Not every bowl game is equally important on a larger scale. Not every bowl means the same to each of the participating teams.
These realities exist for various reasons.
In many cases, the urgency attached to a bowl game diminishes because a coaching departure, combined with the interim coaching situation which flows from it, creates an in-between reality. The program one will see the following September will not be coached by the interim leader on the sidelines for the December (or early January) contest. For several bowl games, the stature of the programs or the content of the matchup do not legitimize a breathless “Coach X better win this game (or else)” pronouncement.
In a few bowl games, however, it truly is important for a coach and a team to deliver the goods. Winning and losing (or playing well versus playing poorly) don’t guarantee future success or failure, by any means. However, in the larger run of college football history (and evolution), coaches inevitably come across games which reveal new measures of strength or weakness. For the most part, these games emerge in the regular season, but every now and then, a bowl game — if the matchup is good enough and the circumstances are particular enough — can tell us a lot about coaches and programs.
We’ll discuss the College Football Playoff semifinals in due time. We’ll also address a few case studies in the New Year’s Six. In this piece, we’ll stick with all the second-tier games, those outside the New Year’s Six and the playoff. There aren’t dozens upon dozens of examples from this bowl season, but four coaches (in four separate bowls) and one matchup of two coaches do stand out from the crowd.
We present those examples below:
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LAS VEGAS BOWL: KYLE WHITTINGHAM, UTAH
It’s no secret that Whittingham doesn’t get along well with Utah athletic director Chris Hill. His name was linked to the open BYU job (no matter how credible the rumors or whispers were, it still says something that Whittingham’s name came up). His 2015 season, once headed for a possible spot in the College Football Playoff, plummeted in November and couldn’t attain so much as a division championship. If Whittingham loses this game to BYU, he’ll have a miserable offseason. Morale in Salt Lake City will be very low heading into 2016. A win wouldn’t make the season a success, but the alternative in The Holy War is a million times worse.
POINSETTIA BOWL: BRYAN HARSIN, BOISE STATE
It’s true that Harsin outcoached Rich Rodriguez in last year’s Fiesta Bowl (it was played in 2014, not 2015), but it’s worth noting that several big-name college coaches have registered notable achievements in one season, only to decline in the next few seasons, coming dangerously close to the hot seat in the process.
Kevin Sumlin destroyed Bob Stoops and Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl in Johnny Manziel’s Heisman Trophy season. Next year, he could be coaching for his job at Texas A&M. (Probably not, but if the season is bad enough, his job might not be entirely safe.)
Gus Malzahn made the 2014 BCS National Championship Game at Auburn. Next season, he’s very likely coaching for his job.
Dana Holgorsen won the Orange Bowl at West Virginia by humiliating Dabo Swinney and Clemson. Four years later, he’s done nothing to build on that accomplishment, and he’s unquestionably on the hot seat.
Harsin watched Boise State unravel far too often in 2015. His Fiesta Bowl win offered a powerful indication that he’ll successfully maintain the program Chris Petersen left to him, but he can surely use wins which will reinforce his standing in Boise. This game against Northern Illinois gives Harsin just the occasion in which to solidify his position (and reputation).
PINSTRIPE BOWL: KEVIN WILSON, INDIANA
The Hoosiers played all their big games at home this season (save for Michigan State). Indiana needs to show that it can win a game of consequence away from home. Such an accomplishment would lead to a 7-6 season instead of 6-7. That’s an important one-game swing — IU will either finish as a winning team or a losing team in 2015. Duke is a very beatable opponent — also in need of a bowl win, but guided by a coach (David Cutcliffe) whose position is far more secure. Kevin Wilson has a lot to gain from a win in New York on the day after Christmas.
FOSTER FARMS BOWL: MIKE RILEY, NEBRASKA
There’s not much guesswork or speculation here: When you go 5-7 at Nebraska and somehow still get a bowl invite out of it (and you’re not playing a school from the Sun Belt or Conference USA), you need to step up and perform. How will Nebraska enter a hugely important offseason? Beating UCLA isn’t a luxury; one could argue it’s a bottom-line necessity.
THE TWO-COACH SHOWDOWN
HOLIDAY BOWL: USC-WISCONSIN
When USC athletic director Pat Haden tabbed interim coach Clay Helton as USC’s permanent coach, he made a big gamble. Helton and USC lost the Pac-12 Championship Game to Stanford, but Helton — empowered as the new sheriff in town — made substantial changes to the Trojans’ defensive staff. Being able to flourish in a bowl game would give Helton and his assistants a world of fresh confidence heading into the 2016 opener against Nick Saban, Alabama, and an offensive coordinator USC folks have heard of before: Lane Kiffin.
If USC falters in San Diego against Wisconsin… ruh-roh. The idea that Helton is not ready for prime time will only be reinforced.
As for the Badgers, Paul Chryst achieved very little despite going 9-3 this past regular season. Wisconsin didn’t play any of the Big Ten East Division’s heavyweights. The Badgers scored a grand total of 13 points in two home games against Iowa and Wisconsin. Chryst did little to nothing as the head coach at Pittsburgh. If he loses this game, doubts about his coaching chops are only going to intensify in Madison, even though his recruiting efforts have been impressive thus far.
