SjT: Coaching Merry-Go-Round 2006 So Far

Wow, coaching changes at ASU, MSU, Alabama, NC State, and Miami and the season isn't even over yet. Steve's got his comments on the changes so far, the state of the Coaches in the Big 10 and that former NU coach looking so fit and tan on TV...

Mike Shula surprises me a bit - I know it's Bama and the SEC,

but they seemed to be willing to give him at least a little more time to clean up the Franchione mess. Auburn, Arkansas and LSU gotta be happy though.

Amato had lost favor this year and I guess the ACC schools feel that now's as good of a time as any to get a new coach with FSU and Miami in down cycles and the title open to anyone (Wake?!?!?). Having a big name sign down the road at UNC couldn't have helped either.

As for Koetter, I was actually surprised he lasted the season -- it was a race here in Phoenix to see if he'd get fired before Dennis Green or vice versa. The whole QB mess at the start of the year and another maddening year of disappointing finishes after strong starts did him in -- think of ASU as the MSU of the west and you'll understand why.

Of the three jobs, I'd think ASU would be the most enticing. Alabama has too much pressure to win NOW, NC State is still a second-class football school, but ASU -- like Coach Stoops is finding at U of A -- is a sleeping giant. You have a growing and rapidly improving pool of in-state talent, you're close enough to Southern California to recruit well there and you have a great campus/stadium/weather package that's a good sell to most high school kids. Plus the Pac 10's prestige is growing and if you can just get ONE win in the state of California (Koetter never seemed to be able to), that'd be nice too.

But I guess it all continues what SI dubbed "what Gary Barnett hath wrought" in that schools see places like Rutgers, Wake Forest and Arkansas this year and wonder why they're not winning NOW.

As for the Big Ten, I think we'll continue to see stability rule for awhile once the MSU job (another sleeping giant if they can get past their Go Blue inferiority complex) is settled. Tressel's the king of Ohio until he decides to step down or gets caught by the NCAA. JoePa and Carr may retire soon in Ann Arbor and State College ... or they may each coach 20 more years. It's up to them. Hoeppner's earned more time at IU, Zook's recruiting probably will buy him a few more years at U of I (now if he can only learn to coach). Tiller's window to exit West Lafayette for greener pastures has passed and Wisky and NU are happy with their first-year wunderkinds.

The only warm seats may be on the western edge of the league, where Phoenix (not Nashville!) may not be enough for Gopher fans (though Mason probably gets until the new stadium opens) and Iowa fans seem to be growing impatient with Vanilla Kirk. But neither of those look too hot for now.

Be interesting to see if Barnett's name surfaces for any of the open jobs.

GO CATS!!! -SjT

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Stephen J. Truog, former NU Marching Band member and now educator in Arizona, comments on the Wildcats from both the sidelines and his couch He has his own NU oriented Web Site - Visit SjTonline

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All Items Copyright 2006 by Stephen J. Truog and PurpleWildcats/Purple Reign