Why Your Team Should Just Fire that Awful Coach Already

Ties aren't bringing Swag back to The U, Al Golden.

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

Here's your early Sunday reminder that coaching is pretty darn important in college football.

In fact, if there's one thing the early goings of the 2015 season have taught us, it's that a good coach can make all the difference. Thought of as a lost program without Urban Meyer and Tim Tebow the last few years, Florida is now contending in the SEC, and on the verge of a Top-10 national ranking under its first-year head coach, while Michigan has folks in Big Ten country legitimately terrified under Jim Harbaugh. This coming just a year after the Wolverines served as the Midwest's punching bag.

So, if your favorite college football team has an awful coach, why are they sticking with him? Some coaches have large buyout clauses at smaller schools, while some are inextricably linked to an athletic director or administration that doesn't want to admit a mistake.

While there are examples of coaches turning around terrible starts (Barry Alvarez at Wisconsin, Kirk Ferentz at Iowa), you have a pretty good idea of whether or not your coach is a good fit by Year 3 running the program. If he isn't producing by then, it's time for your athletic department to swallow its pride (and maybe eat a ton of money), and cut bait.

Here are just a few examples of programs thriving with a new head man, and a few others that maybe held onto their coach one year too long.

How Absurd Were the 2001 Miami Hurricanes? Could an NFL Team Afford All That Talent?

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

As I was watching the amazing ESPN 30 for 30 documentary, The U Part 2, I was hit with a wave of nostalgia.

I grew up in South Florida, and was in high school when The U returned to national prominence in 2001, capturing a national title, bringing swag back and producing the greatest college football rap song of all time.

I also remember everybody at the time claiming that the 2001 Miami Hurricanes were the best team in college football history, and if you head back to Miami-Dade or Broward County now, they're all pretty positive they were right.

Closing the Book on the 2013 College Football Season

A remarkable season ended fittingly, as Florida State edged Auburn in a remarkable title game.

By Joe Parello  @HerewegoJoe

The last year of the BCS era has come and gone, and what a season it was.

We saw a redshirt freshman named Jameis capture America's eye, then potentially face rape charges, win the Heisman Trophy and, eventually, the national championship. We saw Urban Meyer eat pizza like a big ole saddie. We saw Johnny Manziel humbled, but not really. We saw smart schools like Vanderbilt and Duke join Stanford in the "we win the right way club."

We saw UCF become the final "BCS buster" to score a program defining win, and we saw Auburn qualify for the last BCS National Championship Game ever with a fluke Hail Mary pass, a field goal returned for a touchdown and three-point shootout win, all in the span of three weeks.

Yeah, it was a "what the hell just happened" kind of year. So join me, if you will, as I recap some of the biggest developments from 2013, and look ahead to 2014.

NCAA Weekend Primer: "Fear the Spear" and "Swag" Return

Can Miami and Florida State rule the college football world again?

By Joe Parello  @HerewegoJoe

Don't look now, but the Miami-Florida State game actually matters to people outside the state of Florida!

How long has it been since that happened? Well, every season from 1998 to 2005 these two teams finished the year ranked in the Top-25, and the game was considered a national title "knock out game" of sorts. Since 2005, both those things have happened zero times.

Even in 2005, Miami was on the way down, and FSU was about to begin the "Bobby Bowden needs to retire" period in its history. Neither was a national title contender, FSU lost five games (But upset Virginia Tech to sneak into the Orange Bowl, where it lost to Penn State) and Miami was annihilated by LSU in the Peach Bowl, 40-3.

It was the end of a period in college football dominated by the Noles and Canes (Along with Oklahoma and USC), and the beginning of the SEC era.

Really, you have to go back to the 2004 Orange Bowl, or 2002's "Wide Left" game to find a meaningful FSU-Miami slug fest. This week's game between the Seminoles and the Hurricanes, however, promises to be a vintage Sunshine State Showdown.

Weekend Football Roundup - The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

There are already a few NCAA coaches on the hot seat. Lane Kiffin might be one of them.

By Jeremy Conlin (@jeremy_conlin) and Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

Every Tuesday during football season, editors Jeremy and Joe will bring you the good, the bad and the ugly from the college and pro football weekend that was.

The Good

Peyton Manning

He threw for seven touchdowns and zero interceptions. That is all.

-JP

Chip Kelly, LeSean McCoy, Michael Vick, DeSean Jackson, Brent Celek, and Everything Else Involving Philadelphia's First Half Offense

After seeing one game, I think it's safe to say that Chip Kelly is the best coach in NFL History. Any objections? No? Okay good.

Your College Football Weekend Primer: Can The U Get Its Swag Back?

The U may have invented Swag back in the day, but the Canes need a win over UF Saturday to get their's back.

By Joe Parello  @HerewegoJoe

This weekend will deliver two "rivalry" games that really exemplify where college football is going. In case you didn't know, the game, along with the population of the country at large, is moving south.

Let's begin with Notre Dame's soon ending "rivalry" with Michigan, a feud downplayed by Irish coach Brian Kelly this week (Because his school is the one that opted out of the series), and talked up/exaggerated by pundits all across ESPN (Because the annual matchup is a ratings bonanza for them every time it's played in the Big House).

Let me be the first to say, as someone who attended a Big Ten school, that I personally don't care if Michigan and Notre Dame ever play again. Is it a significant rivalry? Sure, I suppose. It's two of the all-time winningest programs that reside within 150 miles of each other. It's a battle of two of the best programs in the midwest, but if college football's recent history has taught us anything, it's that geography is overrated.

In Defense of South Florida Sports Fans

Wait, the Dolphins went undefeated in 1972? Their fans NEVER talk about that! Still, it's been a rough last four decades for Phin fans. Well, I guess Dan Marino did have some exciting playoff losses and Ricky Williams had a fun retirement.

By Joe Parello  @HerewegoJoe

There has been a lot of hate thrown around these past couple weeks, and not all of it has been directed at LeBron James and his cronies.

No, after the Miami Heat were dead in the water during Game 6 of the NBA Finals, the national media and fans everywhere lobbed shots at Heat fans for leaving early and missing out on one of the most improbable comebacks in NBA history.

The Suite 25: Are the 'Canes No. 1?

It's been a special year for the Miami Hurricanes so far.

By Joe Parello 

Right about now you're going to begin seeing the talking heads everywhere talk about how this college basketball season is "so wide open" and there is "no true favorite."

It's an annual line adopted by analysts to manage your expectations of their picks and long-term prognostications because, here's the thing folks, the best team doesn't always win the NCAA tournament.

So, like last year, when everyone knew Kentucky was the best team, but always prefaced their pick with "but they're young, and this season is so wide open," you will see analysts jump on the Indiana bandwagon, sort of.

The 100 Best Coaching Jobs in Football: 11-25

Jim Harbaugh has won big at two of our Top-25 jobs.

By Joe Parello

The jobs become truly elite today.

Every college program on the list today can win a national title with the right coach, and each of the pro franchises listed here have storied histories and excellent management.

If you haven't read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 or Part 4, here is a refresher on our terms.

The "best" coaching jobs are ranked by:

1. General Prestige- The guy who coaches this team is a big deal.

2. Chances of Being Successful- In college this amounts to how well a coach can expect to recruit and level of competition. In the pros, it is determined by the competency of the ownership group and front office. Pro teams are generally lower in this category because a. the NFL is a league of parity (sorta) and b. you have to rely on other people to pick your players (most of the time). Not to mention, there is a draft.

3. Length of Leash- Can one bad season get you canned at this job? Or, is the administration/ownership group understanding of the team building process? A job where you can actually work through that process is obviously more desirable.

Two factors not used in coming up with these rankings were a team's current roster and compensation. Personnel and pay-wise, this is an "all things being equal" kind of thing. Think of it as the best places to build a team from scratch.

The rankings take college conference realignment into consideration, and include 111 possible teams from the NFL, ACC, Big East (though it will not be a BCS conference much longer), Big Ten, Big 12, Pac 12, SEC and Div. I independents.

So, without further ado, here are the jobs that just missed the Top-10.

25. Auburn: SEC

With fertile recruiting ground, a winning history, and an administration that will give you all you need to win, only two factors keep Auburn from being a super-elite job.

1. They share a state with Alabama and 2. The administration doesn't tolerate losing. This is the same group that fired Gene Chizik just two years after he won the program's second national championship.

24. New York Jets: NFL

The New York media is both a blessing and a burden at this job, but it really depends on how good of a coach you are. A smart coach can win in New York with a decent front office and ownership group that is not afraid to spend big money. Win big here, and you're a coaching legend.

23. Texas A&M: SEC

This has always been a great job, but it became even more attractive when the Aggies made the move to the SEC. With great in-state talent and SEC affiliation to sell it to, the only reason this job isn't higher is because Texas still grabs most of the state's Blue Chips.

22. Nebraska: Big Ten

The Huskers get billing ahead of the Aggies due to a championship history and ability to recruit more nationally. Not to mention the fact that the Big Ten will be less competitive with the Penn St. sanctions kicking in, making Nebraska is a hair more appealing than A&M right now.

21. University of Miami: ACC

The prestige and swagger of "The U" has dissipated in recent years, but the Hurricanes are the definition of a sleeping giant. No college in the country will find more recruits within an hour's drive of campus, and the football program is a unique, urban brand all its own. Still, the lack of an on-campus stadium makes it hard for the student body to get behind the team (Sun Life Stadium, where the Cane play their home games, is a 30-minute drive), and every big-time program in the country poaches recruits out of UM's back yard. Oh, and those two other in-state schools are pretty darn good too.


Still, when "The U" get's going, no program in the country is more fun to watch... And easier to hate.

20. Chicago Bears: NFL

One of the oldest and most storied franchises in the NFL, coaching the Bears comes with a great deal of prestige. Still, the front office has struggled to build offenses in recent years, and the franchise did just fire Lovie Smith-the man who led them to the Super Bowl in 2006- in favor of a coach from the CFL.

19. Georgia: SEC

Playing "Between the Hedges" offers one of the best home field advantage in college football, and the state of Georgia produces tons of Division I talent every year. Add in recruiting pipe-lines to north and central Florida, and you will always have the talent to win at UGA.

18. Stanford: Pac 12

Speaking of sleeping giants, I have a feeling Jim Harbaugh woke this one up in 2007. True, Stanford was terrible before he got there, but why? Academic standards? Yeah, I'll buy that to a certain extent, but it had a lot more to do with terrible coaching and complacent recruiting by Buddy Teevens and Walt Harris. Now, with world-class facilities, the money to easily recruit nationally and outstanding academics, I have to believe a good coach can find enough talented players that can make it academically in Palo Alto.

I mean, Ty Willingham did it.

17. Oklahoma: Big 12

Oklahoma has one of the richest histories in college football and with natural recruiting inroads in Texas and Nebraska, the Sooners are used to raking in talent from across state lines. But it isn't just nearby states, Oklahoma is a national brand that has been able to lure top talent from Florida to California.

16. New York Giants: NFL

This job comes with all the perks of the Jets gig, but the Giants have an even better championship history. Add in the fact that the Mara's are one of the league's best ownership groups, and this job is worth dealing with New York media.

15. San Francisco 49ers: NFL

This job may become even more prestigious in the next few weeks as the Niners have a chance to tie Pittsburgh with six Super Bowl championships. Even without another title, San Francisco is one of the best jobs in the NFL with a great fan-base and a history of shrewd personnel decisions.

14. LSU: SEC

The Bayou Bengals recruit their home state as well as any program this side of Ohio State. On top of that, LSU's status as an SEC heavyweight make it an easy sell to Blue Chip players across the Southeast. While it may not be the biggest stadium in the SEC, there are few more intimidating venues than Tiger Stadium during a night game.

13. Oregon: Pac 12

Oregon is the one non-traditional power that makes the top-25, and it has everything to do with one very successful alum. Phil Knight, co-founder of Nike, has become the ultimate sugar daddy for the Ducks, and it doesn't stop at money. No, Knight hooks his alma mater up with the newest and sweetest gear in color combinations that make most sober fans temporarily blind.

But man, the kids love 'em.

12. Florida St.: ACC

The Seminoles recruit one of the best high school football states in America and became a national brand under Bobby Bowden in the 1990s. They haven't returned to those historic highs since, but the right coach can assemble a championship team in Tallahassee.

11. Michigan: Big Ten

Big Blue just misses the top-10 mainly due to demographics. While Michigan is still a traditional power and national brand, the Midwest just isn't producing as much talent as it once did, and certainly the talent level in Michigan has dropped off in the past decade. Plus, the Wolverines still have to fight Ohio St. and Notre Dame (two schools that recruit better nationally) tooth and nail for those prospects.