With the recent hiring of Urban Meyer at Ohio State, many Buckeye fans are elated at the apparent forgone conclusion of a BCS title and a return to the top of NCAA football.   While there is no doubt that the 47 year old coach has an incredible win percentage, the highest ever through the 2009 season, a deeper dive into the statistics should be enough to have Bucky a little worried.

 1.  Urban Meyer doesn’t stay in a position long – True, in this age of coaching carousels, it’s hard to keep your job long enough to have even a water fountain named after you but with Urban, the problem is one of what professional career coaches call “job hopping.”  Dating back to his high school coaching days, he is yet to stay with a program more than 6 years (which he did only once) and his average tenure as a head coach (Bowling Green, Utah & Florida)  is 3 years.  In all 3 of these positions, Meyer was able to turn average programs into winners but he has always had one distinct advantage…

 2.  Urban Meyer walks into positions ripe for winning. – Lack of game film, a substandard conference and general national ignorance of the Bowling Green program during Meyer’s tenure make it hard to do an in depth analysis of his performance at Bowling Green.  It appears his signature wins were over a middle of the pack Missouri team in 2001 and 2002.  Meyer was handed a talent laden Utah program in 2003, complete with a Heisman finalist quarterback and emerging NFL star in a (sic) down Mountain West Conference.  In similar fashion, Urban took over for one the greatest “Best Recruiter / Worst Coach” dichotomies of all time in Ron Zook at Florida.  With a locker room full of more talent than that of the Dallas Cowboy’s cheerleaders, had Meyer only filled out the roster card and left each game at kickoff, he’d likely enjoyed 10 win seasons.  Picking up a commitment from lifelong Gator fan Tim Tebow within 18 months of his start date didn’t hurt as long as he could keep the 5 star, Parade All American quarterback Chris Leak happy about it.

 3.  Meyer’s use of the spread offense is unparalleled…it’s also old news – If there is one thing to be jaw droppingly impressed about with Urban Meyer, it’s his use and perfection of the spread offense.  Athleticism alone did not win national titles, his offensive genius had allot to do with it.  With that said, it’s no longer novel and he’s no longer in the “speed state” of Florida.  While he will certainly recruit top talent at OSU (a team that was a full step slower than his Gators) running a spread in the Big 10 will be exciting until they meet the majority of the power teams of the South or a high level West Coast team. Furthermore, the majority of BCS level teams see a spread offense no less than once every 3 games.  While he may run it to perfection, the surprise factor will definitely be gone. 

4.  Meyer has a mess to clean up – Meyer has never had to assume leadership of a team facing NCAA  compliance issues and history is not on his side.  The more egregious the programs sins, the longer it typically takes to recover.  While I certainly don’t compare the current OSU situation with SMU or even current day Miami or USC in regards to severity of rule breaking, self imposed sanctions plus those from the NCAA will make the ramp up time a little slower than the fast paced coach would prefer.  I’m sure someone much smarter than I in mathematics could find a formula for the average number of years it takes to be ranked in the top 5 in coloration to number of scholarships lost.  Don’t Stanford fans read college football blogs?  They should be able to write this program between homework and their next Steve Jobs / iTunes / iPhoto tribute slideshow for their Mark Zuckerburg owned Facebook page.

 I certainly hope my Buckeye readers do not misinterpret this as “hating” on Urban Meyer.  Much like Tim Tebow in the NFL, you may like him or hate him but you have to admit that all he does is win.  My only request is that those same readers take a look at the facts I’ve laid out, ponder them and let the next few years determine his legacy.  While many college football fans are ready to put Meyer among the greatest of all time, I reserve judgment and admit pessimism as to his future success.  I classify the “infamous coaches in NCAA history” into 3 categories.  The most impressive are those that dominated for a great deal of time until the game passed them by. (Bear Bryant, Tom Osbourne, Bobby Bowden, Nick Saban is almost there) The 1B class ,if you will, are coaches that rose, struggled perhaps and then were able to recover to a degree but not at the same level.  These are still great coaches but they all had shorter runs of success followed by less than ideal exits. (Lou Holtz, Steve Spurier, Jimmy Johnson)  The last class would be coaches that so many fell in love with and heralded as the next great leader until they were exposed as being at “the right place and time.”  (Phillip Fullmer, Rich Rodriguez, Pete Carrol, Nick Saban until he came back to Alabama)  I would currently put Urban Meyer in the 1B category and see his next 5 years as the pivot point into one of the other classes.  If he goes on to greatness at OSU, I’ll be first in line to carve him into the NCAA coach Mt Rushmore.  However, if things do not turn out well and the championships don’t come after he’s had the chance to rebuild, don’t say I didn’t warn you…especially if he quits in 3 years…

CSF breaks down a wild week of the week that was. Week 8 had its share of upsets and surprises. Check it out, as CSF takes a look at five key highlights.

Bye-bye BCS Championship: Two teams that were not only expected to win their conferences, but also have a shot at a BCS National Championship saw their hopes flash before their eyes last weekend.  Wisconsin–who needed a lot of help to get to a title game anyway, due to their weak out of conference schedule–lost on the last play of the game at Michigan State.  Sparty presented a defensive front that the Badgers hadn’t seen in their marquee match ups like South Dakota and UNLV didn’t quite have.

Meanwhile, the Oklahoma Sooners saw their hopes of a BCS title and the nation’s longest home winning streak (39 games) dash away at the hands of Tommy Tuberville’s Texas Tech squad.  Usually, when the Sooners lose a game they should easily win, it is because of poor QB play, but not this time.  Landry Jones was sharp, throwing for 412 yards and 5 TDs, but the Sooner defense was scorched by TT quarterback Seth Doege for five touchdowns of his own (4 passing, 1 rushing).  The Sooners will need a lot of help, including a win at Oklahoma State in December to sneak back into the BCS Championship.

Kansas State continues to roll: In the “Where did they come from” category, the Kansas State Wildcats improved to 7-0 last weekend as they play host to a pivotal match up this weekend against a thoroughly ticked off Oklahoma squad.  You can’t say enough about head coach Bill Snyer who has brought this program from the brink twice now.  How have the Wildcats come back from the depths of the FBS in such a short amount of time?  The answer…the running game–on both sides of the ball.  KSU ranks 19th in the nation in rushing offense at 213 yards per game, and they are 13th in rushing defense, holding opponents to just 93 yards a game.

Tajh Boyd getting some Heisman hype: Clemson keeps winning, and their quarterback continues to be the major reason why.  The sophomore QB has passed for 2,379 yards with a whopping 24 touchdown passes with only 3 interceptions.  Compare those numbers to Heisman front-runner Andrew Luck who has 1,888 yards and 20 TDs with 3 picks as well.  Luck has played one less game, but Boyd has 4 more TDs on the ground, compared to Luck’s one, and Clemson has faced a much more competitive schedule.  Luck, without question, belongs in New York at season’s end, but it’s time to give Boyd his due, as well.

A legitimate “Game of the Century” officially set: As expected Alabama and LSU rolled to huge victories last weekend, and each team has a bye weekend to prepare for the much anticipated Nov. 5 match up between these two powerhouses in Tuscaloosa.  The “Game of the Century” cliche is so overused in college football, but this one actually fits the bill.  Hope you like defense because this game has easily the best two defenses in the country.  Bama and LSU are ranked #1 and #3 in scoring defense and total defense.  Year to date, Bama is ranked #1 against the run, giving up just over 44 yards rushing a game.  LSU isn’t too shabby, either, as they rank #4 against the run with only 76 yards rushing per contest.  All eyes in the college football world will certainly be on this game, and the winner will be the clear-cut favorite to bring home the BCS Title.

Another Big 12 Little Brother is taking his ball and leaving: Texas A&M confirmed earlier this season that it will, indeed, make the move to the SEC, and last week, Mizzou laid all the necessary ground work to bolt for the best conference in college football as well.  If you’re in Columbia, don’t worry about cleaning up any ticker-taped parades.  The Tigers only won one–count it, one–Big 12 championship in any of their sports, and that did not come in football.  Had they been in the Big 12 South instead of the weak North division, they wouldn’t have even sniffed a shot at a Big 12 title.  In the end, the money the SEC brings is too much to turn away, but Mizzou will quickly find out that their mouths were bigger than their stomachs.  Competing in the SEC will likely bury them into obscurity much faster than it took head coach Gary Pinkel to get them into the top 25 in the first place.

Recap of Week 7 picks and highlights, Mizzou seeks new conference, BCS standings are out and one team there could be some good showdowns for the top spot, and our Week 8 picks.

Week 6 of the college football season is in the books, and once again, CSF brings you a complete recap of the week that was.  Check out our breakdown of five key bits of info you can’t do without as we continue through the 2011 college football season.

No Florida Schools in the Top 25: Florida State was supposed to be the bell cow of the ACC and the state of Florida in 2011, but after suffering their third straight loss to Wake Forest last weekend, the ‘Noles are out of the top 25.  Much hype was surrounding the Florida Gators, but back to back games against Alabama and LSU would be enough to drop anyone.  The Gators were hammered 41-11 by LSU, and the second-straight loss was too much to keep them in the rankings as well.  Miami, USF and UCF have all been mentioned in the top 25 at different points this season, but all have lost critical games this season, and all are on the outside of the polls looking in.

Red River Blowout: Many (including myself) thought Texas was way overrated coming into this game–the Longhorns were ranked as the #11 team in the nation, but very few predicted the kind of beat down the Sooners would deliver last weekend.  The OU defense outscored Texas in this one, accounting for three touchdowns.  The fast-paced OU offense did their damage as well, on their way to a 55-17 blowout victory for Oklahoma.

Michigan off to the quietest 6-0 start in history: The dominance of Wisconsin and the implosion of Ohio State have been the main topics of discussion this season in the Big Ten.  That has overshadowed a fantastic start by first year head coach Brady Hoke’s perfect start in 2011.  Hoke has done a lot with very little, especially on the defensive side of the ball, but the Wolverines aren’t getting much love.  A win at rival Michigan State this weekend would not only make the Wolverines bowl eligible in mid-October, it would also serve as notice to the college football world that, while Michigan is still not a top 10 team, Hoke has cleaned up Rich Rod’s mess much faster than anyone could have imagined.

Mark Richt gets 100th win: After starting the 2011 season with a loss against Boise State and a heart-breaker at home to South Carolina in week 2, the Bulldogs won their third straight game last weekend at Tennessee.  The win was head coach Mark Richt’s 100th as a head coach in Athens.  Richt, who came into this season on the hot seat, has Georgia playing better than any team in the SEC East.  A win against rival Florida on October 29th could buy him an extra year and vault the Dawgs into an SEC Championship Game.

In a stunning revelation, Ohio State is the “poster child” of compliance:  I was under the impression that massive suspensions of key players, the untimely departure of a hall of fame coach amid controversy, inappropriate dealings with boosters and free tattoos and gifts from a known Columbus drug dealer were signs that an athletic program wasn’t keeping very good tabs on its student-athletes.  Fortunately, for people like me, who were completely misunderstanding the situation at OSU, their president Gordon Gee took the liberty of clearing up that slight misconception.  Gee informed the Ohio State faculty last week that OSU is the “poster child” of compliance.  In the wake of that announcement, Charlie Sheen is expected to announce that he is the poster child of child care, Lindsay Lohan is expected to announce that she is the poster child of sobriety, and Carrot Top is expected to claim he is the poster child of comedy.

(flikr credits to: Lance Mccord and Majdan)

Week two of the season came and went this past Saturday and while it certainly didn’t offer the same drama on the field within the Big 12 Conference, the Topsy-turvy on goings of the conference’s realignment only continued to boil.

The domino effect related to what will eventually be decided by suits in Norman, Oklahoma has everyone related to the current Big 12 Conference on pins and needles. Message boards are busier than ever and conspirators have plenty of opinions to share as this drama continues to unfold. The internet era, more influential than ever, has influenced the spread of bad feelings, jealousy and uncertainty that envelopes fans everywhere.

And all the while, I still wonder, why can’t we just make the most sensible thing work?

I speak, like many of you, to the notion of maintaining the Big 12 Conference. Of all the options present to each and every of the conference’s members, mending our differences seems like a no-brainer.

Let’s stay together and make this work. Is that really too much to ask?

Is keeping a conference housed of several Texas schools, headquartered in the Lone Star State, that utilizes and capitalizes on a hotbed of homegrown talent worthy of being ripped at its seems?

Last I checked, exactly half of the conference (five teams) is ranked in the AP top 25. If Nebraska was still welcome at the dinner table there would have six. If Missouri had won Friday night in Tempe, there would be seven. Can any other league say that?

Still, it’s the Big 12 Conference that has slowly become little brother to ‘better cultural fits’ in the SEC, a more suitable ‘match’ for the Pac 12 and an ‘upgrade to the academic best interests’ that the Big 10 offers.

Excuse me?

Do we need to be reminded of just how powerful, influential and trend-setting this conference was, still is and should continue to be? Until this season, the Big 12 was the only league that originally formed with 12 members in two different six team divisions. Remember when that was seen as forward-thinking, smart and innovative?

This was the only league that, from its inception, included a ‘post season’ league championship game. While other leagues decided their conference champ via mind-bending tiebreakers, the Associated Press or even worse, a vote amongst conference presidents (yep, this is how the Big Ten chose it’s conference representative for the Rose Bowl for an eternity), the Big 12 staged a title game.

Decided between white lines. Played in a city and stadium that an NFL franchise called home.

Yet, just 16 years after this ‘game changing’ league formed, it appears this conference is the one truly in jeopardy of falling completely apart.

I suppose something could be said for the advent of the 16 team ‘super conference.’

There isn’t an Aggie I know who isn’t thrilled for weekend road trips to achievable-in-one-day driving distances being replaced with airfare to college towns four and five states away.

The notion of playing in the Pac 16 is more than logical for Oklahoma. After all, they have a legion of alumni in Oregon, California and Washington.

We all know it’s best to throw out the records when Nebraska and Purdue face off this time of year.

For those schools likely to be left in the dark, their inevitable move, whether it be to the Big East, Mountain West or Conference USA, would have our fans foaming at the mouth to welcome new rivals Air Force, Boston College and Memphis to town.

Give me a break.

The Big 12 Conference, it’s schools and its fans deserve better. The direction of college athletics (football in particular) is the problem.

The temptation of bigger TV contracts, heightened exposure in new markets and stability in an unstable college football landscape has certainly caught the dollar-filled pupils of many.

If and when, those same people realize these factors have had absolutely nothing to do with what makes college athletics so unique so celebrated ever comes into play, we’ll all be okay.

Until then, the Big 12 Conference has some new invitations to the dinner table that need to be mailed out.