Weis fired. Orgeron rumored. Ole Miss takes on Alabama. Texas A&M wins in OT. Roger Goodell seeks out Charlie Strong. Here are five takeaways from the weekend in college football.
Charlie Weis Ousted
Charlie Weis was the first coaching casualty of the young season. A 6-22 record and only one conference win earned Weis the boot in his third season at Kansas.
Defensive coordinator Clint Bowen will serve as interim coach until Kansas identifies a new coach. Interestingly, Ed Orgeron’s name is being tossed around as a potential replacement. Coach O took over at Ole Miss after now Duke coach David Cutcliffe “resigned” his post. Orgeron coached three miserable seasons at Ole Miss before resurfacing at USC where he rallied the troops as interim coach after Lane Kiffin’s firing. USC players openly lobbied for Orgeron to get the head job and reportedly cried when he didn’t. The famed recruiter and high-octane coach would be an interesting hire at Kansas.
Coaches Slated to Follow Weis
The battle for the Little Brown Jug was a blowout win for Minnesota, dropping Brady Hoke’s Michigan Wolverines 30-14. “Fire Brady” was the chorus from the student section at the Big House in Ann Arbor. Coach Hoke would later claim that he didn’t hear the chant. Michigan is 2-3. Shoutout to head Gopher Jerry Kill, who led his team to victory one year after he was unable to coach last season’s game against Michigan due to his ongoing battle with epilepsy.
Florida’s Will Muschamp is 2-1 this season after going to three overtimes at home against lowly Kentucky and losing to Alabama. His overall record at Florida is 24-17. AD Jeremy Foley gave the “we won’t fire our coach mid-season” talk earlier this month, which itself indicates that Muschamp’s days are numbered. The Gators will go to Knoxville this weekend to face the Vols who are hungry after consecutive losses to Oklahoma and Georgia.
Ole Miss
The Rebels’ victory over the Memphis Tigers sets the stage for a battle of top-15 teams with Ole Miss hosting Alabama this weekend. ESPN’s College GameDay travels to Oxford for the matchup.
Ole Miss’ stout defense, which held Memphis to three points, won’t be an issue when the Tide rolls into town. It will be the decision-making by quarterback Bo Wallace that will make or break the Rebels. Wallace threw two picks and lost a fumble against Memphis; he has six interceptions this season. Alabama comes off of a bye week and will be a six-point favorite in a sold-out Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
Aggies
Arkansas went toe-to-toe with Texas A&M and Heisman hopeful QB Kenny Hill but didn’t have the juice to pull out the win. Arkansas’ dominating ground game and distinct advantage in time of possession wasn’t enough to slow down A&M’s air raid. Hill racked up 386 passing yards en route to an OT win.
The Aggies coming matchup against Mississippi State will be a similar game, as the Bulldogs are 15th overall in rushing and a better passing team than Arkansas. They also ride a wave of pride after upsetting LSU last week. The undefeated Aggies will face six ranked opponents in the final seven games.
Charlie Strong, NFL Weak
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and league executive Troy Vincent met with Texas coach Charlie Strong on Sunday to discuss Strong’s “Core Values” system, which includes honesty, treating women with respect, no drugs, no stealing, and no weapons. Since accepting the Texas coaching job, Strong has shown himself to be a man of principle, releasing nine players for violating the core values.
In the wake of the NFL’s handling of the Ray Rice/Greg Hardy/Adrian Peterson/Ray McDonald episodes, it is clear that the league lacks core values and any coherent system to deal with those who are accused, and punish those who are convicted, of domestic violence and abuse. Hopefully, the NFL will develop a standards that fairly disciplines those who commit crimes while also allowing the accused to avail themselves of due process.
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