Southern Miss, Tulsa and there are others

Harry · October 15, 2014

These were programs that I thought had elevated themselves to the place where they would not again see the type of seasons they have both suffered through. Both had many winning seasons, bowls and bigger program defining wins than have we. Yet both are struggling. How does that happen? Recruiting misses, injuries, coaching changes, bad luck?

Point being - when you look at our situation right now we are really not alone. And we frankly haven't fallen into the depths that these other once proud mid majors have fallen yet either.

Cerebus · October 15, 2014

Those programs nose dived because of coaching changes.

Tulsa: Todd Graham goes 36-17, wins four bowl games, leaves. Blankenship does well until he runs out of Graham recruits.

USM: Jeff Bower builds a great program. They get lucky enough to get Larry Fedora to continue it, he goes 34-19, leaves. Johnson blows the program up, runs off recruits, doesn't recruit anyone, etc. Monken really does get the bare cupboard every coach claims he inherits.

ETA: Fixed Fedora F'Up.

Edited October 15, 2014 by Cerebus

meangreenacct · October 15, 2014

Minor note - don't think Fedora was fired, think he left for UNC.

Cerebus · October 15, 2014

Minor note - don't think Fedora was fired, think he left for UNC.

You're right. Right place, wrong scandal.

meangreenbob · October 15, 2014

Nice attempt at spinning the situation. Of course many on this site will find peace knowing that others out there are losers as well. Losers love company, right? Hey cheer up!! Look, we aren't the only losers.

Nice diversion though. Should keep the kids from focusing on the real problem at least for awhile.

Edited October 15, 2014 by meangreenbob

The Fake Lonnie Finch · October 15, 2014

Tulsa did not to a search for either an AD or a head coach when both of those positions opened up a few years back. The AD was hired from within, then fired amidst a gambling scandal. They head coach was simply elevated from within the staff without even so much as a hint of a coaching search.

In short, Tulsa got what it deserved by being lazy and simply elevating from within.

Southern Miss got what it deserved when it tossed out Jeff Bower. Imagine this, your a C-USA team, you've been to six consecutive bowl games, and 10 in the preceding 11 seasons...so, you fire the coach.

No team deserves more of the hell it is going through right now than Southern Miss. They should be on their knees at Jeff Bower's doorstep begging him to return. He took the school that is #3 on the food chain in a state that isn't highly populated and somehow turned them into a very consistent winner.

And, for all of that, what did Bower get from USM - a kick in the nuts.

Screw, Southern Miss.

Edited October 15, 2014 by The Fake Lonnie Finch

Travis · October 15, 2014

I liked Bower. I would take him!

Coffee and TV · October 15, 2014

This isn't too far out of the norm for McCarney either. He had some great seasons at Iowa State (which is nearly impossible for anyone), and some down years. In the grand scheme of things he did a pretty good job at a very tough place to win. I think we just lost too many guys this year, it's natural for college football. We're not someone like OU who can just reload year after year, we recruit and sign guys who were overlooked in high school, guys who have to develop in college instead of being automatically ready to tear it up Freshman year.

DeepGreen · October 15, 2014

Did So. Miss. really fire Jeff Bower? I seem to recall he had family health issues(wife?). Maybe I'm thinking of someone else.

TheTastyGreek · October 15, 2014

Did So. Miss. really fire Jeff Bower? I seem to recall he had family health issues(wife?). Maybe I'm thinking of someone else.

I think you're thinking of Steve Kragthorpe. They were both rumored names at the time of the McCarney hire, that's why I think you're mixing the stories together in your memory.