SB Nation User Blog: Ignignokt

The Slate of Candidates

Ignignokt — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 09:57:33 -0000

"You can't give up seventy-six points. I don't care if you're playing the Patriots, you can't give up seventy-six." -- Rece Davis

KU was likely the death-knell of the Callahan era. Where to go from here? Discussion has focused almost exclusively on two names: Turner Gill and Bo Pelini.

Turner or Bo? Bo or Turner? Consider me unconvinced. I'm of the opinion that TO should look far and wide for the best coach possible, not limit himself to the fan favorites. Here I present a number of options I think NU should consider. One group is head coaches for whom NU would be a step up (like Turner). The other contains assistant coaches and coordinators ready to be head coaches (like Bo).

Consider this a fuller slate of candidates for the head coaching position. So who catches your eye? Who could challenge your devotion to Turner or Bo?

Current Head Coaches
This group is headlined by Turner Gill. For a complete discussion of Turner’s strengths and weaknesses, look here.

Paul Johnson – Navy
Pros: Johnson has been successful everywhere he’s gone. He led a high-powered Hawaii offense as an offensive coordinator under Bob Wagner. He won two national championships at Georgia Southern. He’s taken Navy to four bowl games, winning two of them. Johnson has a bit of a cult following among some Nebraska fans.
Cons: If you want Nebraska football to go backward quickly, go back to the pure option. What quarterback on this team could run that offense right now? Moreover, what would happen to all the talent we’ve stockpiled at wide receiver? The last thing we need right now is another culture change requiring four more years of recruiting to get up to speed. Some supporters say Johnson wouldn’t try to run the flex-bone at a higher profile institution. Well, he didn’t get the Boston College job last year ‘cause they wanted him to try some different things offensively and he refused. Johnson’s probably in the right place for him.

Joe Glenn – Wyoming
Pros: Lincoln native. Glenn won two national championships at Northern Colorado and another at Montana. Career winning percentage of 68%. Glenn’s players graduate at levels higher than their Mountain West counterparts, and two were finalists for the Draddy Trophy (the "Academic Heisman").
Cons: Glenn has been good, not great, at Wyoming. His best season was 7-5 in 2004. That team did beat UCLA in the Las Vegas Bowl, but that’s been the Cowboys’ only bowl trip so far.

Todd Graham – Tulsa
Pros: Took Rice to a bowl game in 2006. Repeat: took Rice to a bowl game in his first year as a head coach one year after the Owls finished 1-11. That’s one of the best one-year turnarounds in history. Led a stiff Tulsa defense as D-coordinator in 2005. Currently employs the talismanic Gus Malzahn as offensive coordinator. Tulsa runs a no-huddle, misdirection-happy version of the spread offense. You get a small taste of it here.
Cons: Graham bolted Rice after signing a long-term extension following the 2006 season. Kind of flaky, if you ask me. Also, for being a defensive-minded coach, neither Tulsa nor Rice have proven to have strong defenses. More importantly, Tulsa is Graham’s "dream job;" it’s unlikely he’d leave after just one year.

Bobby Hauck – Montana
Pros: Hauck knows the Big 12 from three years as an assistant to Rick Neuheisel at Colorado. He picked up right where Joe Glenn left off in 2003, taking Montana to the national championship game one year and the national semi-finals the next. He’s a fire-and-brimstone kind of coach who favors an aerial attack and physical (if not speedy) defense. He rejected a long-term contract from Montana when he claimed his assistants weren’t being paid enough – a pretty cool thing to do, I think. Someday soon he’s going to be offered a I-A coaching position. Finally, I don’t know if he gets credit for this or not, but Montana’s "Tunnel Run" is way more exciting than our "Tunnel Walk."
Cons: Hauck followed Neuheisel to Washington. This means he was at both schools when they committed NCAA infractions. In this interview, Hauck downplays Neuheisel’s wrong-doing – perhaps an ethical red flag. Many Montana fans feel Hauck has under-achieved given where Glenn left the program (39-6 and a national championship the previous three years).

This next group includes head coaches I think we should consider but whose candidacies are unlikely to gain serious traction for various reasons.

Jim Leavitt – South Florida
Pros: Built USF into a Big East power. Knows the Midwest from his years at Morningside College. Fiery, emotional leader who knows how to recruit Florida.
Cons: He’s got it too good at USF to ever leave. If he keeps them on their current trajectory, USF will someday be playing on Jim Leavitt Field. It would be nearly impossible to pull him out of Florida

Jim Grobe – Wake Forest
Pros: Built Wake Forest into an ACC power. His offense is unique and very difficult to defend. His defense is physical and built to stop the run. Wake also graduates its players at a very respectable rate.
Cons: Like Johnson, he seems to be the right man in the right job. He’s locked in at Wake for the long term. Anyone wanting to hire him will have to pay big time to buy out the contract.

Bronco Mendenhall – BYU
Pros: Upon taking over in Provo, Mendenhall ordered many BYU traditions restored. He also returned the Cougars to the pass-happy offense that made them successful under LaVell Edwards. As D-coordinator at New Mexico, he coached future all-pro Brian Urlacher. Beat the pants off Oregon in last year’s Las Vegas Bowl.
Cons: Is in just his third year as a head coach. A Utah native and a Mormon, Mendenhall seems unlikely to look for greener pastures beyond BYU. Still, given his coaching history, he may be in line for any Pac-10 openings in the near future.

Mike Price – UTEP
Pros: Has now rebuilt both Washington State and UTEP’s programs. Players love playing for Price and he gets the most out of all of them.
Cons: Ethical improprieties will likely follow him wherever he goes, even if the judicial system did exonerate him to a degree. Probably in line to return to the Palouse should Bill Doba continue to flounder.

Art Briles– Houston
Pros: Took Houston to three bowl games in his first four years. Resuscitated local interest in Cougar football. Turned Kevin Kolb into a day one draft-pick. Regularly poaches recruits from other Texas schools.
Cons: Has lost all three bowl games. Has never been a head man anywhere else. Briles came to Houston to recruit and mentor Kolb. How successful he can be with another quarterback running his system is TBD.

Brian Kelly – Cincinnati
Pros: Career coaching record of 138-51-2. Won two national titles at Grand Valley State. Built a Central Michigan program based on a hard-hitting defense and an efficient offense based on misdirection and timing (not unlike Wake Forest). Jumped out to 6-0 in his first year at Cincinnati before losing two of his last three.
Cons: Bolted Central Michigan after telling them he intended to coach through their bowl game - coached in Cincinnati’s bowl game instead. Has yet to recruit and develop an entire class at the I-A level. Just how much of his success can be attributed to D-coordinator Joe Tresey is difficult to say.

Other head coaches worth considering: Jerry Moore - Appalachian State; Gary Patterson - TCU; Bill O'Boyle - Chadron State

Current Coordinators
Bo Pelini is the golden goose here. For a full discussion of his strengths and weaknesses, go here

Will Muschamp – Auburn, D-Coordinator
Pros: The next Bo Pelini? Has continued Auburn’s tradition of speedy, head-hunting defense. Has defended Florida’s spread-option attack rather successfully the last two years.
Cons: As much as I like it, I’m not sure how well this would go over at NU. Muschamp will likely be considered for the Arkansas job or be in line to take over at Auburn should Tommy Tuberville get fed up with his situation there.

Major Applewhite – Alabama, O-Coordinator
Pros: Is pretty widely considered to be an offensive wunderkind. Offensive philosophy predicated on running the ball on the edge and running multiple receivers into space to force mismatches. Think a more physical version of Leach’s madness. Could legitimately go head-to-head with Mack Brown for the best recruits in Texas.
Cons: Dude’s 29. He’s been a coordinator for two years. He’ll likely be considered for openings at smaller schools (e.g. SMU). Nebraska’s probably not the best place for Major’s first head coaching gig.

Dan Mullen – Florida, O-Coordinator
Pros: TO loves Urban ball. Many point out that this is likely what the Huskers would be running today if Osborne were still in charge. As quarterbacks coach at Utah, he developed Alex Smith into a #1 overall draft pick. Mullen will likely be a hot commodity considered for many lower profile jobs this off-season (e.g. Memphis).
Cons: Meyer assistants have been good, not great, head coaches (see Kyle Whittingham and Mike Sanford). Regarding schematics, there’s a glaring weakness in Florida’s spread option as I see it: the running back is not a rushing threat. I’m sure this is due to personnel issues at Florida right now, but there are precisely zero legitimate rushing threats outside Tim Tebow. This version of the spread option depends on the QB running between the tackles. When that happens too often, you get the nagging injuries like the ones Tebow has suffered the last 2-3 weeks. More importantly, as Auburn and LSU have shown, a smart and speedy defense can throw off the timing that allows this attack to thrive. Lost following the beat-down of Ohio State is the fact that Florida got to that game on the strength of its defense, not its offense. To wit...

Charlie Strong – Florida, D-Coordinator
Pros: Has coached at Texas A&M, South Carolina, Ole Miss, Notre Dame, and I-AA power Southern Illinois. A top-notch recruiter, Strong has been interviewed for several head coaching positions in recent years. Mark Mangino just beat him out for the Kansas job. As a D-Coordinator, his squads are composed of hard hitters (think concussion-farmer Reggie Nelson) and speedy D linemen. I’m also of the opinion that top-notch programs like Nebraska should be leading the way in hiring qualified African-American candidates like Strong (or Turner).
Cons: Ask Florida fans about their defense this year. The secondary has become a serious Achilles heel. They gave up forty-two points to a Georgia offense led by a freshman running-back. If your secondary is mediocre and you can’t stop the run consistently, well that’s just not real good.

Ron English – Michigan, D-Coordinator
Pros: Had the best run defense in the country in 2006. Last year, he sent Leon Hall, Alan Branch, LaMarr Woodley, and David Harris to the NFL as day one draft picks.
Cons: Appalachian State ring a bell? How ‘bout Oregon? How ‘bout Ball State in 2006? Michigan’s defenses under English have struggled against spread attacks with mobile quarterbacks – a scheme increasingly popular in the Big 12.

David Cutcliffe – Tennessee, O-Coordinator
Pros: Both Peyton Manning and Eli Manning are in the NFL because of David Cutcliffe. A legitimate quarterback guru, Cutcliffe posted a 44-29 record as head coach of Ole Miss, including a 2002 Independence Bowl victory over Nebraska. Single-handedly resuscitated the Volunteer offense upon re-joining the staff in 2006.
Cons: Cucliffe is an SEC guy. He may prove impossible to lure from the shadow of Phil Fulmer. Tennessee’s offense has been mediocre thusfar this season despite returning starting quarterback Erik Ainge. Both Alabama and Florida held the Vols under twenty-one points.

Steve Sarkisian – USC, O-Coordinator
Pros: Leads an explosive offensive attack at USC. A top-notch recruiter, Sarkisian’s West Coast attack gets the best out of individual players. He would likely bring USC’s competitive practice philosophy to Nebraska. As QB coach, worked with both Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart.
Cons: Turned down the Raiders head coaching gig in the off-season. That job went to former co-Offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin. USC’s offense has struggled in Pac 10 play this season following Kiffin’s departure. This is Sarkisian’s first position as a coordinator at any level.

Other Options
Glen Mason – former Minnesota head coach
Pros: A past president of the American Football Coaches Association, Mason is highly respected among his peers. Mason knows the Big 12 - he led KU into the top ten in 1995 before taking over at Minnesota in 1997. At UM, Mason developed a devastating rushing attack that regularly turned out thousand yard runners. Marion Barber III and Laurence Maroney shared carries in Mason’s system en route to NFL success. Want to imagine what he could do with Quentin Castille, Marcus Mendoza and Roy Helu?
Cons: Mason’s Minnesota teams were always strong in the run game, but that’s about it. They never finished higher than fourth in the Big 10. Tellingly, Mason is a career .500 coach (123-121-1).

Norm Chow – Tennessee Titans, O-Coordinator
Pros: Few coaches have developed as many successful quarterbacks as Norm Chow. He’s coached Steve Young, Ty Detmer, Philip Rivers, Carson Palmer, and Matt Leinart at the collegiate level and coached Vince Young during his rookie-of-the-year campaign in 2006. Chow won the Broyles award as the nation’s top assistant coach in 2002. Chow has interviewed for dozens of jobs in recent years, most recently for the Stanford opening that went to Walt Harris in 2005.
Cons: Despite his impressive resume, Chow has never been a head coach. It’s unclear at this point whether Chow has any interest in returning to the college ranks as he is now regularly considered a candidate for NFL openings.

Jason Garrett – Dallas Cowboys, O-Coordinator
There’s no way this would happen, if for no other reason than Nebraska fans wouldn’t tolerate another NFL guy. But Garrett’s going to be a very successful head coach somewhere in the near future. He comes from a coaching family and has the respect of rookies and veterans alike in Dallas. What could he do at the collegiate level? I think it’d be interesting to find out, but it’s pretty unlikely.

Life After Coz

Ignignokt — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 23:04:47 -0000

One thing that's become clear through four games is the Blackshirts are no more. Bill Callahan was brought in to revolutionize the Husker offense. In my eyes, he's done so. We can now hang 28-35 points on most any team in the country. Unfortunately, that is not always enough with a Kevin Cosgrove defense.

Little on his resume indicates that Kevin Cosgrove is a top-notch defensive coordinator. More importantly, the D's performance this season has had the offense scrambling for the last three weeks. If Nebraska is going to get where we want it to go (and if Bill Callahan wants to keep his job after next season), Kevin Cosgrove must go. But then what?

Here's my wish-list of desired defensive coordinators. These are all coaches who could succeed at Nebraska and, perhaps more importantly, would view a position at NU as a step up.

In order of preference:

1) John Tenuta, Georgia Tech - Tenuta has become legendary in the ACC for his aggressive, blitz-all-day style. Last year, eight teams failed to score more than seven points on Tenuta's group. His genius is overshadowed only by Chan Gailey's ineptitude. He has ties to the Big 12 (coaching at both K-State and Oklahoma) and has coached in the fertile recruiting grounds of Ohio and Texas. One concern - his next stop may be as a head coach.

2) Dick Bumpass, TCU - First off, best name on this list, hands down. Now, Bumpass's teams have been getting some attention for their old-school 4-2-5 alignment. The scheme depends on players swarming to the ball and hitting hard. More importantly, it's designed to stop the run first. If you can do that in the Big 12, you can compete with anyone (well, except Texas Tech). Last year, Bumpass's unit ranked #2 in total defense. Despite some struggles, TCU is still a top 25 defense this year.

3) Joe Tresey, Cincinnati - Um, have you seen the Bearcats this season? They've given up 30 points through four games. Just three of those points went to a high-powered Oregon State squad. Their performance has been good enough to trail only LSU in scoring defense this season. Last year, at Central Michigan, Tresey's defense had 29 takeaways. Maybe more importantly, last year his squad held Ball State to seven points. He was a high school coach in Ohio and likely retains contacts that could help in recruiting the region.

4) Mike Breske, Wyoming - Did you know Wyoming was a top ten defense last year? Me either. So far this year, the Pokes are giving up a lot of yards, but not many scores - a formula good enough for a top 25 defense. Breske recently switched to a base 3-4 alignment in the "bend-don't-break" vein that seems to be pretty popular in the NFL these days (think of the Broncos' undersized defensive unit). He's worked for Wyoming head coach (and Lincoln native) Joe Glenn for twenty years. If Joe's ever gonna let him go, it would probably be to Nebraska. I'm not sure Breske adds much in terms of recruiting prowess, however.

5) Oscar Giles, Texas - Giles has served as Texas' defensive ends coach for three years. He's a former Longhorn and NFL player. During Giles' time in Austin, Texas has consistently had a top ten defense. They also recorded their first ten sack season in a decade in 2007. Given the talent they've always had at Texas, an accomplishment like that is notable. In addition to the obvious benefits of having a UT alum recruiting Texas, Giles brings the kind of intensity many find the current staff lacking.

6) Chris Demarest, Rutgers - Greg Schiano is his own defensive coordinator, so if you want some of that wood-choppin' attitude, Demarest is probably your best bet. He coaches the Scarlet Knights' defensive backs - a unit known for its speed and head-hunting. In two of Demarest's three years at Rutgers, the defense has ranked in the top ten. They're #7 in scoring defense through three games. Last year, Rutgers forced 31 turnovers (for comparison, we forced 25 last year despite playing one more game). The 2006 Knights ranked 6th in pass defense despite playing in the offensively explosive Big East. I'm not sure just how much of this success can be attributed to Demarest, but he'd certainly be an upgrade over Elmasian if nothing else.

Some Wild cards:
--Will Muschamp, Auburn - Tommy Tuberville's seat has to be getting a little warm. Should he become available, Muschamp would be one of the most desirable defensive coordinators on the coaching market. Whether or not he'd want to leave the SEC is another matter entirely.

-- Norm Parker, Iowa - Norm's not a young man. Still, his Iowa squads consistently have a stronger back seven than much of the Big 10 - which, in a linebacker heavy conference is saying a lot. Also, Iowa gave up their first touchdown of the season this past weekend.

-- Kevin Steele, Alabama - The former Husker LB coach is now the defensive coordinator under Nick Saban. He's a southern guy, so I'm not sure we could lure him from Alabama. Still, he's a name worth considering.

-- Marvin Sanders, free agent - A Nebraska native and former coaching staff member. Last seen leading an attacking defense at North Carolina in 2006. Has apparently said repeatedly that he would love to coach at Nebraska again.

These are some names I could come up with with a little thought. Feel free to make some additional suggestions. It seems pretty clear to everyone that there needs to be a shake up of the defensive coaching staff. If, come January, Coach Callahan announces that any of these guys are joining the staff, I expect a finder's fee.

Go Big Red!

The worst thing about the CCG loss

Ignignokt — Sun, 03 Dec 2006 20:55:25 -0000

The worst thing about Nebraska losing to Oklahoma last night?

The worst thing about Nebraska losing to Oklahoma last night? The Cotton Bowl, which kicks off at 11:00am Eastern on New Year's Day. That is way, WAY too early for the day after New Year's Eve.

Personally, I'm planning to be in Denver for New Year's. That's a 9 AM kickoff! If I see the second half, I'll be shocked.

Am I the only one upset about this?

An open letter to ABC, FSN, et al.

Ignignokt — Fri, 20 Oct 2006 21:16:09 -0000

I have a few suggestions for TV coverage of Nebraska football. Just a few - I promise.

For its size and location, Nebraska is a supremely interesting state populated by dynamic and engaging personalities. I'll grant that ethnic diversity is not the state's trademark, but you TV folks should know better than to reinforce some of the negative perceptions of Nebraska and the Midwest.

With that said, I offer the following recommendations for presenting Nebraska football games on television:

Owning a skybox does not make Larry the Cable Guy the official celeberity spokesman for Nebraska athletics. I find him to be an unfunny, unintelligent man-child who does little more than make anyone who'll listen to him dumber for having done so. However, I understand that his humor appeals to a certain sensibility. That does not mean he should be placed behind a microphone whenever the Huskers are on the field. I know that you feel the need to add star power to sports telecasts. I understand the urge to show Matthew McConaughey's mug during every Texas game. He's a lifelong fan; that's okay. I understand why you would show Will Ferrell at practice during USC telecasts. But can't you find someone, ANYONE interesting with stronger ties to Nebraska than 'he lived here until he was 14, then moved to Florida'? Doesn't Warren Buffett own a skybox? Or Tom Osborne? Or John Beasley? Or Dana Altman? Or Chip Davis? Or Walter Scott? Or the Kiewit family? Or that chick on CSI who's from North Bend? Just, please, no more Larry. It's embarassing.
Please resist the urge to use the yahoo wearing overalls with no shirt or the old folks wearing the foam corn-heads as the fade-in after commercials. There are 80+ thousand other people in the stands; you're obviously these people out. We have some lovely cheerleaders who I'm sure wouldn't mind being on camera for a few seconds. The student section is plenty rowdy and the band always looks good in its uniforms. Also, there are THOUSANDS of other people who follow the cardinal rule: "Wear Red. Be Loud." Couldn't you show any of them instead of the idiot trying to make himself look like a hick?
No more Dan Fouts. EVER!!
Could you maybe use a shot of the "All-Americans" signs on the east stadium. Or maybe just mention the school's outstanding record of academic achievement by its athletes? I'm not an alum, so I have no real interest here (all the real smart athletes go to Creighton anyway - we all know that). It would just be nice to know that the school's athletic success has been matched by classroom success. This would at least balance out the Larry the Cable Guy interview.
Don't show the Lincoln skyline. That really doesn't impress anybody.
Finally, to Brent Musburger: One good play does not make the player that made it the greatest of all time. A strong offensive drive does not mean the defense that surrendered it is clearly overmatched. There are highs-and-lows, ebbs-and-flows to every game and season. So maybe you tone down the superlatives just a tiny bit? Thanks.

Did I miss anything, Corn Nation?

Nebraska: 30
Texas: 21

USC Instant Analysis

Ignignokt — Sun, 17 Sep 2006 04:47:15 -0000

I genuinely don't know how to feel. That could have been a lot worse... or a whole lot better. Feels like one big missed opportunity...

Goats:
(1) Cally, Norvell, and anyone else involved in calling the offensive plays. Power-I, between-the-tackles, sweep-left, etc. can only work so many times against a team as talented as SC. I kept thinking they were trying to set up play-action to take advantage of the Trojans' aggressiveness and team speed but that just never happened. I thought it made sense to play conservatively at the end of the 1st half. Coming out after the half with the same conservative play-calling made no sense AT ALL. The I-backs moved the football fairly well at times, but no threat of the deep ball (or ANY ball!) allowed the USC LB's to read the blocking scheme and fill the gaps. What's the point of shifting so much to create personnel mismatches just to pound it up the middle? So, so, SO frustrating to watch.

(2) The secondary. We knew this was a weakness, but I was not expecting this. It would be understandable if Jones and Grixby lost a lot of jump-balls or were outmuscled once in a while. But they were out of position, consistently too deep on short-yardage situations and bit on almost every juke and double move. With the exception of USC's 3-and-out to start the 2nd half, the secondary just didn't show up. I don't know if it was a scheme problem or a performance problem. It was just problematic.

Lambs:
(1) The D-line played about as well as I could have hoped. They got some pressure in spurts. Cryer and Suh seemed to always be in the backfield. Until the fourth quarter it didn't seem like SC's ground attack did much of anything. Credit the front four and McKeon for that.

(2) Greg Austin. He pulled on a lot of the successful running plays and had the key block on Taylor's touchdown. If/When Mann comes back, I feel a bit more confident running the ball between the hashes than I did last season.

(3) Brandon Rigoni. I just love the way he covers punts and kickoffs.

Defining Moments:
(1) Lucky's fumble. Killed any kind of momentum we may have had coming out after the half. Forced a 3-and-out only to give it back in our own end. That's when I knew this probably wasn't our night.

(2) USC's 6-minute TD drive to start the 4th. That's how ball-control is done.

Burning Questions:
(1) It's time to start asking about Callahan's ability to prepare for "the big game." I have absolute faith in his ability to X-and-O against anybody, BUT he seems unwilling to trust his playmakers when the game is on the line. Herian had one catch? Did we hear from Nate Swift? Moreover, no one on the offense seemed to have fire or confidence. Remember C.Ross in the Alamo Bowl? Where was that sense of urgency?

(2) How do we patch up the secondary? If tonight looked bad, what's gonna happen when Mack Brown and Colt McCoy spread 'em five wide in October? Has anyone seen Mizzou's offense yet this year? Yikes.

(3) What's up with the Big 12? ISU loses to Iowa close. Colorado falls to ASU. Oklahoma goes down at Oregon. TCU blanks the Tech offense. Baylor loses to Wazzu. The Manginos lose in OT to Toledo. A&M is in a fight with Army? Seriously! At this point I think any conference loss counts as a bad loss. This is not good.

(4) Are we still a top-25 team? Probably, but just barely.

(5) Does Lee Corso sleep in a white padded room? Trying to get pre-game comments from Traveler may have been the dumbest thing I've ever seen him do (and I NEVER miss College GameDay).

News and Notes:
(1) Chris Leak and Urban Meyer are for real. So is Erik Ainge. Best game of the weekend.
(2) SEC West football is really boring to watch.
(3) Verne Lundquist is to Brent Musburger as Tom Osborne is to Gerry Faust.
(4) Pac-10 officials can't measure ten yards. Exhibit 1-A: Oregon's onside kick.
(5) Chuck Amato should be out after this year (lost by 20 to Southern Miss the week after losing to Akron).
(6) Tommy Bowden owns Bobby's soul.
(7) Larry Coker may be too old for this.
(8) I can't stand Bobby Petrino, but UL will challenge West Virginia. Dammit.
(9) Apparently no one likes the new clock rules. If they affect everyone equally, what's the problem?
(10) Finally, as a Creighton grad, I took immense pleasure in watching Notre Dame fall HARD! Brady Quinn is nothing special. Charlie Weiss isn't great (yet). Maybe now I won't have to hear about the golden dome and touchdown Jesus every five minutes. Good riddance!

My top five:

Ohio State
Auburn
USC
West Virginia
Michigan

Fearless prediction:
Huskers 35
Troy 10

Poll

How do you feel about the USC loss?

Pleased- we played well but never really had a chance anyway

1 votes

Somewhat satisfied - the good outweighed the bad

0 votes

Neutral - it's a wash, some good some bad

7 votes

Upset - so many mistakes, so few positives

3 votes

Royally pissed - there's no excuse for this loss

2 votes

13 votes | Poll has closed