outoftown

Repeated history. I do think there is a significant difference in the kind of issues Petrino has and Mac had when given his second chance. You can't really say Mac is not someone for the long haul (he was 11years at Iowa state), but this as a totally fair assessement of Petrino. He has a coaching career of 20 years and never made it to a 4th year. And it is not just 1 place where he left with people shaking their heads, this has become a habit for him. I guess everyone acknoledges that he will leave WKU before the 4 years are up, but some of us will be looking with interest whether he will leave because of his probable success, or whether he might be even quicker to manage to f it up outside the lines.

what news. please do tell

If they do want to create a new conference things have to go very quickly... i.e. before the new BCS contract gets ratified I think (no clue when that is). Otherwise any new confrence will be left with no shot at BCS games it seems to me.

He won't be out long, he will get picked up. If I were ark state, or possibly even temple or southern miss, I would think about it. Heck even those guys at Cinncinatti might. ... and honestly if you were him would you not be pissed? this has to be among the most puzzling firings of the season. It really was just one bad season after several good ones, and it is hard to imagine that FIU is in a good position to get someone better.

Even if it is only 1.17 million.... that is loads better than the belt who is locked into a tv contract till 2017 or 2018 that is just utterly terrible. It means a realistic shot at getting rid of a "body bag" game at the beginning of the season. The Belt members should thank the departed comissioner who negotiated that terrible contract (for once Benson is not to blame)! Also I think that the fact that the belt has no exit fee in whatever shape or form, means teams are willing to bolt much quicker...they don't need to think about outs. Those 2 facts more than anything is why C-USA will survive and remain better than the belt, while the belt only survives if realignment comes to a halt or they keep inviting move-ups (I think the lesson Benson learned from the WAC, is that he can never invite enough move-ups. Whether that is a good lesson...).

I agree, this is ...well surprising. Some might more think along the linse of stupid... maybe there is something going on that we don't know? In any case I can easily imagine that he will find employement as a HC again.

Isn't this conference realignment (and in La techs case the bowl selection process) just some perverse kind of gambling anyway? why get rid of a professional?

Well Petrino may be a coach with a pulse.... but also with heavy baggage. I mean when has Bobby Petrino ever stayed even 4 years at the same place? Not once in 20 years of coaching. Also he might just be happy enough to have a shorter contract. Thinking about his charachter I am sure he is arrogant enough to believe that the 4 years is good for him because that means it will lower his buyout when he buys out of the contract to go to a bigger school. That might actualIy happen. I am sure that if he manages to have his usual amount of success without getting into trouble for once, he will be picked up by a bigger school before the NCAA comes in.

so in essence we still owe him about 1.4 million? is there a way to negotiate this down if we were to fire him during this season?

fixed

I was not trying to compare the two, but if we are firing Benford this season it WILL have repercussions on who else we can buy out should we feel the need.... I think we might not know what we have in McCarney because of 1 of 2 reasons: a) he is a middle of the road / stagnation coach or b ) because we have not to much experience with what a winner really looks like and a tendency to distrust things. on the other hand half a season with Benford is enough for NT expertise to say with certainty that this will never go anywhere but down...NT fans know this because they have enough experience with loosing coaches to identify them pretty quickly.

We won't be able to buy out mac, since we will already have quite the tab running from having bought out Benford. At the rate he is going that will happen before the season ends. No way we buy out Mac (ok unless we go like 1-11).

I gave him the benefit of the doubt after the Div 2 loss.... now there is just no doubt left in me.

Also it is not like a safety is not running a lot. Being able to exchange defensive players at times without inserting someone you don't trust may allow to increase overall speed during the game

Things are gonna get tough for the SB... I can see a scenario it's current comissioner has seen once already. Glad not to be stuck with that guy! Edit: just saw that this report says they are joining FIU and WKU in departing the belt for C-USA....hmmm I am pretty sure the mascot of the team I root for is not some shapeless blob.

No to FAU...FIU is enough. I have nothing against NMSU, but they will still be there if UTEP leaves, and I think there are better options. Like ULL or WKU

Is there anyway we can tell Charlotte and Old dominion, that this was all just a mistake and that they might actually be a lot better of in FCS or with the sunbelt? What would that cost C-USA?

Agree. BYU holds too many cards to have to go to the BE, which georgraphically cannot be attractive to them. If they want to get into a conference the MWC will always take them back with open arms, but they are biding their time to go back until they know whether they get into B12 or not.

I am weirdly calm on that front. The first 2 targets for MWC are Boise and San Diego... ...and let us face it the money they will make in this version of the Big east may be small enough to have them come back.... ...at that point there are other targets the MWC could have just as easily as Tulsa or UTEP, for example houston. I am much more afraid that the big east takes 2 more teams out of CUSA before the MWC does anything also: it is important to reload now. ULL would be good but because of LAtech maybe impossible. WKU or MTSU would be ok too. I could even live with TxState, but I guess UTSA would hate that.

My thoughts exactly. But this thing needs to start clicking quickly. If we do not get a signiature win in OOC play then the national media will not notice anymore what happens afterwards. If the national media don't notice, even if we get to the tournament, we will be stuck with a 14th seed at best in the tourney and with little chance to advance. It is as bad as this: if we end up with a 24-6 record and the signature win is MTSU, the signature loss to a D II team, then the comittee will not care at all that 24-6 looks nice. They will stick us as 14 or 15. This is not how a breakout year to become the regional powerhouse looks. This chance is probable to not come again for a looong time if it s squandered this time. Very, very frustrating.

All of a sudden not so sure anymore that NT really needs a rivalry

OK the saint louis game is the last shot at this being any kind of a special regular season. If we don't win that game (and right now there are not a lot of indications of tht happening) it will be another season of: if you win the conference tourney you go to the NCAAs, otherwhise not. If you get there you are a 14th seed at best but in any case, even if we make it, we end up with very little to zero chance of advancing a round. This is frustrating and an underachievement for this kind of talent level, and honnestly the coach should shoulder a big part of the blame for this.

Well remember the reaction on our board after that one? No imagine the reaction the fans of the allmighty UT will have. I think I may just head over to a go reading a board of theirs, just for a bit of Schadenfreude. And yes, because it makes loosing to UAH more bearable if someone does us one over on the worst loss with a good team column

Finally seeing us punching one of those in makes me think: I can't shake the feeling that we'd be bowl eligible if we were only average in red zone offense. What do we have to do that this will be better next seasonling

WKU wins 25- 21. We lost but there is every reason to be proud of this team. WKU is very very good, and NT is young and will be very good next season. Yes it is tough finding a new setter, but if it is the only position you need ti replace then all signs are positive