CFB coaching carousel

Funny you mention Mace -- one of two coaches in the last 30 years who left KU voluntarily.

I wonder if he has "the itch". In recent years when he's on the Big Ten Network studio show, it's clear he wants to get back there and coach.

I actually think Kansas would be the perfect place for him. And for Kansas.

At age 64, Mason's lifelong dream of coaching Ohio State will never materialize. That's what marred his time at Minnesota. In 2000, when he won at the Horseshoe with Minnesota, there was a thought he might be the next Buckeye coach. Then he lost to Indiana the next week...

Let's not forget that Mason became HC at Kansas in 1988. The year before, Kansas went 1-9-1, with the win a 1-point victory over Southern Illinois and a 17-17 tie to 0-10-1 Kansas State. As BAD as K-State was from 1986-88, Kansas wasn't much better. KU lost to K-State by 17 and to Mizzou 48-0 in 1986. They were beyond awful.

Mason got them respectable by Year 3, a bowl win (when that still meant something) in Year 5 and in 1995 had them Top 10 (granted, it was fool's gold once Nebraska trounced them). He accepted and then turned down the Georgia job and bolted for Minnesota the next year.

As much as we all hold Bill Snyder in high regard for the job he did at Kansas State, Mason wasn't that far behind during the same time period. The difference between Kansas and Kansas State was that Snyder has a school committed to football -- a new stadium, licensing, that damn Powercat logo was everywhere.

Mason didn't any comparable administration help at Kansas and so he left.

It was Roy's athletic department in 1996 and, yes, in 2014, it's Bill Self's athletic department.

In the Arms Race of the new Big XII in 1996, the Texas schools and Oklahoma were a little down and they upgraded, leaving Kansas in the Dust Bowl. K-State kept up. When Terry Allen followed Mason, he had the worst facilities in the Big XII.

Why not make a call to Mason? Make this a four-year deal where he can pick his successor and, if the program is markedly better than now, hand it off to him.

 

You can. If you get a huge name and give him a contract similar to Saban's where you basically can't fire him without paying out every cent of a monster contract. The days of the $2 million deals where 50-75 percent of the $$$ is tied into radio/TV/shoe contracts are gone thanks largely to Saban and Meyer.

 

Starting to sound as if the interim AD at That School Up North may be interested in sticking around long term.

Who are the other huge name hires they could make? Curious who folks consider the "home runs", the kind of coaches RJ is talking about. Jim Harbaugh? Bob Stoops? Maybe Les Miles?

 

Harbaugh, Miles and Stoops would probably be considered HR hires where Michigan would have to basically give them anything they want to get them. Chip Kelly's name is going to come up as well. I don't see Harbaugh or Kelly going back to college, but you never know.

Dan Mullen isn't at the level of those three, but would definitely be seen as a good hire.

 

If Harbaugh leaves the Niners, he will get NFL offers I'm not sure Michigan would wish to surpass. Kelly? Why would he leave Philly? If Miles leaves LSU for Michigan, he's as dopey as his critics say he is.

 

I completely agree about Harbaugh and Kelly not leaving the NFL. By having success at both levels they can already argue that they were able to do something that Saban, Spurrier and others were unable to do.

Miles going to Michigan is somewhat understandable, but I still don't think it's going to happen any more than I think Stoops would take either the Michigan or the Florida jobs.

 

Harbaugh is the HR hire.
Miles would be a double off the wall. He's over 60 and LSU is having a relative dud season. But he'd be a massive upgrade from Hoke.

Problem is, you'd have to do the whole song and dance all over again in 3 years (if Miles bombed) or 5-7 years even if he succeeded.

 

My conspiracy theory: The administration will do everything possible to keep London - who, for all his faults, has run a squeaky-clean program that has stayed out of the police blotter - in the wake of the frat-house gang-rape firestorm that's enveloped the school. Given that the Cavs played their best game of the year in running Miami off the field the other night, if they can win at Lane*, that will provide enough cover that he'll stick around for another year.

* Frankly, he would deserve some sort of a parade for this regardless of whether he keeps his job. I don't care how bad the Hokies have been.

 

Too much off-the-field baggage. I doubt he'll ever be a D-I head coach.

 

I could see this perhaps if Zenger really likes Bowen, but doesn't think he's quite ready to be a Big 12 head coach.

 

It blows my mind that anybody at a MWC school would agree to that kind of a buyout. It's one thing if you're making $4-$5 million a year, but at that school I'd be surprised if he's even making $2 million.

 

In my neck of the woods, there are a lot of folks who are convinced there's very real mutual interest w/ Florida and Brian Kelly. Take with as large a grain o' salt as you wish.