In NCAA, Might Makes Right, Which is Wrong

Indeed.

Bad enough that the six BCS conferences have a stranglehold on college football. They’ve also somehow seen to it that they dominate the NCAA basketball tournament.

I don’t know what the mission of the NCAA tournament selection committee may be, but the criteria obviously tips things in favor of the power conferences.

Look, if you live in the Midwest you cannot tell me the Big Ten deserves seven teams in the NCAAs. Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin are all in the tournament? Hooray for mediocrity!

Chuck Long Takes a Well-Paying Desk Job

Chuck Long, when he was San Diego State's football coach

Through an unusual situation that doesn’t sit all that well with either San Diego State or Chuck Long, the former SDSU head football coach is drawing a $700,000 salary from that school for “projects” and “analysis”

Long, the former Iowa Hawkeyes star quarterback, and later, assistant coach, was fired as the Aztecs’ head coach last November.

From the San Diego Union-Tribune: http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/feb/20/1s20chuck223517-new-duties-campus-ex-coach/

Long’s contract called for him to be reassigned at SDSU if he were fired as football coach – hence his new job and new office. If he obtains other employment, his contract states, “You shall be entitled to no further compensation whatsoever from the date of that other employment.”

SDSU hoped he would find another job, so it wouldn’t have to continue paying him. However, Long is not likely to find a job that pays nearly as well as the $700,000 salary he receives at SDSU. His next job likely will be as an assistant coach at about $200,000. Because of this, Long has a strong financial incentive to stay with SDSU instead of taking a lesser-paying job elsewhere.

So Mills said Long is prepared to ride out his new SDSU job until his contract expires. “At this point, that seems like our only alternative,” Mills said.

Mills is Jack Mills, Long’s agent.

In these troubled economic times, it’s kind of nice to know that at least one fired employee in America is making out OK. That’s not being a wise guy, either. I know Chuck a tiny bit and like him, and you don’t want to see anyone you like get fired or be at a job they don’t really want.

He’d rather be coaching than holding some bogus office job, sure. But a whole lot of people would have loved to keep their jobs, too, and couldn’t negotiate a sweet safety net for themselves when they took those positions.

 

 

 

 

 

Ex-Hawkeye News: Tyler Smith, Bruce Pearl and Chuck Long

Tyler Smith, the Iowa basketball player for all of one year until Steve Alford left Iowa for New Mexico, had a fine year for an extremely fine Tennessee team last season.

Then he wanted to turn pro.

Then he got worked out and worked on on by an extremely persuasive person. That’s his current coach, Bruce Pearl.

Smith said he thinks he would have been a late first-round NBA draft pick. But mock drafts dropped him steadily into the second round. There’s no guaranteed money there. Pearl convinced him to stay at Tennessee one more season to try to work his way up to higher part of the first round of the 2009 draft.

Smith bought it. He was just named the Southeastern Conference Preseason Player of the Year.

http://www.govolsxtra.com/news/2008/oct/22/workout-convinced-smith-to-stay/?partner=RSS

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2008/oct/23/vol-wants-to-make-mark/

Meanwhile, former Iowa quarterback and assistant coach Chuck Long is at the other end of the spectrum. His team is 1-6 after a 70-7 loss at New Mexico last week.

Nothing provides less confidence than a vote of confidence from an athletic director. Nonetheless, that’s what Long got from his AD, Jeff Schemmel.

Schemmel said Long will be his coach through at least the end of the 2009 season.

“He has done everything as well as any football coach I’ve seen during my 20 years (in collegiate athletics), with the exception of putting wins on the scoreboard,” Schemmel said, “and I believe he’ll do that.”

Long’s career record is 8-23. He inherited a lousy program, and it has remained that way. Long’s team has had a ridiculous number of injuries.

One of the reader comments on the San Diego Union-Tribune story about this didn’t concur with Schemmel.

“I for one would like to know what EXACTLY Long does ‘just as well as any coach’ Schemmel has seen in 20+ years. . . . Give us some specifics to back up the general comment. Otherwise it just seems like a hollow and desperate plea. . . .  From Long’s very first year the marks of a well coached team have been missing (discipline, motivation, preparation, physical health). Sometimes I wonder if Schemmel is in cahoots with the professors who want to abolish the program.”

http://www.signonsandiego.com/sports/aztecs/20081022-1551-bn22sdsu.html

The Hlist: USC is Merciful, Missouri is Miserable

Opening kickoff

“In Iowa, where Kirk Ferentz faces the prospect of losing his job precisely because his program has become a feeder team for the Iowa City Jail, things get worse than usual. Ferentz’s kid James, a freshman lineman, got pinched on underaged drinking (shock!) charges. The crime is of questionable import until you figure it might take Dad from the hot seat to the guillotine.” — Tom Ziller, Sportingnews.com

It seems an exaggeration.

First downs

1. Buckeye Nuts: These are a few excerpts from letters to the sports editor in Sunday’s Columbus Dispatch, written after Ohio State’s 16-3 win over Purdue and before OSU’s game at Michigan State on Saturday:

“With the exception of a few, this team needs to follow the yellow brick road and ask the wizard for a heart. While they are at it, the offensive line could ask for courage and the offensive coordinator could ask for a brain.” — Chris Sturgill, Worthington

“If (head coach Jim) Tressel keeps calling plays like he has recently, I’d make early reservations for the Outback Bowl, or wherever third-place Big Ten teams go.” — David Scott, Columbus

“Beanie Wells is capable of 200 yards per game, but the O-line seems to refuse to play with emotion for an entire game. … A promising season is likely to slip away without major improvement.” — Tom Scurlock, Washington

Wells ran 31 times for 140 yards in the Buckeyes’ 45-7 win at Michigan State on Saturday. OSU is OK.

2. One Week, Two Burials: A week ago today, Texas Coach Mack Brown approved a suggestion to bury the game ball from the previous Saturday’s 45-35 win over Oklahoma on the Longhorns’ practice field. Several Horns players then drank a Kool-Aid-like concoction to make them “forget” the big win over the Sooners and focus on the coming week’s game, against Missouri.

Score one for superstitions. No. 1 Texas buried Mizzou, 56-31.

Longhorns quarterback Colt McCoy completed 29 of 32 passes for 337 yards. He passed for two touchdowns, ran for two others. He has completed 81 percent of his passes this season, a pace that would easily break the NCAA’s record of 73 percent.

“We need to continue for him to be who he is,” Brown said. “I don’t know if we need him to be any better.”

3. Abnormally Normal: In a season-full of upsets, no Top Ten teams got dumped Saturday.

Not that Southern California feared the reaper. Associated Press reported that two hours before kickoff USC players “menacingly rocked their buses, as if they couldn’t wait to get on the field.”

“Our guys had a ball playing football today, from the locker room on out,” USC Coach Pete Carroll said after his team’s 69-0 laugher over Washington State.

It’s fun being good. USC has won its last three games by a total of 141-10 since an upset loss at Oregon State. The Trojans have scored 117 unanswered points.

USC is ranked fifth in the BCS standings. Carroll’s response: “It doesn’t mean anything about anything.”

(Don Hawkins)

4. Son Sits in Mountains: Colorado’s Dan Hawkins is a father and a coach, but not necessarily in that order during games.

Hawkins pulled starting quarterback Cody Hawkins, his son, after two series of the Buffaloes’ game against Kansas State. In came true freshman Tyler Hansen. With his red-shirt removed, Hansen passed for 71 yards and a touchdown and rushed 19 times for 86 yards. Colorado won, 14-13.

“You have to do what you have to do,” Coach Hawkins said of the move.

Fumbles

1. Lanced in East Lansing: “What’s the one thing you did well today?” MSU defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi was asked after the Spartans’ 45-7 loss to Ohio State.

“I thought we did a good job in warm-ups,” he said.

Michigan State running back Javon Ringer was held to a season-low 67 rushing yards.

“We’ve been trying to prove to people we’re not the same team, where we lose one and fall apart,” Ringer said. “This game, I’m telling you, is not gonna be that hard to get over. Next week is Michigan, and that’s the game we really look forward to. That game’s in a whole different category.”

Yeah, it’s a game against a team the Spartans can beat.

2. Missouri Breaks: After Texas crushed Missouri, Texas defensive end Brian Orakpo was asked what he thought of Missouri’s body language.

“Body language?” Orakpo replied. “I don’t know. I just play football. I ain’t no doctor.”

Ranked No. 3 two weeks ago, the Tigers could use a healer after consecutive losses to Oklahoma State and Texas.

“There’s no excuses,” said Missouri Coach Gary Pinkel. “They outplayed us, out-blocked us, kicked us, running, passing, coaching, everything.”

At least Pinkel has the Tigers’ weaknesses pinpointed.

3. Shooting Blanks: Washington State’s run of 280 consecutive games without being shut out was snapped in their 69-0 debacle of a loss to USC. The Cougars mustered just 116 total yards and four first downs.

“I think our team — a lot of guys are used to losing,” griped WSU defensive end Andy Mattingly.

It seems likely. Wazzu had Pac-10 defeats of 66-3, 63-14 and 66-13 before this game.

USC could have made it 90-0 had it desired. The Trojans played four quarterbacks. They let the last 16 seconds of the first half run out with the ball at the WSU 10 and timeouts left to use.

The Hlist thinks USC wanted to leave the Cougars with enough of a program so it can play at USC next year.

4. Lou’s Loose Lips: Even when you can understand Lou Holtz, he doesn’t always make sense.

ESPN analyst Holtz apologized on the air Saturday for mentioning Adolf Hitler in a discussion of the leadership skills of Michigan Coach Rich Rodriguez during an ESPN studio show the night before.

“Ya know,” Holtz said Friday, “Hitler was a great leader, too.”

Wow. On top of that, Holtz predicted the winners of five of Saturday’s key games around the country, which he and broadcast partner Mark May do each week. He was wrong on all five.

Final gun

“This is an embarrassing situation, and I’m hoping this is the lowest point in our season.

“We have a very fragile football team; there’s not much confidence in the locker room right now. It’s not a pretty thing.”

San Diego State Coach Chuck Long after his Aztecs’ 70-7 loss at New Mexico.

It’s Not Going Well for Chuck Long in San Diego

(AP photo)

You can’t be an Iowa Hawkeyes football fan of age 35 or older and not fondly remember Chuck Long, one of the most prolific quarterbacks in Big Ten history. Which means you have to hurt for him at least a little right now.

Long is the head coach of San Diego State, and his team isn’t getting better. it’s 1-4 after Long’s first two Aztecs squads went 3-9 and 4-8.

Wrote Nick Canepa in Wednesday’s San Diego Union-Tribune:

Fact is, State’s program hasn’t improved under coach Chuck Long. It’s gotten worse where it matters most. I don’t believe he honestly can deny it.

He’s been a player and a coach. He knows the drill. Long didn’t take over anything close to Ohio State, but we know it can get better. It’s happened at Vanderbilt. At South Florida. Boise State has become a power. Several others at least have shown a pulse rate.

And very few have what San Diego State has to offer, not in climate, not in facilities and not in location, where the university, at which academics has improved dramatically, sits in an oil field of football talent, where it’s one of but three that play large-school football in Southern California.

There’s something wrong. Don’t tell me there isn’t.

The entire column is at http://www.signonsandiego.com/sports/canepa/20081008-9999-1s8canepa.html

Canepa has been a frequent critic of Long’s program the last couple of years. But this is what happens when you don’t win, especially in a major market.

Long was the offensive coordinator at Oklahoma, a pretty good gig in college football. But like so many ambitious coaches, he wanted more. He got it.

Sunday’s Seven: College Football Weekend in Review

1. Some Northern Iowa fans were and are mad at the Hlog for a dumb, inaccurate post that was here for about a day last week saying Maine had been 1-0 vs. the state of Iowa in football. UNI routed Maine in an NCAA Division I-AA playoff game in 2001.

Well, the Hlog isn’t and has never been a UNI-hater. But I fully understand and appreciate Panther fans feeling like they get short-shrift in statewide coverage. They often do. If it’s any comfort, my mistakes are equal-opportunity employers.

UNI lost 41-17 at 16th-ranked Brigham Young Saturday, but represented itself a lot better than most FCS teams against FBS teams. UNI will be just fine this season. Again. I expect to cover an FCS playoff game in the UNI-Dome this year. Again.

2. Speaking of FBS-FCS, FBS (I-A) teams won 31 of 32 games against FCS teams in Week 1. The only FBS loser was Chuck Long’s San Diego State team, to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Not good, Chuck.

3. I watched a lot of the Illinois-Missouri game Saturday night. Mizzou is again really good. Illinois did well just to stay somewhat close to the Tigers. Illini quarterback Juice Williams, by the way, could be the Big Ten’s best offensive player.

4. Florida International, Iowa’s next “opponent,” gained all of 139 yards in its 40-10 loss at Kansas. The Jayhawks threw 52 passes in that game.

5. Utah rushed for only 36 yards at Michigan and still got a 25-23 win. Of course, Michigan also rushed for 36 yards. The Wolverines’ new spread offense has miles to go with their current personnel.

6. Ohio State kicked five field goals against Youngstown State in its 43-0 win. The last one was a 54-yarder in the fourth-quarter to close out the game’s scoring.

7. Watch out for Northwestern this season. The Wildcats mowed down Syracuse, 30-10 with a balanced offense (6.3 yards per carry, 6.1 yards per pass attempt) and sturdy defense. Syracuse isn’t good, but the Wildcats have terrific veterans at the skill positions on offense.