Dienhart Rates the Non-BCS Coaches

by TaylorTRoom on Apr 15, 2009 5:52 AM CDT in Texas Longhorns and Other Football

First- I think Dienhart is a good college football reporter. Second, I recognize that the coaches at the non-BCS programs are often doing amazing coaching jobs. Still, let's have some fun with this. I have not copied the whole article (that would be wrong), but only excerpts and I have added comments in italics. Maybe you can add some more...here goes...

3. Chris Petersen, Boise State. Unlike Houston Nutt, Dirk Koetter and Dan Hawkins, Petersen looks firmly rooted in Boise. (is that a compliment?)

5. June Jones, SMU. He's about to make SMU relevant again. (We'll see. That's all SMU has been waiting for- a good enough coach. Sure.)

6. Skip Holtz, East Carolina. He has escaped his father's shadow and will pick his next job. (as opposed to the rest of America's coaches, who take posts where the Central Party Committee assigns them)

7. Pat Hill, Fresno State. He has done more with less than anyone. It makes you wonder what he could accomplish at a "Big Six" school. (What exactly is "more"? And since when does "the JC transfers too dumb for the PAC-10" equate to "less"?)

8. Brady Hoke, San Diego State. A tough guy with a relentless work ethic, Hoke will wake this slumbering program that teems with potential. (A tough guy with a relentless work ethic? Chuck Long, you have been called out)

11. Todd Graham, Tulsa. A fast-rising coach who knows how to build a program. Next stop: a "Big Six" school. (Because Tulsa defines "fast rising". Good thing they didn't hire one of those coaches who don't know how to build a program)

17. Mike Price, UTEP. He has succeeded at "outpost" jobs because of his fertile offensive mind. (Ha-ha. "fertile". I saw what you did there, Deinhart)

19. Frank Solich, Ohio. He has taken all of that knowledge gleaned at Nebraska and enjoyed a solid run in Athens, Ohio. (It's come to this. 30 years as a key assistant coach at one of the legendary programs is now reduced to "gleaning knowledge")

23. J.D. Brookhart, Akron. He has built an all-star staff that could put the Zips over the top in the MAC. (all star staff? The Zips aren't the only thing over the top)

41. Mario Cristobal, Florida International. If he were a stock, Cristobal would have a "buy" rating. He's young, smart, motivated and energized. (These are the worst conferences in D-1A. Don't any of these guys suck?)

48. Mike Haywood*, Miami University. He almost got the Houston job. Now, Haywood gets to show his stuff at a school where you can win. (You know this is the same guy who screwed up the RB position at Texas)

Trivia time- I count nine of these guys (on the full list) who have been head coaches in one of the bowls that now make up the BCS (Fiesta, Rose, Sugar, Orange). Can you name them?

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Comments

I guess this is largely based on overall experience. Sumlin at UH and Bailiff at Rice are WAY too low, in my opinion. And haven’t Pat Hill’s 15 minutes long since passed?

by TXexpress on Apr 15, 2009 6:09 AM CDT reply actions

Whittingham, Petersen, Tomey, Weiss, Price, Jones, Toledo, Schnellenberger, Solich?

by Soldier of Orange on Apr 15, 2009 7:27 AM CDT reply actions

That’s it.

by TaylorTRoom on Apr 15, 2009 7:33 AM CDT reply actions

i’d be leary of hiring jones. as soon as he catches up to that dirty, mangy dog that named him ‘june’ there’s going to be hard time for one of them and no time for the other.

by glenn on Apr 15, 2009 7:53 AM CDT reply actions

Turner Gill at #25? Really? Also concur on Sumlin being WAY too low.

by Ag_in_TX on Apr 15, 2009 8:15 AM CDT reply actions

I like Chris Ault’s offense at Nevada. They are one of those teams that I stop and watch if I catch them on television.

This season they play Notre Dame and the Domers are already chalking this one up as a Dub, but I think the Wolfpack puts Weiss right back on the frying pan.

by Mockingbird on Apr 15, 2009 8:15 AM CDT reply actions

Poor Todd Dodge…

by jc25 on Apr 15, 2009 9:03 AM CDT reply actions

Diehart loses all credibility with me on this list by including Charlie Weiss. It’s supposed to be a list of the coaches who are working outside the benefits of being in the “Big Six” conferences.

Puhleeze — Notre Dame is a BCS conference unto itself.

by srr50 on Apr 15, 2009 9:10 AM CDT reply actions

Peterson being rooted in Boise isn’t a slight, imo. Washington approached him before Sarkisian and he turned them down, I think he is the real deal.

It’s going to take something special to get him to leave Boise State, and if you’ve ever spent much time in the relative secret that is the Boise area or it’s surrounding mountains you would understand why. One of the very best small cities in the US from a lifestyle perspective.

He has tremendous support (on a relative scale) from the university and community to go with his $1 Million salary and 12 wins a year.

I think he’s waiting for a top 10 program, and I think one will eventually come calling.

by NW Horn on Apr 15, 2009 9:31 AM CDT reply actions

Aggy should have thrown every penny they have at Peterson or Todd Graham but they settled for Sherm and are on a free fall towards irrelevance in the Big 12.

by Vasherized on Apr 15, 2009 10:58 AM CDT reply actions

On a fall? I think they are there!

by uthookem on Apr 15, 2009 11:02 AM CDT reply actions

in defense of vasherized, i think that when the pain of losing to those dipwads has sufficiently diminished we will consider them fully irrelevant.

by glenn on Apr 15, 2009 11:34 AM CDT reply actions

Dear Brady,

Good luck with all that “recruiting Pac 10 leftovers that are also tough guys with a relentless work ethic” stuff.

Chuck

by Chuck Long on Apr 15, 2009 11:38 AM CDT reply actions

Can’t believe you didn’t have anything to add about #37…
“37. Charlie Weatherbie, Louisiana-Monroe. He will live off that victory at Alabama in 2007 forever.”

I am trying to imagine what ‘live off that victory’ means in Monroe…free coffee at the diner?

by Ricky on Apr 15, 2009 12:07 PM CDT reply actions

“Aggy should have thrown every penny they have at Peterson or Todd Graham but they settled for Sherm and are on a free fall towards irrelevance in the Big 12.”

Concur X 1,000,000,000

Just ask taylorTroom – I wanted Peterson BAD!!!!!!!

by Ag_in_TX on Apr 15, 2009 12:15 PM CDT reply actions

I dunno:

No, Kirk Ferentz Is Not The Best Coach In The Big Ten

by Tom Dienhart on Apr 15, 2009 1:09 PM CDT reply actions

Where is Mark Richt?

by ChrisApplewhite on Apr 15, 2009 1:11 PM CDT reply actions

I haven’t been this excited since Ziske rated the Russians.

by Mitch Cumsteen on Apr 15, 2009 4:03 PM CDT reply actions

Chris Petersen’s youngest son Sam, was diagonosed with brain cancer at 12 months, just as he was getting ready to move to Boise as an assistant.

He is now 11 and has been cancer free for several years. From what I understand the Petersen family was very grateful for the total care their son (and family) got at the St. Luke’s Health Center in Boise. His family loves it in Boise and that is a strong pull towards his staying there — at least through Sam’s school years.

by srr50 on Apr 15, 2009 7:09 PM CDT reply actions