There are three common definitions of the noun carousel:
1. A merry-go-round.
2. A circular conveyor on which objects are displayed or rotated such as a baggage carousel in an airport.
3. A tournament in which knights or horsemen engaged in various exercises and races.
The merry-go-round of college football coaching began for real today as Nebraska rotated their coach out for faring so poorly in the tournament known as the Big 12 football race.
Newspapers across the nation are printing an AP story that starts "Bill Callahan was fired as Nebraska's coach Saturday, his four-year stay marked by the most embarrassing losses at a football program once among the mightiest in the nation." In my opinion, Callahan deserved to be fired - I am just surprised it took as long as it did. The article goes on to state, "Callahan's four-year record was 27-22, with three of those wins coming against opponents in the division formerly known as I-AA. He was 15-18 against the Big 12, 0-7 against top 10 opponents and 3-10 against the Top 25. He was 0-17 in games in which the Huskers trailed at halftime." I knew when the powers-that-be at Nebraska brought back the legend, Tom Osborne, to serve as the Interim AD that Coach Callahan's days were numbered. Osborne ended his 25-year head coaching career with a record of 255-49-3 and all or part of three national titles in his last four years.
It was during Callahan's first year at Nebraska that a string of 35 consecutive years of going to a bowl game was snapped. Just this past September 4th then-AD Scott Pederson gave Callahan an unexpected five-year contract that extended him up through 2011 season. Three weeks later Nebraska barely survived an upset bid by 23-point underdog Ball State, winning 41-40 after the Cardinals missed field goal in final seconds - a sign of the season to come.
Other low lights this season included an October game which Nebraska lost 41-6 at Missouri as the Huskers failed to score a touchdown in a game for the first time in three years. That was followed one week later by the worst home loss in 49 years and Cowboys' first win in Lincoln since 1960 when OK State whooped the Nebraska 45-14. The '07 Huskers become the first team in Nebraska's 118-year football history to surrender 40 points four times in a season. It was shortly after this that Pederson was fired and Osborne returned ... On October 20th Texas A&M routed Nebraska 36-14, marking the Huskers' third straight loss. The Huskers were outscored 122-34 over their last three games yet three days later Callahan told the media, "I have done an excellent job in every area." I would have him tested for drugs immediately after that press conference. That was followed by another loss as Nebraska lost 28-25 at Texas after leading 17-9 in the fourth quarter. Texas' Jamaal Charles rushes for 216 yards in the fourth quarter and finished with 290, the most ever against the Huskers. Nebraska's rushing defense then ranked 119th out of 119 major-college teams. In what was probably the lowest point of the season Kansas scored on 10 straight possessions while beating Nebraska 76-39 and racking up more points than any opponent had ever scored on the Huskers. The one bright spot of the season followed as Nebraska beat Kansas State 73-31, scoring the most points in a game since the 1997 team hung 77 on Iowa State. Finally yesterday Colorado beat Nebraska 65-51 - Nebraska blowing a 34 point lead, eliminating the Huskers from bowl contention and giving them a 5-7 record. It's the Huskers' second losing season in four years.
Other college coaching changes will take place ... some coaches will retire or move to another job on their own. Others will be fired. No coach in college football deserved to be fired more this year then Bill Callahan and it is appropriate that he is the first one displayed in this year's rotation.
The Carousel called College Football Coach Jobs
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Padres
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2 BCS appearances in his first 2 years and some people keep talking about firing the Charie Weis? This year's Norte Dame football team played up (or down depending on your perspective) to what I and many others expected. This team was just way too young and inexperienced to expect more or justify firing the coach for a bad season.
This season has obviously a disappointment for Norte Dame fans. When watching the Irish it is just as obvious the players have given up but the feeling among most ND alums and fans I know is that Weis has this program headed in the right direction. He will not be fired, because he bought himself a tremendous amount of goodwill (and time) by taking this team to 2 straight BCS games in his first two years. Some people forget just how desperate this program was when Weis took over. Weis has recruited well year after year and that is how a college gets turned around. I don't believe he is going anywhere and not simply because of his long contract. Despite this poor season, many Irish administration, alums and fans feel good about this program - a key difference between now and several years ago.
The other major difference between the Husker's situation and the Irish is how Weis is handling it versus how Callahan handled it. remember Callahan [after apparently smoking something with Nate] stated proudly and loudly, "I have done an excellent job in every area." Contrast that with Weis' recognition that he has stumbled and will learn from his mistakes:
''There's a big difference between an 18-year-old and a 23-year-old,'' Weis said when asked what he has learned this season. ''It isn't like a rookie in the NFL because you can have a rookie in the NFL that's very mature because he's already 22 or 23. They can play with the 30-year-olds, and it's no big deal. ...
''But maturity-wise, there's a huge difference between dealing with a freshman and dealing with a senior.''
Weis plans to barricade himself in his office and identify the mistakes that contributed to Notre Dame being 2-9 heading into Saturday's season finale against Stanford at Stanford Stadium when he returns from recruiting trips on Dec. 17.
"Once I've identified what the problems are, then you can go about fixing them, and some of them can be schematics,'' Weis said. ''Some of them will be X's and O's and some of them might be methodologies of teaching, and there's a lot of different things that could be involved.''
http://www.suntimes.com/sports/colleges ... 22.article
As my cousin, a high school football coach and former HS All-American told me, 'Weis can recruit - now we'll see if he can develop his recruits.' Weis is over rated but he deserves a few more years and the opportunity to recruit and develop his team before he is fired. Even Bill Callahan got four years.
This season has obviously a disappointment for Norte Dame fans. When watching the Irish it is just as obvious the players have given up but the feeling among most ND alums and fans I know is that Weis has this program headed in the right direction. He will not be fired, because he bought himself a tremendous amount of goodwill (and time) by taking this team to 2 straight BCS games in his first two years. Some people forget just how desperate this program was when Weis took over. Weis has recruited well year after year and that is how a college gets turned around. I don't believe he is going anywhere and not simply because of his long contract. Despite this poor season, many Irish administration, alums and fans feel good about this program - a key difference between now and several years ago.
The other major difference between the Husker's situation and the Irish is how Weis is handling it versus how Callahan handled it. remember Callahan [after apparently smoking something with Nate] stated proudly and loudly, "I have done an excellent job in every area." Contrast that with Weis' recognition that he has stumbled and will learn from his mistakes:
''There's a big difference between an 18-year-old and a 23-year-old,'' Weis said when asked what he has learned this season. ''It isn't like a rookie in the NFL because you can have a rookie in the NFL that's very mature because he's already 22 or 23. They can play with the 30-year-olds, and it's no big deal. ...
''But maturity-wise, there's a huge difference between dealing with a freshman and dealing with a senior.''
Weis plans to barricade himself in his office and identify the mistakes that contributed to Notre Dame being 2-9 heading into Saturday's season finale against Stanford at Stanford Stadium when he returns from recruiting trips on Dec. 17.
"Once I've identified what the problems are, then you can go about fixing them, and some of them can be schematics,'' Weis said. ''Some of them will be X's and O's and some of them might be methodologies of teaching, and there's a lot of different things that could be involved.''
http://www.suntimes.com/sports/colleges ... 22.article
As my cousin, a high school football coach and former HS All-American told me, 'Weis can recruit - now we'll see if he can develop his recruits.' Weis is over rated but he deserves a few more years and the opportunity to recruit and develop his team before he is fired. Even Bill Callahan got four years.
C'mon, ND gets HANDED BCS and bowl appearances. A mediocre season by ND is enough for some of the pontificators to discuss whether they should be going to the title game.
This wasn't just a bad season, it was one of the worst ND has ever had.
Now, some of us don't mind the potential of that continuing... but I doubt the ND administration, students and alums are too thrilled about the potential of it continuing.
This wasn't just a bad season, it was one of the worst ND has ever had.
Now, some of us don't mind the potential of that continuing... but I doubt the ND administration, students and alums are too thrilled about the potential of it continuing.
ND will always be weighted more than other schools because they aren't in any conference. After 2 back to back BCS bowls, even though it was the worst year in ND history you cant fire him. They just signed him to a 10 year deal. He will certainly be on the hotseat though but he wont go unless the alumni demand it.
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It was a bad season for Norte Dame - no reasonable person will argue that and that is not what I am arguing. I simply am saying that most ND followers feel better about the Norte Dame football program and its future direction under Weis then did most Nebraska fans about their program and its future direction under Callahan. IF Weis leads Norte Dame to suffer through a 4th year similar to the horrendous 4th year that Callahan lead the Huskers through then he may be considered ripe for termination.RedSox wrote:C'mon, ND gets HANDED BCS and bowl appearances. A mediocre season by ND is enough for some of the pontificators to discuss whether they should be going to the title game.
This wasn't just a bad season, it was one of the worst ND has ever had.
Now, some of us don't mind the potential of that continuing... but I doubt the ND administration, students and alums are too thrilled about the potential of it continuing.
I just don't believe the situations are comparable yet ... Callahan deserved to be fired while Weis deserves to continue coaching at Norte Dame. Callahan ran a very good program into the ground while Weis is still attempting to restore a solid foundation to a program that was in disarray when he took it over. The potential is still for Norte Dame to improve under Weis - the Huskers' football program under Callahan was only going to continue to wither and die.
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Bill Callahan is one of the worst head coaches I have ever seen at any level. He ran Jon Gruden's own playbook against him in the Super Bowl. His Raider teams quit on him, but that happens in the pros, even to good coaches occasionally, but it's tough to get a big-time college team to quit on you in the middle of a season. This guy basically rode Gruden's team (and offense) to the Super Bowl, and parlayed his SB appearance into a big-time college job - which he failed utterly at. I'd say he brought Nebraska to the fringe of what happened to Oklahoma for 10 yrs before Bob Stoops. Tom Osborne saved that program. I bet if he coached again he could win a national championship there.
2023 GM Totals: 1780 W - 1460 L | 0.549 wpct | 89-73 (avg 162 G record)
I still don't see how they fired Solich, he took them to the title game then went 9-3 and got fired. While Nebraska probably wouldn't have continued to be a superpower with Solich, I think they'd have been a team that would go 9-3/10-2 every year and be a legit title contender every few years. I'm mad Solich got fired because he was recruiting my best friend really hard to come play offensive tackle for him, he got letters from Nebraska every other day. Then Solich got fired, they ditched the option and so Callahan didn't recruit him. He went to Ohio State with intentions to walk on (he had a bunch of mid majors like Toledo and other MAC schools look at him) and just ended up partying and never fooling with it
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... The hiring of Rich Rodriguez, who will be introduced Monday morning, also seems to usher in a new financial era for Michigan football. [Lloyd] Carr reportedly earned a relatively modest $1.5 million a year. Rodriguez's buyout clause is said to be a whopping $4 million, and his annual salary reportedly will be $2.5 million.
... The Rodriguez hiring ends a four-week search that featured flirtations with óand perhaps rejections from ó Rutgers coach Greg Schiano and LSU's Les Miles.
In the end, Miles wouldn't leave LSU to return to his alma mater. But Rodriguez is leaving his to coach the Wolverines.
... His decision surprised Gerry DiNardo, the Big Ten Network analyst and former LSU and Indiana coach.
"One of the reasons I didn't think he would take it was parity," he said. "It might actually be easier to get to a national championship game at West Virginia than at Michigan. But this [decision] speaks volumes about Michigan and to the appeal of coaching at the winningest program in America."
The Mountaineers were one tiny step from playing for the BCS title this season. At 10-1, all West Virginia had to do was dispatch Dave Wannstedt's Pitt Panthers, a four-touchdown underdog, on Dec. 1.
But Pittsburgh held on for a 13-9 victory, sending LSU to the title game and West Virginia to the Fiesta Bowl.
The ramifications: Miles couldn't leave a team favored to win the BCS title game. But Rodriguez was content to leave Morgantown. He will not coach West Virginia in its bowl game, opting to devote his full attention to recruiting assistant coaches and players to Michigan.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/cs ... &cset=true
... The Rodriguez hiring ends a four-week search that featured flirtations with óand perhaps rejections from ó Rutgers coach Greg Schiano and LSU's Les Miles.
In the end, Miles wouldn't leave LSU to return to his alma mater. But Rodriguez is leaving his to coach the Wolverines.
... His decision surprised Gerry DiNardo, the Big Ten Network analyst and former LSU and Indiana coach.
"One of the reasons I didn't think he would take it was parity," he said. "It might actually be easier to get to a national championship game at West Virginia than at Michigan. But this [decision] speaks volumes about Michigan and to the appeal of coaching at the winningest program in America."
The Mountaineers were one tiny step from playing for the BCS title this season. At 10-1, all West Virginia had to do was dispatch Dave Wannstedt's Pitt Panthers, a four-touchdown underdog, on Dec. 1.
But Pittsburgh held on for a 13-9 victory, sending LSU to the title game and West Virginia to the Fiesta Bowl.
The ramifications: Miles couldn't leave a team favored to win the BCS title game. But Rodriguez was content to leave Morgantown. He will not coach West Virginia in its bowl game, opting to devote his full attention to recruiting assistant coaches and players to Michigan.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/cs ... &cset=true
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That's 2 Big East coaches to the BigTen (and the state of Michigan) in 2 seasons. GT (among others) courted Edsall, and Miami (last year) and Michigan spoke with Schiano. I'm very sorry to see Rodriguez go. He was almost definitely the best head coach in the BE. Crazy how that one game, the Backyard Brawl, had huge implications for the league. If RR and the Mountaineers pull that game out and are headed to the title game vs. OSU, Miles probably ends up at Michigan. Hopefully Wannstedt's coaching will catch up to his recruiting and Pitt becomes a force. They certainly have the talent (LeSean McCoy, Pat Bostick, etc.).
The good news for Big East fans is that Wannstedt does have some success at Pitt he's not likely to bolt. Same goes for Jim Leavitt at USF, since he started the football program there. Schiano has shown he'll stick around, which is good. Hopefully Kragthorpe can get UL back on track after firing his DC. The key will be keeping Kelly at Cincinnati, and hoping Syracuse finally fires Greg Robinson and gets a decent coach to resurrect that program. In a conference with only 8 teams, not having a real doormat and embarrassment of a program like the 'Cuse is right now would help the league tremendously.
The good news for Big East fans is that Wannstedt does have some success at Pitt he's not likely to bolt. Same goes for Jim Leavitt at USF, since he started the football program there. Schiano has shown he'll stick around, which is good. Hopefully Kragthorpe can get UL back on track after firing his DC. The key will be keeping Kelly at Cincinnati, and hoping Syracuse finally fires Greg Robinson and gets a decent coach to resurrect that program. In a conference with only 8 teams, not having a real doormat and embarrassment of a program like the 'Cuse is right now would help the league tremendously.
2023 GM Totals: 1780 W - 1460 L | 0.549 wpct | 89-73 (avg 162 G record)
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Former Wolverines ...
Rich Rodriguez fired Michigan's assistant coaches Thursday, his second day as an employee of the school.
... "I can understand that he wants to bring in the people that have been with him for years," defensive coordinator Ron English told The Associated Press after having dinner with the coaching staff. "But when you lose your job, it's hard."
... English was fired along with Mike DeBord, offensive coordinator; Fred Jackson, wide receivers and associate head coach; Erik Campbell, wide receivers and assistant head coach; Vance Bedford, defensive backs; Scot Loeffler, quarterbacks; Andy Moeller, offensive line; Steve Stripling, defensive line; and Steve Szabo, linebackers.
http://www.nbcsports.com/portal/site/nb ... c1d240RCRD
This reminds us that the coaching carousel affects more then just the head coaches - in this case the assistant coaches are free to pursue other jobs while preparing the team for its upcoming bowl game against Florida. If they don't land a job, they will still be paid by the school as they all were given two-year deals in March that will pay them through Feb. 28, 2009. Had they not had those extensions, it would have been a truly crappy Christmas in those homes ...
... "I can understand that he wants to bring in the people that have been with him for years," defensive coordinator Ron English told The Associated Press after having dinner with the coaching staff. "But when you lose your job, it's hard."
... English was fired along with Mike DeBord, offensive coordinator; Fred Jackson, wide receivers and associate head coach; Erik Campbell, wide receivers and assistant head coach; Vance Bedford, defensive backs; Scot Loeffler, quarterbacks; Andy Moeller, offensive line; Steve Stripling, defensive line; and Steve Szabo, linebackers.
http://www.nbcsports.com/portal/site/nb ... c1d240RCRD
This reminds us that the coaching carousel affects more then just the head coaches - in this case the assistant coaches are free to pursue other jobs while preparing the team for its upcoming bowl game against Florida. If they don't land a job, they will still be paid by the school as they all were given two-year deals in March that will pay them through Feb. 28, 2009. Had they not had those extensions, it would have been a truly crappy Christmas in those homes ...
