College Football Nation: Houston Cougras
It’s amazing, but we’re just a couple of months from the start of fall camps. And that means were just a couple months away from lighting some fires under various coaches' seats to get them to win now or else.
But why wait?
I thought I‘d assess the temperature of the various coaches in my leagues to see where they stand heading into 2010 and what they need to do to ensure their employment in 2011.
Needs to win right away
Mike Price, UTEP: Price has become a bit of a fixture in this particular position on the hot seat list. He was given a vote of confidence at the end of last year, but that was because he still has players such as quarterback Trevor Vittatoe and running back Donald Buckram on his roster. But they’re gone after this season, so Price needs to make something out of this year or else.
Neil Callaway, UAB: Callaway is 11-25 in his three seasons as UAB’s head coach and the Blazers have not won more than five games in any of his seasons. In all fairness, Callaway did have to deal with scholarship losses thanks to NCAA APR sanctions that came down prior to his arrival. But with Joe Webb gone and the team looking for an offensive spark this year, the administration and fans could get antsy.
Seat could get toasty midseason
David Bailiff, Rice: I honestly think Bailiff has nothing to fear, but last season’s 2-10 campaign was pretty brutal, especially after the 10-3 season in 2008. But Bailiff has some key transfers this season, including running back Sam McGuffie, who could end up being the best player in the conference. Another 10-win season might be a stretch, but the Owls should get into bowl contention.
Bob Toledo, Tulane: Toledo took a tough job four years ago as Tulane was still rebuilding from Hurricane Katrina and was displaced because of other hurricanes. He also has to deal with a tough academic standard, which often hampers recruiting. Still, Tulane has some fertile recruiting ground with Louisiana and Texas and should be better than its 3-9 record a year ago.
Chillin’ in a lounge chair
Kevin Sumlin, Houston: Sumlin’s Cougars provided some thrills last year with wins over Oklahoma State, Texas Tech and Mississippi State en route to a 10-win season, but they struggled at the end of the season and failed to win the conference title or the bowl game. Still, Sumlin’s coaching job in just two years has made him one of the hottest up-and-comers, and Houston will want to hold onto him as long as it can.
June Jones, SMU: Jones has started SMU on the road back to prominence, which has its administration and fan base in a frenzy. The school bumped up his salary last year and the expectations for a nine or 10-win season, a division title and possible league title are high. Jones won’t be chastised if they don’t achieve all of those goals, but he has to continue to show improvement.
George O’Leary, UCF: Remember when folks were calling for O’Leary’s job? Yeah, those days are gone and now many think the Knights could be the team to beat in the East Division and perhaps the conference. The defense has been stout, but the Knights need to show some progress on offense to live up to the expectations.
Todd Graham, Tulsa: I think it’s fair to call last year’s 5-7 finish a fluke. Graham acknowledged that he underestimated the loss of some of his seniors after the 2008 season and the lack of depth on the offensive line. However, Tulsa doesn’t lose much offense from a year ago, and if the O-line and quarterback G.J. Kinne can progress, the Golden Hurricane could be right back in the conference title hunt.
Larry Fedora, Southern Miss: Fedora missed an East Division title by five points last season and those five points were the theme that drove the Golden Eagles this spring. Southern Miss will once again be at the top of the East Division and will probably battle UCF for the division title. Fedora has kept the bowl streak alive, but now it’s time to push his squad forward.
New coach, jury is still out
Ruffin McNeill, East Carolina: McNeill took over a team that lost 28 seniors from last year and he’s installing a new offense and defense. Now, it’s tough to rule out the back-to-back conference champions, but it’s hard to see this as anything but a rebuilding year.
Larry Porter, Memphis: Porter is another coach who lost several key contributors. He’s breaking in a new quarterback and a new running back in a new system. He has a little more pressure on him to build quickly with possible expansion looming, but it will take some time to get this team back in contention.
But why wait?
I thought I‘d assess the temperature of the various coaches in my leagues to see where they stand heading into 2010 and what they need to do to ensure their employment in 2011.
Needs to win right away
Mike Price, UTEP: Price has become a bit of a fixture in this particular position on the hot seat list. He was given a vote of confidence at the end of last year, but that was because he still has players such as quarterback Trevor Vittatoe and running back Donald Buckram on his roster. But they’re gone after this season, so Price needs to make something out of this year or else.
Neil Callaway, UAB: Callaway is 11-25 in his three seasons as UAB’s head coach and the Blazers have not won more than five games in any of his seasons. In all fairness, Callaway did have to deal with scholarship losses thanks to NCAA APR sanctions that came down prior to his arrival. But with Joe Webb gone and the team looking for an offensive spark this year, the administration and fans could get antsy.
Seat could get toasty midseason
David Bailiff, Rice: I honestly think Bailiff has nothing to fear, but last season’s 2-10 campaign was pretty brutal, especially after the 10-3 season in 2008. But Bailiff has some key transfers this season, including running back Sam McGuffie, who could end up being the best player in the conference. Another 10-win season might be a stretch, but the Owls should get into bowl contention.
Bob Toledo, Tulane: Toledo took a tough job four years ago as Tulane was still rebuilding from Hurricane Katrina and was displaced because of other hurricanes. He also has to deal with a tough academic standard, which often hampers recruiting. Still, Tulane has some fertile recruiting ground with Louisiana and Texas and should be better than its 3-9 record a year ago.
Chillin’ in a lounge chair
Kevin Sumlin, Houston: Sumlin’s Cougars provided some thrills last year with wins over Oklahoma State, Texas Tech and Mississippi State en route to a 10-win season, but they struggled at the end of the season and failed to win the conference title or the bowl game. Still, Sumlin’s coaching job in just two years has made him one of the hottest up-and-comers, and Houston will want to hold onto him as long as it can.
June Jones, SMU: Jones has started SMU on the road back to prominence, which has its administration and fan base in a frenzy. The school bumped up his salary last year and the expectations for a nine or 10-win season, a division title and possible league title are high. Jones won’t be chastised if they don’t achieve all of those goals, but he has to continue to show improvement.
George O’Leary, UCF: Remember when folks were calling for O’Leary’s job? Yeah, those days are gone and now many think the Knights could be the team to beat in the East Division and perhaps the conference. The defense has been stout, but the Knights need to show some progress on offense to live up to the expectations.
Todd Graham, Tulsa: I think it’s fair to call last year’s 5-7 finish a fluke. Graham acknowledged that he underestimated the loss of some of his seniors after the 2008 season and the lack of depth on the offensive line. However, Tulsa doesn’t lose much offense from a year ago, and if the O-line and quarterback G.J. Kinne can progress, the Golden Hurricane could be right back in the conference title hunt.
Larry Fedora, Southern Miss: Fedora missed an East Division title by five points last season and those five points were the theme that drove the Golden Eagles this spring. Southern Miss will once again be at the top of the East Division and will probably battle UCF for the division title. Fedora has kept the bowl streak alive, but now it’s time to push his squad forward.
New coach, jury is still out
Ruffin McNeill, East Carolina: McNeill took over a team that lost 28 seniors from last year and he’s installing a new offense and defense. Now, it’s tough to rule out the back-to-back conference champions, but it’s hard to see this as anything but a rebuilding year.
Larry Porter, Memphis: Porter is another coach who lost several key contributors. He’s breaking in a new quarterback and a new running back in a new system. He has a little more pressure on him to build quickly with possible expansion looming, but it will take some time to get this team back in contention.
Houston's only focus is the Bayou Bucket
November, 23, 2009
11/23/09
3:14
PM ET
By
Graham Watson | ESPN.com
Houston coach Kevin Sumlin couldn’t watch last week’s SMU-Marshall game.
He had friends over at his house, watching football, and one of his guests kept checking the score of the SMU-Marshall game on the home computer.
“At one point I said I didn’t want to know until it was over,” Sumlin said.
Earlier in the day, Houston had defeated Memphis 55-14 and the Cougars needed an SMU loss to move back into first place after losing the top spot a week earlier.
Sumlin and his team got their wish when Marshall held on to a 34-31 win after recovering an SMU onside kick with 40 seconds remaining in the game.
But now that Houston is back in first place, Sumlin said the focus is to stay there. The Cougars have one game against Rice remaining. Win and they play in the Conference USA title game. Lose, and all SMU needs to do is win to be the West representative.
“How we approach things hasn’t changed from last week,” Sumlin said. “The situation’s changed, but we still need to win. There’s a lot more at stake here this week just because it’s a rivalry game, we’re playing for the bucket trophy and Rice has the bucket.”
Playing Rice, a team with just two wins this season, shouldn’t be that daunting, but the fact that the Cougars have lost to weaker teams already this season is somewhat worrisome. Houston’s loss to UTEP would be the perfect example. The Cougars jumped out to an early lead, relaxed, and UTEP pull out one of the biggest wins in their program’s history and broke the Cougars perfect season. The Miners have won just three games all season.
Rice has won its last two games -- Tulane and UTEP -- but before that stretch, the Owls had lost by an average of 27.5 points per game.
Last season, Rice defeated Houston 56-42 last season to deny Houston a shot at the conference championship. However, that game featured four touchdowns by tight end James Casey, who is now in the NFL, and five touchdown passes by quarterback Chase Clement, who graduated.
Sumlin said he’s put an emphasis on the rivalry game, not winning the divisional title. He said if they win the game, the rest will take care of itself.
“It’s a rivalry game,” Sumlin said. “It enough for us to be worried about what goes on week-to-week beyond worrying about what everybody’s trying to tell us where we are and what could happen. All we’re worried about is the bucket. All we’re trying to do is get the bucket back.”
He had friends over at his house, watching football, and one of his guests kept checking the score of the SMU-Marshall game on the home computer.
“At one point I said I didn’t want to know until it was over,” Sumlin said.
Earlier in the day, Houston had defeated Memphis 55-14 and the Cougars needed an SMU loss to move back into first place after losing the top spot a week earlier.
Sumlin and his team got their wish when Marshall held on to a 34-31 win after recovering an SMU onside kick with 40 seconds remaining in the game.
But now that Houston is back in first place, Sumlin said the focus is to stay there. The Cougars have one game against Rice remaining. Win and they play in the Conference USA title game. Lose, and all SMU needs to do is win to be the West representative.
“How we approach things hasn’t changed from last week,” Sumlin said. “The situation’s changed, but we still need to win. There’s a lot more at stake here this week just because it’s a rivalry game, we’re playing for the bucket trophy and Rice has the bucket.”
Playing Rice, a team with just two wins this season, shouldn’t be that daunting, but the fact that the Cougars have lost to weaker teams already this season is somewhat worrisome. Houston’s loss to UTEP would be the perfect example. The Cougars jumped out to an early lead, relaxed, and UTEP pull out one of the biggest wins in their program’s history and broke the Cougars perfect season. The Miners have won just three games all season.
Rice has won its last two games -- Tulane and UTEP -- but before that stretch, the Owls had lost by an average of 27.5 points per game.
Last season, Rice defeated Houston 56-42 last season to deny Houston a shot at the conference championship. However, that game featured four touchdowns by tight end James Casey, who is now in the NFL, and five touchdown passes by quarterback Chase Clement, who graduated.
Sumlin said he’s put an emphasis on the rivalry game, not winning the divisional title. He said if they win the game, the rest will take care of itself.
“It’s a rivalry game,” Sumlin said. “It enough for us to be worried about what goes on week-to-week beyond worrying about what everybody’s trying to tell us where we are and what could happen. All we’re worried about is the bucket. All we’re trying to do is get the bucket back.”
Posed by ESPN.com’s Graham Watson
1. BYU: The Cougars continued to roll this week with an easy win at Tulane. BYU's defense has been fantastic and quarterback Max Hall is starting to find different weapons in the offense. The Cougars have Florida State coming into town on Saturday. It’s not as great of a matchup as it was a couple weeks ago, but still another quality team to add to BYU's BCS résumé.
2. Boise State: Boise State is not a team that tends to look ahead and we saw that this weekend with a beat down of Miami-Ohio. The Broncos travel to Fresno State on Friday for a game that might be a little better than most anticipated. Still, the Broncos would have liked Fresno State to have won at Wisconsin to increase the strength of schedule.
3. TCU: TCU had to watch a couple teams surge out in front of it in the race for the BCS, but the Horned Frogs made a statement of their own with a dominating performance at Virginia. The TCU defense looks like it has not missed a step from last season and that’s key considering the offense was pretty pedestrian against a weak Virginia defense.
4. Utah: The Utes struggled this week against San Jose State, which raised a few questions about whether they'll be able to keep up their undefeated record once conference play begins. Still, a win is a win and it’s confidence heading into a tough game at Autzen. Boise State will be rooting for an Oregon win in this one.
5. Houston: Houston became the second non-AQ team to knock off a Big 12 opponent in the Top 5 and because of the win the Cougars found themselves in the Top 25 for the first time since 1991. Houston has the week off before hosing Texas Tech in what will likely be yet another high-scoring affair.
6. Notre Dame: The Irish were so close to getting back to old form after a stellar game against Nevada, but they couldn’t pull out a win at The Big House against Michigan. The loss wasn’t handled well by the voters, who dropped the Irish out of the national rankings. And playing a Michigan State team that lost to Central Michigan this past weekend won’t help that cause.
7. Navy: The Midshipmen rebounded from last week’s heartbreaking loss to Ohio State to defeat a pretty good Louisiana Tech team. Navy quarterback Ricky Dobbs continues to impress with his versatility and ability to generate a decent passing game for the Mids. Navy travels to Pitt this week for another tough game.
8. Southern Miss: The Golden Eagles finally have a healthy team and it’s just in time with Virginia coming up this week. The Cavaliers will be a good test for a Southern Miss defense that hasn’t seen a lot of dynamic offenses so far this season. The USM offense should have little trouble putting up points.
9. East Carolina: Holding on to leads will be a big point of emphasis for the Pirates this week. They had a 10-0 lead, but allowed West Virginia back in the game and it resulted in a 35-20 loss. The Pirates weren’t able to run the ball effectively against the Mountaineers.
10. Colorado State: The Rams struggled against Weber State, but came away with a big win to move to 2-0 in a season where they were supposed to be down. They host Nevada this week, which could be interesting considering the Wolf Pack have had a week to think about and shake off the horrible loss to Notre Dame.
Posted by ESPN.com's Graham Watson
The Biletnikoff Award watch list was recently released and 18 players from the nonautomatic qualifying schools made the cut.
The award goes to the nation's best collegiate receiver.
Three players from the non-AQ schools have won the award, but none this decade. Wyoming's Marcus Harris won in 1996, Randy Moss of Marshall won in 1997 and Troy Edwards from Louisiana Tech won in 1998.
Several players have been finalists, though, including Rice's Jarett Dillard in 2006, Ball State's Dante Ridgeway in 2004 and Nevada's Nate Burleson in 2002.
Both Conference USA and the Mid-American Conference lead the non-AQ's with five nominees each.
The winner of the 17th Biletnikoff Award will be announced as part of ESPN's College Football Awards Show on Dec. 10. The award will be officially presented to the winner at the annual Biletnikoff Award dinner, hosted by the Tallahassee Quarterback Club, on Feb. 12, 2010.
2009 BILETNIKOFF AWARD WATCH LIST (From non-AQs)
Kris Adams, UTEP
Seyi Ajirotutu, Fresno State
Antonio Brown, Central Michigan
DeAndre Brown, Southern Miss
Tyron Carrier, Houston
Cortez Gent, Florida Atlantic
Rashaun Greer, Colorado State
T.Y. Hilton, Florida International
Jerrel Jernigan, Troy
Damaris Johnson, Tulsa
Dennis Pitta, BYU
Taylor Price, Ohio
Aldrick Robinson, SMU
Naaman Roosevelt, Buffalo
Greg Salas, Hawaii
Jacory Stone, Eastern Michigan
Stephen Williams, Toledo
Ryan Wolfe, UNLV
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