College Football Odyssey

The Odyssey is disgusted with NIU running back Tre Harbison.

After consecutive 1,000 yard seasons, Harbison announced last Tuesday that he was entering the transfer portal, immediately before Northern Illinois’ finale with Western Michigan that night.   Harbison clearly  abandoned his teammates.  Harbison’s absence could have impacted the MAC West winner.   Harbison was so important to his team that he had 31 carries in his previous Huskie game.

It just does not seem right.  The MAC is a developmental league.  Want to find 4-star and 5-star recruits in the MAC?  Search really hard and then give up.  If Harbison’s act was a selfish outlier, we would not be up in arms.  Instead, his future transfer was merely the latest move in a disturbing trend.  Two of Ball State’s offensive anchors said goodbye to Muncie after 2018.  James Gilbert has toted the ball for K-State and Riley O’Neal has been the sometimes-starting QB for Vanderbilt.

Mike Danna was a rare beacon on light for 2018’s Central Michigan team.   Danna was an all-MAC defensive lineman for a miserable 1-11 Chippewa squad.  He was honored with the Herb Deromedi Most Valuable Player trophy.  That honor did not buy any loyalty.  Danna transferred to Michigan at year’s end.   Maybe it was fitting that CMU went on to win the MAC West in Danna’s absence while Danna had to endure a season-ending pummeling from Ohio State.

Three of Bowling Green’s most recent starting QBs have all said adios to the Falcons for other venues.  James Morgan started this year at FIU.  Jarrett Doege played at West Virginia.  This week, Grant Loy, this year’s starter, just announced his entry into the transfer portal.

The MAC has slipped relative to other conferences in recent years.  If the MAC cannot effectively use redshirting, the development of players will be retarded.  With the recent exodus, one cannot blame MAC coaches for not wishing to use redshirts — which is a shame because redshirting is one way in which recruiting differences can be partially offset.

Meanwhile, the rich can get richer as they can pluck off some talented grad transfers.  If the NCAA had a Bernie Sanders running the show, he might bleat about the excess of riches held by the 1%.

College football does have a looming issue with the widening gap between the “haves” and “have nots,”  particularly if football players can get paid. In an unintended manner, the transfer portal appears to be a wicked accomplice.

To say that South Alabama is having a disastrous season would not be hyperbole – nine-game losing streaks are pretty depressing.  However, their home finale against Arkansas State on Friday will be quite noteworthy.  Not because of a game between two Sun Belt West also-rans but because of a hallowed venue:  Ladd-Peebles Stadium.

The 71-year-old facility has run its course and will be hosting its final regular season college football game.  What a glorious history!  Like many senior citizens, its final years have not been as noteworthy as its earlier times.

With one grand exception, Ladd-Peebles’ recent fame has been due to the hosting of the Senior Bowl as scouts flock to Mobile to scout prospective draft picks.  The Odyssey was fortunate enough to be in attendance in 2014 when Mississippi State visited to play USA.  This was not just any Bulldog team.  Dan Mullen’s charges would eventually become the nation’s top-ranked squad.  USA would play in front of its only home sellout ever as the rare presence of a nearby SEC team made for an electric atmosphere.

Ladd-Peebles’ glory days were primarily in its early decades.  Can you imagine Alabama traveling 195 miles to play at Ladd-Peebles with its capacity of less than 40,000?  In the old days, used to happen frequently.  From 1948-1968, Bama visited Mobile in all but two years.  Their most frequent opponents were regional rivals Tulane (back when Tulane was an SEC member), LSU and Southern Miss.  Bear Bryant’s very first game as Alabama’s head coach was in none other than Mobile in 1958 against an LSU team with the likes of Billy Cannon and Johnny Robinson (Bear fell 13-3).

Auburn traveled even further (222 miles) to play at Ladd Stadium each year from 1948-55.  To illustrate how much scheduling has changed, 7 of Auburn’s 10 games in 1948 were at neutral sites! This was back in the day when the South’s Oldest Rivalry, Auburn vs. Georgia, would often be played near the state line in Columbus, Georgia.

Southern Miss consistently made the 94-mile trip across the state line, playing at Ladd Stadium 17 times from 1950-74, including a stretch when the Golden Eagles were 1-AA.  Southern Miss played Alabama in Mobile from 1966-68.  Imagine how geeked up the crowd was during the Crimson Tide’s nail-biting, 17-14 win in 1968!

Many fabulous times in a great city  claiming that Mardi Gras originated in Mobile NOT New Orleans.  The football gods will be smiling Friday as sunshine and an unseaonable high of 74 degrees await.  The Odyssey will be very reflective come Friday evening.

Saturday night, the Miami Hurricanes visited the venue of their long  lost glory.  Marlins Park is on the same hallowed ground that housed 5 national championship Hurricane teams as well as many epic January 1 clashes, the Orange Bowl.

Their opponent:  Johnny-come-lately to the FBS ranks, Florida International.  Florida International was not only zero-for-forever against the U, the Panthers had NEVER beaten a Power 5 squad.

Just like FIU claimed a first by upsetting Miami, the Hurricanes also claimed a first:  the first team to lose three games in the same year as favorites of at least two touchdowns (14 points versus Virginia Tech, 18 points versus Georgia Tech and 21 points versus FIU).

In one way, the FIU game started out as a replay of the Virginia Tech game.  Jarren Williams was spewing interceptions at will to put the Hurricanes in a big deficit.  One difference:  Williams was yanked in the first half of the Va Tech game. In last night’s game, he rode the rapids with Williams and we are talking Class V!!

Let’s analyze Diaz’ coaching acumen further.  Thanks to a Week 0 tilt against Florida, Miami had 3 byes.  One might think that the added prep time for their 3 post-bye clashes would be helpful.  Nope! Not only did the U lose all 3, check out the cumulative first quarter scoring:  48-3 for the post-bye opponents.  If the Temple athletic department is dancing in the streets this morning, we would certainly understand.  Diaz was their coach for less than a month before bolting for his “dream job” in Coral Gables.  While coaches often spew hyperbolic spam about their dream jobs, such enthusiasm really did apply in Diaz’ case.  After all, how many would not want to coach in the city where their father had been Mayor?  Imagine Diaz at a sub-dream job in cold Philly instead of his solid successor, Rod Carey.  So, one has to feel sorry for Diaz when he said after the game that the game was one of the “dark, dark days” in program history.  But he should look in the mirror, as his handling of the quarterback situation with Williams, N’Kosi Perry and Tate Martell is so baffling. Only Kevin Sumlin’s QB machinations in Tucson with Khalil Tate have seemed at least as head scratching.

FIU was outgained by 116 yards and generously donated 144 yards worth of penalties yet somehow still prevailed.  One FIU player chortled, “We are the team of Miami.  They are from Coral Gables.”

Have the ghosts of the aged Orange Bowl been vengeful since being abandoned by the U for Hard Rock stadium?  How many quality coaches and quality quarterbacks has the U had since the Hurricanes left for a venue even farther away from Coral Gables?

Many thought former Miami QB, Mark Richt, was the answer after his 2015 hire and the program looked to have solidly rebounded as recently as 2 years ago.  The 2017 Hurricanes started off 9-0 after a joyous 41-8 drubbing of Notre Dame at Hard Rock.  All downhill since.  And not slalom downhill!!   After a 2nd consecutive bowl loss to Wisconsin last year at the Pinstripe Bowl, Richt cashed in his chips and said goodbye.  Or perhaps he was pushed out, given how surprising and abrupt his departure.

Last night, Marlins Park did feature one quality coach with strong ties to the U:  FIU coach Butch Davis.  Davis again showed he could win both at the U and against the U (Davis was 3-1 against Miami while coaching at North Carolina).  The Odyssey is truly happy for Butch!

How many more pratfalls are the Hurricanes going to take before getting back to their glory days?  One almost has to try to be mediocre in talent-rich Miami.  Maybe the Orange Bowl ghosts are not crying.  They might be sporting knowing smiles, thinking, “I told you so.”

ESPNU regular schedules “classic” college football games during its “off hours” during the football season.  Many of its classic telecasts foreshadow coming weekend games.  Thus, it was no shock that the 2010 Michigan-Indiana game was telecast in Thursday’s early hours.  It was also no shock that Michigan would beat IU 42-35 on a late Denard Robinson scamper, the capper to the jitterbug’s 216-yard rushing day. What would have been shocking would have been a Hoosier triumph that day in 2010.  Or any day for that matter.

Indiana has not beaten Michigan since 1987.  The telecast of the 2010 game trumpeted how Michigan had come from behind to beat IU the year before, 2009, 36-33.  The 2009 game was quite singular in that the Wolverine triumph was Michigan’s only conference triumph in its Big 10 campaign.  Rich Rodriguez had major difficulty in his 3-year disaster in Ann Arbor but even he could not manage to lose to IU.  Indiana had even more bad luck in RichRod’s first year in 2008.  Their long-time tormentor was not on their schedule!  That 2008 Wolverine squad went an unthinkable 3-9, even losing to a MAC team (an uncharacteristically poor Toledo squad) for the only time in its storied history.

In the ensuing decade,  the beat has gone on for the Hoosiers but not without many more incredibly painful defeats  Last year, the Wolverines may have been looking ahead to Ohio State when they found themselves facing a 17-15 deficit at halftime against the Hoosiers.  After a scare, UM prevailed 31-20.

In the past 2 games in Bloomington, Michigan did not prevail in either tilt in regulation, winning both thrillers in overtime, 27-20 and 48-41.  So close and yet so, so far away for the Hoosiers.  The resurgent Wolverines would be foolish not to expect another very tough game in Bloomington tomorrow against a quality Indiana team that gave Penn State all it could handle in Happy Valley last Saturday.

In 67 games against Michigan, IU has only prevailed 9 times and has succumbed in each of the past 23.   In 1987, Bloomington was rocking after a 14-10 upset of a Bo Schembechler squad.  In Schembechler’s legendary 21-year stint in Ann Arbor, that would be his only loss to IU.  Even then, IU had another incredible near miss at the Big House 40 years ago during the Schembechler era.  The eternal underdogs had courageously fought back from a 21-7 4th quarter deficit to knot the game at 21.  With 6 seconds to go, Michigan had the ball at the Indiana 45 during pre-overtime days.  Wolverine QB John Wangler threw a strike at the IU 20 to the legendary Anthony Carter.  Carter evaded a pair of Hoosiers to score and set off one of the most electric celebrations in Big House history.

Few, if any, rivalries have been more cruel.  If an upset is pulled off by Indiana tomorrow, one would expect no town to party more hardy than in Bloomington.  And how could they possibly be blamed?

If you happen not to live in the “Mitten State”, it is way too easy to underestimate the intensity of the Michigan- Michigan State rivalry.  Why?  Because the national narrative is that Ohio State and “that team up north” is THE rivalry in the Big 10.  Probably so, but the MSU-Michigan game should be ranked no worse than “1B.”

Ever since Notre Dame disappeared from Michigan State’s schedule, the hated Maize and Blue have been their Super Bowl game.  Ever before that disappearance, mediocre Spartan teams would often rise way above their weight class in bedeviling the Wolverines.  Three of the most painful defeats ever inflicted upon the Maize and Blue have come from Sparty in the past 30 years (The muffed punt snap on the game’s final play in 2015, the non-call on Desmond Howard in the end zone as he was being mauled on the 1990 game’s pivotal 2-point conversion and the “Spartan Bob” timekeeper game in East Lansing will eternally haunt Michigan fans).

SO, while no national narrative existed on a surprisingly pleasant Saturday in Ann Arbor, the stakes, as always, were high.  Mark Dantonio, likely considered the best MSU coach ever, was in the midst of a multi-season swoon which saw him make the one-hour trip to Ann Arbor sporting a mediocre 24-23 record in  his last 47.

Jim Harbaugh had not beaten Sparty in Ann Arbor in two previous attempts.  When MSU got off to a 7-0 lead, one could understand the unease among the 111,ooo fans.  Fool’s gold as it turned out.  Behind the most passing yards ever thrown by a Michigan quarterback against MSU (384), Toledo native Shea Patterson led the Blue to a resounding 44-10 thrashing.  One of the year’s greatest mysteries is the disappearance of the supposedly vaunted Spartan D.  For the sixth straight game, opponents scored at least 28 points against Sparty, an all-time program first.

For Michigan’s Ronnie Bell, being at the end of so many Patterson passes was particularly sweet given his pivotal dropped pass in the end zone that thwarted a Michigan comeback in Happy Valley.  At the half, Bell had as much reception yardage as the entire MSU offense.  How good are Michigan’s receivers?  In August, the diminutive Bell would have been, at best, considered #4 in the Wolverines’ stacked cupboard of pass catchers.

The rivalry’s intensity played out as the game got away from MSU.  The second half was marred with personal fouls and an ejection of an MSU defensive lineman who wanted to finally hit Patterson — so be it, if the hit was truly late.

For Dantonio, the bus trip back to East Lansing had to be absolutely miserable.  Dantonio hates Michigan.  Utterly hates Michigan!  That Michigan’s last TD come with less than 2 minutes to go on a 40-yard pass play was likely a “back atcha” for a tack-it-on- late-TD Dantonio inflicted on Brady Hoke during the days when the Spartans had a “no-fly-defensive backfield.”  Dantonio still has an 8-5 record against the hated Blue but is he capable of an encore in the “December of his Years?”  Stubborn but very loyal, Dantonio refused to make significant staff changes after a horrific 2018 offense nullifed one of the country’s best defenses.  If he stays on, massive staff changes on the offensive side of the ball are mandatory.  If he stays on, can he restart his recuriting mojo?

The early Dantonio would NEVER have lost two 2019 games that he did to Arizona State and Illinois.  For those of you watching last night’s Oklahoma-Baylor game, that Baylor would cough up a 28-3 lead against the Sooners might have reminded you of yet another MSU pratfall seven days earlier.  The Spartans looked absolutely dominant in running up a 28-3 lead against Illinois only to give up 4 fourth-quarter TD’s in one of the year’s most shocking losses.  At home.

So many questions in East Lansing.  Absolutely no easy answers.

Western Kentucky was paid $1+ million to be fodder for Arkansas on Saturday.  One of the most interesting back stories was that the QB that Arkansas jettisoned after 2018, Ty Storey, was the starting QB for WKU.  Storey started 9 games for the 2018 Razorbacks but was not deemed to be good enough for Razorback coach Chad Morris.  He hustled in two grad transfers, Ben Hicks and Nick Starkel, to shore up the QB position in Fayetteville.

Storey saw the writing on the wall and also became a grad transfer.  Bowling Green, there he went.  However, he could not beat out Steven Duncan for the starting job.  Very humbling times for one of the most heralded recruits coming out of Northwest Arkansas this decade.  Storey had been offered by schools the ilk of Alabama and Auburn.  Storey had led Charleston High School to consecutive state championships.

Exiled from his home state, Storey had to be humbled to be a backup QB for a Conference USA squad.  Duncan got hurt and, thankfully, for the Hilltoppers, the experienced Storey came off the bench.  Imagine his feelings as he took the field in Fayetteville on Saturday.  How did he do?  In 5 first half possessions, he led WKU to 5 TDs!!  35-7 blowout at halftime.  Western coasted to a 45-19 laugher that sealed Chad Morris’ fate in Fayetteville.  Storey’s stats:  22/32/319 plus 77 rushing yards.  Storey’s 70% completion rate in 2019 is one of the best in the country.  Sweet, sweet redemption!

A headline in Fayetteville yesterday: “Hill Floppers.” Arkansas is now paying $10 million for Morris to go away.  This is on top of Bret Bielema’s $12 buyout two years ago.   What is the ratio of Morris’ buyout divided by his number of SEC wins the past two years?  ANSWER:  Infinity.

In addition to becoming rich, perhaps Morris can take consolation from a previous in-season firing of a Hog coach, Jack Crowe.  Crowe was summarily canned after Arkansas lost its 1992 opener, 10-3 to Citadel.  Crowe went on to a distinguished coaching career at Jacksonville State, highlighted by an upset win at Ole Miss.

Utah State has a pivotal game at Fresno State on Saturday.  If you saw the horrid performances by Utah State the past two Saturdays, you might wonder how it could possibly be pivotal? Of the Aggies’ 4 losses, only 1 has been in the Mountain West.  Win in Fresno and Utah State’s ensuing games against Boise State and Wyoming would loom large.

However, the stench of the previous two Saturdays is not easily removed.  Two Saturdays ago, the Aggies’ offense mustered 128 yards while being gashed for 448 rushing yards by Air Force.  Last Saturday, in front of a geeked-up home crowd, the Aggies’ 2nd-half collapse against rival BYU was just as humbling and even more painful.  Playing against a 3rd string QB and a beaten up offensive line, Utah State was only down 21-14 at halftime.  Final score: BYU 42, Utah State 14.

After 2 straight disasters, do the Aggies have enough fortitude to win against a Fresno State team that will be sky high after winning in Honolulu with a walk off field goal?  Has Gary  Andersen lost his team?  The Utah State offense is one of the most disappointing units in the country.  After a promising opener, a 38-35 heartbreak against Wake Forest, touted QB Jordan Love and his offense have been far, far below expectations.  New Offensive Coordinator, Mike Sanford (a flop as Western Kentucky head coach), is clearly on the hot seat. Heck, Love is not even the best QB named Love in the Mountain West — that would be Josh Love at San Jose State.  Jordan Love did show signs of life last week as he threw for 394 yards but such seemingly impressive stat was nullified by his 4 turnovers.

How much fight does Utah State have left after collapsing against its biggest rival?  Hopefully, a lot more than their head coach, Gary Andersen!  Andersen inexplicably walked off, mid-season, in 2017 as Oregon State’s head coach.  Not Andersen’s first inexplicable decision as who else would leave Wisconsin for Oregon State?

Coaches always preach that their charges never give up during hard times.  From Andersen, that sentiment will ring hollow.

The Odyssey believes the Florida State administration may have  just set a new record,

Willie Taggart was foolishly given a 6-year, $30 million contract after the 2017 season.  His dismissal earlier this week means that he will be due a buyout of $18 million.  As staggering as that amount is, it gets worse.  FSU paid a $3 million buyout to Oregon and also absorbed over a $1 million to pay off the remainder of a South Florida buyout, Taggart’s previous 2 stops.

Thus, the Seminoles paid over $22 million that did not relate to Taggart’s game day coaching.  If you prorate his contract, about $11 million relates to pay for his actual coaching.  So, for every $1 of shoddy coaching that Seminole fans had to endure, $2 went to non-gameday coaching.

While Charlie Weis received significant termination pay from both Notre Dame and Kansas ($24+ million), this 2/1 buyout ratio has to approach an all-time nadir, because Weis employed his “schematic advantages” for 5 years in South Bend and 2+ years at Kansas.

Enjoy all the greenbacks, Willie!

Two weeks ago, the Odyssey made an astute observation:  The North Carolina State football team should not leave Raleigh under any circumstances after 3 disastrous road wipeouts.

Our sage advice was not followed.  After yesterday, let’s make that 4.  The Wolfpack were again roadkill at Winston-Salem to the tune of 44-10.  A few teams are consistently horrible on the road but not with  North Carolina State’s pedigree.  The Pack is coming off consecutive 9-4 seasons and numerous winning campaigns.

If NC State can win  two of its three remaining home games, a bowl game would be salvaged.  Did we mention that its next home game is against Clemson on Saturday?  Hmm….

Auburn-Alabama.

Army-Navy

Michigan-Ohio State

Oklahoma-Texas.

All fantastic rivalry games! There is a Johnny-come-lately rivalry game that has often been epic in recent decades.  Significant enough that the days leading up to the game are called “Hate Week.”

On Thursday night, the 35th edition of the Appalachian State – Georgia Southern game will take place in windy Boone, North Carolina.  App leads the heated rivalry  19-14-1.

Appalachian State’s loss to Southern last year was very painful.  Immediately upon being ranked for the first time in its brief FBS era, App was smoked 34-14 at Georgia Southern.  The Mountaineers’ excellent QB, Zac Thomas, was knocked out of the game on App’s opening drive.  Fourteen consecutive wins later, the Mountaineers cannot wait until Georgia Southern pays a visit on Halloween.

Georgia Southern has not won in Boone since 2007.   That the Eagles could win in 2007 is particularly noteworthy for many reasons.  App was coming off two FCS National Titles and was sporting a 30-game home winning streak.  App would win an unprecedented 3rd consecutive title in 2007, despite its loss to Southern.  More noteworthy to the general public was that this Mountaineer team ventured north to Ann Arbor for its 2007 opener and shocked 5th-ranked Michigan behind Armanti Edwards, a fleet of speedy wide receivers and a game-winning field goal block.

The Mountaineers got ample revenge the following year.  App beat Southern, 37-36, thanks to Edwards’ successful goal line “leap” on 4th and 1 in the game’s final two minutes.  App was not done wreaking revenge for its 2007 home loss.  On Southern’s next visit to Boone, App’s 52-16 trouncing was not fully reflective of its dominance.  Total yardage in the game:  App 712 yards while only giving up 171!

More often, App has upset the Georgia Southern applecart.  No less than 4 times, the Mountaineers upset Southern when the Eagles were the #1-ranked  FCS team.  My favorite upset was the 1987 game in frigid Boone, labeled as the Ice Bowl.  App won 19-0, the first time Erk Russell was shut out in his illustrious Georgia Southern tenure.  There was a snow-crusted hill at one end of Kidd Brewer stadium.  Toward the end of the game, the cheeky student section carved out the following message in the snow to its visitors: “Can You Score?”

In 2003, Georgia Southern traveled to Boone, winner of the previous six Southern Conference titles.  App upset #1 Georgia Southern, 28-21.  Euphoric fans tore down the goal posts that  would be paraded outside the stadium.  One of the posts smashed a window on a Southern team bus.  An accident or deliberate?  Perhaps we will never know.  Infuriated by such insult, Southern wreaked massive revenge the following year, annihilating App 54-7 in its most decisive victory over its Southern Conference archrival.

So, if you tune in on Thursday night, remember that you are not watching a random Sun Belt game.  It is one of the most memorable rivalries in recent college football history.  Given how often revenge has been a theme in this series, expect the Mountaineers to triumph.