou with the Dr. Lou stuff these days, but that stuff is just an act. He’s just playing a character. ESPN wants him to be a "rah rah" over the top ND homer for ratings.

If NBC brought him in and said “Be Lou Holtz, show off all your charm, talk football, but tone it down,” I think he would do it. I think Lou could easily transition into a “real” announcer and not just a farce ESPN personality.

This has to be Lou’s swan song dream job. Lead color analyst for NBC ND football telecasts?? I would imagine Lou would do anything for that gig.

Sean Milligan – Milligan in ’10! We can do this! Why not?? Former player, current coach, still extremely popular and connected within ND football circles, does a great Bob Davie impersonation, and he’s got broadcasting chops from doing work with Mike Frank. Milligan would be a hit with ND fans.

Maybe he’d have to give up the day job (for those interested, check out the bus tours and gamewatches), but I think it could work.

Wildcards -

Jesse Palmer -- In terms of a sleeper, what about Jesse Palmer? He’s actually become a really good analyst at ESPN, and his brother played football at ND. I think he could be the next Herbstreit with a bigger platform.

Biggest concern I have is whether he’d even be interested. He’s getting more and more opportunities at ESPN, and they have three different channels and studios to showcase him. NBC would have to sell him on other opportunities in the NBC family of networks. Maybe you mix him into the NFL, The Today Show, CNBC, etc, as more of a well-rounded tv personality. Heck, he was “The Bachelor” at one point, so he’s got some mainstream appeal. Besides Kirk Herbstreit, Jesse Palmer is probably the only analyst that my wife would know.

Petros Papadakis - Never thought I would hear this name in a million years, but it seems to be popping up out of nowhere. I would have no idea who he even is other than the fact that his LA radio show is randomly on in Columbus on the same channel as the Reds games. I actually think he could be great. He’s young, he’s funny, former athlete, talks about sports like a regular guy would, and really knows college football. Plus, he already does Fox Sports Pac 10 games, so he’s capable of doing the job. Could be an interesting choice, and would be just entertaining and opinionated enough to create some buzz about the NBC telecasts.

Two concerns:

(1) He’s too abrasive for the “down in front” crowd – Petros is like the Howard Stern of sports. A little too LA, too young, and opinionated for a typical ND crowd. If he starts making cracks about ND fans or players or the ND culture, our fans would probably have a meltdown. We’re not exactly a thick-skinned fanbase. The good thing is that he’d make fun of everyone, including USC players. I’ve heard him crack on Matt Barkley enough to know that he wouldn’t shy away from anyone.

Might be too much of a loose cannon for NBC though.

(2) He’s a USC guy! - It’s one thing to not hire an ND guy, but do we have to go for another guy from our arch rival?? Even if Petros isn’t a USC homer, he’s an alum. Isn’t that sort of a slap in the face?? If you are a Michigan fan, could you imagine Chris Spielman doing every Michigan home game for the next decade?? Even if he called things down the middle (he probably would), wouldn’t it just be uncomfortable to recognize him as the voice of Micihgan football??

NBC needs to remember that its base of viewers week in and week out are ND fans. Take care of your base before you worry about appeasing the rest of the nation.

Bobby Bowden – Don’t laugh! Wouldn’t Bobby Bowden be a great announcer?? He’s a character, he’s funny, and he’s an all-time great head coach. He actually respects ND and our tradition as well. Throw in a couple “dahgummits,” and I’d be entertained. If he calls Alex Flanagan “honey,” even better. I remember Bowden showed up on College Gameday a couple years ago and was great. Maybe he’s too old now, but I’d reach out to him.

Chris Spielman – Spiels would be good as well. He has really hit his stride with Sean McDonough the last couple years. Glad that he has finally gotten away from Pam Ward. Can’t see him leaving ESPN, but maybe the set 8 game schedule with NBC would be enticing for his schedule. The NBC gig is pretty cushy. You don’t really have to do as much ND research since you see them every week, you don’t have to travel all over, and it’s only 8 games.


The Favorites --

Joe Theismann – I know that Joey T. is a polarizing figure and was an easy target to mock in his Mike Patrick-Joe Theismann-Paul McGuire ESPN Sunday night NFL days. I’m picturing him explaining to us every Saturday that he sat down with Brian Kelly the night before and had a great interview. Nobody throws out a “here’s a guy” like Joey T.

The strange thing is that I never really minded that stuff. The Joe-isms were more comical to me than annoying. Does Theismann have a massive ego?? Yes. Is he full of himself?? Yes. Does he take himself way too seriously?? Yes, but at least he’s a professional. He knows the game, he’s polished, he gives you insight, and he actually gives a crap about his craft. He has ND ties, but he won’t be a homer. Theismann has been critical of ND and our players enough times to make me think he would just call the game (but also add perspective based on his ND ties).

I actually think the 4-5 year sabbatical Theismann has taken from the public spotlight could sort of ease the path to get him back into broadcasting. A fresh start on NBC might be a good thing.

Am I way off on this?? Is Theismann just a terrible idea?? I might regret supporting Thismann when it’s week 7, and he’s on the 5th consecutive week of retelling the exact same story.

Bob Davie -- The only one home run hire in my book. Heck, I started a petition to make him the voice of ND several years ago.

Robert Montgomery Davie. The most entertaining and underrated broadcaster in college football today. I can’t get enough Davie. He could be doing a random Kentucky-South Carolina game on ESPN2 with Mark Jones, and I’m probably tuning in. Hearing Davie is like being in college again for me. The drawl, the mannerisms, the classic Davie laugh, the raspy voice, the “I’ll tell you whats,” the footbawwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwls, and the way he manages to take 15 seconds to sound out a guy’s name. “KAAAAAPPPPPPPPPPPRONNNNNNNNNNNNNN LEWWWWWWWWWWWWWWISSSSSSSS MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORRRRRE……whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat a foooooooooooootbawwwwwwwwwwwwwl player.”

Does it get any better than that??

ND fans, I know you don’t like Davie. I know you thought he stunk as a coach. I don’t really disagree on that (although I’ll note he was the best of the post-Holtz coaches). But when you listen to him call an ND game, he still holds a special place in his heart for ND. He speaks very fondly about the campus, the mission, the academics, the culture, and how ND does things the right way. He has been nothing but complementary about ND when he has called games.

To me, this is a no-brainer. He’s buried a little bit at ESPN, so NBC would be a promotion. I think he’d do a great job, and it would get him back into the ND fold. I'd love to run into Davie at The Buns or Warren or somewhere on campus. That would make my year. For all I know, he hasn't been back since he got fired.

I want Davie and Milligan in a three man booth. A little old school and new school would make for great banter.

Get it done NBC. Milligan and Davie in '10. YES WE CAN!

The Enhusiasm Gap: A look at why Notre Dame football tickets are so easy to get these days, and why the lack of demand might be good for ND in 2010.

My wife and I have applied for Notre Dame football tickets every single year since we graduated from college. Some years we have more success in the lottery than others. Never a 100% success rate, but typically we end up getting about what we were looking for and start scrambling to make up for the other games that we want to attend. Between ourselves and our parents, we usually figure out a way to make it work and "break even" in terms of having a sufficient number tickets but never bogged down with too much inventory so to speak.

Until this year. We have found ourselves with a glut of tickets that I'm not entirely sure what we're going to do with. My wife sent in her minimum $100 donation and "won" every game she applied for, including USC, Army at Yankee Stadium, and Michigan. Once upon a time, there is no chance she would have won any of these games, let alone all three. At the moment, we find ourselves with 8 tickets to the USC game and 8 tickets for the Army game. I honestly have no idea what we're going to do with all these tickets. I don't mean to use the site as some sort of pseudo ticket broker agency, but if you're a regular reader and looking for tickets to either game at face value, feel free to email me at the email address to the right. It's ND! It's Army! It's Yankee Stadium! It'll be 24 degrees outside, Army will probably be 0-10, and NBC will be drawing a 0.1 rating, but please email me anyway!

Perhaps this is purely anecdotal, but I would take a guess that ticket demand through the lottery was as poor as it has ever been this year. The big secret about Notre Dame football that is just starting to leak out now is that it is RIDICULOUSLY easy to get tickets to a Notre Dame football these days. Even now, there's still an impression from the common fan that it's hard to get ND football tickets or that you have to know someone to go to a game. Maybe that was the case as recently as 5-10 years ago, but it's not even close to the case right now. ND football tickets are readily available. Not only are some games not selling out (even though we continue to trumpet the "sellout streak," which is borderline comical at this point), but even the "hot" tickets are not even remotely scarce anymore.

I won't say that Notre Dame is giving away tickets for free or anything, but the cache of the lottery has dropped off a cliff in the last couple years. Forget Sorin Society and all that. You can send in $100 and get season tickets. I'll hold out my wife's ticket application as proof of that.

And if you are just some random ND fan from Detroit or Chicago or Philly or Cleveland who grew up loving ND football and would love to go to a game someday (but always figured it was impossible to get tickets), you can get tickets very easily in 2010 to an ND game. Like you should not pay more than face value for any ticket (even online), you can show up to campus on gameday and get a ticket for $50 or less to every game I would bet, and I would guess that there will be AT LEAST three home games this year where you can probably get a ticket for free in the parking lot twenty minutes before a game.

In fact, I'm going to test out this theory for a late October/early November home game this year. Haven't decided which one I'll do it for, but I think I might drive up from Columbus at like 4-5 am on a Saturday, sign up for the 9am shotgun start at Warren Golf Course, finish the round, park my car somewhere on campus, and start walking to the football stadium. My goal is to literally have tickets in hand without breaking stride on my way into the ND football stadium. If I have to bend over to pick one up that is lying on the ground, that's about the only strain that I will put on my body to get a ticket.

Can it be done?? I think so. The ultimate test in the lack of ND ticket demand in 2010. If anyone wants to join me on the quest, feel free to email me and we'll make arrangements. Stay tuned on the blog for the announcement on which game that will be for. The new "The Decision."

Another hilarious move by ND to really devalue the importance of the lottery: Selling tickets through the ticket office BEFORE the lottery results were released. Just awesome work there. So while the people who applied through the lottery are waiting to see how things shake out, you start selling tickets to the public online?? Why not release the lottery results and then start selling the remaining tickets?? Would it have occurred to ND that fans were waiting for the lottery results to see what tickets they had and then might want to try to buy more depending on what games they got?? Just awesome work there. Way to really look out for your donors and alums.

If ND's goal was to kill donations and make people never want to apply in the lottery again, well done on that front.

Anyway, I digress. Why has ticket demand been so down the last couple years?? Well, it's not that hard to figure out. Bad economy, bad team, bad schedule, coaching change, rebuilding process, and a general malaise about ND football. I think a lot of ND fans have not really come on board with the Brian Kelly era yet. Even diehards like my father-in-law who will support the team under any circumstances are just sort of disillusioned. I'm a huge Brian Kelly fan, but I get it. A lot of people really drank the Charlie Weis kool-aid hard (me included), and he turned out to be a complete fraud. It's demoralizing, and a lot of ND fans have not gotten off the mat from that. There is a very large segment of the ND fan population (I'd say in the 50% range or higher) that is skeptical of Kelly or at least taking a "show me" approach. And there's also a large group that thinks ND football is rapidly becoming a dinosaur in college football and isn't equipped to get back to an elite level anytime soon no matter who the coach is. Add it all up, and that's why ticket demand is way down.

Could that all change?? YES. Absolutely. ND ticket demand could come skyrocketing back in the next couple years. We saw it in 2005 and 2006. ND suddenly looked good again, and campus was buzzing those two years. Even going into 2007, there was energy about the program heading into that opening day Georgia Tech game and good demand for home game tickets. If Brian Kelly works his magic and turns this 2010 team into an exciting team, fans will come back into the fold in droves and really start getting energized about 2011.

In the meantime, I thought I would put a positive spin on the lack of ticket demand. Here are some reasons why I think the lack of ticket demand in 2010 could be a blessing in disguise:

(1) More subway alums in the stands who are excited to be there

On the whole, ND crowds are fantastic. I know we have reputation as a bit of a "wine and cheese" crowd (some truth to that), but ND crowds are generally fun and spirited and lively, especially early in the year when the weather is nice. Even last year, the crowds for Nevada and Michigan State were outstanding. Same with Michigan in 2008. I would even go as far as to say "electric" for those games.

Having said that, ND crowds start waning a little bit as the season goes along. Maybe it's because the team has stunk or the weather gets dreary or the competition isn't as interesting, but our crowds don't exactly bring it for the late October or November games.

In defense of ND fans, can you blame them?? What fan who has already been to 2-3 home games earlier in the year is going to be jacked up about watching a 6-4 ND team play a 5-5 UConn team?? AT BEST, you'll get tepid applause when the team scores a td, but nobody is going to lose their voice yelling at a game like that.

When ND decided to make all these tickets available to the public a couple weeks ago, I noticed a lot of "So excited, first game at ND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" type posts from random fans on message boards. I work with a couple random ND fans who came racing down to my office to tell me they bought Purdue tickets through the ticket office. Hadn't been to a game before, and were on cloud nine about it. Keep in mind that these people were fired up about getting tickets to games like Purdue and Stanford and Western Michigan.

Isn't that a good thing?? Don't we want as many "I am so excited to be watching ND football in ND stadium that I am going to soak it all in and go crazy" type fans as we can pile into the stadium, especially for the later games?? People like Rudy Ruettiger's dad who well up when they walk in?? Going to an ND game is always exciting in my book, but I'll admit that I don't always bring my "A" game as a fan.

To me, more sub alums means a louder and rowdier crowd. Let's be honest, ND Stadium has lost its luster as an intimidating place to play on the road.

ND crowds have spirit, but more in a "Welcome to Notre Dame. Aren't we wonderful and classssssssssssssy??? Let's just have a great time and sway to Our Lady's alma mater, win or lose" kinda way.

We probably need a little more of an edgy crowd. The kinda crowd that makes opposing fans and teams uncomfortable. I'm tired of losing at home to UConn while we all stand around and clap like a bunch of seals because we're "classy." We need to take our games higher as a crowd as well and start expecting better things. Maybe an increase in sub alums will help. If it leads to a win over Utah, I'm all for it.

(2) Less Pressure on Brian Kelly

Expectations for ND football are not that high in 2010. If take a look at the various websites out there offering college football odds, you would not find a whole bunch of hype about the Irish in terms of wins or BCS odds. I actually think that's a little bit refreshing, and the lack of ticket sales might be a contributor to the lack of buzz right now. Even in 2008 and 2009, people were setting high bars for the team in terms of wins. People looked at the schedule before 2008 and figured 8-9 wins. In 2009, we were talking BCS.

This year, I almost feel like there is no real expectation for this team. Most people are thinking anywhere from 6-10 wins, but pretty much prepared for anything. New coach, new QB, new scheme. Transition season in every way.

I think this is a perfect scenario for Brian Kelly to fly under the radar going into the season. No target on our back, no Clausen coming back as a Heisman candidate, no real pressure. This is like a Mike Brey special. Quietly make your move when no one is paying attention.

(3) Better schedules

I know that most of the home games will eventually sell out or come close, but doesn't the lack of ticket demand have to be a little jarring for guys like Swarbrick and Jenkins who grew up in the ND heyday?? The thought of ND tickets not being incredibly hard to get is weird even for a younger fan like myself, but it must be especially awkward for two guys so closely involved with ND who remember the program as one of the most coveted tickets in all of sports.

I think its is fairly obvious at this point that ND fans just aren't going to bite on a bunch of dud games. We're not Cubs fans (ok, maybe a little). We want to see a quality ND team playing quality competition, and we're not driving 2-4 hours into town for Western Michigan or Tulsa or Army or UConn or Stanford. Heck, I would rather drive into town, play 18 at Warren at about noon, and then roll to the Buns to watch the 2nd half than sit through a four hour ND-Western Michigan game in the stands.

I think fans are at the brink with this program. You can't just keep taking your fans for granted and expect them to come out when the product is bad. The team stinks, we've been through four coaches in a decade, and the schedules are lousy and boring. Fans have lost interest, and they don't trust the people running the football program anymore (either the AD, the administrators, or the coaches).

Hopefully Brian Kelly will fix the football side of the program, but now we gotta see results from the administrative side. If you want to put butts in the seats, you better put out a quality schedule. If ND was playing LSU at home this November, that game would be sold out in the lottery before the season. Without a doubt. But instead we have Tulsa.

If Jack Swarbrick has his finger on the pulse of the fanbase and the alums, he would have come to the realization this winter/spring that ND fans are fed up and that he needs to adjust the 7-4-1 or scrap it altogether. Hopefully he is actively working on a marquee November home game for 2011 and beyond. If he wants fans in the stands, there's no other option.

Tom Crean....would you like some cheese with that whine?

Nothing like a Twitter controversy to liven up the college basketball offseason. Guess it was only a matter of time. I don't really check out Twitter all that often, but I've seen seen a few different college coaches' Twitter accounts. For the most part, it's just a bunch of fluff. You’ll see a lot of “Heading to ABCD camp. Go Irish!!” type stuff (cmon, just let me believe that Brey is actually in the mix for some ABCD type guys). Maybe a few nuggets about the current players or a movie recommendation or an update on their favorite charity. Not exactly controversial stuff there.

Coaches use Twitter to sell their program and themselves, and that’s basically it. It’s an opportunity for fans and recruits to connect with the head coach through an unfiltered source. In many ways, it’s been a great thing for college sports.

We haven’t really had a big Twitter controversy in college sports yet though.

Until now.

Why does it not surprise me that the first big Twitter whine job has come from none other than one of college basketball’s biggest whiners, Mr. Thomas Aaron Crean??

In a story that is just starting to make the rounds in Indy and elsewhere, here’s what Coach Crean had to say the other day about some of the coaches he is recruiting against for talent in the state of Indiana in the loaded 2011-2013 classes.

“Frankly some of the assistants we go against I wouldn’t let valet my car. They either would lose the keys or drive away with it. In all honesty there are some Head coaches that would be the same way. The ones that wake up on 3rd base and think they hit a triple kill me. The more you spend time with recruits on campus, the more you build a relationship, the more they share. Its amazing the things you learn.”

Cmon man, are you really gonna go on Twitter and whine about other coaches and how unfair recruiting is like we’re supposed to have sympathy for you?? You’re making over $2 million a year. Your total deal is worth around $18 million. You’re the head coach at freaking Indiana. You have tradition and fans and in-state talent and everything you would need to recruit. Am I really supposed to feel sorry for you because the other coaches are working the trail harder than you and doing whatever it takes to get recruits to sign on the dotted line??

This line is so pathetic I don’t even know where to begin.

”The ones that wake up on 3rd base and think they hit a triple kill me.”

Really Tom??! Aren’t you the same coach who made your ENTIRE reputation off the back of Dwayne FREAKING Wade?? Without D. Wade carrying you on his back to the Final Four, you’ve basically been Mike Brey 2.0. One NCAA 2nd round appearance, a bunch of first round NCAA losses, and a few NITs. Not horrible, but certainly not setting the world on fire.

If anyone is guilty of "waking up on 3rd base," it's Tom Crean. He parlayed a transcendent future NBA Hall of Famer and some decent seasons into one of the best jobs in college basketball.
How about winning some games and recruiting some players before spouting off on your Twitter account?? Here is what Tom Crean has done in two years at IU:

Overall: 16-46
Conference: 5-31

5-31!! Not exactly inspiring a lot of confidence two years into his tenure at IU. In fact, here is what Indiana did in their last thirteen games last year:

1/24 IOWA L 58-43
1/30 @ ILL L 72-70
2/04 PUR L 78-75
2/07 @ NW L 78-61
2/10 OSU L 69-52
2/13 @ WIS L 83-55
2/16 MSU L 72-58
2/20 @ MINN L 81-58
2/25 WIS L 78-46
2/28 @ IOWA L 73-57
3/03 @ PUR L 74-55
3/06 NW W 88-80 OT
3/11 vs. NW L 73-58

Yikes. 12 losses in their last 13 games. Not only were they losing games, they legitimately threw in the towel last year. You don’t lose by 30 at home in the middle of Big Ten season because you “don’t have enough talent.” Indiana doesn’t have upper echelon talent like Michigan State or Ohio State or Purdue, but getting blown out by Northwestern twice in 30 days and also getting blown out by a horrible Iowa team??? Ummm, that’s a little more than a talent problem.

Now don't get me wrong, Tom Crean isn't some hack. I thought Tom Crean did a decent job at Marquette, and I actually thought he was a decent hire for Indiana. I am pulling for Indiana to become relevant again soon. I respect the tradition and the names on the front of the jerseys and Robert Montgomery Knight and Assembly Hall and the five National Titles and names like Isiah Thomas and Calbert Cheney and Steve Alford and Quinn Buckner. College basketball is better when Indiana is good.

But thus far, he's been a huge bust, and hasn't created even the slightest bit of buzz about Indiana basketball in three years. And crying about other coaches who are outrecruiting and outcoaching him doesn't reflect favorably on his future at Indiana. How many times do you see Nick Saban whining about how hard his job is?? Or Tom Izzo complaining about other coaches negatively recruiting against him. The answer is none. You don't think Tom Izzo gets negatively recruited against?? Of course, he does. "He's going to the NBA." "He's too tough on his players." "He'll recruit over you." etc, etc. Probably happens with every recruit.

Color me unsympathetic. Is college basketball recruiting a cesspool?? Yes. I realize there are coaches promising anything and everything to land recruits. But doesn't it ultimately come down to results??

Even if Tom Crean thinks John Calipari and Thad Matta are slicksters and BS artists, those guys get results!! Calipari has brought in back to back top 5 classes. Wouldn't IU fans love to have that kinda buzz right now?? Matta pulls in blue chippers throughout the Midwest pretty much every year. Wouldn't IU love to be landing some five star blue chippers once in awhile?? I don't care what these coaches say to players. It comes down to the finished product. Wake me up when Tom Crean lands even one blue chipper at IU.

Did Tom Crean think that coaches wouldn't come into the state of Indiana and try to recruit talent?? I'm trying to figure out what his complaint is. That other coaches have big egos?? That other coaches are saying bad things about Indiana?? Of course they are! That's recruiting. It's been this way for fifty years.

If you don't want to get into the shark tank with the big boys, go coach somewhere else. You're at Indiana. This is big boy basketball. They want to play in Final Fours there. When you take over at Indiana, you are expected to land blue chippers, especially in your home state. The state of Indiana is churning out top 100 players by the dozen every year these days. Kentucky has already landed Marquis Teague, Louisville is after guys, Ohio State is after guys, Duke and UNC will probably be in the mix, and even Xavier/Purdue/Butler/ND are positioning themselves.

It's a meatgrinder out there. If you want to win big, you gotta have the horses. If Tom Crean finds the recruiting battlefield to be unseemly, maybe he's in the wrong job.

Notre Dame Basketball Update: Thoughts on ND-Gonzaga, ND-Kentucky, the new Big East schedule, Luke Harangody, Eric Atkins, and the 2010-2011 team.

Death, taxes, and the annual WEISND summer Notre Dame hoops update! You can practically set your watch to it.

It's been a few months since the season ended, so let's take a peek at some of the big issues/storylines that have popped up recently surrounding your Notre Dame men's basketball program.

(1) Nonconference scheduling

For my money, this is shaping up to be the best nonconference schedule ND has played since I started following the program in 1998. We might actually have an opportunity to come out of OOC play with a solid RPI number this year.

Here's what we have so far:

(1) Notre Dame-Gonzaga at the JACC on December 11

How about that little matchup right there?? Not too shabby. Here is Gonzaga's RPI in the last five years:

2010 - 36
2009 - 26
2008- 34
2007 - 60
2006 - 12

Ok, it's not Duke or anything, but you can all but guarantee that Gonzaga is going to be a top 30-40 type team on the RPI grid and probably ranked in or near the AP Top 25. They have become one of the premier mid-majors in the nation, and always schedule adventurously in nonconference play. Walter.com has the Zags at #24 going into next year. And Andy Katz has them at #9. Could be a big game.

I would actually rather play more teams like Gonzaga on the schedule than games against teams like North Carolina or Duke or UCLA or Kentucky (more on that in a minute). It's a good game for RPI/perception purposes, and more importantly, it's a winnable game. I would guess the betting line for that game will be around Gonzaga -3.5 depending on how both teams look early on. A tough game no doubt, but winnable. Going to Cameron Indoor and losing by 15 to Duke doesn't really do much for me. I'd rather play somebody like Gonzaga.

(2) Notre Dame-Kentucky at Freedom Hall on December 8 for the Big East/SEC Classic

Our fans have been clamoring for more Duke/UCLA/Kentucky type "big games" in nonconference play, but I'm not sure if this game is really that great for us. Kentucky is going to be super talented, and the game is going to be played in Louisville.

Great "neutral" site choice of Louisville. Absurd. If 20,000 UK fans and 50 ND fans (including David Graves) is considered "neutral," then I need to get out my Websters and look up that definition again.

Maybe we'll catch Kentucky at the right time and steal a win when all their freshmen are still gelling, but it just feels like it's going to be awfully tough to get a win there. Kentucky is bringing in four 5 star recruits and two 4 stars. Insane. Calipari is a recruiting machine.

I realize that this is the Big East/SEC classic and that we don't have a lot of say in selecting the games, but I think I'd rather play somebody like Vanderbilt to shoot for a win against a decent team for RPI purposes. Let Syracuse play Kentucky in the "heavyweight" made-for-tv battle.

Playing elite teams is fun, but it's only worth it from an NCAA Tournament standpoint if we win the game. Playing Kentucky and losing does nothing for us. Sure it's better than playing Kenesaw State, but you move up the RPI ladder with wins.

If we want to get a good seed in the NCAA Tournament, we need WINS. Period. Right now, ND basketball is what it is. We are a solid 30-40 type program that can compete with anyone on a given night and should make the NCAA Tournament most years, but we aren't Duke or Carolina or Kentucky. Those games are the types of games that we'll lose most years.

(3) Notre Dame-Georgia in the Old Spice Classic over Thanksgiving in Florida (also in the field are Boston College, Cal, Manhattan, Temple, Texas A&M, Wisconsin).

According to Tom Noie of the South Bend Tribune, we are playing Georgia in the first round of the Old Spice Classic. Might as well put in a plug for Tom Noie's Twitter while I'm here. It's pretty much the best Notre Dame basketball information source out there. He always has great scoops and little nuggets about the hoops program, and it's easy to follow. I also would recommend that long article he wrote about Mike Brey in the George Washington Magazine as well.

Anyway, Andy Katz actually has Georgia as one of his sleeper teams this year and has them in his preseason top 25. Apparently they have a couple stud young guns, and Mark Fox might have something going down there in Athens. I won't even pretend to know anything about Georgia, but I'll take Andy's word for it. Then again, they went 13-16 last year and 5-11 in the SEC with nonconference losses to Wofford and St. Johns. Certainly a winnable game.

If we win that game, Noie is saying that we'll play Cal. Beat the Bears, and it's possibly Temple in the final game. No idea if it will play out that way, but I would be very happy to play all three of those games for schedule strength purposes.

Does anyone know if the Old Spice Classic has a consolation bracket if we lose early?? That would actually be nice in case we lose.

So there you have it from a nonconference scheduling standpoint. Gonzaga, Kentucky, Georgia, and maybe Cal and Temple. That could turn out to be pretty good. Gonzaga is a home game, so fans should be excited for that one.

If we were really feeling frisky, we should try to set up a couple decent "buy games" with MAC type teams and maybe somebody like Duquesne. Get them to come to South Bend, win the game, and get a couple nice 100-150 RPI wins on the schedule. The difference between playing somebody like Duquesne and somebody like Stony Brook is substantial for the RPI.

I won't hold my breath on that one though. Brey has been here for ten years, and has never done that. I expect the rest of the schedule to be a bunch of 250+ RPI dregs on the cheap. Guess the expense isn't worth it for the athletic budget guys running things.

I'll predict that we come out of nonconference play with 2 losses and a fairly respectable RPI, but probably not the type of RPI that would get us a great seed for the NCAAs.

(2) The Big East schedule

The Big East also released the Notre Dame conference schedule. Let's take a peek:

Home: Cincy, UCONN, GTown, L'Ville, Marquette, RU, SJU, SHU, Nova

Away: UCONN, Depaul, Marquette, Pitt, Prov, SJU, USF, Syr. WVU

(Two-fers are UConn, Marquette, and St. Johns)

The good news is that I don't think those two-fers are too bad. UConn is actually kind of a mess right now, Marquette lost Lazar Hayward, and I think Steve Lavin is getting waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too much hype at St. Johns. People do realize he had absurdly loaded rosters and underperformed every year right?? I mean, I have grown to love Steve Lavin after watching him all these years with Brent Musberger on ESPN Big Ten games, but I'm not completely sold on his ability to turn St. Johns into a powerhouse program in the Big East anytime soon. It's a tough tough world in this league, and he's not selling UCLA anymore on the recruiting trail.

The road schedule looks pretty tough. Games at UConn, Marquette, Pitt, Syracuse, and West Virginia is rough (plus our inevitable letdown loss at SJU or South Florida).

Tough to say on the home schedule. Some big names on there, but not sure what UConn and Louisville are going to look like.

The consensus early on is that the following teams will probably be ranked in the preseason: Pitt, Villanova, Georgetown, Syracuse. We have two of them at home and two on the road.

Just a guess here, but I'll say we go 7-2 at home and 3-6 on the road for a total of 10-8 in the league. Maybe 11-12 wins pop up if everything breaks right, but I'd go with 10-8 for now.

(3) Big East looking at Memphis and Central Florida??

There were some reports a few weeks ago during the conference realignment talk about the Big East adding Memphis and Central Florida to "strengthen" their position in the landscape.

First, I think that statement on its face is a little iffy. Memphis has a good basketball program historically, but they are also one of the biggest renegade programs in the country. UCF is just a wacky pick. Here's what they've done in hoops the last five years:

2010 - 14-16
2009 - 17-13
2008 - 16-14
2007 - 22-8
2006 - 13-14

In other words, you're basically adding a .500 program from the Conference USA. And it's not like either school brings anything to the football table either.

Going to 18 teams would be a mistake. There are already too many teams in the Big East as it is now. How would you schedule with 18 teams??

For ND, adding Memphis would just be another hurdle for us to get to the NCAA Tournament. I don't want to move down the pecking order even farther than we already are. Maybe Memphis wouldn't get it done in the Big East, but there's a lot of talent in their backyard. Going to the Big East would probably help them in recruiting.

If we have more conference expansion and a couple Big East teams like Pitt and Syracuse leave, I'd rather just see the basketball-only schools break off and form our own league. Give me ND,Gtown, St. Johns, Marquette, DePaul, Villanova, Seton Hall, Providence and add on Xavier, Dayton, St. Louis, Temple. That would be one heckuva league.

I don't want any part of an 18 team Big East, especially with two less than thrilling acquisitions. All it does is dilute the product, and stick us into an even more crowded picture than we are already in now.

(4) No more double bye in the Big East Tournament

Seems like the format changes every year for this thing, but good move by the Big East to get rid of the double bye in the Big East Tournament. It almost has become a disadvantage to be a top seed in the Big East Tournament because you sit and wait for a couple days while the lower-seeded teams build up some momentum earlier in the week.

This format will have all 16 teams play in the first round. The top 4 seed against the bottom four seeds on Tuesday (1 vs 16, 2 vs 15, etc) and the middle 8 teams on Wednesday (5 vs 12, 4 vs 13, etc)

I would guess that the power programs wanted this. Everyone gets a game early, then you move into the quarterfinals on Thursday and go from there. Seems like it will produce fewer upsets.

(P.S. - If you're going to Vegas this year for the conference tournaments, might want to keep this in mind. I always liked to ride the hot underdog that gets a game or two under its belt early. If the big names are getting early games too, it dilutes that 'hot hand" factor. Then again, maybe the big names don't care about the conference tourneys and still will drop out early every year (see The Michigan State Spartans).

(5) Luke Harangody to the Celtics

I'm happy that Luke got drafted by the Celtics. Good fit for him, and they'll like him as a lunch pail type.

I'm not going to pretend to be an NBA guy, but the consensus that you seem to hear from people who know the league is that you need to do one thing well to survive (and stay healthy of course). It will be interesting to see what path Luke takes to carve out a niche in the league. He seems to think that he needs to hit the 18-20 footer to make it in the league, but I think he's better suited to be an energy guy who bangs and scraps and uses his body and overall basketball intelligence to scrap for points and rebounds off the bench. If he's got an open 20 footer, fine. Take it. But do the brunt of your work by selling out your body in the paint.
Will he get stuffed badly on occasion?? Sure, but I watched this guy bang successfully against bigger guys for four years. Gody has some of the best feet and hands I've seen for a big man, and he's got the heart to hang in there. Standing out on the perimeter is not his game.

No excuse for him to be so soft defensively though. If you want to make it in the NBA, you gotta be willing to guard somebody. I can't really say Gody did that at ND.

Either way, I'm rooting for him to succeed. I realize that people were a little turned off by his play in 2010 and are ready for a Ewing Theory moment in 2010, but the guy was an all-time great at ND and probably was the best player I've seen at ND since I've been following the team. Step back from his flaws and remember all the things that he did well.

I think he can make it in the league. Good luck Luke.

(6) How is 2010-2011 looking??

This is probably the deepest and most versatilie team we've had in a long time. Lots of interesting possibilities in terms of playing time and lineups. I could see this lineup on opening day:

PG - Atkins
SG - Hansbrough
SF - Abromaitis
PF - Scott
C - Nash

Bench: Martin, Brooks, Cooley, Broghammer, Knight

or this one

PG - Hansbrough
SG - Martin
SF - Abromaitis
PF - Scott
C - Nash

or even this one

PG - Atkins
SG - Hansbrough
SF - Martin/Abro/Scott
PF - Nash
C - Cooley

Three big keys from a lineup standpoint:

(1) Atkins -- Obviously a lot going to depend on what he can do. If he's ready, I'd go with him at point guard. He's give us some quickness on the perimeter. I can't take our team seriously with Hansbrough and Martin as our starting guards. Just not enough defensive capability there. At least give me the HOPE that we can defend. With two white guys on the perimeter, I can't even have that.

If Atkins can't go, throw Hansbrough in at point guard. I have no doubt that Hansbrough would be a very good point guard in the Big East, so it's a good option to have.

I'll assume that we start the season with Hansbrough at point guard and hopefully work Atkins into the mix by Big East play.

(2) The wing spots -- How are the minutes going to be distributed at the wing spots?? Is Martin going to start right away?? How is Abromaitis going to look this year after playing great for most of the year and then fading down the stretch?? Is Carl Scott ready to make the leap and become a superstar?? Is Joey Brooks capable of giving us an intriguing look at shooting guard off the bench??

I think I'd try to get all of the big three (Abro, Scott, Martin) about 25 minutes a game. No need to create an iron man group this year. All these guys can contribute in their own way. Martin is highly-skilled and can rebound a little bit, Scott is an athletic freak with moxie and a defensive presence, and Abro is a lights out shooter. Why not just play them all and ride the hot hand depending on needs??

I am a huge Mike Brey fan, but it will be really disappointing if Coach Brey just rides 6 guys all year with this team. We are capable of going 8-9 deep with lots of different matchup combinations. We should use that depth and versatility to our advantage.

Having said that, I am fully prepared to see Brey run out Hansbrough, Martin, Scott, Abro, Nash for 35 minutes a game with a couple minutes sprinkled in for Cooley, Brooks, and Atkins.

(3) The Bigs

Should be interesting to see what we do inside. No Harangody this year, but I thought Nash really came on strong at the end of last year. Nash has to be a starter as far as I'm concerned.

I also expect Scott to be down in the post for defensive and rebounding purposes.

But what about Cooley and Brog?? Don't we have to get a couple beefy guys in there to bang and give up fouls?? I think we gotta find 10-15 minutes a game for each of those guys.

And if Cooley suddenly looks like a stud in the fall, I'd even think about bumping his minutes into the 20-25 minute range. A big lineup with Scott, Nash, Cooley would actually be intriguing.

Bottom line, I want Brey to treat the preseason as a very fluid situation and experiment with a bunch of different combinations and lineups. Make it a priority to play a different lineup every game, and see what gels.

Could be an exciting season. Hopefully the Irish are playing in the NCAA Tournament again in March 2011.

Michigan Man: Thoughts on Rich Rodriguez, Michigan's future, Les Miles and the LSU Tigers, and why Jim Harbaugh might be next line in Ann Arbor.

Mojo is a weird thing in sports. One minute, you might be on top of the world, and the next minute you can't do anything right. Look at Rick Pitino. Two years ago, he was on top of the basketball world with maybe the #1 ranked team in America going into an Elite Eight game against Michigan State in Indianapolis. The man literally walked into the stadium to the sounds of “The Godfather” from the Louisville pep band. Since that date, the following has happened:

Got spanked by Michigan State
Major adultery scandal
Kentucky rises back to the top of the basketball world under John Calipari
Mediocre 20-13 season with a first round BET loss and first round NCAA Tournament exit
Loses highly-touted Brandon Teague to Kentucky

In the span of 16 months, Louisville basketball has become an afterthought. Unranked with no buzz and a coach who is licking his wounds after his personal business came out. Kentucky has blown past them as the king of the state once again, and there are even some whispers that folks in The ‘Ville want to make a change at the head coaching spot (if so, Swarbrick should be on the next flight to Louisville).

Add it up, and it’s just bad mojo. Once you start getting that bad mojo, it’s really hard to turn it around. Even if Pitino rights the ship to some degree with a good recruiting class in 2011, it’s hard not to feel like the aura of Rick Pitino might be over.

Anyway, that’s how I feel about Rich Rodriguez right now. I think Rich Rodriguez is a good football coach. I watched his teams at West Virginia, and always was extremely impressed with how they played. He had a reputation as an innovator, and people whose opinion I trust about football have always raved about him as a coach going all the way back to his days as an offensive coordinator at Tulane and Clemson.

If I had to put a number on it, I would have said I was about 80% confident that Rich Rodriguez would be a big star at Michigan when he was hired. I bought into all the stuff about him bringing the spread to the Big Ten and how he would bring the Michigan program into the modern world of college football with innovative offensive schemes and weight training and all that. If he could win at West Virginia, wouldn’t he inevitably produce top 10 teams at Michigan??

For whatever reason, it hasn’t worked out. It’s undeniable that he has been a complete disaster at Michigan, and I’m starting to buy into the idea that 2010 might be his last year in Ann Arbor.

Quick tangent here. If you think Rich Rodriguez hasn’t been a complete disaster thus far, I don’t know what to tell you. He took over a fairly solid and stable Michigan program and immediately ran them into the ground. 8-16 (3-13 in Big Ten play and 1-6 in November) in two years at a place that has cranked out 8-10 wins a year for about 100 years. Look at some of the losses they’ve had in the last two seasons:

Outscored by Illinois 83-33 in back to back losses
Outscored by Penn State 81-27 in back to back losses
Home loss to Toledo 13-10
Back to back losses to Purdue
Back to back losses to Michigan State
Outscored 63-17 by Ohio State in back to back losses

I mean, not only have they been losing games, they’ve generally been destroyed by teams. Losing to Illinois by 25 points in back to back years?? Seriously?? That’s not a complete disaster?? Ron Zook is hanging onto his job by a thread (and really should have been fired this past season when his team completely quit on him), and he looked like Bear Bryant against Rich Rodriguez. How does happen?? It’s Michigan! I don’t care if Desmond Howard was coaching them. You figure Michigan could be competitive during a transition period on pride and tradition and talent alone.

Michigan has been hands down the worst team in the Big Ten the last two seasons, and I don’t really see it getting any better for Michigan this season. From what I’ve read about their spring game, it sounds like their defense looked awful again. What is their identity now?? Try to outscore teams 45-42?? That’s not going to work in the Big Ten. You can’t win if you play zero defense.

Just looking at their schedule in 2010:

September 4, 2010 Connecticut
September 11, 2010 at Notre Dame
September 18, 2010 Massachusetts
September 25, 2010 Bowling Green
October 2, 2010 at Indiana
October 9, 2010 Michigan State
October 16, 2010 Iowa
October 30, 2010 at Penn State
November 6, 2010 Illinois
November 13, 2010 at Purdue
November 20, 2010 Wisconsin
November 27, 2010 at Ohio State

Do you see 7-8 wins on that schedule?? I’m not sure I do. Games against Michigan State, Purdue, Indiana, and Illinois really don’t look like lock wins based on what they have done the last couple years.

Besides, is 7-5/8-4 really considered progress for a Michigan coach?? Really??? I keep hearing that Michigan fans would be satisfied with 7-5, but I must have missed the memo that Michigan is now Minnesota. A good Michigan team would go minimum 9-3 against that schedule and probably be disappointed about losing 3 games. And even with those tough road games at Ohio State, Penn State, and Notre Dame, the goal before the season would have been to win the Big Ten title and play in the Rose Bowl. Instead, it seems like Michigan fans would be thrilled with an Alamo Bowl appearance this year. Strange stuff. What happened to the expectations at Michigan?? Games like Indiana and Purdue should not be intimidating for a Michigan fan.

It’s also starting to look like things are drying up a little bit on the recruiting trail for Rich Rodriguez. Coming off a year when he had all kinds of early playing time to sell to recruits (especially on defense), Michigan had the #20 recruiting class in 2010. Right now, they only have 5 commits in their 2011 class. Compare that to some of the other big name schools out there:

Notre Dame – 10
Alabama – 14
Texas – 21 (absurd!!!!!!!!!!)
USC – 8 (every guy but one is a 4 or 5 star and they always close late)
LSU – 11
Oklahoma – 16
Ohio State – 15

In other words, the big boys out there are sealing the deal early and often with the top talent. Doesn’t seem like Michigan is a player for the same caliber of guys right now.

Why has Rodriguez been such a bust at Michigan thus far?? I think it comes back to the mojo thing. For whatever reason, the fans and media and ex-players and current players haven’t seemed to buy in. It seems like every week there is some former player taking a shot at Rich Rodriguez. I don’t know what it is, but he doesn’t seem to be embraced with that whole “Michigan Man” aura that Carr and Schembechler had.

Doesn’t that eventually carry down to the current players?? If they don’t respect the coach, maybe they won’t put in that extra rep at the squat rack in the offseason. Or sell out to make that open field tackle. Or they maybe they aren’t concentrating on their assignments and make a mental error. All in all, it adds up to losing football, which has been very rare at Michigan in the last 100 years.

It reminds me a lot of the Billy Gillespie saga down in Lexington. By all accounts, Billy Gillespie is a good basketball coach who took over two programs that had been down in the dumps (UTEP and A&M) and won almost immediately. He was even recruiting well in the earlygoing at Kentucky (landing Daniel Orton). But as soon as they got blown out in that game at home by Gardner-Webb, I don’t think he ever recovered. Just bad mojo right from the start that snowballed over the next couple years. Even though he was still a good coach, he lost the fans and the players and couldn’t get rid of the cloud hanging over the program. I don't know if his personality was a bad fit or if it was some other reason, but Gillespie and Kentucky never clicked.

Rich Rodriguez needs to change the mojo this year to become more of a “Michigan Man”, or I think he’s done. Forget the wins and losses for a second. He needs to put teams out on the field that look like Michigan teams. Hard-nosed, tough, solid backbone on defense, good line play. I don’t see how getting blown out 3-4 times and going 7-5 with a lousy defense is progress, and I would imagine that new AD David Brandon feels the same way behind the scenes. If they don't pass the look test, I think he'll be gone.

Is Les Miles the answer at Michigan??

The interesting thing about the Michigan coaching situation is how things would proceed if Rich Rodriguez did get fired. The obvious name that will come up is Leslie Edwin Miles. You don’t get more “Michigan Man” than “Have a GREAT day.”

But here’s my question. Is Les Miles even going to be employed when Michigan tries to contact him??

Check out LSU’s schedule this year:

September 4 – North Carolina (Georgia Dome)
September 11 – at Vanderbilt
September 18 – Mississippi State
September 25 – West Virginia
October 2 – Tennessee
October 9 – at Florida
October 16 – McNeese State
October 23 – at Auburn
November 6 – Alabama
November 13 – Louisiana-Monroe
November 20 – Mississippi
November 27 – at Arkansas

(Pretty solid nonconference scheduling by the way – UNC and West Virginia. Impressive considering what they also have in conference play. Get on the horn, Swarbrick. We know LSU will play people).

Anyway, barring some sort of substantial improvement, I see a MINIMUM of 4 losses on that schedule (Florida, Auburn, Bama, Arkansas) with maybe a random Tennessee or West Virginia or someone else sprinkled in. I’d guess 7-5 or 8-4.

Keep in mind that LSU has gone 8-5 and 9-4 in back to back years. Not bad in the grand scheme of things, but LSU fans expect to compete for SEC titles not Capital One bowls. With the talent they have on the roster every year, there’s no reason LSU isn’t right there neck and neck with Bama in the SEC West and looking dominant for most of the year. Instead, they looked downright lackluster in 2009 and really played poorly down the stretch. They came within an eyelash of going 0-5 down the stretch, including a near loss at home to Louisiana-Monroe.

LSU fans also see what Nick Saban is doing at Alabama, and it’s quickly becoming clear that Les Miles does not even sniff Saban in terms of running a program. Miles took over a loaded situation at LSU, won a title, and has steadily declined ever since. Meanwhile, Saban shows up at a downtrodden Alabama, and already has won 2 SEC West titles and a national championship. It doesn’t make things any easier for Les Miles that Nick Saban is dominating the same division of the same conference that LSU is in.

Miles is still getting it done on the recruiting trail, but isn’t that job sort of on autopilot in terms of recruiting?? He has insane talent right in his backyard every year and can get a top 5-10 class with Louisiana and east Texas talent alone. Couldn’t just about any coach pull in a top 10 class at LSU??

I’m not privy to any insider info on LSU football, but I gotta think the locals are getting a little tense about the current state of LSU football. They have national championship type talent, but seem to have underachieved the last couple years. Maybe Les Miles bounces back with a vengeance in 2010 and wins the SEC West title (or at least wins double digit games and comes within an eyelash of beating Alabama), but I really don’t see it happening.

If LSU goes 7-5 this year, would they fire Les Miles?? Would it even remotely shock anyone?? I know he won a national title, but the trend downward would be pretty apparent by that point. I could definitely see it happening, especially if there was an obvious candidate for the job out there (Will Muschamp, etc) who wanted the job.

How funny would it be if LSU fired Les Miles and then Michigan hired him as their “Michigan Man” savior?? Would there be any better example of how much Michigan’s stature has diminished in the college football world?? They’d be taking the scraps of a guy who couldn’t hack it in the SEC.

I think there’s like a 40-50% chance that this scenario plays out. Maybe higher. Either LSU fires Miles, or he gets so uncomfortable that he bolts for Ann Arbor. I think that would be a disastrous hire for Michigan. Sure he’d get them back to playing “Michigan football” with more of a hard-nosed approach, but would he win Big Ten titles?? Probably not. I’d guess you could pencil him in for a series of 8-4/9-3 type years at Michigan with top 20ish recruiting. Sure, it would be “improvement,” but is that all Michigan fans want?? Outback Bowls???

Will Jim Harbaugh work his way into the Michigan mix??

There’s another name that will inevitably come up, and this name scares me as an ND fan:

James Joseph Harbaugh

Heck, I wrote like a 5,000 word post on this site wanting Harbaugh hired at Notre Dame.

I don’t care if he’s the biggest jerk on the planet. The guy can coach, and he prefers a style of ball that is made for a Big Ten type job. Smashmouth, physical football with good line play and a good running game. When I watch Stanford play, it is how Michigan used to play in the old days. We're running the ball down your throat, and there's nothing you can do about it. And if you want to cheat up in the box, we'll kill you with play action from our big armed QB. No matter how old school that formula is, it can still work if you have a coach who knows how to implement it. Control the lines and grind out wins. That’s Michigan football circa 1968-2007. Harbaugh is doing it with Stanford talent. If you gave him Michigan’s resources, I would be shocked if he wasn’t successful.


Plus, he has the larger than life type personality that you need on the recruiting trail, and I would guess that his “mojo score” would be off the charts. He’d show up and call out Ohio State at his first press conference and probably predict a win. Maybe that stuff is a little brash, but it works.

Look at what Harbaugh is doing in recruiting this year. He’s already brought in 18 guys with 7 four stars. It’s your classic Michigan style recruiting class too with big linemen, front 7 guys, multiple running backs, and a big pro style QB. He’s blowing Rich Rodriguez out of the water at a school that has substantially more rigid academic standards and far less commitment to football excellence than Michigan.

The other thing is that Harbaugh really hits it hard nationally in recruiting with guys from Texas and New Jersey and Indiana and Georgia. At a place like Michigan that needs to get out to California and other places nationally to recruit, they are going to need a coach who can come in right away and hit the ground running all over the country for talent.

Rich Rodriguez seems to want to lower expectations every time he opens his mouth. Harbaugh would be talking about winning a Big Ten title in his first year. Is he a loose cannon?? Yes, no question. But would he win at Michigan?? Ummm, yes.

Stanford doesn't have an easy schedule this year, but with Andrew Luck back, you have to figure they'll be an 8-9ish win team and probably a contender in the Pac 10. If they do that, Harbaugh is going to be an extremely hot commodity in the 2011 offseason. I don’t think there’s any question that an NFL team is going to come hard after him considering what his brother has done with the Ravens. If the 49ers go into the tank this year with Mike Singletary (and keep in mind that their QB is Alex Smith), why wouldn’t they want to talk to Jim Harbaugh??

If Michigan wants to get him on board and keep him from going to the NFL, they'll probably have to pull the trigger on him in 2011. Heck, I'd be talking to his agent right now to gauge his interest.

Is Michigan football capable of bouncing back??

Michigan didn’t have a broken formula when Lloyd Carr left. They were cranking out top 10 recruiting classes every year, and here were Lloyd Carr’s last five seasons:

2003 – 10-3 (Rose Bowl – lost to USC)
2004 – 9-3 (Rose Bowl – lost to Texas in the VY coming out party game)
2005 – 7-5 (lost to Nebraska in the Alamo Bowl)
2006 – 11-2 (Rose Bowl – lost to USC)
2007 – 9-4 (Capital One Bowl – beat Florida)

I mean, that’s not stellar or anything, but that’s like .750 football or something along those lines. 46-17 with 3 Rose Bowl appearances. And that was with an older Lloyd Carr who probably wasn’t as hungry as he was early in his head coaching career.

The point is that the Michigan brand was strong when Lloyd Carr left. They always recruited some big armed QB, good linemen, good skill guys, a stable of running backs, and quality front seven guys. They’d build their classes around Michigan and Ohio guys but also dipped into California and other places for skill players and high end guys.

In retrospect, they didn’t need to change the way they did things. They just needed to find a younger, hungrier Lloyd Carr who could continue the legacy of doing things “The Michigan Way,” but also bring some new energy and attitude to the program.

If I was David Brandon, that guy would be Jim Harbaugh.

Should be a fascinating season in Ann Arbor. As a Notre Dame fan, I can't help but pay attention to what is going on up there. Even though I have enjoyed watching Michigan go into the tank the last couple years, college football is not the same when schools like Michigan and ND are down. ND-Michigan should be a monster game every year instead of an afterthought game on the college football schedule. If we are going to play them every year as one of our "big games," beating them is more significant when Michigan is ranked and a contender in the Big Ten.

Can’t wait to see how it all plays out.

A Midsummer Day's Dream

Who knew the 4th Wednesday of June could deliver an action-packed sports buffet on par with the first round of March Madness? Riding the train into the city, my morning work load was poised to be neglected with U.S. vs. Algeria getting underway at 9am Chicago time. The fate of advancing past the Group Stage (accomplished twice since 1930) rested squarely on the shoulders of Team USA. ESPN3 bore witness to a scoreless first half with a couple excellent opportunities. The drama meter rose a tad with England taking an early lead. An England win and US tie meant Sam's Army was coming home early.

While the nil-nil score was frustrating, the Americans were outplaying their counterparts and a goal seemed inevitable. Hearts skipped a few beats after Clint Dempsey's golden chance in the 57th minute hit the far post and bounced back to him. But the forward sailed the open net rebound attempt wide. Tension continued to mount as two quality free kicks just outside the box came up short. Time was running out.

All of a sudden, in the 91st minute, Algeria broke free inside the American box. Settling for a rushed header attempt that keeper Tim Howard easily snared, the U.S. released immediately on the counter-attack thanks to a beautiful throw out to Donovan, who pushed the ball swiftly into Algerian territory. He set up Jozy Altidore, whose cross rolled five feet in front of the goal. Dempsey tried to punch it past the goalie, but it ricocheted back to a closing Donovan who struck clean and pure into the net. Bars and offices across the country erupted in cathartic relief.

By gaining the top seed out of Group C, a perfect draw unfolds with the next match versus Ghana (Saturday 1:30 EST), followed by another desirable matchup against the winner of Uruguay and South Korea. A trip to the semis would have the country bracing for an "anything can happen" scenario that would generate loads of media attention, enough to put the NBA Finals ratings to shame. This defining moment sending the U.S. to the next round is what the sport sorely needed to gain some traction. Coach Bob Bradley need only keep his team focused on execution and they should be able to ride this momentum for another week.

In the aftermath of this excitement, my stomach reminded me it was time for food. Grabbing a quick bite, I returned to my desk and scrolled through the Wimbledon scores. No shocking upsets, except for one interesting score - a 5th set knotted at 30-30. Not 30-30 as a game score. 30-30 as the SET score. I cued up ESPN3 again to see this unfathomable score with my own eyes. Lo and behold, UGA grad and 4-time All-American John Isner (always a welcome sight to see college players achieve pro success) and French journeyman Nicolas Mahut (pronounced like Matthew if you took out the t's) were locked in a match for the ages, stubbornly refusing to relinquish their serve. For the next 2+ hours, I watched this battle of wills unfold, transfixed by the bionic arm of the 6'9'' Isner and the incredible conditioning of Mahut. Hold after hold, some easier than others, these guys duked it out, answering the bell every changeover with a boxer's mentality.

To put this in a little perspective, a normal tennis match is played best 2 out of 3 sets. The Grand Slam tournaments play best 3 out of 5 sets. Wimbledon, the Australian and French Open are unique in that they play out the 5th set instead of a tiebreaker, playing until someone wins by two games. Last year's Wimbledon final witnessed the longest 5th set in Finals history as King Roger edged Andy Roddick 16-14. Roddick took part in the longest 5th set ever played in Australian Open history, holding on 21-19 over Younes El Aynaoui.

Today, I watched until the officials decided it was too dark to play and they would pick up where they left off the next day. Mind you, this match was already on its 2nd day of play. When they start again on day 3, the longest match in the history of tennis is tied 59-59 in the 5th set. You read that correctly, 59-59.

The match is already 10 hours long, topping the previous longest match ever by 3 and a half hours (the length of a quite long match itself). Both Isner (98) and Mahut (95) have shattered the previous record for aces in a match (78). The 118 games played in the 5th set alone is more than the previous record number of games for a Wimbledon match (112 games, in 1969). If you were to count the number of sets the two have played, 118 games is almost equivalent to 10 sets of 7-5 scores. So Isner and Mahut are technically in their 14th set of play. That's pure bonkers.

The mental fortitude of these men is off the charts. At one point in the 40's (or was it the 50's?), Mahut chased down what looked like a winner, forcing Isner to hit a short volley, which Mahut rabidly sprinted and full-out dove in vain for, Boris Becker style, throwing his racket and every ounce of determination onto the court. It wouldn't have surprised me if he'd remained on the court, his appendages entering a full body cramp. But he rose and played the next point, and the next, and another 20+ games.

Even more remarkable about Mahut is the fact that he had to qualify to get into the main draw of the tournament. He played two matches last week, one of which he won the deciding set 24-22. Little did he know that "marathon" set would be little more than 1/3 of today's ultra-marathon. And there's still tennis to play.

If I were handicapping this outcome, I like Isner, given some needed rest. Mahut's chance for the upset was today. If he couldn't find any chinks in Isner's serve with the big guy at his most dog-tired, I don't think he'll stand much better of a chance against a "full-strength" Isner. I use quotes because either guy could wake up tomorrow with significant soreness, cramping, dehydration or any other problems stemming from 7 straight hours of exercise. I don't see the match lasting much more than 6-8 games. Isner will take some chances on Mahut's serve with a little more mobility in his legs. He'll reach a couple more balls that he wasn't even bothering to chase at 37-37. But the big fella won't last much longer in the tournament, even though his huge serve is tailor-made for the All-England Club's fast grass (think Greg Rusedski with a little more polish). Expect a deep run from Isner in years to come. For now, he'll be content to be on the winning end of this historically epic match.

Quite a day for sports with contests referred to as "matches." If only more work Wednesdays could be as deliciously captivating.

Conference Expansion: Thoughts on Texas, the weakened Big 12, Nebraska in the Big Ten, the Pac 10, and why I'm happy Notre Dame remains independent.

So much going on in college football in the last week, so here are some big picture thoughts on college football expansion.

(1) How will Nebraska fare in the Big Ten??

I've said since the first day this was announced that Nebraska was the perfect addition for the Big Ten, and I personally think Jim Delany should just stand pat from here.

The Big East schools don't have the regional brand name cache to really make it worthwhile for the Big Ten. Nebraska adds an entire state of diehard fans who will rprsent the Big Ten well in bowl game trips, tv ratings, and brand loyalty. Not a lot of fairweather Cornhusker fans in that state.

Nebraska passes the "are you really excited to see _________ coming to town?" test for the rest of the Big Ten fans. If you're a Wisconsin fan, do you get fired up just seeing "October 13 NEBRASKA" in your upcoming schedule?? The answer to that question is yes. Living here in Columbus, I am looking forward to Nebraska's first trip to the Horseshoe as a member of the Big Ten. I'm sure I'll be up in South Bend for some random ND-UConn game, but still. That's a marquee, big event kinda game that will be going for twice the face value on Stubhub.

Rutgers and Missouri and Syracuse don't have that same appeal for me. I wouldn't even bat an eye if any of those teams was in town. Maybe the Cuse for hoops, but that's it.

So we know that Nebraska is a big coup for the Big Ten. Only one question pops up for me when I think about this Nebraska move. Why are their fans so enthused about it?? I guess you could say money and academics, but what fan really cares that much about either thing?? Won't Nebraska fans miss some of the Big 12 rivalries?? And is playing Iowa and Michigan really that much more exciting for them than playing Texas and Missouri??

My best guess is that Nebraska fans think they are going to clean up in the Big Ten. They've been beaten down by that Texas/OU juggernaut in the Big 12, and they probably think they are going to waltz through the Big Ten. Sort of a fresh start on life. They know where they stand in the Big 12. Third. In the Big Ten, it's a clean slate. I can understand that position.

Here's the only think that I would note about Nebraska's move to the Big Ten. Is this move going to have a negative effect on their recruiting?? Nebraska has made a living recruiting guys from Texas and California. Here are their last four classes:

2010 class - 22 commits -- 5 from Texas, 2 from California
2009 class - 20 commits -- 7 from Texas, 5 from California
2008 class - 28 commits -- 8 from Texas, 3 from California
2007 class - 27 commits -- 7 from Texas, 4 from California

Maybe they'll still be able to attract all those Texas and California guys in the Big Ten, but what other Big Ten school is doing that?? Why would a kid from Texas want to play in the Big Ten?? At least Nebraska could sell a Texas player on staying in the Big 12 footprint by playing at Nebraska, but I have to think it's going to be a lot harder down there now.

If Nebraska suddenly can't get all these California and Texas recruits, will they be the same program that they are now?? Will they suddenly morph into Iowa West?? More of a good program than an elite program. Tough to say.

And by giving up their presence in other traditional recruiting areas, such as Kansas City and St. Louis, will they be able to make up for it by going into traditional Big Ten markets in Chicago and Cleveland and Pittsburgh for players?? Squeezing more talent out of the Midwest is like squeezing blood out of a turnip.

As of right now, here's how I'd rank the 12 programs in the new Big Ten in terms of strength (tradition, recent history, coaching, program commitment, recruiting base, etc).

(1) Ohio State
(2) Penn State
(3) Nebraska
(4) Michigan
(5) Wisconsin
(6) Iowa
(7) Michigan State
(8) Illinois
(9) Northwestern
(10) Purdue
(11) Minnesota
(12) Indiana

#2 and #3 are pretty much interchangeable, but I give the edge to Penn State purely because of their in-state recruiting base. Penn State has a stable of players in PA and Jersey that will probably always keep them health as a program.

Nebraska's future as a dominant force in the Big Ten comes down to one name: Bo Pelini. I'm as big of a Pelini fan as anyone and think he's as good a coach as there is in the country right now. With him running the show, it really feels like Nebraska is back. By the end of last yaer, they were playing like a top 10 team, and this year's team coul be better. What if Nebraska won the national title this year?? Would the Big 12 commissioner even congratulate them?? Awkward.

(2) What does this expansion mean for the future of the Big Ten??

For a traditional league like the Big Ten, this has been quite a bit of change. Some questions:

(1) Are people really excited about a conference championship game??

This is sort of funny. For all the talk about how the Big Ten can finally have a conference championship game, has anyone stopped to talk to the member schools to see how they feel about it??

Do fans actually like these conference championship games or do they just view them as another obstacle to an undefeated season?? Did Texas fans really enjoy that Nebraska game last year?? That was a no-win situation.

Locally in Columbus, Ohio State fans have become accustomed to a certain path to an undefeated season. 1 big OOC game, 2 big conference matchups (PSU, Michigan), and typically 1-2 other tricky road games at night somewhere. The schedule is usually going to have 2-3 "big games" that are going to make or break the season. I would imagine that Penn State and Wisconsin and Even Michigan fans feel the same way going into every season.

Are these fanbases even excited about a conference championship game?? Wouldn't a championship game just be another opportunity to lose?? Just curious about that.

One propsoal for Jim Delany. I know we'll be getting a majority of these games in Indy/Detroit/Minnesota and maybe even St. Louis, but what about the occasional outdoor game?? It's the Big Ten!! Shouldn't a rough and tumble Midwestern league lke the Big Ten play the occasional outdoor title game?? It's not like these games are in January.

A Big Ten title game would be a week after the regular season. If a Nebraska fan can watch Nebraska-Wisconsin outdoors on November 27, why can't they watch Nebraska-Ohio State a week later outside at Soldier Field or Lambeau?? How great would that be??

(2) The two division breakdown

Here's how the divisions might break down if the Big Ten splits geographically:

Western Division
Iowa
Nebraska
Wisconsin
Illinois
Minnesota
Northwestern

Eastern Division
Ohio State
Penn State
Michigan
Michigan State
Indiana
Purdue

Umm, is it safe to say that these divisions are wildly unbalanced?? No wonder Nebraska is so excited about joining the Big Ten.

I almost think the Big Ten would have to do some sort of different alignment for the divisions. How are you going to have the three current kingpins of the conference in the same division??

Even on the basketball side, the dispartiy there would be laughable. In terms of historic power, that Eastern Division with Indiana, Purdue, MSU, Ohio State, and Michigan would blow the other division out of the water.

I think they would have to come up with something different. Maybe one of these "Plains" and "Lakes" alignments that has been discussed.

(3) How strong is the Big Ten now??

I almost think people are underrating this addition for the Big Ten. People have been so obsessed with Texas and Notre Dame and Texas A&M and a Pac 10 superconference, but none of that stuff ended up happening. Here's what we ended up with:

Colorado and Utah to the Pac 10
Nebraska to the Big Ten

Who got the better end of that deal?? The Big Ten added one of the top 10 football programs of all time with a fanbase that is as passionate as any in the country. The Pac 10 added two more Arizonas.

The Big Ten has emerged from this chaos as the clear cut second best conference in America. The Big 12 has been weakened, and the Pac 10 is a disaster right now. Who is going to carry the torch for the Pac 10 in the next five years?? A probation-ravaged USC?? Utah??

(3) Is Texas a winner or a loser here??

On the surface, Texas is a major winner in the sense that they are going to be printing money down in Austin and might be getting a Longhorn Sports Network in the near future. They are basically the undisputed king of the Big 12 now, and control all aspects of the league from finances to the power structure.

But I don't really care about the money issues. What about on the field?? And more importantly, what about their brand? Is Texas in a better position today than they were at this time last year??

At this time last year, the Big 12 was considered by the majority of college football fans to be the 2nd best conference in America. You had three major powers (Texas, OU, Nebraska), several other solid mid-level programs (Mizzou, Texas A&M, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech), a conference championship game, and only a couple real clunker programs (Iowa State, Baylor, maybe Kansas State).

Now?? Think about what has changed in the Big 12 in the last week:

--The league has gone from three heavyweights to two. Texas now is basically playing one heavyweight a year (Oklahoma). The Big Ten now has four heavyweights, and the SEC has six.

--No more conference championship game. The Big 12 championship game was another opportunity for a big game/win on the schedule. The Big 12 has become more like the Big Ten now with no conference championship game. Isn't the Big 12 going to get lose in the shuffle here??

Think about your Big 12 viewing habits. How many Big 12 games do you really watch?? I watch bits and pieces of maybe 4-5 Big 12 regular season games a year (OU-Texas, the 8pm ABC games, Bedlam, maybe a Nebraska game) and the Big 12 championship game. With this newly formed Big 12, I'll probably watch Texas-OU and maybe one other game. That's a 50% reduction in nationally relevant games.

Doesn't that hurt the league's brand in some ways??

--No more Nebraska and no more Colorado for tv viewing purposes -- As if the Big 12 wasn't already Texas-oriented, it has somehow become even more regionalized. The Denver market is done, and the Nebraska markets are out. The Big 12 is basically down to the Texas cities, Kansas City, St. Louis, and Oklahoma City.

And if Missouri leaves for the Big Ten someday...

--Only ten members. Here are your remaining Big 12 schools:

Texas
Oklahoma
Oklahoma State
Texas A&M
Missouri
Kansas
Texas Tech
Baylor
Iowa State
Kansas State

The top is strong, but what about the rest of the league?? Iowa State, Baylor, and Kansas State are clunkers, and now they make up 30% of the league.

Here is Texas' 2010 football schedule:

09/04 2:30p ESPN at Rice (Reliant Stadium)
09/11 6:00p FSN Wyoming
09/18 7:00p ABC at Texas Tech
09/25 2:30p/7:00p ABC UCLA
10/02 at Oklahoma (Cotton Bowl, Dallas, TX)
10/16 at Nebraska
10/23 Iowa State
10/30 Baylor
11/06 at Kansas State
11/13 Oklahoma State
11/20 Florida Atlantic
11/25 7:00p ESPN Texas A&M

Imagine that schedule with no Nebraska. Their nonconference schedule is Rice, Wyoming, Florida Atlantic, and UCLA.

When this new Big 12 starts up next year, how could Texas possibly justify a spot in the title game ahead of an undefeated SEC, ACC, Big Ten, or even Pac 10 team?? They are basically playing one elite team, 2-3 decent teams, and a bunch of duds after that. And no conference championship game.

Texas is notorious for playing cupcake nonconference schedules. If they don't step it up and start playing better competition in the nonconference, I don't see how their new overall schedules will justify a spot in the title game for them.

Don't get me wrong, Texas is the elite of the elite these days in college football. Probably in the top 3 in terms of their strength in the overall college football world along with Alabama and Florida. They have the talent and coaching staff to be play in the title game every single year.

But their schedules are about to become a joke. If ND ever goes undefeated and gets left out by an undefeated Texas team that beats one good team (Oklahoma), it would be a travesty.

(4) Biggest star of the "conference expansion" week

How about Chip Brown of Orangebloods.com?? Biggest breakout media star since Chad Millman at the 2010 NCAA Tournament?? How could he not be?? I've never even heard of this guy, and now suddenly he's the go-to guy for all things conference expansion. Considering all the information he had, why would you go anywhere else for news on expansion??

Speaking of information, what exactly does ESPN do anymore in terms of reporting?? Has Joe Schad ever broken a story in his entire career?? Going to ESPN for breaking college football news is completely worthless. The best you are getting is Joe Schad quoting someone from Yahoo or Rivals or one of these local insider sites (i.e. Orangebloods.com). Whatever ESPN pays Joe Schad is about ten times too much.

ESPN might have the best NFL beat guys out there with Chris Mortensen and Adam Schefter, but their college department is an abomination. It's basically Joe Schad and a bunch of columnists who disappear from January to mid-August. Whoops, I forgot Bruce Feldman. Yippee.

(5) Can the Pac 10 be called anything but a loser here??

I'm not really sure I understand what the Pac 10 has accomplished. They're like an NBA team that had $30 million in cap room and decided to blow it all on Charlie Villanueva and Ben Gordon (whoops, sorry Detroit).

What was the rush to add Colorado and Utah?? Just seems strange that the Pac 10 has waited 30 years to expand and then just decides to throw caution to the wind and jump in headfirst with Colorado and Utah.

What do either of these schools add to the Pac 10 in terms of dollars or championship programs?? Utah is a nice program in a decent sized metro market (Salt Lake City), but it's not exactly a heavyweight. I happened to be in Salt Lake City a couple weeks ago and checked out Rice-Eccles Stadium on the Utah campus, and it's a 45,000 stadium. Spectacular setting and all, but not exactly screaming out big time college football. They've had great success in the MWC the last few years, but I expect them to settle into the middle of the Pac 10.

And Colorado?? Really?? When was the last time they've even been relevant in college football?? The Rashaan Salaam era?? I'm not sure I've watched a Colorado game in ten years if not longer.

People talk about Colorado and this supposedly rabid Denver market, but why is Folsom Field (which admittedly looks very cool) only holding 53,000 fans if these Denver fans are such Colorado Buffs diehards?? I mean, come on. Wake me up when you're bringing in 80,000 fans for home games.

Plus, Colorado baskeball is a complete joke. Maybe the worst college hoops program in the Big 12.

Is Fox/ESPN going to shell out a bunch of dollars to the Pac 10 now because they've added Colorado and Utah?? I don't see it. Instead of splitting the pie between ten schools, now they are splitting it between 12.

The other thing is that this expansion destroys what has made the Pac 10 a unique entity in college football: the round robin. I loved that the Pac 10 stuck with 9 conference games to ensure that every team played each other. With twelve teams, the round robin is over unless they go to 11 conference games (highly unlikely).

Finally, what if the Big 12 collapses in the next couple years under this new arrangement?? Isn't that easily a possibility?? For all we know, Missouri might start up some "Marshall Plan" to ramp up their sports programs, and try to parlay that into a spot in the Big Ten. Or maybe the numbers drop off for Big 12 viewership, and Texas starts looking round.

If that happens, how foolish is the Pac 10 going to look?? Texas and Oklahoma would be out there looking around, but the Pac 10 is already boxed in with Utah and Colorado. That would be a disaster.

(6) How has this worked out for Notre Dame?

I'm not sure this could have worked out any better for Notre Dame. The more I hear about conferences and the "landscape," the more convinced I am that independence is still far and away the best path for Notre Dame. Even with all our struggles, we remain big time brand in college football.

This Jerry Jones story says it all. He wants Notre Dame in the Big 12 with Arkansas. Of course he does. Even if the Big 12 doesn't really make sense for our fanbase or our programs, we are the only school in the country that could pull that off. We're still the only nationwide brand out there.

I have heard very few compelling reason for Notre Dame to join a conference. It is certainly not money. ND is making money hand over fist, and it appears that the Big Ten numbers about Indiana and Northwestern making more money than ND have been debunked.

Exposure?? Please. NBC and nationwide coverage every week.

Recruiting?? How would joining the Big Ten help our recruiting?? If anything, it would destroy our recruiting. Our only edge in recruiting right now is that we have a nationwide schedule and a national tv deal. If we are suddenly playing noon Big Ten games on the Big Ten Network against Minnesota and the occasional ESPN game again Illinois with Pam Ward broadcasting live from Champaign, does anyone really think that is going to help our recruiting?? How??

People want to come to ND because we have a national presence. If we move to the Big Ten, we basically become Northwestern 2.0. We have no in-state recruiting base, so we'd be going into Michigan/Ohio State/Penn State's territory to go after players. And we'd have nothing unique to offer these guys because we'd be playing the same Big Ten schedule that those teams play. Why go to ND and play in the Big Ten when you can just stay in state and play at Penn State against the same schools??

The "Landscape"?? - I guess there is a scenario out there that will create 4 superconferences that would leave us high and dry, but I see no reason to rush into anything until that actually happens. How do we even know this four superconference thing is even going down?? If it was ever going to happen, it would have happened this offseason. Instead, teams like Texas realized that the superconference model of 16 team leagues is a flawed model and completely unworkable. I think it will be a long time before we ever see something like that.

And even if we do, ND still has options:

(1) Roll the dice and stay independent and hope that teams will stay play us
(2) Join a different league -- If the Big Ten decides to "bypass" us and move on to other teams, big whoop. That doesn't even slightly concern me. We can join the ACC the next day. Or the Pac 10 for that matter.

Scheduling?? Ok, this might be the one issue that would cause some problems for us. If USC someday has to play 11-12 conference games and can no longer play us, that's a problem. Same with Michigan. If the choice is playing a schedule filled with cupcakes and midmajors and Big East schools versus playing a conference schedule of Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, Nebraska, Iowa, Wisconsin, then sign me up for a league. If we want to remain a big time football program, we have to be able to play the types of schedules that will attract recruits and get us respect in the college football world. If everyone else is playing conference games every week and we're playing Army and Rice, we're in trouble.

How can we combat that potential problem?? Bold and aggressive scheduling. I think Jack Swarbrick might be working on that as we speak. The Miami series should get locked down to give us another anchor tenant on the schedule.

Other moves I would make:

1) Texas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma -- I'd sign up home and homes with all three of those schools. The Big 12 is scaling back to ten teams, and all these teams are going to need more marquee games on the schedule to remain competitive for BCS spots and also for tv ratings. If ND could get a home and home with Big 12 teams on a regular basis, that would be an attractive package for ESPN in the next bidding.

Heck, we should be looking at deals with everyone in the Big 12 for that matter. Sign up Texas Tech. Or Oklahoma State. I would love to go to Stillwater and party it up at Eskimo Joes.

The Big 12 is a big opportunity for us to make some splashes on the scheduling front. We already have Oklahoma for 2012-13. An ND-Texas series should be on the top priority list for Swarbrick.

2) Tell Purdue and Michigan State to stuff it -- I would tell Purdue and Sparty that they need to move to November or they're off the "permanent" list on the schedule. If they don't do it, they're gone. I'm tired of freaking Purdue telling us that they'll only play ND in September. They charge double for the ND home game that they do for every other game, and they're controlling the terms?? Please.

It doesn't even need to be both teams. Just moving one of them to November every year would alleviate a lot of our scheduling problems. Instead of playing Tulsa in November, we'd at least have a couple respectable Big Ten teams there. And then we could use those September spots for some different schools.

I don't mind playing Purdue and Michigan State. We have history with those schools. But the terms of our current relationship are very one-sided. We are a huge rivalry game for both teams that their fans get fired up for, and yet we allow them to control when the games are played. If we're going to agree to play them every single year, I think we should demand that the games get played in November. If not, we'll just move on and find somebody from the ACC or Big 12 or SEC to play instead.

The other thing is that it creates less dependency on the Big Ten from our side. If we can establish some relationships with other schools outside of the Big Ten, it would help strengthen our independence and national brand.

I am extremely pleased that we are remaining independent, but now comes the toughest part: protecting that independence. We need to be forward-thinking and aggressive to ensure that we have a place at the table with the power brokers in college football. In order for us to stay relevant, quality scheduling is more important than ever.

The status quo is a perfect scenario for ND. Independent in football and Big East hoops. I can't really think of a better scenario. It is the best of both worlds, and we are very fortunate to have two great situations. Hopefully we can start fresh in this new decade by actually accomplishing some things on the field now that our off-the-field questions have been answered for awhile.