George O’Leary and the politics of coaching

George O’Leary won’t be treated the way Steve Spurrier was for abruptly retiring in the middle of a football season. He shouldn’t be, either… but not for the reason(s) you might think. O’Leary’s retirement shouldn’t be met with the First Take-style debate, “Did he quit on his team or not?” His retirement should be met with […]

Miami, UCF, and the return of Mario Cristobal

Regardless of what is or isn’t said in public, it is very hard to deny the idea that the Miami Hurricanes reacted to the UCF Knights on Sunday afternoon. Sure, Miami faced its own upwelling of internal pressure to fire Al Golden, but when George O’Leary abruptly retired as UCF’s coach on Sunday, it became […]

STATE COLLEGE, PA – OCTOBER 10: Danny Cameron #18 of the Indiana Hoosiers fumbles the ball while under pressure by Carl Nassib #95 of the Penn State Nittany Lions in the second half during the game on October 10, 2015 at Beaver Stadium in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)

Indiana: perpetually “almost good enough”

Oh, Indiana — what are we going to do with you? The thing about being almost good enough is that it sometimes sucks more than just being bad. At least when you’re flatly terrible, you can reconcile that (insert activity here) isn’t up your alley, and there are new trails to tepidly blaze. We’ll go […]

Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher, left, and Miami heach coach Al Golden, right, chat at midfield before their teams meet at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida, on Saturday, November 2, 2013. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel/MCT via Getty Images)

Four College Football Things I Think: October 25

Four college football thoughts on a Monday morning, as the stretch run becomes visible from a distance: * 1. Charlie Strong has his guys believing Good things typically take some measure of time. Sometimes, the first few dates don’t go well and you have no idea she’s the one for you. “Not going well” would […]

OXFORD, MS – OCTOBER 24: Mike Hilton #38 of the Mississippi Rebels encourages the crowd during the fourth quarter of a game against the Texas A&M Aggies at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on October 24, 2015 in Oxford, Mississippi. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)

Ole Miss and your (realistic) SEC Doomsday Scenario

How do the kids say it these days? If you’re an SEC “hater,” Ole Miss just became your favorite team. Throughout the Rebels’ exsanguination of Texas A&M Saturday evening, one had to watch, mouth agape, thinking, “Where the heck has this been since they defeated Alabama?” Ole Miss displayed its best self, a collection of […]

Florida State, the “Block Six,” and a timeless football lesson

Saturday night in Atlanta, the Florida State Seminoles became the victims of a play called the “Block Six,” the cousin of Auburn’s “Kick Six” against Alabama two years earlier. The plays are eerily similar in more ways than one. Not only did each sequence of events involve a long run — at least three-fourths of […]

LOS ANGELES, CA – OCTOBER 24: Justin Davis #22 of the USC Trojans celebrates a touchdown against the Utah Utes to take a 7-0 lead during the first quarter at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on October 24, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

Rapid Reaction: USC’s Big Win Over Utah

Even though the USC Trojans entered Saturday night’s game against the Utah Utes as seven-point favorites, most college football experts expected this contest to be a close one. It wasn’t. Thanks to a couple of interceptions and a costly penalty, the Trojans raced out to a 35-17 lead, turning this one into a laugher late […]

BLACKSBURG, VA – OCTOBER 24: Quarterback Thomas Sirk #1 of the Duke Blue Devils throws a pass against the Virginia Tech Hokies in the first half at Lane Stadium on October 24, 2015 in Blacksburg, Virginia. Duke defeated Virginia Tech 45-43 in quadruple overtime. (Photo by Michael Shroyer/Getty Images)

The Blue Devils bury some demons against Virginia Tech

The Duke Blue Devils are trying to win the ACC Coastal for the second time in three years. That they’re not going for a three-peat is a source of frustration, but all they can do at this point is shrug their shoulders and say, “Hey — two outta three ain’t bad.” It’s not… if the […]

Northwestern-Nebraska shows two teams trending in opposite directions

When Northwestern lost at Michigan, it was easier to say that the Wildcats simply ran into a better team. When Northwestern got blown out at home by Iowa, the people of Evanston, Illinois, had to wonder if this season would spiral out of control. On Saturday afternoon, head coach Pat Fitzgerald’s team moved in the […]

Quantcast