Sunday’s notes continues my preview of CFB’s 2006 teaching carousel. Said beneath are six of 2006’s new head coaches and the teams they’re going to lead. See yesterday’s notes for the opposite 5.
Kansas Situation (Ron Prince): Prince is simply 36 yrs aged and has by no means been a head coach at any diploma (Division I-A assistant these previous 5 a few years). He was the OC at Virginia most not too way back and he is called a superb recruiter. He is obtained vital footwear to fill, as Invoice Snyder stepped down final 12 months quickly after a distinctive vocation at Manhattan.
Snyder took greater than arguably the worst technique within the nation once more in 1989 after which led the Wildcats to 11 straight bowl on-line video games from 1993 because of 2003, contending for the countrywide title in 4 seasons. Nonetheless, the Wildcats have absent 4-7 and 5-6 these final two seasons, so Prince’s timing is fairly nice. He’s obtained 17 returning starters and a quick take a look at the timetable shows his workforce may effortlessly open up 5-1.
The Wildcats open up the 12 months with 4 consecutive dwelling recreation titles and get to play Illinois Situation, Florida Atlantic and Marshall in Manhattan previous to Louisville will come to metropolis on September 30. They then open their Huge-12 program with a try to Baylor and a unique family match with Oklahoma Situation. Snyder did not direct the Wildcats to a bowl match till lastly his fifth interval at Kansas State but it surely’s more than likely Prince will achieve this in his 1st calendar 12 months at Manhattan.
Northwestern (Ryan Fitzgerald): Randy Walker was about to enter his eighth interval as head coach of the Wildcats in 2006. His vocation report at Northwestern was simply 37-46 (41-37-2 ATS) however he skilled led the Wildcats to a couple bowls by way of his to start out with 7 yrs in Evanston, which embody a Photo voltaic Bowl look final time in the direction of UCLA. The Wildcats had taken on one specific of the nation’s hardest schedules final 12 months and nonetheless went 7-5. Even with the decline of QB Brett Basanez, a workable September plan and 13 returning starters (along with tremendous sophomore RB Tyrell Sutton) produced it most likely the Wildcats can be bowl-eligible over again this 12 months.
Then got here the sudden demise of Walker and on July 7, the naming of 31-yr-old Ryan Fitzgerald because the crew’s new head coach. Fitzgerald was a star on the college’s two Giant-10 title groups of the mid 90s and can develop into the youngest mentor in Division I-A this 12 months. Who genuinely understands how the system will react however as talked about earlier, the Wildcats do an a prospect to get began speedy. They open at Walker’s outdated school Miami-Ohio on August 31 after which take part in house video video games in the direction of New Hampshire and Jap Michigan. If the group can decide on a QB by then, a Friday night try to Reno to take part in Nevada (10-2 at house these remaining two years), is winnable.
The Huge-10 plan comes upcoming, opening with avenue on-line video games at Penn Level out and Wisconsin. I’m not sure the group can match it may be 5-3 league mark of previous calendar 12 months, so opening at the least 3-1 (4- can be good) is a should. It will likely be actually exhausting to not root for Fitzgerald and the Wildcats this yr.
Rice (Todd Graham): Graham was the DC at Tulsa these remaining a number of a very long time, working beneath Steve Kragthorpe. All Tulsa did within the earlier a number of a number of years is go from seasons of 1-10 and 1-11 in 2001 and 2002 to 8-5 in ’03 (bowl bodily look) in addition to instantly after a 4-8 yr in ’04, to 9-4 remaining 12 months. Earlier 12 months’s workforce obtained the C-Usa title match and the Liberty Bowl, 31-24 in extra of Fresno Situation. Graham often takes about for Ken Hatfield, who generated just some successful seasons in 12 a very long time.
Rice has a few of the most stringent tutorial benchmarks for its athletes of any Division I-A college, so it really isn’t stunning the college’s earlier bowl general look arrived in 1961. Graham has launched in earlier Texas QB Essential Applewhite as his OC and this operate-oriented employees will try to arrange a passing offense. Transfer offenses with various employees not often work, so assume Rice to wrestle this yr. Nonetheless, contemplating that the workforce went 1-10 (3-8 ATS) in 2005, issues are unable to get a lot worse.
Rice opens with cross-city rival Houston on September 2 and if the Owls drop that one specific (are 9-23 in opposition to the Cougars), they’re going to very possible open -4, on the very least. The Owls abide by their time-opener with a tour to UCLA, a sport with Texas at Reliant Stadium and a go to to Tallahassee to play Florida Level out. Rice has averaged extra than 100 YPG by way of the air simply two intervals as a result of 2000, averaging 122 YPG in 2001 and a meager 103 YPG remaining 12 months. This may get awhile.
San Diego Level out (Chuck Very lengthy): Lengthy is only remembered for ending a detailed subsequent to Bo Jackson within the 1985 Heisman race. Nevertheless, he’s expended the earlier 11 a number of years as an assistant, initially at Iowa (his alma mater) and never too way back at Oklahoma, the place by he was 1st the QB mentor after which the crew’s OC. He takes above for Tom Craft, who led the Aztecs to a 19-29 report these remaining 4 a few years (22-21-2 ATS). San Diego State remaining had a worthwhile season in 1998, ending 7-5 (which embody a 20-13 Las Vegas Bowl decline to North Carolina).
Prolonged is a wonderful rent for this underachieving program which is the one MWC crew on condition that the convention’s inception in 1999 that is not lengthy gone to a bowl online game. Lynell Hamilton (if more healthy?) is a proficient RB and QB O’Connell actually ought to get larger beneath Lengthy’s course. The safety must be so much superior this 12 months and final 12 months’s crew was larger than its 5-7 mark (outscored assembly foes by 22 elements). It could be no shock if the Aztecs ended as much as make it to 7-5 in 2006.
Temple (Al Golden): While UVa’s OC Ron Prince can soak up extra of at Kansas State, its DC Al Golden, requires greater than the job at Temple (I would considerably be Ron!). Temple will over again play as an neutral, shifting to the MAC in 2007. Temple is coming off a 12 months through which it went -11 and obtained outscored by a median of 45-10 however the Owls actually went 5-6 ATS in 2005 (now which is trick!). Bobby Wallace went 19-71 in his eight many years at Temple, so Golden won’t significantly have main footwear to fill.
Think about this actuality, Temple has not had a worthwhile 12 months in 15 a few years and has not even topped 4 wins in a 12 months since 1990. This 12 months’s timetable will over again be difficult but it surely cannot be any even worse than previous 12 months’s, as 9 of the crew’s 11 opponents have been bowl-eligible by season’s conclusion. Temple averaged a pathetic 9.7 PPG on offense and permitted a dreadful 45.3 PPG on safety. I suppose the incredible information is that solely two starters return on the defensive facet of the ball.
Temple visits Buffalo (see Buffalo generate-up in Portion 1) to open the time on August 31 and if the Owls actually do not get there, the longer term biggest probability at a acquire won’t arrive until a family exercise with Kent Level out (1-10 in 2005) on Oct 7. Wins should be a number of (and presumably significantly in between) in 2006 however there might maybe be a few wins for Golden in his to start out with yr.
Wisconsin (Brett Bielema): Like Prince at Kansa Level out (Month-to-month invoice Snyder), Bielema takes above at Wisconsin for the college’s most profitable head mentor, Barry Alaverz. If not for the sudden selecting of Fitzgerald at Northwestern, Bielema (at 36 years-old), would have the youngest Huge-10 coach this era, by 15 many years!
Alvarez led the Badgers to 11 bowls in his 17 years, possible 8-3 in people recreation titles and 118-73-4 in his tenure. Bielema is his hand-picked successor and while he’ll have an skilled safety again once more, the offense loses eight starters from a squad that averaged a college-file 34.3 PPG in 2005. Mind Calhoun is the most important decline (1636 hurrying yards / 571 receiving yards / 24 TDs) however QB John Stocco is again once more.
Wisconsin must start rapidly, opening with Bowling Eco-friendly in Cleveland on September 2 (LY’s score was 56-42 Wisconsin!) after which property to Western Michigan as well as San Diego Level out. The Badgers open Huge-10 carry out with a street recreation at Michigan however then take pleasure in at Indiana as well as residence to Northwestern and Minnesota. It could seem as no shock if the Badgers start 5-1 this 12 months. Wisconsin won’t ever acquire 10 video games like final yr however a successful report and a bowl bid might be.
Ness Notes is obtainable Monday by way of Friday by 1:00 ET.