The Fake Lonnie Finch

I tend to believe Leavitt hit the kid. But...it still think some college out there will give him another shot.

How could he say anything bad? His kid's the size of an FCS player and Dodge gave him a scholarship. He'll never say anything bad about Dodge because he got his kid's college paid for.

A good coach will coach the players who remain. And, a good coach will bring in recruits who can replace whomever leaves. I can't think of one indispensable player on the roster. That's not to say we don't have some good ones. But, none are tearing up the league in any way shape or form. Besides, the new coach will do what all new coaches do - come in and say every position is up for grabs. That way, everyone works with renewed vigor.

FOX is only offering him around $2 million for three years. Give him a cut of the gate.

Did they ask him if his kid is going to transfer to Texas State?

Sort of a kinder, gentler Juan Williams.

We don't need $1 million. MizzouTiger says we just need to ask him.

So, hire him.

If we make another bad hire, this place will become like Eastern Michigan...on the verge of extinction. This is the hire that will make or break us as an FBS school. Super conferences are coming and schools like Oklahoma and Texas are willing to throw the likes of Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri, Iowa State, and Baylor overboard. We'd for sure be left in the dust. The time for hiring a guy and hoping he pans out is over. Hire a guy who already has a record of panning out and let's survive the coming wave.

It will be a moot point if we get a coach in here who can really recruit.

There aren't any Leavitt threads yet. People need to know he's available.

On the other sideline, Skippy looked nervous before the game...and lost during the game. Oh, Skippy.

I like Harper as well. And, I really like him because: (1) he is a defensive coach, and (2) he's coached all over - Clemson, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Western Michigan, McNeese State, Northwestern State, Missouri State. In short, he'd bring the defensive mindset many here believe we've been missing. And, he's got contacts all over the country for hiring assistants and recruting. I'd welcome RV throwing J.C. Harper into the mix. He's taken what was an awful S.F.A. program and turned it around.

From the OU board...and to the point we've made for years about the high school staff Dodge brought along with him: "Yeah, I remember Stoops saying after that game that our offensive players were coming back to the sidelines saying, "Coach, they're not even disguising their coverages!" Sure made for an easy debut for Sam."

Rice board: "Wonder what he is going to do next? If we were looking at staff changes and he was interested, I'd hire him. He knows what he's doing, and just got into a really bad situation at UNT." This is what the perception will be. And, it's why he'll get another job somewhere. People will continue to excuse his losing here on the school itself. And, this goes to the heart of my desire that we hire a bona fide program builder. People don't take us seriously. They excuse coaches for losing here. The only way that stops is for us to hire a well know, veteran program builder. We just can't gamble this time around. We need a builder to pick us up the way Bill Snyder picked up K-State a couple of decades ago. In fact, when K-State is here in November, we need to look at where that school is as our goal. No one, and I mean no one came from further down than K-State. And, they've built and, for the most part, sustained what Snyder built for a span of about 20 years. That's real program building that K-State did.

Interesting from the TCU board: "I wouldn't mind TCU picking up Todd Dodge as an assistant coach." I'm telling you guy, he'll end up somewhere.

I think it shows, though, how people across the college football spectrum view us. They see the four championship, and without knowing anything else, assume we are idiots for canning him. That's kind of what we're up against perception-wise to the college football world.

Thought this was a funny post from the C-USA board regarding Gus Malzhan: "Malzahn is credited with inventing the wildcat." "This angers me. The wildcat is the single-wing, is the single-wing, is the single-wing. How could Malzahn have invented something that was around before he was born? The only thing Malzahn did was use it. He didn't even name the darn thing (Hugh Wyatt did that). It is time to stop giving credit to Malzahn for something he didn't do. Funny stuff. Funny what will drive people crazy.

Lord, the Texas fans are tough: Check out this exchange between 'Horn posters: 1: "Darrell Dickey was a good football coach who brought home four straight Sun Belt conference titles and four straight bowl berths for UNT. His teams featured solid defense and a strong running game on offense. UNT doesn't know either of those concepts now. UNT is reaping what it sowed for canning Dickey." 2: "Yup. New Mexico could do a lot worse than promoting Dickey to the HC job after they fire Mike Locksley. And believe me, given the train wreck that Locksley has been, they will fire him." "Don Coryell is perhaps the greatest offensive mind in NFL history, and it's an outrage that he's not in the Hall of Fame. Comparing Leach to Coryell is bad enough. When I see Todd Dodge mentioned in the same breath, I pissed myself with laughter."

This from a Texas fan at Hornfans.com: "Dodge's college coaching career mirrors his playing career. A high school hero that couldn't get it done at the college level" Wow. And, some of you people think Dodge had a hard time pleasing the crowd here! He was booed in Austin as a player...and, apparently some still remember. This job really is pretty insulated from tough press. I think that alone would be a selling point for a coach who has been at a school whose fans are overzealous to the point of hating on guys two and half decades after they played there.

The guy needed a break. The first two years were hell. Last year was baffling. This year, with all of the injuries.... The guy needed a break. He'll be back, though. And, sooner than many here think. He's got too much in the tank. Someone will hire him as a QB coach or an offensive coordinator. And, it'll likely be someone bigger than us. And, that would be good for him. It'd be good for his to have the bowl experience from a coach's perspective.

I'd guess yes. Again, I said "If we're going to hire current head coaches..." The only reason I bring it up is that Rick said during the press conference that there might be some current head coaches out there who might consider coming here based on new facilities and whatnot. I'd think we'd have a better shot at matching an FCS salaried head coach at this point than any winning FBS head coach. The X factor working against us, though, is that Wolford is a Youngstown native. That may be his dream job. Still, I think he'd be pretty pleasantly surprised at the changes in facilities if Rick flew him in. I don't think he's been back to Denton since 2003.

Now, we're talking! Get both Franchione's. Remember, for all the folderol about Fran at A&M, he did beat Texas his last two seasons there with a squad that was supposed to be less talented that the 'Horns. Overall, he had a winning record at A&M. He did what he could inheriting an Aggie program that he been outrecruited by Bob Stoops at Oklahoma and Mack Brown at Texas during the later part of R.C. Slocum's tenure. But again, in his fourth and fifth seasons, with teams full of his recruited players, he beat Texas twice. You can't discount that. Also, I could care less about the newsletter. All of those big programs have overzealous boosters. Most are better at hiding their backroom deals. Fran wouldn't face that kind of pressure here. My top picks are shaping up to be Leavitt, Fran, Bower, Ty Willingham and Karl Dorrell (who got screwed at UCLA). UCLA went to bowl games after each of Dorrell's five seasons there. Screw job. I think Dorrell's got something.

Amen, Harry.

Did you go to Mizzou with Leavitt back in the 70s? If so, did Billy Sims also run over you? Seriously, we'd love to have Leavitt. If you have some connection to him, quit hiding it and call our AD.