Charlie Weis is Fat (And other reasons why these coaches might get fired.)

Time for my yearly round-up of the coaches on the hot seat this season. I was unsurprisingly accurate last season. That's bad news for these guys...




Robb Akey- Idaho. Akey is this year's winner of the Gregg Robinson award. That prestigious piece of hardware is given to the one coach that defies all odds and is given another year at his god-awful institutions. Past winners include Gregg Robinson. That's some good company. Also, it's a tradition for the Gregg Robinson award winner to be fired within a year of winning the award. So expect Akey to be out of Moscow by year's end.

Possible Replacement - Someone who will be fired 3 years from now. It's the natural cycle at Idaho.







Steve Kragthorpe - Louisville. Fortunately for Kragthorpe, the Rick Pitino scandal will take off some of the heat that Steve has been feeling at Louisville. Unfortunately for Stevie-K, his coaching ability (or lack thereof) will put all the heat square back on him by October.

Possible Replacement- This seems like a good spot for Turner Gill.






Bob Toledo - Tulane. I'm still trying to figure out how in the hell Bob Toledo even got this job in the first place. I don't see the Green Wave being any good this season, so I think Toledo will be leaving the Big Easy pretty soon.

Possible replacement - How about Tommy Bowden coming back to New Orleans. The Wave haven't been nearly as good as they once were under Bowden.





Neil Callaway - UAB. When I sat down and thought of all the coaches I wanted to include on this highly respected list, I have to admit that Neil Callaway wasn't one of my first choices. This had nothing to do with the fact that I think the Blazers will be better this season. I actually completely forgot about UAB and Neil Callaway. The worst thing for a college football to do is to become irrelevant.

Possible Replacement- Tyrone Willingham. Imaging Willingham and Mike Davis at the same tiny institution.




Charlie Weis - Notre Dame. The poster boy for coaches on the hot seat this season. Weis will need to do better than a trip to the Hawaii bowl this season to keep his job. One good thing for Charlie is that he has a solid defense in South Bend this year. Also, an easy schedule, especially by Notre Dame standards, should help the Irish rebound somewhat.

Possible Replacement- We all know who Notre Dame's first choice is going to be. We'll just agree that that isn't happening. So I'll say the field.




Al Groh - Virginia. Groh saved his job two seasons ago. He found himself back on the hot seat after missing a bowl game last season. A similar result this year could lead to his dismissal. Groh's sticking point used to be his recruiting prowess. However, he is even slipping in that department recently.

Possible Replacement- Skip Holtz. If he can pull off another good season at ECU.







Doug Martin - Kent St. If Martin can't get the Golden Flashes into a bowl game this season, he might be getting the pink slip. Martin needs to take full advantage of Eugene Jarvis while he has him.

Possible Replacement- Someone from the D-II that no one has ever heard of.





Paul Wulff - Washington St. I usually like to give coaches a 3 year grace period before calling for their job. However, there are certain special circumstances in which I can make an exception. This is one of those instances. If the Cougars suffer through another season like last year, Wulff will be out.

Possible Replacement - Some USC assistant.








Mark Snyder - Marshall. I really have no insightful knowledge on this one. I just know that Marshall hasn't been good for a couple of seasons. Howe many more can Snyder stay around for? In my opinion, one.

Possible Replacement - Maybe the UF-Marshall connection will make it's way over to the gridiron, and Billy Gonzalez gets a head coaching gig.







Ron Zook - Illinois. I'm definitely not an Illinois insider, but I gotta imagine that the fans are growing weary of Zook's inconsistency. This I can speak of firsthand. Zook can recruit, but he absolutely cannot coach. How does someone with Juice Williams and Arrelious Benn at their disposal miss a bowl game? I guess the Zooker needs to start a fight with an entire frat house to start feeling the heat.

Possible Replacement - Another Gator, Charlie Strong.








Bret Bielema - Wisconsin. The Badger win total has been decreasing every season under Bielema's tenure. If that trend continues this season, Wisconsin could be missing out on a bowl game. That's an unforgivable offense in Madison. One that could cost Bielema his job.

Possible Replacement - Whoever the hell Barry Alvarez wants.







Jim Leavitt - South Florida. I know Leavitt is the architect of the South Florida program. A program that is on a meteoric rise. But some blame has to be thrown his way for the Bulls lack of success in late season games. If USF suffers another late season collapse, especially in George Selvie and Matt Grothe's last season, Leavitt could be feeling some serious heat in Tampa.

Possible Replacement - One of the many top notch assistants on Leavitt's coaching staff.

Weekly Picks

Last Week- 36-18

Last week's results reminded me of the night I lost my virginity. I started out like a rock star. I was the king of the world. Everything I was doing was working and I could do no wrong. Of course, at the end of the night, I was curled up into the fetal position crying like a little baby.

The disappointing home stretch last week won't deter me from making my picks this week. Let's see if I can stay strong like bull throughout.


Ball St. @ Miami(OH)
Temple @ Kent St.
Central Michigan @ Northern Illinois
Buffalo @ Akron
Virginia Tech @ Miami(FL)
Wyoming @ UNLV
Cincinnati @ Louisville
Indiana @ Penn St.
Ohio St. @ Illinois
Rutgers @ South Florida
Northwestern @ Michigan
Duke @ Clemson
Notre Dame @ Navy
Purdue @ Iowa
Texas @ Kansas
Georgia @ Auburn
Middle Tennessee @ Western Kentucky
New Mexico @ Colorado St.
UL-Monroe @ Ole Miss
Toledo @ Western Michigan
Utah St. @ Louisiana Tech
East Carolina @ Southern Miss
UAB @ Tulane
South Carolina @ Florida
North Carolina @ Maryland
BYU @ Air Force
Wake Forest @ NC State
California @ Oregon St.
Minnesota @ Wisconsin
Arizona @ Oregon
Nebraska @ Kansas St.
UL-Lafayette @ Florida Atlantic
Texas A&M @ Baylor
San Jose St. @ Nevada
UCF @ Marshall
Boise St. @ Idaho
New Mexico St. @ Fresno St.
Washington St. @ Arizona St.
Missouri @ Iowa St.
USC @ Stanford
Connecticut @ Syracuse
Mississippi St. @ Alabama
Utah @ San Diego St.
Oklahoma St. @ Colorado
Boston College @ Florida St.
Troy @ LSU
Tulsa @ Houston
Vanderbilt @ Kentucky
SMU @ UTEP
UCLA @ Washington


Upset Alerts

Oregon St. over California - I mainly picked this one because I want the Beavers to win out and take the PAC-10 title. I'd like to see USC bitch about not making the national championship without winning their pitiful conference.

Baylor over Texas A&M - The Aggies are a horrible football team, and Robert Griffin and Baylor are on the come up. I look for Art Briles to coach the Bears to their biggest victory in a long while.

Rutgers over South Florida - Rutgers finally looks to be clicking. This is bad news for a struggling South Florida team.

Michigan over Northwestern - The Wolverines are coming off a pretty big win in Minneapolis. Also, I don't care how bad Michigan is, there's no way Northwestern should be able to walk into the Big House and win.

Battle for Inferiority

VS.













Last nights demolishing of Rutgers at the hands of North Carolina was the latest epic event in the battle between the Big East and the ACC for the title of the worst conference in America.

Notice I didn't just say BCS conference. These two pathetic excuses of a collection of "teams" are the worst conferences, period. The Sun Belt, WAC and C-USA all have teams that would ruin some shit in these douche infested leagues.

The first week brought a lot of attention to the shittiness of the ACC. All anyone talked about was how horrible the ACC was, and rightfully so. However, I'm not so sure the Atlantic Coast shit fest is the clear cut favorite for the worst conference award anymore. In enters, the Big East.

The Big East used to affectionately be called the Big Least by all the other major conferences. They took a massive hit after the departure of Miami, Virginia Tech and Boston College to the aforementioned ACC. However, with the emergence of West Virginia and Louisville (and most recently,South Florida) as national players, it seemed the Big Least was becoming the Big Beast. They even felt so good about themselves they kicked poor ol' Temple out of the conference.

Now the Big East is back to sucking ass and Temple looks like a team that could contend for the Big East title.

Time for a little tale of the tape action between the two conferences.

First up, the Big East.


1. South Florida

• Good News- The Bulls seem to be the class of the conference right now. They are 2-0 and are the highest ranked team in the Big East. USF is also coming off a season in which they climbed as high as number 2 in the polls. Of course, they immediately choked as soon as they reached their pinnacle and began to tart looking like every other Big East squad.
• Bad News- South Florida needed overtime to beat a struggling Central Florida team last week. They have absolutely NO kicker and their QB always seems to make bad decisions in big games. They face a stiff challenge tonight against the Kansas Jayhawks in Tampa.

2. Connecticut

• Good News- Huskies coach Randy Edsall will most likely be a hot commodity in the off season. Connecticut burst on to the scene last season with a surprisingly good football team. They have also come out of the gates to a 2-0 start this season.
• Bad News- Like South Florida,UCONN needed overtime to beat an inferior opponent in Temple last week. Things could get a lot worse next season if Edsall bolts for a bigger program.

3. West Virginia

• Good News- The Mountaineers have been the dominant Big East team in recent seasons. This year, there was a lot of hype around this team with stars like Pat White and Noel Devine returning. They also have one of the better homefield advantages in the conference.
• Bad News- West Virginia didn't look all that impressive in their opening win over Villanova. They looked even worse during last week's loss to East Carolina. Bill Stewart probably won't last longer than two years in Morgantown, and Noel Devine is bound to be arrested soon.

4. Cincinnati

• Good News- Cincinnati is another team with a great coach in Brian Kelly. They also have a lot of depth at the more important positions, including QB. They were able to hang tough with Oklahoma last week until their Big East heritage began to shine through.
• Bad News- The second half of the OU game was a disaster. Good thing they have depth at QB, because starter Dustin Grutza is banged up.

5. Pittsburgh

• Good News- They have LeSean Mcoy.
• Bad News- McCoy hasn't done dick so far this season. Dave Wannstedt is their head coach, and they lost to a MAC team.

6. Louisville

• Good News- The Cardinals still have a loyal fan base despite recent struggles. I truly believe that Hunter Cantwell and this Louisville offense will get things going and return to a bowl game. Who knows, with the way the rest of the teams are playing, the 'Ville could even make a run at the conference crown.
• Bad News- They only netted a safety in their opening game thrashing by Kentucky. Up until this point, Cantwell and the offense have looked really bad. Also, it can't be easy for Steve Kragthorpe to coach when he's always looking over his shoulder.

7. Rutgers

• Good News- There is none.
• Bad News- They have 10 more games this season.

8. Syracuse

• Good News- Greg Robinson will be fired soon. Hopefully.
• Bad News- Greg Robinson, as of this moment, is still the coach.

Now it's the ACC's turn.

Atlantic

1. Wake Forest

• Good News- Wake has easily been the best team in the ACC so far this season. They are 2-0 and are lead by Heisman hopeful Riley Skinner. They also have one of the best coaches in America in Jim Grobe.
• Bad News- They almost lost to middle of the road Ole Miss last week. Then again, Ole Miss would probably be the favorite to win the ACC this year.

2. Florida St.

• Good News- The Seminoles looked pretty good in their first game. Even though it was against Western Carolina.
• Bad News- They have no quarterback play to speak of. Bobby Bowden is fading as a figurehead. The NCAA is getting closer and closer to dropping the hammer on this program.

3. Clemson

• Good News- Clemson has a ton of athletes. Both sides of the ball are littered with future NFL players. They have one of the better backfields in the country with James Davis and C.J. Spiller.
• Bad News- Clemson always seems to stumble on their own vaginas in games they're supposed to win. Tommy Bowden is not a very good coach. Also, their will probably be a mass exodus of talent from Clemson in the off season. This was probably their last shot at a NC.

4. Boston College

• Good News- The Red Sox will be in the playoffs again. Maybe that will take away some of the attention from this program. Although, the Eagles should make it back to a bowl game.
• Bad News- Matt Ryan is now a Falcon, and the Eagles have set the bar for expectations a little to high for their program to meet on a consistent basis. Getting run through by Georgia Tech last week didn't help them.

5. North Carolina St.

• Good News- Tom O'Brien is a solid coach. Once the Wolfpack get their quarterback situation figured out (which will probably be next year) they should be back competing for the ACC title.
• Bad News- Their quarterback play right now is ass awful. During their week 1 loss to South Carlina, they made the 'Cock QB's look like NFL Hall of Famers.

6. Maryland

• Good News- They get all kinds of free crap from under armour.
• Bad News- Ralph Friedgen is no longer a good coach. They barely beat Delaware in week 1 and lost to Middle Tennessee in week 2. There's almost no D-1 team that has had a worse 2 games in the nation.

Coastal

1. Georgia Tech

• Good News- The Yellow Jackets have looked pretty solid under new coach Paul Johnson. His triple option attack has looked flawless against J-Ville St. and Boston College in the first two weeks.
• Bad News- Teams should figure out how to stop the triple option pretty soon. Once that happens, Tech is screwed. They don't rally have a passing game to speak of. Or at least, they haven't shown it yet.

2. North Carolina

• Good News- They just annihilated Rutgers last night. I don't know what that counts for but it was an impressive win.
• Bad News- They barely beat McNeese St. in week 1. Hey, North Carolina vs. Duke might be a big game in the ACC this year.

3. Miami

• Good News- Miami looked impressive against Charleston Southern in week 1. They also looked solid in their defeat to the awesomeness that is Florida in week 2. Sean Spence is a star in the making.
• Bad News- Randy Shannon won't stop crying long enough to game plan for their next opponent. Maybe he should stop worrying so much about the Gators' offense and work with his Hurricane defense.

4. Virginia Tech

• Good News- They have a 1 game winning streak heading into week 3.
• Bad News- That streak could end against Paul Johnson's Yellow jackets. Sean Glennon and Tyrod Taylor are not D-1 QB's. You knew this was going to be a long season when the Hokies lost to East Carolina on a blocked punt.

5. Duke

• Good News- Duke has already won a game this season! Also, David Cutcliffe is probably the best coach outside of Jim Grobe in the ACC.
• Bad News- Duke is still Duke when it comes to football. They're just not very good. Which means they fit right in with the rest of the conference.

6. Virginia

• Good News- Thanks to their loss to ESPN's personal spank bank in week 1, they have received a lot of national exposure.
• Bad News- After being torched by USC, they then went out and played a clunker against Richmond. Not a good start for the Cavs.

So there's your arguments between the two conferences. I'm not so sure which one is the worse in America. It's a close race. Or crawl.

The top 25 players: Big East

The Big East enjoyed a terrific season last year. West Virginia was in the title hunt all season long, South Florida climbed all the way up to # 2, and Cincinnati and Connecticut were both nice surprises.

The conference formerly known as the Big Least is next on my list of player breakdowns.

Here are the top 25 players in the Big East.


1.LeSean McCoy - Pittsburgh RB - McCoy is one of my favorites to remain in Heisman contention throughout the season. The Panthers seem like they're ready to take that next step this year, and LeSean McCoy is a big reason for that.

2. Pat White = West Virginia QB - Pat White is another player that I think will be in Heisman contention this year. The Mountaineers are hoping to not miss a beat during the transition to Bill Stewart as HC. With White at the helm, that should be no problem.

3. George Selvie - South Florida DL - Selvie is a serious contender for defensive MOP this season. George will be trying to make it back to back years leading the nation in sacks. Hopefully, the departure of Dan McCarney won't affect his play.

4. Noel Devine - West Virginia RB - Noel Devine is one of the most exciting players in the nation. I predict it will be early in the season when this guy makes Mountaineer fans forget all about Steve Slaton.

5. Ryan Stanchek - West Virgnia OL - Stanchek will lead the O-line in Morgantown. It will be his responsibility to clear the hole for Devine and Slaton. Stancheck is also a tremendous pass blocker for WVU.

6. Terrill Byrd - Cincinnati DL -If not for George Selvie at South Florida, Terrill Byrd would be the most talked about defensive player in the conference. This guy is just straight scary. He has fast become one of Brian Kelly's favorite players.

7. Matt Grothe -South Florida QB - I've said it before, Grothe is a poor man's version of Tim Tebow. Don't get me wrong Bulls' fans, that's a compliment, not a put down. Grothe can do every thing Tebow can, just on a smaller level.

8. Scott McKillop - Pittsburgh LB - McKillop will be the leader of a much improved Panther defense this season. McKillop could also receive strong consideration for All-American honors this year.

9. Eric Wood - Louisville OL - It's not all bad for the Cardinals this year. Eric Wood is a top notch offensive linemen that will be in charge of protecting new QB Hunter Cantwell. Wood should help Cantwell adjust to the starter role rather quickly.

10. Mike Mickens - Cincinnati DB - It's players like Mickens that have Bearcat fans extremely excited heading into this year. Brian Kelly has instilled a much tougher attitude at Cincinnati and Mickens has bought into it.

11. Jamaal Westerman - Rutgers DL - Westerman may not get some of the pub that his fellow Rutgers teammates get, but Jamaal just may be the best player on this Scarlet Knights team.

12. Dominick Goodman - Cincinnati WR - Goodman should be aided greatly by an emerging Marcus Barnett at the other receiver position. Goodman should see less double teams this year, which should translate to better production.

13. Greg Isdaner - West Virginia OL - Isdaner joins Ryan Stanchek on the West Virginia O-line to form one of the better units in America.

14.Dustin Grutza - Cincinnati QB - Everyone is worried about Cincinnati's QB situation coming into this year. Honestly, I don't see why all the concern. Grutza has the talent to be the best QB in the conference. His spring game converted a lot of doubters into believers.

15. Courtney Greene - Rutgers DB - I expect the Scarlet Knights to be right in the thick of things come November. If they get outstanding play from their stars like Greene, that could be an underestimation.

16. Donald Brown - Connecticut RB - The Huskies have a solid one - two punch coming out of the backfield. Donald Brown will be teaming up with Andre Dixon to give UConn one of the better running tandems in the Big East. I look for Brown to get more of the carries.

17. Mike Ford - South Florida RB - This pick is purely on potential. Ford has the ability to be a top flight RB in CFB. Last season, Ford showed flashes of greatness as well as ineptness. HC Jim Leavitt also seemed reluctant to give Ford the ball a lot. With a full season under his belt, the Bulls coaching staff should get him the rock more often, and Ford should be able to make more plays once it's in his hands.

18. Hunter Cantwell - Louisville QB - Cantwell will be replacing a Louisville legend in Brian Brohm this season. Although America hasn't seen much of Cantwell, he is expected to pick up where Brohm left off. If he can produce like expected, the Cardinals could be bowling once again.

19. Kenny Britt - Rutgers WR - Rutgers will feature a dynamic duo at the WR position this season. Britt will form half of that combo.

20. Derek Kinder - Pittsburgh WR - Derek Kinder is another reason why the Panthers are expected to be much better this season. With LeSean McCoy in the backfield, the deep ball should be available to Kinder all year long.

21. Anthony Davis - Rutgers OL - This may actually be underselling Davis. I should have placed him a little higher. I think with one more year under his belt, this kid could become one of the better linemen in the country.

22. Tiquan Underwood - Rutgers WR - Underwood is the second half of that Rutgers WR combo. Britt and Underwood could go down as the number 1 and 2 receivers in school history.

23. Arthur Jones - Syracuse DL - How bad have things gotten in Syracuse? It's a sad sight to see because Syracuse is one of my favorite teams. Gregg Robinson has got to go. At least they have a talent like Jones for the fans to see.

24. Tyrone McKenzie - South Florida LB - South Floria lost a lot of talent on the defensive side of the ball. Fortunately for them, they have George Selvie on the line and Tyrone McKenzie leading the linebackers.

25. Kevin Huber - Cincinnati P - I know it seems sacrilegious to have a punter on this list, but Huber is the best punter in the nation. Anytime you have a player that is the best in the nation ,you have to include him.

Big East Expansion?

Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese announced that he is retiring from his position after the season. Tranghese saw the Big East make tremendous strides during his tenure despite the departure of Miami, Virginia Tech and Boston College to the ACC. The Big East also added South Florida, Cincinnati, Louisville and Connecticut as well as booted out Temple in recent years.

I got to thinking, Why doesn't the Big East expand to 12 teams so they can have a championship game? The big East catches a lot of heat because they're champion isn't decided through a conference title game.

Their situation is different than that of the Big Ten and PAC-10 because their teams do no have the name recognition and tradition as those programs.

I believe I have selected four schools that would make good additions to the conference. They are listed below along with their record since 2005 (when USF, Louisville and Cincy were added.)

1. Central Florida- Their record since 2005 is 22-17. They have a big name coach in George O'Leary and are located in a recruiting hot bed. If the Knights were elevated to a bigger conference they could see a similar success as their rival South Florida has seen in recent years.

2.Memphis- Their record since 2005 is 16-21. That number is somewhat skewed by an out of character 2-10 season 2 years ago. Memphis has always been able to get top talent recruits that slip through the cracks or don't qualify academically elsewhere. Memphis' induction into the football conference could be boosted by their basketball program which is looking to join the Big East.

3.Southern Miss- Their record since 2005 is 23-18. The Golden Eagles have always been well respected as a non-BCS school. With a recent stadium upgrade, Southern Miss could have one of the premiere facilities in the Big East.

4.Navy- Their record since 2005 is 25-13. Army made a disastrous attempt to play in a conference when they spent 3 years in C-USA. This would be different. Navy has clearly shown that they are the class of the service academies. Air Force is in the Mountain West, so I see no reason why Navy can't join a conference.

While I'm on the subject, I feel there should be no more independents. Notre Dame should join the Big Eleven, Army should join back with C-USA (especially since I'm proposing the Big East take 3 of their teams) and Western Kentucky is actually already committed to join the Sun Belt.

To see how these teams would stack up against the current Big East, here are the teams' records since 2005.

1. West Virginia 33-5
2. Louisville 27-10
3. Rutgers 26-12
4. South Florida 24-14
5. Cincinnati 22-15
6. Connecticut 18-18
7. Pittsburgh 16-19
8. Syracuse 7-28

So, in the past five years, Central Florida would have been the 6th best team, Memphis would be 8th, Southern Miss would be 5th and Navy would be 4th.

Another reason for the expansion would be the fact that the Big East now has 7 bowl tie-ins. That is a ridiculous amount for a conference that only has 8 teams. Only 6 teams qualified last year with 5 of them receiving bids.

With this expansion, the conference would have to be split into two divisions. Here's how it could look

North

1. Rutgers
2. Navy
3. Cincinnati
4. Connecticut
5. Pittsburgh
6. Syracuse

SOUTH

1. West Virginia
2. Louisville
3. South Florida
4. Southern Miss
5. Central Florida
6. Memphis

That seems like a pretty decent conference to me.

Also, imagine where the championship games could be played. I don't think any other conference could play their title game in cities like New York, Philadelphia, Boston or Baltimore. They also would be able to pick form the usual hot spots of title games like Tampa, Charlotte or Miami.

Countdown: 89 Days!

89 Days

Taurus Johnson and the South Florida Bulls had a lot to be thankful for last season. At one point, USF was the number 2 team in the nation. We'll see if Matt Grothe and the Bulls were just a fluke, or if they are here to stay.