Week Ten

Bubble Watch:
Phillips first in the 2012 campaign to hear from the Turk: “The AD wants to see you in his office. Bring your playbook with you.”

Joker Phillips, Kentucky, was in his third season at Lexington, was 1-8 (0-6 in SEC) on the year and 12-23 overall in his tenure. The UK athletic department has announced that he will finish the season on the sideline with the ‘Cats but won’t be back next year.

The University of Kentucky’s role in the world of major college athletics has been farm team for the NBA. The Wildcats won the national hoops title last season, sent most or all of their starting lineup, all underclassmen, to the National Basketball Association, has reloaded and will probably repeat the process. Most of their starters from two years ago are also playing professional round ball as well.

The golden era of UK tackle football ended in the early ‘50s when Bear Bryant moved to Texas A&M. Under the Bear, the ‘Cats went 11-1 in 1951, claimed part of a national crown (there were five different polls) and beat OU in the Sugar Bowl. UK has not been to a bowl with a significant payout since 1998 when they lost to Penn State in the Outback Bowl. 

Gene Chizik, Auburn, 32-17: The national championship of 2010 is long since forgotten and Auburn fans, whose emotional memories are challenged, are displeased with the Tiger’s current 2-7 record (0-6 in SEC play). “What have you done for me lately,” say the followers of the Tigers/War Eagles/Plainsmen.

DDT remembers that Terry Bowden walked out on Auburn in mid-season after meddling alumni started flirting with Bobby Petrino at Louisville in 1998. Bowden had a respectable 47-17-1 in six years, which included one undefeated season, but got tired of the intrigue and boogied.

The knives of the plains also ran off Tommy Tuberville who was 85-40 in ten years and had an undefeated season.

Chizik’s credentials are now called into question. Decent record as D coordinator at Auburn and Texas, sure, but only 5-19 as a head coach at Iowa State in two years. “So what’s he doing here?” says the lynch mob. A win over Alabama may be the only thing that will save coach.

Jeff Tedford, Cal, 82-55: Time is running out on Tedford whose Bears are doomed to a losing season after the loss to Washington, Friday night. The best Cal can hope for, now, is 5-7 with no bowl game, even though the Golden Bear’s last two games are Oregon and Oregon State so they could wind up 3-9. That would be Tedford’s worst record at Berkeley. Now in his 11th season at Cal, coach has won consistently and is 5-3 in bowl games but has never challenged USC or Oregon for supremacy in the PAC12 and has never taken the Bears to the Rose Bowl*. Cal hasn’t beaten USC in ten years and has lost their last three to Oregon. However, a big buy-out clause in his contract may save Tedford. It will be expensive for Cal to start over with a new coach.

*Cal has not been to Pasadena on New Year’s Day since 1958.

Danny Hope, Purdue: The word at Purdue used to be: “Win half your games and beat Notre Dame once every four or five years and you’ll be OK.” Hope, in his fourth year with the Boilermakers, is 3-6 (0-5 in the Big Ten) this season, is 19-27 overall and has yet to beat Notre Dame. And the Boilers are only averaging 45K in home attendance in a 62K-seat building. Packed houses will buy losing programs some time but when the tent in not full the Turk gets excited.

Frank Spaziani, Boston College: The Spaz is also challenged number-wise: 23-32 in four years; 2-7 this year (1-5 in a weak ACC); 4-8 last year; two bowl losses; averaging 35K home attendeye in a 45K-seat arena.

Doug Marrone, Syracuse (21-25 career at the ‘Cuse; 4-5, 3-2 in the Little East in 2012), Dave Christensen, Wyoming (20-27, career in Laramie; 2-7, 1-4 in the Mountain West this year) and Dwayne Walker, New Mexico State (10-39, at Las Cruces; 1-8, 0-4 in the WAC this season) are also fourth year coaches with marginal records. All are having bad years. None have challenged in their own conference. Marrone  and Christensen have each managed a minor bowl appearance but have overall losing records. Of these three, Walker, at 10-39, may be the first to go.

Jim Grobe (12th season at Wake Forest, 106-104-1), Mike Price (9th year at UTEP/Juarez, 47-59) and David Bailiff (6th year at Rice, 27-42) have survived long tenures at schools which, evidently, aren’t that concerned about winning; however, declining attendance at losing programs eventually takes a toll at the cash register and head coaches have to be strung up publicly to give the alumni something to chew on and reassure themselves that it’s not their fault they haven’t spent enough money to keep up with the competition.

Grobe is 5-4 this year (3-4 in the ACC) and has two whopper losses this season (Florida State 52-0; Clemson 42-13). The Demon Deacons aren’t candidates for anything more than a minor bowl game again. 

In 2004, Price started out great in El Paso and was filling up the Sun Bowl but attendance has dwindled to half of that in recent years. Seven of eight losing seasons, only two bowls (both losses) and the Miners are 2-7 (1-4 in ConfUSA) so far this season and cannot finish with a winning record and a bowl game.

Bailiff’s Owls are currently 4-6 (2-4 in ConfUSA) and but coach hangs on because the Rice job, with one exception, is a dead end and nobody wants it. The exception was Todd Graham who stayed one year (2006), went 7-6, took the Owls to a bowl, moved on to Tulsa, then to Pitt, now to Arizona State, never staying long anywhere. Rice, at best, is a stepping stone but one must step quickly.