Good gosh...LSU had a massive buyout to pay, (53 Million) but fired the always-congenial Brian Kelly anyway. A ton of big openings...LSU, Florida and Penn State, and they all want the next great coach? Urban Meyer is not coming back, neither is Nick Saban. Indiana wisely wrapped up Curt Cignetti, although his buyout is only 15 million.

So, prepare to hear about Dan Lanning on everyone's list. (Until we lose another game!)

I'm a Grateful Duck....are YOU?

They’re all just going to get hired by other programs that fired their coach. A coaching musical chairs if you will. Kelly is going to have to work on a different accent.

Of course Lanning will be on everyone’s list.

But he’s not leaving, right?

I just hope he doesn’t receive an offer he can’t refuse.

He is not leaving although he might get "Cig'd"

Kelly should never coach again. I would rather root for ewe dub than Kelly ever since he killed that kid at practice.

Deadspin | How A Notre Dame Student Died, And Why He Shouldn't Have

Oh, and practice continued. Can't get any more despicable.

The money that the big schools will be throwing at the top coaches to leave their current school may very well reach the absurd Gonna be a wild ride.

There are some extremely talented players who can transfer out of the schools firing those coaches. The coaches who stay put could certainly bolster their rosters.

Early signing day is just around the corner. Committs may be decommitting.

At the beginning of the year, Kelly and Franklin were considered top coaches. So they will be on the merry-go-round and where it stops no one knows.....

Hope DL stays at Oregon until he gets that Natty.

26 minutes ago, Charles Fischer said:

Good gosh...LSU had a massive buyout to pay, (53 Million) but fired the always-congenial Brian Kelly anyway. A ton of big openings...LSU, Florida and Penn State, and they all want the next great coach? Urban Meyer is not coming back, neither is Nick Saban. Indiana wisely wrapped up Cignetti, although his buyout is only 15 million.

So, prepare to hear about Dan Lanning on everyone's list. (Until we lose another game!)

I'm a Grateful Ducks....are YOU?

Lanning’s buyout if he leaves on his own is only $20M. However, it’s been reported that he has $30M in unvested Nike stock if he stays through his contract. So, that $20 M buyout would likely have to go up to $50M to get him out of Eugene.

Well, Kiffin's daughter currently is dating a junior linebacker at LSU. Kiffin's ex-wife is a graduate of Florida, and the two are reportedly back together but still divorced.

As a 2028 QB prospect, Knox has already received several offers, including from SMU, Arkansas State, Western Kentucky, Sacramento State, Murray State, and FIU. Notably, top programs like Oregon, Florida, and LSU are on his radar. Knox recently visited LSU for a game.

But with all these choices, where is Ole Miss? Knox didn’t really put Ole Miss in his top 3 schools list. The reason? “I’m definitely not going to play for my dad,” Knox told Adam Gorney from Rivals. “I want to do my own stuff.”

1 hour ago, HappyToBeADuck said:

There are some extremely talented players who can transfer out of the schools firing those coaches.

The coaches who stay put could certainly bolster their rosters.

Coaches Fired

LSU

Penn State

Florida

OK State

Arkansas

UCLA

Virginia Tech

Oregon State

Colorado State

UAB

Pending Possible Firings

Auburn

Florida State

Wisconsin

Michigan State

There's not enough fresh talent until there is. Twenty years ago Urban Meyer wasn't a known commodity. Two years ago Curt Cignetti was a guy in his 60's that never had any high league experience. Four years ago Oregon lost Super Mario and hired a guy in his thirties that had no ties to the West Coast. His first game didn't go that well, that guy is still there I think. Six years ago people were asking why Ohio State would hire some unknown dude from the NFL instead trying to poach Brian Kelly. Who thought Notre Dame would promote a linebackers coach in his thirties to head coach?

FSU isn't getting anybody from anywhere. Virginia Tech might get James Franklin, but they aren't getting a P4 coach currently employed. Oklahoma State, Arkansas, Wisconsin, Michigan State, Auburn, UCLA, maybe they get some of these retreads like Kelly, Jimbo, Orgeron?

Why is it that programs like LSU, Florida, FSU, Miami, Michigan, USC, Texas, Notre Dame, Tennessee, and Texas A&M would cycle through coach after coach, while Oregon has only fired one coach in thirty years? Wisconsin had a record like that until they fired Chryst four years ago and hired an outsider who wanted to change the way they play. Nebraska fell into that same trap when they hired Callahan after the 2004 season.

Has Ohio State fired a coach for on field results in your lifetime? I'm on the train of thought that you gotta have the right system in place before you can consistently win. Oregon has the facilities, alignment up and down the booster and athletic director tracks. When you hire a guy, you have total support in place and he just has to do his job.

I don't think Lanning or Cignetti would ever leave because they have everything and anything they will ever need to succeed. At Penn State, Florida, Texas, USC, Michigan, Notre Dame, Texas A&M, there are about fifty million different levels of people you have to appease. It's not easy. That's one reason why Lane Kiffin or Eli Drinkowitz could choose to stay where they are. They won't face the same pressure and they'll both be paid just as much without the pressure to be Joe Paterno or Steve Spurrier.

I never thought Brian Kelly was a good fit at LSU. I was right.

Hope Oregon cleans up on a few recruits and transfers. We can be very picky.

Really like your point of view GAT!

In my eyes, Franklin should wait until the dust settles. He is under rated. Reputation be damned. That guy should wait to see if Vandy's coach gets scooped up and go back to Nashville. Va Tech is another "fit" I see for him. A program like that won't be unreasonable in their expectations. College Football is looking more like a landscape of parity. Franklin will revive a program from the ashes (Va Tech), or maintain a middling program as a threat elite programs will have to take seriously (Vandy).

The dust is going to settle pretty unbalanced at Natty seeking programs like PSU, UF, LSU, Auburn and Florida State. They are going to be competing to keep their talent and convince the younglings they are worthy enough to develop them. There probably are some hidden gems in the coaching field at present. Some fan bases are not going to be happy with the choices they receive since they all have a title and expect one "yesterday".

If the P2 get their act together and provide a better football environment than what has emerged the past two years, College Football has a wonderful future ahead of itself. If... I never imagined how wonderful and exciting the football world has been the past 15 months. NIL has shattered monopolies, and despite the sour taste of spoiled 17-22 year olds looking for unearned bucks, it has been a joy to watch the drama unfold these past two seasons.

Can't see Orgeron at LSU

..

6 minutes ago, 1Ducker1 said:

I never thought Brian Kelly was a good fit at LSU. I was right.

Look at how he abandoned his Cincy squad the day after they finished their best ever season in 2009. He just left without even talking to his team the day after they came within a Texas extra special bonus second from going to the BCS Title game. Florida trashed that Bearcat squad in the Sugar Bowl, but it felt like Brian Kelly couldn't even do what the notoriously less than motivated Scott Frost did when he finished out the season at UCF even after taking the Nebraska job. UCF almost beat the same LSU squad that would go on and become that 2019 legendary wagon. People don't ever talk about that because Cincy isn't a huge brand. But the signs of Kelly being a pretty classless guy goes back almost twenty years now.

He fired the LSU strength and conditioning coach that had been there since the Les Miles days. He destroyed what made LSU special. If I were Wisconsin, or any other program that might give him another shot, I would think twice. He'd dump them for a second if he started winning.

The firing after beatdowns goes on, and the exit fee is irrelevant. LSU went large in the NIL arena, including one million dollars of Brian Kelly's money, and did not get a satisfactory ROI.

Want a 60-something coach who has won wherever he has coached, Houston coach Willie Fritz.

The ripple effect from all of these firings will be like a tsunami rolling in. The best coaches will be coaching in the playoffs through January. These new hires need to happen before the December recruit signing date, no?

As Charles asked, who besides super-agent Jimmy Sexton are you going to call? His client, James Franklin, will find a new gig. I don't think Brian Kelly, unless he so desires, will be unemployed for too long. Just when you think CFB couldn't get more weirder ... 🤪🤑🙃Happy Halloweenie!

This will likely keep Auburn coach Hugh Freeze and Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell employed. And likely take many top assistant coaches elsewhere.

I imagine Dan and friends are in touch with the agents representing LSU 'committed' recruits.

3 hours ago, DrJacksPlaidPants said:

Lanning’s buyout if he leaves on his own is only $20M. However, it’s been reported that he has $30M in unvested Nike stock if he stays through his contract. So, that $20 M buyout would likely have to go up to $50M to get him out of Eugene.

Dan has been there in the SEC and is done with that, I think.

How many more millions of dollars does Dan want or need? When he says he wants his sons to graduate from the same school, I believe him. Dan is likely to get another nice bump in pay staying in Eugene.

The Nike deal is nice. How about the monthly retirement from Oregon PERS when he retires at 60?

1 hour ago, GatOrlando said:

There's not enough fresh talent until there is. Twenty years ago Urban Meyer wasn't a known commodity. Two years ago Curt Cignetti was a guy in his 60's that never had any high league experience. Four years ago Oregon lost Super Mario and hired a guy in his thirties that had no ties to the West Coast. His first game didn't go that well, that guy is still there I think. Six years ago people were asking why Ohio State would hire some unknown dude from the NFL instead trying to poach Brian Kelly. Who thought Notre Dame would promote a linebackers coach in his thirties to head coach?

True.

But... and it's a big one.

How many Lannings and Cignettis are out there waiting for their opportunities to be found? There are some for sure.

The reality is that all those programs aren't in search of a new head coach but a new head coach and program manager. The expectations have never been higher and the job has never been more difficult in terms of all the moving pieces. A head coach now has take care of: all the duties of head coach for game day, recruit, be in contact and work with NIL programs, recruit their own team, and soon will probably be in on negotiating salaries for players.

Oh and they're expected to have their program in contention to make the playoff right away.

There is no patience anymore.

We are about to witness the biggest coaching carousel ever and many programs will hire a WORSE coach than the one they just fired.

4 hours ago, DrJacksPlaidPants said:

However, it’s been reported that he has $30M in unvested Nike stock

Have you followed Nike Stock lately? lol

It will take time for Nike some time to get back on track. It would be interesting, if true, how they structured a vesting schedule. Personally, I would make it merit based, and upon hoisting a Natty trophy the vesting schedule starts.

8 hours ago, 1Ducker1 said:

I never thought Brian Kelly was a good fit at LSU. I was right.

I actually think he will be Jonathan Smith's replacement. He started his head coaching career up in Michigan, so I think it's a good fit. In fact, I'm sure MSU already has the wheels in motion.

9 hours ago, GatOrlando said:

I don't think Lanning or Cignetti would ever leave because they have everything and anything they will ever need to succeed. At Penn State, Florida, Texas, USC, Michigan, Notre Dame, Texas A&M, there are about fifty million different levels of people you have to appease. It's not easy. That's one reason why Lane Kiffin or Eli Drinkowitz could choose to stay where they are. They won't face the same pressure and they'll both be paid just as much without the pressure to be Joe Paterno or Steve Spurrier.

That's the problem with these bigger blue blood programs. There are many stakeholders who want to see an immediate return on their investments. Texas and Auburn have traditionally been the worst. Their boosters have a lot of power and they make sure the coaches know it.

Dan Lanning rumors may swirl with LSU Tigers job, but Oregon Duck fans shouldn't worry

In a world where coaches often make vague comments and open-ended statements about coaching rumors, stating that their focus is "on the team, and on the current season," Lanning has been different. On multiple occasions, he's said, point-blank, "I'm not leaving."

“I’ve been very clear and adamant," Lanning said earlier this year in an interview with On3. "I think a lot of coaches in those moments get quiet, but I’ve been very clear and adamant that I’m not going anywhere. A lot of coaches use that as an opportunity to say, ‘OK, I’m either going to get a big raise where I’m at,’ or maybe they really want that other job. I don’t want any other jobs. I’ve got the job that I want.”

Lanning has done more than talk the talk; he's walked the walk.

10 hours ago, David Marsh said:

True.

But... and it's a big one.

How many Lannings and Cignettis are out there waiting for their opportunities to be found? There are some for sure.

The reality is that all those programs aren't in search of a new head coach but a new head coach and program manager. The expectations have never been higher and the job has never been more difficult in terms of all the moving pieces. A head coach now has take care of: all the duties of head coach for game day, recruit, be in contact and work with NIL programs, recruit their own team, and soon will probably be in on negotiating salaries for players.

Oh and they're expected to have their program in contention to make the playoff right away.

There is no patience anymore.

We are about to witness the biggest coaching carousel ever and many programs will hire a WORSE coach than the one they just fired.

While I agree with the fact that Cignetti and Lanning are special, I think the programs investment and backing help them be special. Indiana didn't give any of their previous head coaches the financial backing they gave Curt, and while what he's done is impressive. He really only has one great win to his name thus far. Indiana has played nobody outside of their forced conference games and their playoff game. Oregon has been a wagon since the Belotti days. Outside of Mark Helfrich who won a playoff game btw, there hasn't been a head coach dismissed due to on field performance in my lifetime I believe.

Guys leave Oregon and get fired, but that's because those places don't have the alignment imo. FSU hasn't had a guy the program and fans both loved since Bobby Bowden. Jimbo Fisher left because he didn't get what he wanted, and he failed at Texas A&M with all the things he could ever want except 100 percent alignment. You have more money than agreement out there. Boosters, oil tycoons, and alumni all have different opinions of how to "Gig Em". The only thing they agree on is their hatred for Texas.

Mike Elko seems like a guy who might be the one to unite the forces, he has a systematic approach to recruiting and using the portal in lockstep. I never heard of Mike Elko before his Duke team upset Clemson three years ago. I'm certain there is going to be a discussion in four years where we are talking about at least two new names that are going to be considered A list hires.

12 hours ago, GatOrlando said:

Why is it that programs like LSU, Florida, FSU, Miami, Michigan, USC, Texas, Notre Dame, Tennessee, and Texas A&M would cycle through coach after coach, while Oregon has only fired one coach in thirty years? Wisconsin had a record like that until they fired Chryst four years ago and hired an outsider who wanted to change the way they play. Nebraska fell into that same trap when they hired Callahan after the 2004 season.

Has Ohio State fired a coach for on field results in your lifetime? I'm on the train of thought that you gotta have the right system in place before you can consistently win. Oregon has the facilities, alignment up and down the booster and athletic director tracks. When you hire a guy, you have total support in place and he just has to do his job.

I don't think Lanning or Cignetti would ever leave because they have everything and anything they will ever need to succeed. At Penn State, Florida, Texas, USC, Michigan, Notre Dame, Texas A&M, there are about fifty million different levels of people you have to appease. It's not easy. That's one reason why Lane Kiffin or Eli Drinkowitz could choose to stay where they are. They won't face the same pressure and they'll both be paid just as much without the pressure to be Joe Paterno or Steve Spurrier.

Great post. There is too much money floating around and no patience.

Can you imagine where Oregon would be if it fired Coach Brooks before the Rose Bowl? What about Coach Bellotti after a few of his “down” years, instead of showing patience and a commitment to someone who reportedly turned down more attractive head coaching jobs to stay at Oregon?

Brian Kelly and James Franklin were considered two of the top coaches in college football. Who are these programs going to get that’s a clear upgrade, worth spending $50M to part ways with those coaches, plus whatever they are going to have to spend on the new coach? Is Nick Saban, Urban Meyer or even Chris Peterson going to give up their low pressure gigs to get back in the game? Are those programs as elite as their boosters, fans and administrations believe they are? How many teams can realistically compete for a national championship every year?

Hopefully the top coaching prospects see how their peers were treated by these programs. It’s not like they need the money and do they need the unrealistic expectations and pressure, on top of starting over?

I think the Coach Lannings and Cigs of the world are far better off at their new blood schools than jumping to blue blood schools. If neither never win a championship, just being in the hunt most years will be good enough for their fan bases. Can you imagine several years in a row like OBD had last year and complaining that your coach just can't get it done? I think we're just beginning to see the problems of the super conference concept. With ever expanding conference sizes, some teams will just be stuck at mid upper tier just do to basic math.

UGA, Bama, Texas, OU and LSU can't all win the conference every year. Throw in upstarts like Ole Miss Vandy and a reborn Florida and someone on this list will have to be 4-4 or worse. That's just math doing what math does. OBD went out brought in an up and coming D coordinator, Indiana brought in an old coach that you had to google to find out about. The blue bloods don't want to take that route. That keeps them stuck on a flavor of the month merry go round.

In the end I see most of these fired coaches just swapping schools because they will be the biggest names available. Rinse and repeat.

At LSU the portal opens for 30 days, and some championship talent will hit it

Chaos is a ladder. With Brian Kelly out at LSU the players on the Tigers roster have 30 days to seek a new deal and a fresh start, and a significant number of them will take it. Part of the frustration with Kelly is that he couldn't win at a championship level despite stacking recruiting classes that ranked No. 10, No. 7 and No. 5 in the last three seasons.

There are some big names on the Tiger roster, and a few of them can be pieces that could put a contending team to an entirely new level. In the 2025 class the Ducks battled to the end for 5-star cornerback DJ Pickett. A fake Twitter account went viral yesterday aping the logo of On3 Sports, claiming that 5-star linebacker Harold Perkins intends to sit out the rest of the season and enter the portal.

Autzen Zoo

At LSU the portal opens for 30 days, and some championshi...

Chaos is a ladder. With Brian Kelly out at LSU the players on the Tigers roster have 30 days to seek a new deal and a fresh start,

Gat, I love that you are on this board, but with all due respect, winning Big Ten football games is not a piece of cake.

Cig's win at Oregon (sigh) was the one that grabbed the nation's attention, of course. But hanging in at 2-loss Iowa on a day the offense wasn't playing well, likely due to Iowa's defense, was a very good win. The win last season against a Michigan team that defeated Bama in the postseason was significant, as are the wins over bowl-eligible B1G teams.

We live in a Power 2 CFB world. When did winning in the SEC become Herculean, and winning in the B1G passe? The B1G won two titles in a row, and there seems to be a journalistic jihad against the conference and its leadership.

Texas and Bama have to come back against two mediocre SEC opponents, and the comebacks are the greatest of all time. In a monsoon, Wisconsin keeps it close against OBD, and The Athletic drops Oregon to No. 12 in its irrelevant poll.

In the Massey computer rankings, Ohio State and Indiana are first and second. No. 6 Oregon has a respectable SOS ranking of 25 to date, 18th going forward.

The computer does not rank a G5 team in its top 25. The SEC has the most teams ranked, with 10 in the top 25. The B1G has seven teams ranked: Michigan, Iowa, Washington, and USC are also ranked. Then it's B12 4, ACC 3, and Notre Dame.

The Athletic's Stewart Mandel, in his latest Mailbag, referred to UW's record as being 'tainted.' A loss to the No. 1 team in the country and on the road at a ranked Michigan makes UW's 6-2 record 'tainted '?

The B1G had the best postseason record in 2024-25. 3-loss PO screwed over South Carolina was defeated by 3-loss Illinois, and 3-loss PO screwed over Alabama was defeated by a 5-loss Michigan team that had many players sitting the game out while Bama had all hands on deck.

I watch a lot of SEC football, and I more than respect the quality of play, but I haven't seen a team in any conference this season that cannot be defeated.

Good luck with the Gators search. Florida should be competing for national championships.

Joel Klatt names the first three calls LSU should make, and No. 3's a stunner

Autzen Zoo

Joel Klatt names the first three calls LSU should make, a...

LSU is one of the top jobs in college football with a rich regional talent pool, a passionate fanbase and deep, committed booster support.

17 minutes ago, Jon Joseph said:

Gat, I love that you are on this board, but with all due respect, winning Big Ten football games is not a piece of cake.

Cig's win at Oregon (sigh) was the one that grabbed the nation's attention, of course. But hanging in at 2-loss Iowa on a day the offense wasn't playing well, likely due to Iowa's defense, was a very good win. The win last season against a Michigan team that defeated Bama in the postseason was significant, as are the wins over bowl-eligible B1G teams.

We live in a Power 2 CFB world. When did winning in the SEC become Herculean, and winning in the B1G passe? The B1G won two titles in a row, and there seems to be a journalistic jihad against the conference and its leadership.

Texas and Bama have to come back against two mediocre SEC opponents, and the comebacks are the greatest of all time. In a monsoon, Wisconsin keeps it close against OBD, and The Athletic drops Oregon to No. 12 in its irrelevant poll.

In the Massey computer rankings, Ohio State and Indiana are first and second. No. 6 Oregon has a respectable SOS ranking of 25 to date, 18th going forward.

The computer does not rank a G5 team in its top 25. The SEC has the most teams ranked, with 10 in the top 25. The B1G has seven teams ranked: Michigan, Iowa, Washington, and USC are also ranked. Then it's B12 4, ACC 3, and Notre Dame.

The Athletic's Stewart Mandel, in his latest Mailbag, referred to UW's record as being 'tainted.' A loss to the No. 1 team in the country and on the road at a ranked Michigan makes UW's 6-2 record 'tainted '?

The B1G had the best postseason record in 2024-25. 3-loss PO screwed over South Carolina was defeated by 3-loss Illinois, and 3-loss PO screwed over Alabama was defeated by a 5-loss Michigan team that had many players sitting the game out while Bama had all hands on deck.

I watch a lot of SEC football, and I more than respect the quality of play, but I haven't seen a team in any conference this season that cannot be defeated.

Good luck with the Gators search. Florida should be competing for national championships.

To Gat’s defense, I do believe that the SEC is more balanced, so week-in and week-out it’s more of a slog and teams will beat up on one another. The B1G is top heavy and its teams might be the best this year (we’ll see in the playoffs).

I wouldn’t bet Oregon straight up on a neutral field this year against Alabama, Georgia, Ole Miss or Texas A&M. Oregon has not beaten a ranked team, yet, and we are midway through the season.

What’s our best win to date - Northwestern or Montana State?

13 minutes ago, OregonDucks said:

Great post. There is too much money floating around and no patience.

Can you imagine where Oregon would be if it fired Coach Brooks before the Rose Bowl? What about Coach Bellotti after a few of his “down” years, instead of showing patience and a commitment to someone who reportedly turned down more attractive head coaching jobs to stay at Oregon?

Brian Kelly and James Franklin were considered two of the top coaches in college football. Who are these programs going to get that’s a clear upgrade, worth spending $50M to part ways with those coaches, plus whatever they are going to have to spend on the new coach? Is Nick Saban, Urban Meyer or even Chris Peterson going to give up their low pressure gigs to get back in the game? Are those programs as elite as their boosters, fans and administrations believe they are? How many teams can realistically compete for a national championship every year?

Hopefully the top coaching prospects see how their peers were treated by these programs. It’s not like they need the money and do they need the unrealistic expectations and pressure, on top of starting over?

People at Penn State compare the Franklin firing to Georgia, the funny thing is Kirby still has only beaten Alabama once in his tenure. Of course that was the 2022 National Championship game, but Alabama still owns a place in Athens. Kirby has those two National Titles, but I don't think he's going to have a dynasty like Saban.

It's hard to win titles, much tougher in today's era. I don't think you have to be at a traditional power to contend every year. What the heck is a traditional power anyway? The prerequisites change depending on who you ask. Michigan, Notre Dame, USC, and Ohio State think you have to have titles in the 40's. Texas, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Miami, FSU, Tennessee, Nebraska, and Penn State think you have to have at least two titles.

So is Minnesota, Army, Michigan State, Colgate, Navy, University of Chicago, and Harvard considered blue bloods?

Truth is Indiana, Ole Miss, Texas Tech, BYU, Oregon, Houston, Cincinnati, Vanderbilt, and a G05 program is going to make a run. Imagine a world where Vanderbilt and Indiana meet in the playoff. Imagine a world where Ole Miss is playing memorable games that have actual meaning while Florida , Penn State, and LSU are waiting to talk to their head coach because they have nothing else to look forward to.

Penn State is playing at Ohio State this week. Guess where College Game day is headed? Not Columbus for the millionth time. They are going to be in Utah, the first Big 12 game in over three years. A Cincy game is more important and high profile than an Ohio State game. In November!! The nuts in Ohio are going to explode if they discover that.

Scott Frost made some waves preseason when he said he regretted taking the Nebraska job. He said he felt pressured to go home and save the big brand, he said he never felt at home back "home", and he discovered UCF is truly where he felt comfortable..

" Sometimes home isn't where you grew up, or even where you played. Sometimes home is where you feel like you can just be you with no pressure. It's not even where all your family and childhood friends reside. You grow up and realize home is where you make it. You get married, have kids. Make new friends, and you find out that you don't have to go any special place to go back home. Sometimes that special place is where you already are, and you discover you've been home all along"

8 minutes ago, The Kamikaze Kid said:

The blue bloods don't want to take that route. That keeps them stuck on a flavor of the month merry go round.

This is the best description of what is probably going to be happening at these schools. However, most of them did not resort to these hiring practices in the past when they had a high degree of success.

LSU hired Saban from Michigan State after his only successful season in East Lansing (9-2). They then hired Les Miles who never finished higher than 3rd in the Big 12 South. Then they hired Ed O after he was successful as the Tiger's interim HC.

Florida had huge success with Steve Spurrier whom they hired from Duke. He was fairly successful but had never won a bowl game before coming UF. Urban Meyer was a highly successful yet unknown coach out of Utah. He had only coached the Utes for two years and was the HC at BGU for three years before that.

It seems like schools aren't even interviewing candidates anymore. They just pick a big name and throw money at him. The three big names from 2021 who got poached were replaced by guys who have had more success. I would much rather have Freeman, Venables and Lanning over Kelly, Riley and Mario.

23 minutes ago, Jon Joseph said:

Gat, I love that you are on this board, but with all due respect, winning Big Ten football games is not a piece of cake.

Cig's win at Oregon (sigh) was the one that grabbed the nation's attention, of course. But hanging in at 2-loss Iowa on a day the offense wasn't playing well, likely due to Iowa's defense, was a very good win. The win last season against a Michigan team that defeated Bama in the postseason was significant, as are the wins over bowl-eligible B1G teams.

We live in a Power 2 CFB world. When did winning in the SEC become Herculean, and winning in the B1G passe? The B1G won two titles in a row, and there seems to be a journalistic jihad against the conference and its leadership.

Texas and Bama have to come back against two mediocre SEC opponents, and the comebacks are the greatest of all time. In a monsoon, Wisconsin keeps it close against OBD, and The Athletic drops Oregon to No. 12 in its irrelevant poll.

In the Massey computer rankings, Ohio State and Indiana are first and second. No. 6 Oregon has a respectable SOS ranking of 25 to date, 18th going forward.

The computer does not rank a G5 team in its top 25. The SEC has the most teams ranked, with 10 in the top 25. The B1G has seven teams ranked: Michigan, Iowa, Washington, and USC are also ranked. Then it's B12 4, ACC 3, and Notre Dame.

The Athletic's Stewart Mandel, in his latest Mailbag, referred to UW's record as being 'tainted.' A loss to the No. 1 team in the country and on the road at a ranked Michigan makes UW's 6-2 record 'tainted '?

The B1G had the best postseason record in 2024-25. 3-loss PO screwed over South Carolina was defeated by 3-loss Illinois, and 3-loss PO screwed over Alabama was defeated by a 5-loss Michigan team that had many players sitting the game out while Bama had all hands on deck.

I watch a lot of SEC football, and I more than respect the quality of play, but I haven't seen a team in any conference this season that cannot be defeated.

Good luck with the Gators search. Florida should be competing for national championships.

I wasn't saying the conference games were easy, just that I wouldn't label any of those games as on par with what you would call a great win. Winning at Oregon was a great game.

I've been saying all along that the SEC isn't as great those on ESPN do. Look at the post season results. Alabama lost to a terrible ACC team, but rolled along against what is perceived as top ten teams that haven't beaten a top ten team outside of the conference which got over ranked with South Carolina and Florida both being top fifteen. Both were given the SEC boost. Oklahoma beat a fringe top 25 Michigan. Texas A&M won at Notre Dame. That's what the SEC has done out of league.

But you have to look South Carolina, Alabama, Florida, Texas, and Oklahoma and give them credit for at least scheduling P4 opponents or Notre Dame. Indiana plays absolutely nobody outside of their required conference slate. Oregon has played Georgia in the Lanning era, that's something I've always enjoyed about the Ducks. They've gone to Michigan and Ohio State before they were in the B1G. They earned their flowers and stretched their wings.

Indiana has one great win, they looked great in it. They've looked great in dismantling above average B1G teams like Illinois by fifty. But I can't say Curt Cignetti has proven himself to be in the Ryan Day conversation. I can't put him in the Dan Lanning conversation either. Dan Lanning has a B1G title. Ryan Day has a couple B1G titles and a National title. I give them incredible weight.

Curt Cignetti has been called by some in this hyperbolic time frame as the greatest coach in college football. To that I quote Lee Corso "Not so fast my friend."

To be considered in that elite class and not some plucky underdog with so so expectations, you have to have more than one great win. A great win isn't just winning against conference opponents. If that were the case, James Franklin would still have a job.

17 minutes ago, OregonDucks said:

To Gat’s defense, I do believe that the SEC is more balanced, so week-in and week-out it’s more of a slog and teams will beat up on one another. The B1G is top heavy and its teams might be the best this year (we’ll see in the playoffs).

I wouldn’t bet Oregon straight up on a neutral field this year against Alabama, Georgia, Ole Miss or Texas A&M. Oregon has not beaten a ranked team, yet, and we are midway through the season.

What’s our best win to date - Northwestern or Montana State?

I think the SEC is deeper, no doubt. But I haven't watched an SEC team this season, including Texas A&M, that cannot be defeated. A&M surrendered a ton of points to Notre Dame and won on a Domer's special teams mistake. A&M defeated Arkansas 45-42.

Terrific win over LSU, but LSU has floundered the entire season.

The B1G had a winning record against the SEC last season, including winning two games, Illinois vs South Carolina, and Michigan vs. Alabama, where the B1G teams were significant underdogs.

I think the SEC is the top football conference, but it is not that much superior to the Big Ten.

Rumors are swirling that Lane Kiffin might be on the move.

If so, I think he should take the PSU job. Lots of resources, great history and college town. Their uniforms are some of the ugliest in college football, but that's probably a bit superficial.

I think LSU is the next best opening, but I don't know enough about other coaches around the nation to make a suggestion here.

He won't be a WOW hire, but 42-year-old Wake Forest head coach Jake Dickert has the Demon Deacons 5-2 with Saturday's upset defeat of SMU. He's doing this with the smallest student body, stadium, and the smallest football budget in the ACC.

Dickert is 42 with 17 years of coaching experience, including at Washington State, another low-budget program, where he had the Cougars, with now Oklahoma QB John Mateer and OC Ben Arbuckle, playing competitive football. He helped move Mateer and Arbuckle into a higher tax bracket.

Hw won't be offered the top-tier jobs, but he'd make sense at VA Tech or at Stanford.

1 hour ago, OregonDucks said:

Can you imagine where Oregon would be if it fired Coach Brooks before the Rose Bowl?

One of my favorite topics from Duck history that no longer is talked about too frequently. Not so much about not firing Brooks, just the many "what ifs/what could have beens" that sort of sank the Duck program in the early 1970s; and, the story of the AD who arguably took an ok program and led it to a decade of futility (35-82-4) followed by ten years of mediocrity (58-56) before the 1994 Rose Bowl season breakthrough. Sort of maybe fits in with the topic of coaching searches, hirings, and firings too.

It starts in 1972. The previous 50 years Oregon had been a fair 242-216-28 (with only one losing decade). Jerry Frei, a member of Oregon's staff for 17 years and 5th year head coach, had gone 22-29-2 (but had shown an upward trajectory in 70-71 going 11-10-1 behind the likes of Fouts and Moore) resigned rather than follow the direction of 2nd year AD Norv Ritchey (following pressure from boosters over five consecutive losses to the Beavers) to fire several of his assistants (a story at the time reported in the Register Guard and later confirmed by Fouts).

At the time, the Oregon staff included, John Robinson who would go on to win a National Championship at USC and become a member of the college football hall-of-fame, George Siefert who went on to coach the NFL 49s and Panthers (retired with a top 5 career winning percentage among NFL coaches with 100+ wins), Gunther Cunningham who went on to coach 35 years in the NFL including head coach at KC, John Marshall who went on to coach 30 years in the NFL including DC stops with 5 teams, and Bruce Snyder future head coach at Utah State, Cal, and ASU.

At the time, the Oregon job wasn't at all viewed as the bottom of college football world, but rather as stuck in mediocrity but a viable opportunity. Oregon had beaten USC in 70-71 and had otherwise been genetally competitive outside a couple paycheck games. Frei had recruited well, and Autzen wasn't even 5 years old. One name that had popped up in the early coaching search (which included over a dozen candidates) was then San Diego State head coach Don Coryell (who of course went on to revolutionize NFL offenses).

AD Ritchey had apparently wanted Oregon assistant coach Dick Enright all along, a young former SoCal high school coach with exactly two seasons of college coaching experience (Enright, at 37, was the same age as Dan Lanning was when he arrived at Oregon).

Ritchey eventually got his way and Enright was hired. Oregon went 6-16 the next two years and Enright reportedly learned about his firing from a phone call by a reporter. Ritchey then hired Don Read from Enright's staff, whose primary experience had been going 39-52-1 at Portland State from 68-71. He goes 9-24 in three seasons.

Oregon' top target in 1977 to replace Don Read was none other than Bill Walsh. The story goes Walsh wanted to be a head coach in the NFL but after getting passed over for the Cincinnatti job, he took the OC job in SD for a season where he learned he had been essentially "blackballed" around the NFL by then legendary but ill-tempered coach Paul Brown. Walsh moved to the college game and picked the Stanford opening over Oregon.

The second choice was UW DC Jim Mora, the eventual 15 year NFL head coach, probably most well known for his stay with the Saints (and his "Playoffs? We are just trying to win a game and you are talking playoffs?" rant). Mora was interested but eventually took his name out of the running.

Brooks, who had been Oregon State DC in 1973, DB coach for the SF 49s for two seasons, and LB coach at UCLA under first year head coach Terry Donahue in 1976, got the job.

Brooks goes 24-49-4 his first 7 seasons at Oregon trying to dig out of the Ritchey, Enright, and Read hole (not helped by the scandal plagued early 1980s), yielding a 12 year run of 38-89-4. Brooks finally goes 28-28 in the five year run up to the 1989 Independence Bowl.

John Robinson, George Siefert, Gunther, Cuningham, John Marshall, Don Coryell, Bill Walsh, and Jim Mora coulda been. Or, stick with Frei and let that staff cook. Instead Oregon got AD Ritchey directing 38-89-4.

Edited just now1 min by AnotherOD

I assume Lanning will take this and Cignetti contract to get paid even more. The only thing I can see him leaving for is Georgia or Alabama (I don't believe he was even offered the last time despite what parasocial homers want to believe about their football papa).

I like these quotes from Cam Newton about Lane Kiffin. It also speaks to Dan Lanning’s situation. He basically said that Lane needs to chart his own path at Ole Miss instead of following legends at blue blood programs. He and Lanning would be in rare air. There are only two me alive today who won their university’s first football national championship.

On3

Cam Newton: Lane Kiffin should stay at Ole Miss, blaze hi...

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