2025 College Football Thread

[The Sultan]

Why?  Badger insiders hate MacIntosh. There is not a shred of talent on the Fickell year 3 team.   They likely will not win a game the rest of the year.  Move on is the smart move.

Buy outs are too expensive.

[Shaka Shart]

Buy outs are too expensive.

I don't agree with the reasoning but you could rationalize yourself into saying he's had rotten qb injury luck which paralyzes his offensive scheme.

Dumb but if you're trying to convince yourself not to pay tens of millions that's how it would go imo

[Uncle Rico]

Big day in the WIAC for Marquette's cause:

UW-Stout 56 Northwestern (MN) 13

UWEC 42 Martin Luther (MN) 6

UW-La Crosse 31 Wayne State (MI) 22

UW-Oshkosh 38 Roosevelt (IL) 21

UW-Platteville 28 Springfield (MA) 12

UW-Whitewater 26 Mary Hardin-Baylor 6

UWSP 36 Pacific (OR) 13

[Uncle Rico]

I don't agree with the reasoning but you could rationalize yourself into saying he's had rotten qb injury luck which paralyzes his offensive scheme.

Dumb but if you're trying to convince yourself not to pay tens of millions that's how it would go imo

He's alienated high school coaches in the state and did the same in Ohio according to people I trust.  If he can't keep the best kids in state, he's screwed. 

He's also alienated the fanbase to the point apathy is setting in.  Season ticket sales are down and the secondary market is non-existent.

They have a softer schedule in 2026, so they have a reasonable chance to bounce back but the hole might be too big for him to win everyone back. 

[PointWarrior]

No way they keep a coach that goes 2-10 and 0 for in the Big Ten.  Oregon, Michigan, OSU, and Indiana may beat them 200 combined.

[MU82]

Interesting sentence in Yahoo Sports' college football week wrapup:

Swinney's $60 million buyout stands as a monument to the kind of unnecessary coach worship that schools no longer need to do in this NIL-driven era.

[The Sultan]

Interesting sentence in Yahoo Sports' college football week wrapup:

Swinney's $60 million buyout stands as a monument to the kind of unnecessary coach worship that schools no longer need to do in this NIL-driven era.

Is it odd to think that a lot of Swinney's success was due to Brent Venables?

[PointWarrior]

Interesting sentence in Yahoo Sports' college football week wrapup:

Swinney's $60 million buyout stands as a monument to the kind of unnecessary coach worship that schools no longer need to do in this NIL-driven era.

A corollary to this: "Badger football will aways suck no matter who coaches them because they can not play the college football NIL game."

[Scoop Snoop]

Interesting sentence in Yahoo Sports' college football week wrapup:

Swinney's $60 million buyout stands as a monument to the kind of unnecessary coach worship that schools no longer need to do in this NIL-driven era.

AI coaching is going to be the next big thing. Another job rendered obsolete thanks to technology.

[tower912]

Does the hoodie survive the season at UNC?

[Uncle Rico]

Does the hoodie survive the season at UNC?

Yes, unless he resigns.

[barfolomew]

Does the hoodie survive the season at UNC?

He is retiring after week 6 in order to hand the reins over to Jordan Hudson.

[Uncle Rico]

Mike Gundy out.  Free to join ICE

[JWags85]

Mike Gundy out.  Free to join ICE

I hope they have some realistic candidates lined up.  Kind of odd timing to do it this early.  Yes the start to the season was bad, but they have a soft schedule and they are 2 years removed from a second place finish in a much stronger B12.

Is it odd to think that a lot of Swinney's success was due to Brent Venables?

I don't think I'd say A LOT of it.  He won a Natty and had a runner up before he made Venables the associate head coach.  I think a lot of it was just consistency with 2 great coordinators in Venables and Elliott and Dabo being a really good HC.  He hasn't found the same caliber of guys to replace them.

That snark comment in that article about coach worship is dumb to me.  An elite coach is still of vital importance to make a team work, especially when you have an ever revolving set of players due to NIL and the portal.  Acting like its a completely diminished role in terms of value and importance is pretty dumb.  Its a very different off the field environment but its still the same on Saturdays

[WhiteTrash]

That snark comment in that article about coach worship is dumb to me.  An elite coach is still of vital importance to make a team work, especially when you have an ever revolving set of players due to NIL and the portal.  Acting like its a completely diminished role in terms of value and importance is pretty dumb.  Its a very different off the field environment but its still the same on Saturdays

I generally agree with you, but if you had to choose great coach or huge payroll, which would you pick?

I'd take the dollars over the coach. (Also, I understand that they are not mutually exclusive in the real world).

[Uncle Rico]

I hope they have some realistic candidates lined up.  Kind of odd timing to do it this early.  Yes the start to the season was bad, but they have a soft schedule and they are 2 years removed from a second place finish in a much stronger B12.

I don't think I'd say A LOT of it.  He won a Natty and had a runner up before he made Venables the associate head coach.  I think a lot of it was just consistency with 2 great coordinators in Venables and Elliott and Dabo being a really good HC.  He hasn't found the same caliber of guys to replace them.

That snark comment in that article about coach worship is dumb to me.  An elite coach is still of vital importance to make a team work, especially when you have an ever revolving set of players due to NIL and the portal.  Acting like its a completely diminished role in terms of value and importance is pretty dumb.  Its a very different off the field environment but its still the same on Saturdays

Clemson is going through the dynasty collapse stage/falling off of the Dabo era.  Most coaches have a hard time avoiding it, with Saban being the exception.

He biffed his assistant hires after Venables and Elliot left and that set them back.  After awhile, you can only replace your assistants so many times before you start missing.  Dabo missed right away.

Clemson has historically not been as good as it was under Dabo.  He overachieved!  While they were always one of the so-called "sleeping giants", reality was, maintaining excellence at the highest level over an extended period isn't the norm.

[The Sultan]

I don't think I'd say A LOT of it.  He won a Natty and had a runner up before he made Venables the associate head coach.  I think a lot of it was just consistency with 2 great coordinators in Venables and Elliott and Dabo being a really good HC.  He hasn't found the same caliber of guys to replace them.

While you are right about Venables being associate head coach, he was defensive coordinator for all of their six straight CFP appearances from 2015-20. Right but his teams struggled defensively before Venables arrived, and they have struggled the same way since he left.

[RJax55]

I hope they have some realistic candidates lined up.  Kind of odd timing to do it this early.  Yes the start to the season was bad, but they have a soft schedule and they are 2 years removed from a second place finish in a much stronger B12.

I disagree. I think best to move on and get things officially started for next season now. Sure, they could have let Mike coach out the year, but that simply would have led to two months of heighten negativity.

And it was clear this program was in a free fall. Lost the final 9 games (all Big 12 games) in 2024 and their two games against FBS teams this year was a 66 point loss to Oregon and losing at home to Tulsa. A mid-season turnout seems extremely unlikely.