2025 NCAA Football Thread

[Mr.TaterSalad]

Is former Utah coach Kyle Wittingham a realistic option in your mind? I like him a lot, but left him off of my list because I assumed at 66 years old he was done with coaching and truly retired when he left Utah. 

[MichiganCardinal]

1 minute ago, Mr.TaterSalad said:

Is former Utah coach Kyle Wittingham a realistic option in your mind? I like him a lot, but left him off of my list because I assumed at 66 years old he was done with coaching and truly retired when he left Utah. 

I think he took a gig in the Utah athletic department or administration.

[buddha]

37 minutes ago, Mr.TaterSalad said:

Is former Utah coach Kyle Wittingham a realistic option in your mind? I like him a lot, but left him off of my list because I assumed at 66 years old he was done with coaching and truly retired when he left Utah. 

no.

[buddha]

49 minutes ago, MichiganCardinal said:

They never should have done what they did with the conferences. These aren’t even conferences in the traditional sense of the word. They’re just scheduling agreements. 

Back in my day *shakes fist at cloud* conferences were like-minded schools who shared academic and athletic values. Now they’re just about maximizing television revenues 9 days per year.

They could have just left conferences as they were but removed all scheduling barriers in football. Let everyone be as special as Notre Dame thinks they are. We’d get to the same endpoint of schools making lots of money, a 12+ team playoff, and someone (probably Notre Dame) being upset.

oregon, washington, usc, and ucla are all like minded academic schools with the rest of the big ten.  so are maryland and rutgers.

the two schools that arent are possibly usc and northwestern because they are private schools.  but all of the schools are flagship institutions in their states academically and mostly large state schools.

the real question is - of course - geography.

but times change.  its not 1965 anymore.  once you made it all about money for the schools and then for the players, it became a whole different world.  in that world, large conferences make sense.

[MichiganCardinal]

2 minutes ago, buddha said:

oregon, washington, usc, and ucla are all like minded academic schools with the rest of the big ten.  so are maryland and rutgers.

the two schools that arent are possibly usc and northwestern because they are private schools.  but all of the schools are flagship institutions in their states academically and mostly large state schools.

the real question is - of course - geography.

but times change.  its not 1965 anymore.  once you made it all about money for the schools and then for the players, it became a whole different world.  in that world, large conferences make sense.

I agree. To their credit, it’s not like the Big Ten has added a school that is well outside their academic mold. But I guess how much does that matter?

I think the historical component plays a large role in my mind too. As recently as 20 years ago, the Michigan-Ohio State and Michigan-Michigan State rivalries were almost ironic within departments where faculty had attended or done fellowships at both schools, or were invested in a research project that had components at both schools. That’s not the case between Michigan and UCLA, or Penn State and Oregon. Could it be the case in 20, 30, 50 years? Maybe. But I think conferences are now just synonymous with sports, and particularly football, in a way that probably isn’t good for the original role these conferences played.

[buddha]

8 minutes ago, MichiganCardinal said:

I agree. To their credit, it’s not like the Big Ten has added a school that is well outside their academic mold. But I guess how much does that matter?

I think the historical component plays a large role in my mind too. As recently as 20 years ago, the Michigan-Ohio State and Michigan-Michigan State rivalries were almost ironic within departments where faculty had attended or done fellowships at both schools, or were invested in a research project that had components at both schools. That’s not the case between Michigan and UCLA, or Penn State and Oregon. Could it be the case in 20, 30, 50 years? Maybe. But I think conferences are now just synonymous with sports, and particularly football, in a way that probably isn’t good for the original role these conferences played.

the big ten should be excited about adding ucla, usc, and washington to the conference.  those are some of the best academic schools in the country.

oregon?  well....nebraska says hi.

[Screwball]

Maybe they should learn to count. 🙂

[gehringer_2]

what you are talking about is the AAU - not amatuer athletics but the American Association of Universities. Traditionally, the B10 and P10 were AAU schools that played major college football. AAU member schools was a main dividing line between the P10 and B10 and the other D1 football conferences. The screw up was that Nebraska, which had long been in the AAU though not in the B10 or P10, got bounced from the AAU in 2011 *after* they had been invited to the B10, leaving some folks with egg on their faces. AFAIK Nebraska still hasn't gotten back in but supposedly is working on it.

Edited Thursday at 04:07 AM by gehringer_2

[Deleterious]

It's basketball, but still interesting.

 

[Tigeraholic1]

The playoffs have ruined bowl games outside of playoffs. Nobody watches and star players sit out. 

[gehringer_2]

6 minutes ago, Tigeraholic1 said:

The playoffs have ruined bowl games outside of playoffs. Nobody watches and star players sit out. 

It's counterintuitive, but the arguments and lack of resolution in the old system may have produced frustration but it also drove interest.  By comparison, the playoff is rigorous but boring except at the very end. The problem in the old system was that there still it had gotten to where there were too many bowl games no-one wanted to see, which is still true people want to see them even less.

[buddha]

the tv ratings for bowl games are still pretty high.  especially games with popular teams.  people are interested in football and will watch when its on.  

ironically, die hard sports fans may lose interest, but casual fans looking for something on tv will tune in.

as more and more people stop watching tv, we'll see what happens.  but the one thing people DO watch is sports.  especially football.

[Motor City Sonics]

5 hours ago, buddha said:

the tv ratings for bowl games are still pretty high.  especially games with popular teams.  people are interested in football and will watch when its on.  

ironically, die hard sports fans may lose interest, but casual fans looking for something on tv will tune in.

as more and more people stop watching tv, we'll see what happens.  but the one thing people DO watch is sports.  especially football.

Bunch of degenerate gamblers getting their fix. 

[Deleterious]

Indiana spending that Mellencamp money. 

 

[buddha]

12 minutes ago, Deleterious said:

Indiana spending that Mellencamp money. 

 

i was told indiana didnt spend money...

[casimir]

17 minutes ago, buddha said:

i was told indiana didnt spend money...

That Bobby Knight inheritance annuity is phat.

[Motor City Sonics]

Hey Michigan, Brian Smith is available.   I'm sure he learned a valuable lesson and would never do it again !

[Motor City Sonics]

Most of us believe it's going to be Kalen DeBoer, but I think if he turns it down,  it's going to end up being Biff for a year.    Probably a better choice than committing five years and a ton of money for a second-choice.   Re-set for next year.         Maybe Elko is in the mix.   I can't believe Elko is only 48.   He's weathered. 

But let's say DeBoer turns down Michigan to stay will Alabama.    Every year you lose more than 2 games people will be screaming for his head and there will always be uncertainty.   There will always be pressure to live up to Saban, which is pretty much impossible, especially with guys jumping into the portal constantly.    I think he'd be more stable at Michigan.  But then again, he'd be getting hired by a school currently without a President and an AD that might be (and should be) fired.   

The timing on all this is just brtual.  

Another part of this is that Michigan has to have a coach with a squeaky clean past.     They can't hire anyone who is the least bit risky.   Problem with that is EVERYONE has something in their past that can be exploited for negative press. 

[Mr.TaterSalad]

Let's say we don't get one of the top tier of coaches. No Cignetti, DeBoer, Dillingham, Fisch, or Minter. Who is next on your list after the A Tier coaches?

A name I put on my list that has flown under the radar, but intrigues me, is Broncos Defensive Assistant/Passing Game Coordinator and former Wisconsin Badgers DC Jim Leonhard. Currently he coaches on the staff for the top ranked defense in the NFL. He has experience coaching and recruiting in the Big Ten. He seems to be a good fit culturally and wasn't apart of any scandals at either Wisconsin or Illinois. I'm not saying he's a top choice of mine, he isn't. I might not actually hire him either if I feel I can get a better name. But I actually don't think I would be mad or that underwhelmed if Leonard was at least given an interview.

[MichiganCardinal]

37 minutes ago, Mr.TaterSalad said:

Let's say we don't get one of the top tier of coaches. No Cignetti, DeBoer, Dillingham, Fisch, or Minter. Who is next on your list after the A Tier coaches?

A name I put on my list that has flown under the radar, but intrigues me, is Broncos Defensive Assistant/Passing Game Coordinator and former Wisconsin Badgers DC Jim Leonhard. Currently he coaches on the staff for the top ranked defense in the NFL. He has experience coaching and recruiting in the Big Ten. He seems to be a good fit culturally and wasn't apart of any scandals at either Wisconsin or Illinois. I'm not saying he's a top choice of mine, he isn't. I might not actually hire him either if I feel I can get a better name. But I actually don't think I would be mad or that underwhelmed if Leonard was at least given an interview.

I'd probably prefer to keep Poggi as interim for a year and resign ourselves to going 8-4 in 2026 than make the wrong hire and go 8-4 in 2026, 2027, and 2028, before paying a substantial buyout.

I'm not speaking specifically to Leonhard, haven't put any thought to him at all. Just to say they need to avoid doing what Ole Miss just did in panic hiring Pete Golding.

[buddha]

42 minutes ago, Mr.TaterSalad said:

Let's say we don't get one of the top tier of coaches. No Cignetti, DeBoer, Dillingham, Fisch, or Minter. Who is next on your list after the A Tier coaches?

A name I put on my list that has flown under the radar, but intrigues me, is Broncos Defensive Assistant/Passing Game Coordinator and former Wisconsin Badgers DC Jim Leonhard. Currently he coaches on the staff for the top ranked defense in the NFL. He has experience coaching and recruiting in the Big Ten. He seems to be a good fit culturally and wasn't apart of any scandals at either Wisconsin or Illinois. I'm not saying he's a top choice of mine, he isn't. I might not actually hire him either if I feel I can get a better name. But I actually don't think I would be mad or that underwhelmed if Leonard was at least given an interview.

jeff brohm

[buddha]

On 12/17/2025 at 8:07 PM, Mr.TaterSalad said:

Is former Utah coach Kyle Wittingham a realistic option in your mind? I like him a lot, but left him off of my list because I assumed at 66 years old he was done with coaching and truly retired when he left Utah. 

at first i thought he left utah because he wanted to quit, but now it does appear he might have left for philosophical reasons.  i didnt think he would be a good option if he quit (think lloyd at the end, or monty williams) because begging guys to stay once theyre done is never good, but he does seem open to coaching again.  as in, he WANTS to coach, just somewhere other than for a private equity firm.

if true, i would put him on the list toward the bottom.  in order:

deboer

dillingham

brohm

wittingham

i think they will stay away from anything with ties to the previous regime, and that includes minter and fisch.

[MichiganCardinal]

Based on Grasso's statement yesterday, I would be surprised if they don't have David Shaw and Lance Leipold on their list, even if they're not on ours.

"Our University is built on achieving excellence - excellence in academics, research, patient care, service, and athletics. In that pursuit, we are guided by a relentless commitment to integrity and the public good.

As we conduct our search for our next football coach, we intend to hire an individual who can and will instill that spirit, and who will represent the highest values that our University holds dear. We will hire an individual who is of the highest moral character, and who will serve as a role model and respected leader for the entire football program - and who will, with dignity and integrity, be a fierce competitor."

[gehringer_2]

5 minutes ago, MichiganCardinal said:

Based on Grasso's statement yesterday, I would be surprised if they don't have David Shaw and Lance Leipold on their list, even if they're not on ours.

"Our University is built on achieving excellence - excellence in academics, research, patient care, service, and athletics. In that pursuit, we are guided by a relentless commitment to integrity and the public good.

As we conduct our search for our next football coach, we intend to hire an individual who can and will instill that spirit, and who will represent the highest values that our University holds dear. We will hire an individual who is of the highest moral character, and who will serve as a role model and respected leader for the entire football program - and who will, with dignity and integrity, be a fierce competitor."

LOL - "highest moral character/role model" left the building a long time ago in major college sports. What they'll actually settle for is: 'will keep us out of the tabloids for at least a year or two before anything catches up.'

[MichiganCardinal]

5 minutes ago, gehringer_2 said:

LOL - "highest moral character/role model" left the building a long time ago in major college sports. What they'll actually settle for is: 'will keep us out of the tabloids for at least a year or two before anything catches up.'

Probably. It's all a spectrum and it's not like Grasso is going to have to pay the pied piper if the next guy brings about Scandal #347. He'll either be long gone, or have quietly taken his teaching role back. In either event, he won't be making the apology statement.

If they can get DeBour or Dillingham, they'll call either of the highest moral standards. But they're not going to seek out Brian Kelly. And if plans A, B, C, D, and E all fall through, I wouldn't be shocked to see them look towards the old guard of morality gatekeepers in the college football world before looking to guys who have won at all costs.