For the second consecutive season under coach Rich Rodriguez, Michigan will not be going to a bowl game.
In two seasons, Rich Rod has racked up a 8-16 overall record, beaten down the Michigan fan base to such a degree that Ohio State scarlet and gray filled up many of the best seats in the Big House this past Saturday, and left my wife, a Michigan alum, refusing to watch their games on television. "I'm already over Rich Rod," she's said on many occasions.
Now as Michigan enters the long, difficult winter of Wolverine discontent, there's a real issue that has to be decided. If you don't think Rich Rod is going to get it done at the school, you need to fire him now, before the next season commences.
Why?
Because you have a legal hook that can significantly lessen the blow of the firing -- you can argue that Rich Rodriguez breached the terms of his contract by violating NCAA rules. Bang. Meet Michigan's own stimulus plan for the athletic department, firing Rich Rod for cause.
Hours after losing to Connecticut on Notre Dame's Senior Day, Fighting Irish coach Charlie Weis sat down at length with John Walters and talked to the FanHouse writer one-on-one about his experience coaching at his alma mater. The following is what transpired between coach and reporter very early Sunday morning.
SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- The November darkness is unseasonably warm. Charlie Weis steps out of his black Yukon SUV toting two bagels and two coffees. Clad in gray Notre Dame football sweats and shower sandals, America's most renowned embattled football coach, if not employee, has brought breakfast for his first visitor of the day.
Attention Elvis Presley: you will no longer have tickets waiting for you at Portland State's Will Call window. Your boy, Jerry Glanville, has been relieved of his duties as Portland State's head coach, according to KPTV.
Glanville, the larger-than-life former coach of the Houston Oilers and Atlanta Falcons, is wrapping up his third season as the Vikings' head coach. Under his leadership Portland State has gone 9-24, with a 2-9 record this season. Oregon Live reports that attendance, always a concern for any FCS program, has hit its second-lowest point in 22 seasons.
Money, it's been said, can't buy you happiness. It also can't guarantee a Top 25 football team either.
There are at least 31 head coaches in the BCS ranks that will earn more than $1.8 million this season, according to a salary study conducted by USA Today.
Of the nation's 31 highest-paid head college football coaches in America, only nine are currently coaching teams in this week's Associated Press Top 25 poll. That leaves 22 of the nation's 31 highest-paid coaches outside the AP Top 25.
Of those 22 coaches, five have a losing record this season -- Florida State's Bobby Bowden (4-5), Wake Forest's Jim Grobe (4-6), Virginia's Al Groh (3-6), Washington's Steve Sarkisan (3-6) and Maryland's Ralph Friedgen (2-7) -- and another is at .500 -- Michigan State's Mark Dantonio (5-5).
Four of the 22 coaches are in the cellar in their respective conferences -- Missouri's Gary Pinkel and Kansas' Mark Mangino (each tied for last in the Big 12 North), Michigan's Rich Rodriguez (tied for last in the Big 10) and Friedgen (tied for last in the ACC Atlantic).
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Florida State fans are speculating that Bobby Bowden's coaching future at FSU might be tied into the Seminoles' bowl eligibility. This much is known for certain: Bowden's status will be determined at season's end. And FSU's bowl chances will become much clearer on Saturday.
The Seminoles' hopes of a strong finish now rest on the shoulders of redshirt freshman quarterback E.J. Manuel. Manuel will make his first career start at Wake Forest following the season-ending shoulder injury to Christian Ponder.
There aren't a lot of more intriguing stories this season than Idaho. After years of being in the abyss of college football, known more for seasons of double-digit losses than anything positive, the once-proud FCS program that has struggled virtually since the start of its time in the Football Bowl Subdivision is bowl-eligible.
This weekend, the Vandals travel to play in-state rival Boise State, an opponent Idaho hasn't beaten since 1998. No one would argue that the Vandals have any pressure, as Boise State needs to win out in order to have a shot at a BCS bowl. Idaho coach Robb Akey is fully aware, and he talked about it Monday.
SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- He isn't going anywhere, and he shouldn't. The relentless ways of his Fighting Irish players down the stretch Saturday night at Notre Dame Stadium against Southern Cal bought Charlie Weis more time.
So here's the deal: Weis will last the rest of this season as Notre Dame coach. He also will return next season, and who knows? He might stick around with the Fighting Irish to finish his 10-year contract that expires after the 2015 season.
Whatever the case, there should be a moratorium on Weis bashing despite Notre Dame's 34-27 loss to Southern Cal in another huge game. That's because his players keep demanding as much. They could have collapsed in the final seconds against Michigan State, but they didn't. The same goes for their squeakers over Purdue and Washington that involved an extra dose of passion from everybody on the field.
It was a rare rainy day in Southern California on Tuesday, and the rain gave USC coach Pete Carroll a bright idea for what to do at the end of practice: Settle a tied scrimmage between the offense and the defense by having his offensive and defensive line coaches see who could slide farther in the mud.
Lou Holtz, an ESPN college football analyst and spokesman for the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team (just two of the many hats he wears), believes Florida will repeat as national champion and finish undefeated for the first time in school history. Holtz also thinks the collegiate player in history who best compares to Gator quarterback Tim Tebow in style and substance is Roger Staubach. And Holtz's surprise team thus far this season? Cincinnati.
Those are a few thoughts Holtz shared during a quick interview with FanHouse.
OXFORD, Ohio -- As is the custom around here, new buildings are smothered with red brick and molded into a Georgian style. Just like that, they stand as gracefully ancient as Miami University, celebrating its 200th year.
For the second consecutive season under coach Rich Rodriguez, Michigan will not be going to a bowl game.
Attention Elvis Presley: you will no longer have tickets waiting for you at Portland State's Will Call window. Your boy, Jerry Glanville, has been 
Money, it's been said, can't buy you happiness. It also can't guarantee a Top 25 football team either.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Florida State fans are speculating that Bobby Bowden's coaching future at FSU might be tied into the 
There aren't a lot of more intriguing stories this season than Idaho. After years of being in the abyss of college football, known more for seasons of double-digit losses than anything positive, the once-proud FCS program that has struggled virtually since the start of its time in the Football Bowl Subdivision is bowl-eligible..jpg)
SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- He isn't going anywhere, and he shouldn't. The relentless ways of his 
Dr. Lou made a house call Monday.
