For months, if not years, college football fans saw two things marching down the nearest downtown street. Yesterday, that parade of failing head-coaching regimes finally ended.
Notre Dame dismissed Charlie Weis after his team finished 6-6. Weis's fate was probably sealed the moment the Irish lost at home to Connecticut, but even a 9-3 mark might not have saved him. In any event, Notre Dame is now tripping over itself as it looks for a new coach.
Only hours after Weis's dismissal, Florida State allowed Bobby Bowden to retire gracefully. Like the Irish, the Seminoles finished the regular season at 6-6. Unlike Notre Dame, FSU had anticipated the 80-year-old Bowden's departure for so long that it had time to plan for his replacement. As a result, Jimbo Fisher will be able to take the reigns once Bowden coaches his last game, probably late this month.
Which team will recover faster? Sports columnists think it's Florida State, because the weather is warmer and the girls are prettier. (In another hour, I could probably grab audio of Colin Cowherd saying almost exactly that.) By that logic, Boise State, Penn State and Ohio State should all struggle to 5-7, while Texas A&M and UCLA march towards the BCS championship. Give me a break.
Notre Dame's fans have already proven themselves to be cool and patient customers, especially in their handling of Weis's troubles. Yes, they've complained, loudly, but they haven't actively interfered with the program. That Dan Snyder-esque activity happened at Texas in the 1980s, Alabama a decade ago, and Michigan last year -- all with disastrous results. If it hasn't happened at Notre Dame by now, it may never happen. The Fighting Irish may not return to prominence with their next coach, but they will return while most of us are still alive.
Florida State? Dunno. Whatever happens to the Seminoles on the gridiron, we will all find out more about their fan base than anyone wanted to know.
Over on the fantasy side, Team Venture was good and lucky this week, but mostly good. Brett Favre, the Viking defense, Nate Kaeding and my three running backs -- starters Justin Forsett and LeSean McCoy, and reserve Chester Taylor -- all posted double-digit scores. With those kinds of numbers, it didn't matter which three of my seven receivers I started. I could have sat all of them out, along with my tight end, and still won by at least 20 points. The lineup I actually used won by 77 -- and it could have been 90.
At 6-6, I am currently the projected 7 seed, but it's going to be a scramble to make the playoffs. If I win, I'm in, but my opponent will have Maurice Jones-Drew, Reggie Wayne, Anquan Boldin, Carson Palmer and Cedric Benson (the last two play Detroit). Here's hoping Matt Leinart starts for Arizona again.
1 comment:
How many teams in your league?
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