What a week of turmoil and tumult for college sports.
Wednesday it was announced that Ohio State football had suspended voluntary workouts. That was just the beginning. On Thursday, it was announced the Big Ten had suspended all non-conference games and would only be playing a conference schedule this fall. Shortly after this announcement, the Athletic’s Nicole Auerbach said that the Pac-12 could soon adopt a conference-only schedule. This report was then confirmed by another reporter. These events represent a series of dominoes falling, one by one, and each of them moves college football one step closer to being canceled in its entirety for the current sports cycle (through June of 2021) or potentially moved to the spring.
Multiple industry insiders tell @TheAthletic that they expect the Pac-12 to go to conference-only scheduling as well in the coming days: https://t.co/KVWGAZTCrc
— Nicole Auerbach 😷 (@NicoleAuerbach) July 9, 2020
But it’s clear from the rising cases and death tolls that the officials and powers that be should stop trying to make a season happen this year. It’s simply just not safe enough or worth the risk. The current administration has show no inclination to prevent further contamination, they’re currently telling folks that they need to learn to live with the disease. While younger people are less prone to dying, even one athlete’s life is not worth the risk of playing a game. Sports are the reward of a functioning society and we’re not there yet as a nation.
Football is great. I love the sport and hate that we have so few sports to watch right now. That said, I fully understand why we shouldn’t be playing them even as other nations are. They actually listened to scientists, stayed inside, wore masks, and the curve flattened and allowed them to return to a normal way of life. Not a single state has done that here in America, Washington probably comes the closest.
If fans want to see college football this fall, the formula is clear as day. Wash your hands, social distancing is a must, wear a mask, and self-quarantine. These simple items will do wonders in returning life to normal. When life returns to normal, sports will be back with a vengeance. Athletes want to play, fans want to see them play, but it’s imperative that they are healthy and safe when they play. If that can’t happen, then they shouldn’t be playing.
Hopefully, the 2020 game can be as exciting as last year’s game that came down to the final play in a Hawaii win. This time the game is on the road and the Warriors have a new head coach with Nick Rolovich heading to Washington State and Todd Graham taking over on the islands.
ICYMI, last night’s wild Arizona-Hawaii game had 1100 total yards, 8 turnovers, and fell just a yard shy of potentially going into OT when Khalil Tate scrambled 30 yards—from the Hawaii 31… pic.twitter.com/ukEJ5WsFrE
Arizona head coach Kevin Sumlin is squarely on the hot seat with a 9-15 record in two years in Tucson and a third losing season very likely could have him looking for a new job. He did good things at Texas A&M and there have been some signs of his offense doing well at Arizona but not enough to take advantage of the talent he has.
Offensive players to watch:
This offense did move the ball well overall last year and ended up finishing third in the Pac-12 in total offense, passing, and rushing, but they were not able to convert that offense into touchdowns. In league play, they had four times where they failed to score more than 14 points.
Quarterback Khalil Tate was either good or bad, so not having him around could lead to some more consistency in the Wildcats offense. Sumlin tried to play two quarterbacks in the second half of 2019 but that failed miserably with the scoring seemingly decreasing every week.
The quarterback should be Grant Gunnell‘s job and all to himself. He played in eight games and was part of two wins. His most impressive game was against UCLA in which he completed 29 of 44 passes for 352 yards and a touchdown. For the season, he completed 65.2 percent of his passes and had just one interception in 155 attempts, so clearly, he is an accurate thrower.
The receiving group is loaded with nine of their top 10 pass-catcher back and that includes Jamarye Joiner who caught 34 passes for 552 yards and five scores as a freshman. The passing game should take a step forward.[lawrence-related id=24822]
In the ground game, they do lose J.J. Taylor who led the team running the ball for 721 yards. Plus, there is Tate’s loss in rushing game production with his 413 yards. Stepping in to be the top back is Gary Brightwell who was third in rushing last year with 390 yards and tied for the team in rushing touchdowns at five. Having four of the five starting offensive linemen back from last year should be a plus.
Defensive players to watch:
The defense has been a real struggle as they allowed 35.8 points per game last year and that was dead last in the Pac-12 and 118th in all of FBS. To fix this defense is new defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads.
He is familiar with the Pac-12 South and Arizona as he was leading the UCLA secondary over the past two years. The Bruins overall defense was not that much better than the Wildcats and in the passing game, UCLA was dead last in the Pac-12 in interceptions, yards per game allowed, quarterback rating, and allowed the most passing touchdowns.
That makes this hire seem questionable for Arizona. Rhoads was a head coach at Iowa State for six years from 2009-15, so maybe that leadership is why Sumling brought him in.
Expect the leader and best player on this defense to be Colin Schooler. He had 98 tackles and is expected to be in contention for an all-conference slot. They do bring back a lot of the front seven that includes Tony Field, Anthony Pandy, and Jalen Harris.
Harris has some potential as he had four sacks last year but overall there was little to no pass rush for this defense. That is an area to watch because Hawaii is likely to throw a lot and if there is time to throw look for the Warriors offense to shred the Arizona secondary.
With that pass rush being so bad, it made the secondary look worse than they really were. Arizona does return Lorenzo Burns who led the team with four interceptions, and Scottie Young is back to take over one of the safety spots.
Overall:
This Arizona team will struggle in the Pac-12 and likely finish near the bottom of the South division in the Pac-12. They are replacing a lot of talent on offense and they have a really bad defense as well. There are some areas where this team could improve and it begins with playing just one quarterback and having a new face in charge of the defense.
After back-to-back home tilts against Washington State and Southern Utah, Utah State will embark on the road for the first time in 2020 against the physically-minded Huskies. Even without the services of former head coach Chris Petersen, this Husky defense is going to be strong and look to punish an Aggie team that will doubtlessly be searching for its identity. The game is set for Sept. 19 but the TV network has not been announced.
Location: Seattle, Washington
Mascot: Harry the Husky & Dubs
Conference: Pac-12
2019 Record: 8-5
Head Coach: Jimmy Lake (Overall 0-0). There is no question Lake has big shoes to fill with the sudden departure of Chris Petersen last season. Luckily for the Huskies, the transition is all but guaranteed to be smooth with the amount of defensive experience Lake has to his name. He has been at Washington as a defensive assistant for the last six seasons, two of which he was the co-defensive coordinator and the last two as the full-time defensive coordinator.
Despite the loss of nine starters from 2018, Lake’s defensive unit limited opponents to 19.4 points per game in 2019, good for 15th best in the country. Though the Huskies’ record last year was disappointing, the defense kept them in every game and ensured all but one of their losses was within one score. This defense hits hard and makes absolutely nothing easy for its opposition. Lake helped build the culture at U-Dub into what it is under Chris Petersen and it’s genuinely terrific.
Quick Series Snapshot: Washington leads 2-0
These two schools have only played twice. In 1998, Dave Arslanian’s Aggie team got utterly embarrassed and dominated 53-12. The game was so bad it even prompted Arslanian to say in the post-game press conference this gem: “I must be a lousy football coach. I’ve never seen that bad of a performance. I apologize, especially to the Huskies, for being the inept opponent we were today.”
The Aggies at least showed up in the 2015 game. After a competitive first half, the defense faltered and the offense sputtered in a 31-17 loss. Then freshman QB Jake Browning showed off his arm and torched a largely helpless secondary, previewing to the college world how good of a career he was going to have in Seattle.
Washington Huskies, 2019 Season:
Though a few highlight games provided great thrills, the 2019 season will go down as a “what if” type of season for U-Dub fans.
The Huskies took care of business against their FCS foe Eastern Washington with ease in week one. The next week, they surprised everyone (including Cal fans) after losing a defensive slug-fest in Seattle to the Golden Bears. Cal got the go-ahead field goal with under ten seconds to go and Husky QB Jacob Eason couldn’t make late-game magic.
After the bitter loss, the Huskies righted the ship with three solid wins in a row against Hawaii, BYU, and USC. Washington dominated all three games and looked like a shoo-in for the Pac-12 North Division winners.
The Huskies then lost control of their season as quickly as they seemed to initially tame it. They lost three of their next four games, and each loss was a heartbreaker worse than the one before. Losses to the Ducks, Utes, and Cardinal all but ensured Washington would not head back to the Pac-12 championship game. Adding insult to injury, they even lost a road contest against a poor Colorado team in Boulder.
The Huskies closed out their 2019 campaign on a good note, however. They scored dominant wins against their in-state rival Washington State and then granted Chris Petersen the last laugh in a romp against Boise State in the Las Vegas bowl.
2020 Overview:
Offense:
With the departure of Jacob Eason, U-Dub is going to have a QB competition on its hands. Unfortunately for the Huskies, none of their prospects have much experience in games and not a single one has thrown a touchdown pass on game day. With inexperience and a new offensive coordinator comes growing pains. SO Jacob Sirmon is the early favorite to win the role, but FR Ethan Garbers and Dylan Morris can make it interesting in the coming weeks.
Though quarterback is an unmistakable weakness at this point, Washington still has excellent recruits and some proven playmakers on their offense. SO RB Richard Newton is expected to carry most of the load this season and SR Sean McGrew is more than capable of having a breakout performance. Newton had good numbers last season with 514 yards gained on 117 attempts, garnering 10 touchdowns. McGrew was used less but had a higher rushing average per play. Both of these runners saw less time than star rusher Salvon Ahmed last season, but they are now well prepared to carry the offense while their QB finds his feet in the scheme.
The Huskies return a pair of JR receivers in Cade Otton and Terrell Bynum to take over for Aaron Fuller and Hunter Bryant from 2019. Though their receptions last year are dwarfed by the graduated seniors, Otton and Bynum still totaled up more than 340 yards each to go along with their combined four touchdown grabs. They’ll undoubtedly need to help out their QB and get open against the DBs they match up against or else this offense could have the tendency to sputter.
Defense:
Unlike the question marks they have on offense, Washington is in excellent shape on the defensive side of the ball. SR Elijah Molden is back at corner and he’ll be looking to build on a stellar junior year where he tallied up 79 total tackles and made first-team All Pac-12. SR Keith Taylor will help Molden out at the other corner and is no slouch with 59 total tackles in 2019. This secondary allowed just over 222 yards per game last year and I expect them to improve due to the overall increased age and maturity of the unit.
At linebacker, the Huskies have some big bodies to work with. SO Edefuan Ulofoshio should increase his production from last year and JR Joe Tryon will be an absolute load for opposing offenses to plan against. Tryon is bigger than your typical LB and he can slide into the defensive line as a DE as well. He’s multi-talented and is slated to be a high round NFL draft pick for 2021. When SR Ryan Bowman is on the field as well, there will be many frightened QBs who don’t want to run into either of them.
The defensive line has a couple of stars who will certainly cause havoc for the Huskies. SR Levi Onwuzurikenabbed 45 tackles last season and a couple of sacks. SR Josiah Bronson rounds out the upperclassmen on the line and will need to step up his production from last season for this unit to shine to its fullest potential. He earned 23 tackles in 2019 and was recently granted another year of eligibility. The rest of the line is quite young, so the fortunes will largely ebb and flow with these two seniors.
Final Thoughts and Game Prediction
Historically, Utah State has not played well on the road against P5 teams. It pains me to say it, but they just haven’t. Though there’s no telling how much of a factor the crowd at Husky Stadium will be in the midst of a pandemic, the Aggies have a ton to prove.
In a similar twist to the Washington State matchup earlier in the season, this game will likely be a game of strength vs weakness on each side of the ball. Washington has a lot of retooling to do on offense and will be against an Aggie defense that should be substantially improved over last season. Conversely, Utah State’s offense has to show up against a traditionally very strong Washington front seven to have a puncher’s chance in this game.
The Aggies’ shuffling of offensive lineman last season hasn’t yielded a terribly consistent unit. USU started strong in this category last year, but once SO Andy Koch went down to injury early in the season, the sacks started to pile up and the Aggies finished 44th in sacks allowed. This offensive line can get pushed around versus a stalwart and beefy defensive line, so it will be critical for SR Demytrick Ali’ifua to get his occasionally wayward snaps under control. This will give time to Jr Henry Colombi to get the ball out quickly to his seasoned receivers, a potential match-up advantage over the Huskies.
Washington was strong against the run last season ranking 28th in the NCAA and yielding just 126.4 yards per game to their opponents. Since USU’s passing game is a question mark right now, the Aggies will have to rely on getting the ground game churning with SR Jaylen Warren leading the way. USU was middle of the road rushing the ball in 2019 at 152.2 yards per game, so Warren will need to stay healthy and get help from one of the younger backs to elevate this offense.
The Aggies are most likely going to have a rough outing against Washington. Though USU’s defense is probably good enough to keep the Husky offense in check, it’s going to turn into a murder slog quickly if USU can’t keep the chains moving against a schematically sound and disciplined Husky defense. They’re athletically superior and quite talented with the highest rated signing class in the Pac-12 for 2020.
I stopped believing in Utah State’s ability to win a P5 road game a long time ago. They won’t get it done until they actually get it done. This game will be largely a repeat of the 2015 affair, just uglier and more drawn out.
Will Colorado State be ready for this Oregon State team?
The Colorado State Rams head to Corvallis in week two of the 2020 season to take on the Oregon State Beavers. Head coach Steve Addazio will look to set the tone for the 2020 season in the second straight Pac-12 match up for the Rams. The game is currently scheduled to take place Saturday, September 12th. No time or TV schedule has been set yet.
Location: Corvallis, OR
Mascot: Beavers
Conference: Pac-12
2019 Record: 5–7 (4-5 SEC)
Head Coach: Jonathan Smith (Overall 7-17) is heading into his third season as the Beavers head coach. Smith is coaching at his alma mater. He was a QB for the Beavers from 1998-2001. Smith earned MVP honors of the Fiesta Bowl in 2000; a season in which the Beavers finished fourth in the rankings.
Smith improved his record at OSU from 2-10 in 2018 to 5-7 last year. This year the Beavers are expected to be in the mix for a middle of the table spot in the Pac-12 North as the predictions are a bit mixed for everyone after Oregon. The Beavers will be looking to stake their claim as a team to watch out for.
Series: This will be the teams fourth meeting (2-1 CSU). The Rams are on a two game winning streak and last time out the Rams opened up Canvas Stadium with an emphatic 58-27 victory in 2017.
2019 Oregon State Season Review:
The Beavers had an ok 2019 season. Outside of two ugly losses to Oklahoma State and Utah, Oregon State was in most of its games. Three of their seven losses were by a field goal or less. And the Beavers seemed to get better as the season went on.
The Beavers offense was lead by Jake Luton. The senior quarterback finished the season completing 62% of his passes for 2714 yards, 28 touchdowns, and three interceptions. His favorite targets were Isaiah Hodgins (86 receptions, 1171 yards, and 13 tds) and Noah Togiai (44 receptions, 406 yards, and three tds). The offense performed well and finished ranked 35th in the SP+.
Unfortunately the defense let this Oregon State team down. The defense finished ranked 93rd in SP+. The defense kept them in some games but didn’t show up when it mattered. Opponents converted 21 of 27 fourth down opportunities and converted 44% of their third down opportunities. Five teams were able to convert 50% or more their third down attempts against the Beavers in 2019.
Utah State sets foot into the 2020 season by hosting the Washington State Cougars. While newly minted Cougar head coach Nick Rolovich doesn’t have the cachet or reputation of departed head coach Mike Leach, it would be a mistake for the Aggies to write off Wazzou’s offense. The game is set for September 3rd with TV rights yet to be announced.
Location: Pullman, WA
Mascot: Butch T. Cougar
Conference: PAC-12
2018 Record: 6-7
Head Coach: Nick Rolovich (Overall 28-27). As a former player and head coach of the Hawai’i Rainbow Warriors, Nick Rolovich saw his share of ups and downs. As a player, he had a poor 2000 season followed by a very good 2001 season as the team’s starting quarterback.
After rising through the coaching ranks, Rolovich earned the privilege of being the Warriors’ head coach starting with the 2016 season. Though his first two years on the job resulted in shaky 7-7 and 3-9 campaigns, the team cemented an explosive and entertaining offense en route to 8-6 and 10-5 records the following two seasons. Before departing for the frozen tundra of Pullman, Rolovich’s career in Honolulu culminated in a wacky and wonderful Hawaii bowl win against BYU.
On paper, Rolovich is the right hire for Wazzou. He’s employing the run-and-shoot offense, which is similar to the air raid that Mike Leach employed so successfully in the Pac-12. With his own offensive background and system in tow, it would appear to even be a great situation. Nonetheless, Rolovich apes Leach’s own liabilities in overall poor defensive tradition and scheme. If Wazzou does more of the same with Rolovich, it may initially put a ceiling on what the coach can accomplish in 2020 with key missing players.
Quick Series Snapshot: WSU leads 2-1
The Aggies and the Cougars haven’t met on the gridiron since 1961, Merlin Olsen‘s final collegiate season. Utah State traveled to Pullman and bruised the Cougars 34-14. The previous two games in the series saw Wazzou dominate the Ags both times.
Washington State Cougars, 2019 Season:
This season will go down for many Coug fans as a bitter pill to swallow. The Cougs got off to a hot 3-0 start, albeit against inferior competition. After winning a close one against the Houston Cougars, Wazzou’s scoring offense had amassed 148 points in just three games. With winnable games against UCLA, Colorado, and Arizona State on the horizon, it looked like another potential North division championship was coming for the Cougs.
Chip Kelly and UCLA had other plans. In what was certainly one of the most bizarre and wild college football games ever played, Cougar QB Anthony Gordonthrew nine touchdowns and 570 yards against two interceptions… and lost at home to a then winless Bruins team. The Cougs went on to lose to Utah and Arizona State and diminish any sort of accomplishment they had the first three weeks of the season.
After blowing another close game to Oregon, the Cougs shocked everyone with a dominant win over the Stanford Cardinal and delighted their fans with a squeaker win over Oregon State. Unfortunately, the regular season ended with another loss to the Washington Huskies, bringing their current Apple Cup losing streak to seven.
As a final parting gift to the fanbase, Mike Leach’s last game with the Cougars resulted in an underwhelming and sloppy 31-21 loss to a strong Air Force team in their bowl game. Leach moved on to Mississippi State, prolific QB Gordon graduated, and Rolovich took the head coaching reins shortly after that.
2020 Overview:
Offense: With the departure of Anthony Gordon at QB, the Cougs will have a QB competition on their hands. Unfortunately, due to the Coronavirus outbreak, Wazzou didn’t get a single Spring practice session this year. The apparent front-runners for the position are RS SO Cammon Cooper and RS FR Gunner Cruz. Neither QB has appeared in a game.
Wazzou is in much better shape at wide receiver. Though losing some of their top receivers from 2019 in Dezmon Patmon and Brandon Arconado, the Cougs return explosive targets in JR Travell Harris, SR Renard Bell, and SR Davontavean Martin. All of these players have significant game experience. When you add up their numbers with the fourth returning receiver for Wazzou, their numbers amount to a strong 154 catches, 1,796 yards and 16 touchdowns from 2019. They’ll help carry the load for the inexperienced QB and make his life much easier.
Explosive plays: that's what we like, that's what we like. 😎@gordo1_ found @TayMartin_1 for this 58-yard play that led to a @WSUCougarFB TD.
Though not the featured aspect of the offense by any stretch, the Cougs will still have some credible weapons at RB. JR Max Borghi will look to build on a successful 2019 season and reassert himself as the starter. He ran a solid 817 yards on 127 attempts and garnered 11 touchdowns. RS SR Deon McIntonsh will also look to play a bigger role in 2020 and back up Borghi. Most of the RBs the Cougs have at their disposal are inexperienced, but a few of them have great size.
On the defensive line, Wazzou has just one senior in Will Rodgers III. Though he put up strong numbers in 2019 with 27 total tackles and four sacks, he’ll need to step up and lead a unit that consists of mostly underclassmen. The Cougars’ run defense was not stellar last year, allowing 185.5 yards per game. Though it’s reasonable to expect an improvement, this unit still has some of its work cut out for it if the secondary doesn’t get better.
Final Thoughts and Game Prediction
It’s extremely typical for first games of the season to be sloppy and penalty ridden affairs. It takes time for team chemistry to coalesce into meaningful game-time production. When it comes right down to it, the season opener for USU is going to be extremely ugly across the board.
The Aggies are breaking in a new, albeit not inexperienced QB in Henry Colombi. They have a new offensive coordinator to boot, which almost inevitably makes losing several top receiving targets from last season like TE Caleb Repp and WR Siaosi Mariner an even harder burden to bear. Without those targets, receivers like SR Jordan Nathan, SR Savon Scarver, and SR Taylor Compton all need to take a meaningful step forward and exhibit leadership for the passing game to be a threat. Losing your top signal caller in Jordan Love to the NFL draft has its drawbacks.
For the Cougars, they also have a large set of challenges to overcome. Not only will they have a deeply inexperienced QB taking the reins of their newly installed run-and-shoot offense, but their first start will also be on the road. There’s no telling how Wazzou’s signal-caller is going to react in that environment until the chips fall. Without the benefit of any Spring practices at all, developing chemistry is a tough ask, even for the most assured athlete. If Wazzou’s traditionally strong offensive line doesn’t protect their passer, USU’s re-schemed 3-4-4 defense could cause major problems to whomever wins the starting job.
When it comes down to it, this game is most likely going to be a shootout. The Cougs are traditionally pass happy and light on the run, but USU’s secondary has much to prove after a mediocre 2019 season. On the flip side, Wazzou’s defensive culture is historically weak and last season was no exception. Against a new coaching staff and defensive philosophy change, USU should be able to gain significant yards on the ground and help gather confidence for an offensive line that has yet to show it can consistently bowl over its opposition.
Whoever possesses the ball last is going to win this high-scoring, penalty-ridden, and mistake-filled game.
Final Prediction- Utah State 35, Washington State 34
Game Swap. It’s the new game show which might be coming to college football this year. We will have a lot more to unpack about this topic in the coming weeks — maybe even months — but for now, let’s offer a very simple and brief overview of what we are looking at.
Start with Tuesday’s rumors — originating from Paul Finebaum of the SEC Network — that Alabama is exploring the possibility of replacing USC on September 5 in Arlington, Texas, with the TCU Horned Frogs.
We at Trojans Wire are putting this note in (nearly) every coronavirus article we write so that we are transparent about the way in which we present information: This is not a prediction. This is not a policy recommendation to schools. We’re not doing that and don’t want anyone to get the impression that we ARE.
We are just providing information and context, telling you — the reader — that more options are being considered, and/or that more plot twists are now involved in the Rubik’s Cube of figuring out a safe way to play football. We are trying to help you see possibilities — not likelihoods — of how schools and conferences can get the TV money they desperately need to improve their budgetary situations.
One such possibility is the game swap.
No one knows if they will happen, and no one is recommending they definitively SHOULD happen, but as we wrote in the article linked above, it should naturally be discussed as an option. Nothing more, nothing less.
Let’s briefly explain — in a larger context beyond USC-Alabama and TCU-California on Sept. 5 — why game swaps are now a discussion point in college football.
You might have seen on Tuesday that the California state university system is being cautious about allowing students on campus for the fall semester:
The 23-campus California State University system plans to all but cancel in-person classes in the fall and instead will offer instruction primarily online, Chancellor Timothy White announced Tuesday https://t.co/jyU3p3BOgj
The Cal State system affects three FBS football programs in California: Fresno State, San Diego State, and San Jose State. The Mountain West, which houses all three affected schools, made a brief statement in conjunction with the presidents of those institutions. It will appropriately think about what it needs to do next:
Statement from the Mountain West and the presidents of Fresno State, San Diego State and San Jose State on the Cal State system news today.
You can see that in addition to Alabama potentially replacing USC and TCU replacing California on September 5, the Pac-12 and Mountain West might need to swap games. We will look at these various examples, but let’s start with the one game which seems more imperiled than any other in college football right now:
California at UNLV on August 29.
Why this game and not other Pac-12 games on August 29? To be sure, UCLA’s game against New Mexico State and Arizona’s game against Hawaii — also slated for Aug. 29 — are more imperiled than games on Sept. 5. Yet, if forced to choose which game of the three is most in danger of being canceled or scrapped or swapped out for another game, it’s Cal-UNLV.
The reason is very simple: The Pac-12 team is the road team.
UCLA and Arizona host games on August 29, but the Golden Bears go on the road to the brand-new stadium in Las Vegas, Allegiant Stadium. Having to travel out of state in late August — when players might not be ready to get on a plane as a matter of public safety — could become more of a roadblock for a Pac-12 school than for New Mexico State or Hawaii, two programs which might need the game check more than Berkeley does.
San Jose State is scheduled to travel to Mount Pleasant, Michigan, to face Central Michigan on Sept. 5. If we are interested in playing “Game Swap,” the new Pac-12 game show would offer the possibility of San Jose State nixing that Sept. 5 game and offering to play California — probably not on August 29, but on December 5, which is conference championship weekend. Cal gets a home date, SJSU gets a game check.
Again, no one is saying this will happen or is likely to happen, or that the schools involved must do this.
We are merely saying this is an option worth discussing. Sorry if we are repeating ourselves, but in a pandemic, it’s necessary to be very clear.
The Mountain West coaching turnover is one of a kind this offseason and the Air Force Falcons could be next in line.
According to multiple reports, Falcons head coach Troy Calhoun is a finalist for the job alongside current Alabama offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian and Bret Bielema who is the current outside linebacker coach for the New York Giants and former Arkansas head coach. The outlet reports that a hire could be made as soon as Thursday, Feb. 20.
#Colorado coaching search seemingly in the final stretch. Should have a hire here shortly. The school interviewed #Giants assistant Bret Bielema and #RollTide OC Steve Sarkisian this week, according to sources. #AirForce coach Troy Calhoun reportedly in the mix, too.
If Calhoun were to take over for Mel Tucker who departed for Michigan State, it would mean the Mountain West would have seven new head coaches entering the 2020 season.
A report by Vic Lombardi of Altitude TV and radio is saying it is Calhoun’s job if he wants it.
Sources telling me Troy Calhoun is the front runner to become the new head coach of the @CUBuffsFootball.
This is not the first time that Colorado has come calling for Calhoun but prior attempts for the Buffs to lure the Falcons head coach have been unsuccessful. Calhoun also has been courted by the Denver Broncos and Tennessee Volunteers, he also turned down those advances.
Calhoun does have a contract extension on the table that would extend him from 2022 through 2025 but it is not yet signed.
This has to be a hard decision for Calhoun to make as he is a former Air Force quarterback and has been at the Academy for 13 years. However, during this past season, it seems that Calhoun seems to be getting weary of Air Force’s affiliation with the Mountain West.
[lawrence-related id=24828]
“We are in a league where to be blunt, I don’t know if it’s the route maybe we should go,” Calhoun said back in October. “I just don’t know if it’s really a match. I don’t know if it’s best. I don’t know if… Now, we are. And we’re lucky to be, just the quality of the schools of the other member institutions that are a part of it.”
That may have been just an indicator of the conference and Air Force and not necessarily Calhoun’s relationship with his alma mater. Also, at that time it was when Air Force had to make one of the rare trips to play at the Hawaii Warriors.
Air Force just recently started spring practices so Calhoun is fairly occupied in getting the team ready for next year. While the head coach has not commented, a few players have spoken about the possibility of losing Calhoun to Colorado.
“Honestly, we know the system and we know coaches come and go,” linebacker Demonte Meeks told the Colorado Springs Gazette. “It doesn’t phase me too much. We had the same situation in high school, the head coach left my junior-going-into-senior year. It’s not horrible. We know what we have. We know our guys. We’ll be fine.”
IF Troy Calhoun is leaving, and that remains a big IF, it hasn’t happened yet. He’s at Air Force’s practice right now. pic.twitter.com/kS4sA8xMbF
Returning starting quarterback Donald Hammond III is the biggest name to discuss the situation but he is just focused on spring football.
“What he does with his future doesn’t concern us right now,” Hammond said. “We come out here and go to work every day, working like he’s going to be our coach for the future.”
Offensive coordinator and former Falcons quarterback Mike Thiessen declined to comment when asked about Calhoun’s potential exit.
If there is a move from Colorado it looks to be sooner than later.
The two programs have not met since playing four games between 1959 and 1967. Notre Dame won all four of those contests by a combined score of 138-27. Two games were played in each teams respective stadium.
Notre Dame plays both USC and Stanford annually, making a trip to California each year for Thanksgiving weekend while one of those come to South Bend early each fall.
Now for the fifth time in school history, Notre Dame is set to play another Pac-12/California based program in the Cal Bears.
There had been rumors of this game since a Cal recruiting flyer promoted the game some time ago. I sincerely apologize but am having troubles finding the original links to that but I do believe it was One Foot Down who had an extended post on that idea some time ago.
The two programs have not met since playing four games between 1959 and 1967. Notre Dame won all four of those contests by a combined score of 138-27. Two games were played in each teams respective stadium.
The 2022 season sets up to be epic for Notre Dame as they start the season in Columbus, meeting the Buckeyes in the Horseshoe for the first time since a 45-26 defeat in late September of 1995. 2022 will also feature an early November home contest with Clemson.
10 of Notre Dame’s 12 games for 2022 have now been scheduled.
2019 Cheeze-It Bowl Expert Picks Find out who likes who between Air Force and Washington State Contact/Follow @JeremyMauss & @MWCwire Bowl game picks The Cheez-It Bowl features run option attack with Air Force and the wide open passing attack which …
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2019 Cheeze-It Bowl Expert Picks
Find out who likes who between Air Force and Washington State
The robots patrolled the streets and the skies, in cities devoid of human life. The few that escaped the assault hid in the mountains, too afraid to even light fires to warm them in the frigid desert nights.
Since the start of the decade, service academy teams are 12-5 against the spread in bowl games. No team enjoys defending the option over four quarters in an exhibition, and I think as long as the Falcons can hold their own against the Cougars’ passing attack they will wear down Washington State and pull away for the win. Pick: Air Force (-2.5)
Four writers go with Washington State and two go with Air Force.
The pre-playoff bowl game that captured America’s hearts and minds is back. This time, we get Mike Leach, a resurgent Air Force team and, of course, Cheez-Its. The teams won’t combine for nine interceptions again and should score more than two touchdowns, but there will be drama right down to the end. Anthony Gordon and his receivers challenge Air Force, but everyone knows defense wins Cheez-It Bowl championships, and Air Force has the edge there.
Does it mean that Helton’s job is entirely safe? I don’t think that to be the case although I could easily be wrong.
Apologies to all, nobody more-so than Clay Helton for the inaccurate story earlier (even though I’m guessing he was doing something else other than reading Fighting Irish Wire).
We will do better next time. Carry on and enjoy the rest of your Sunday.
