Apple Cups there was plenty of emotion on both sides and the team that won converted the most big play. For Willingham it is a serious springboard to recruiting this year. Finishing with a win and a total of five for the season shows that he can at least say without smiling he has things pointed in the right direction.
(Reports this week will be on a come and go basis since the weather down here is less than ideal and it tends to knock the electricity and internet out every couple of hours.)
Willingham has some serious work to do with Willingham over the off season. He blew it losing to Stanford, and it is tough to forgive him for that even with a win over WSU. 5-7 is still a disgrace even though it is better than 2-9. Coach Ty should have won a couple more, and if he was more prepared on the field and a better leader off of it he had a good shot. the program made some progress this year, but not enough to convince most fans that Willingham is the right guy, including yours truly. No reason to go 5-7 and miss a bowl when you start off at 4-1. Last weeks off field miscue's show that he needs some help, and he needs to take it over he won't be here very long. I like Ty, I really do, but football is about winning and putting fans in the seats, and until he does exactly that he is on the hot seat. If he had gone to a bowl he would have gotten an extension, now all he gets is a shorter leash.
Ohio State and Michigan may have been one of the best games in the last fifty years of college football. #1 and #2 from the same conference squaring off for the right to play in the NAtional Championship game. I was rooting for Michigan, and of course the spirit of Schembechler, but even though it was a close on Ohio State was the best team yesterday.
Everyone says that Jeff Tedford is a genius, but I am reserving judgement till he gets to a Rose or BCS bowl game. Cal had their chances but Pete Carroll certainly has his program firing on all cylinders again in Novemeber. Look for the Trojans to win out and face Ohio State for all the marbles. Cal on the other hand blew it's chance fpr the consolation of a BCS game by choking against Arizona last weekend.
Talking about Arizona, how do they walk into Autzen and blow out the Duck's? A team left for dead earlier in the season is on a roll under Stoops. It really is about time because he has brought some talent into the program over the past few years. For Oregon it is a bitter pill to swallow with the Beavers coming up next. Despite the Plasma's and the gameboys it isn't a happy camp in the Oregon locker room. Oregon State didn't have much problem with Stanford, but you can tell the Tree is improving every week which is the mark of a good coach. Walt Harris will make them resprctable again. UCLA pounded Arizona State which should knock the Devil's out of a potential bowl. Nice win for the Bruins.
Rutgers was vanquished by Cincinnatti. The Bearcats are a program on the rise that have played every opponent tough this year. So Cinderella slips off her pedestal and out of the BCS.
In the ACC Virginia Tech knocked Wake Forest for a loop, and BC blew up Maryland as that conference continues to feast on it's own.
Durocher
Johnny Durocher's career as a Husky QB is apparently over after the discovery of a benign brain tumor before the WSU game last week. Johnny will have surgery after Thanksgiving and is expected to be able to play baseball this Spring for the Dawg's. Everyone say a prayer for Johnny!
Pac Ten Power Ratings
1. USC.....Two more to go and back to the championship game (BCS)
2. California.....Tedford loses another big one....hello San Diego (Holiday)
3. Oregon St....These guys were dead, now they are thinking bowl. (Sun)
4. Oregon....The Civil War actually means something this year (Las Vegas)
5. Arizona....A win against next week equals the programs first bowl in some time. (Emerald)
6. Arizona St....6-6 might not get you a bowl, UA is a must win.
6. UCLA....A win over USC would for give a lot of sins. (Hawaii)
6. WSU....6-6 means the Cougars are most likely not traveling to Hawaii
9. UW....A win over WSU was nice, but an uninspired loss to Stanford is unforgiveable.
10. Stanford...One win isn't enough to exit the cellar
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3 comments:
In year 3, both JO and DJ went to the Rose Bowl, so this is TW's benchmark year. However in fairness to TW, JO had the benefit of one year of Darrel Royal's recruiting and DJ still had some players from JO's final years. TW had a greater rebuilding and restocking project, so unless his WL record next year is 2-10 or lower, I am willing to wait til year 4 or 2008 when Locker will have an added year of experience, as well as Hasty and the recruits will be 90% his. That said, he needs to look very carefully at his staff, and at himself on decision making. He needs to chart out his game day decisions now rather than wait for a hastily emotion filled game day decision. Johnb, you once said Tormey wants another chance, if he leaves maybe Simmons can coach LBs (as he did at Colorado) since he seems to be a fine recruiter. But Simmons is not a TE or ST coach. The last coaches whose lack of expertise clearly showed up game day were John Pettas and Bobby Hauck. I also wonder why we were more succesful against WSU once the OC and DC decided to finally throw in the kitchen sink since the bowl game was now gone. For the players, my homework assignment to them for the next 9 months is the Olympic credo: Maximus, Altius, Fortius.
Taking a break from football thoughts, except for my fantasy team, but definitely want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. Thanks for the thoughts guys!
DJ, and JO were both in a better position than Ty was, still both had a lot to do when it came to changing the existing culture they found when they arrived. Sounds familiar doesn't it?
DJ actually had a decent shot at Rose Bowls his first two years. Like thios team they had some tough losses, and fans were questioning him pretty good mid way through his 3rd year at the helm.
I don't think the administration is even thinking about change, and at this point they would be crazy if they were, it was always going to be a five year project to get it back to where it needs to be.
On Coach Simmons I think the main problem is depth, and talent. Special teams really show the warts of lack of depth. DJ used to line up his talented redshirts and that is where those guys made their marks before starting. You will see improvement as depth increases.
What to expect for next year? Despite a tough schedule I think the team will be better and win more games. Locker is going to be a serious upgrade at QB, plus you are going to see a lot of true frosh and redshirts play next year. It will be a different animal with a different attitude.
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