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I'd take Stoops over Meyer in a heartbeat. I also think Stoops has more reason to leave his current position. Meyer has made it clear that he wants to stay at Florida at least until his kids are out of school. I'm not sure he ever leaves the state to recruit whereas the head coach at ND flies all over the country (including now to Hawaii). He's got a perfect situation in Florida, no reason to leave. If ND is really his "dream job" he may get it at some point down the road. But Stoops has been getting pressure and doesn't have the same easy set-up as Meyer. I'm not sure he'd take it, but it's a much better gig than it was 5 years ago. I'll be surprised if ND doesn't have someone in place before the team returns from Stanford, whether it's public or not. Just out of curiosity, why do you prefer Stoops to Meyer? Personality. Meyer seems like an ass to me. He was quick to throw players under the bus in the past in a way that I thought seemed childish. I'm sure he's a great coach, but he seems like a snake oil salesman. I like Stoops' reputation as a great defensive coach. I like his coaching tree dating back to Hayden Fry (I'm an Iowa boy). 8 years with at least 11 wins or something like that. A long period at a big time program where he's won continuously without a big scandal. Plus, I think he'd get ND and what makes it a difficult place to coach. I think he'd like the challenge and be able to handle it. While I love that Weis has been able to bring in Clausen and Crist, especially back-to-back, Stoops has won a title with Heupel as a QB and won Jason White a Heisman trophy, neither of whom are NFL quality QBs. I'd like to see what he can do with an NFL quality QB (referring to Crist, Clausen's as good as gone). And, in the very near term, I think he'd bring 3 recruits that ND has lost or will lose when Weis is fired.

You are dreaming. It's the same job as it was when Lou Holtz left. It's a terrible job with high expectations and very little chance of success. Any coach who's at a state flagship institution like OU knows they have it better than whomever is coaching ND. The only thing that can attract Stoops or Meyer would be lots and lots of money and stroking their already massive self importance. I'm dreaming? Stoops allegedly has interest and I said I've love to have him as the coach at ND. It's not like I'm having t-shirts printed up or something. The job may be the same as it was when Holtz left, but I didn't say anything about that. Only that it's a much better job than it was in '04 when Ty left with 2 holes in the '03/'04 recruiting classes.

they had momentum, I don't deny that. But I'm not sure how much of it was based on the ability of their QB to move the ball effectively down the field. I guess I don't trust him b/c it's pretty easy for a long pass to turn into a sack/fumble or a pick. An INT at that point doesn't have to be a pick-6. Any INT other than on a bomb is going to give OSU the ability to gain just 0-25 yards and kick the winning FG. And I have more trust with my QB in OT b/c I'm at the 25, have a solid kicker from inside 40 yards and I have a good defense. You can run the ball effectively in OT. With 50 seconds to go, OSU can come after the QB pretty hard. I just don't trust him to make good decisions/throws in that situation. Obviously, one of the things you can't have in OT is a 10-yard sack to take you out of FG range. Eh, I don't trust a freshman QB in that situation that much either, but I don't think the chances of OSU getting a turnover + getting in FG range are greater than the chances of Iowa getting in FG range. It's not a terrible decision to run out the clock, but I probably would have gone for it. With an inexperienced QB, I like the chances of getting a TD or FG from the 25 much more than I like the chances of trying to get 40+ yards in 50 seconds when the other side knows you're going to be throwing it on every down.

he is pretty damn fat. Rodriguez is a dick. what's your point?

I'd take Stoops over Meyer in a heartbeat. I also think Stoops has more reason to leave his current position. Meyer has made it clear that he wants to stay at Florida at least until his kids are out of school. I'm not sure he ever leaves the state to recruit whereas the head coach at ND flies all over the country (including now to Hawaii). He's got a perfect situation in Florida, no reason to leave. If ND is really his "dream job" he may get it at some point down the road. But Stoops has been getting pressure and doesn't have the same easy set-up as Meyer. I'm not sure he'd take it, but it's a much better gig than it was 5 years ago. I'll be surprised if ND doesn't have someone in place before the team returns from Stanford, whether it's public or not.

I saw that Harbaugh is getting an extension at Stanford. I remember him being eliminated early in the coach search at Michigan. Was that because UM wanted a bigger name or did Harbaugh take himself out early? Harbaugh has burned every bridge possible with Michigan. I don't think he'd ever have a chance to coach at U of M. Rich Rod is still the guy, and I'm still excited for the future. The attrition that Michigan has gone through because of the switch in systems (and Lloyd Carr's lack of recruiting his last few years) is the biggest problem for Michigan right now. They only have 72 players on scholarship when you're allowed to have 85. They're playing 2, sometimes 3, walk-ons on defense. 70% of the team is either fresh/soph. 11 of the starters are either fresh/soph, including a freshman QB. It's young and lacking depth. They'll be fine in a few years. Scout's recruiting ranking for UM '03-'08: 8, 5, 2, 9, 10, 6. And that's with 20-23 guys each year. Unlike some schools in the South, this rankings aren't based on having 32-33 guys, knowing that 5-7 aren't going to make it. Carr left Dick Rod with some quality players, including the #2 overall QB in the '07 class. The players just didn't fit the spread offense. Defense is by far the biggest problem for U of M right now. If you look between 2005 and 2009, Michigan recruited 48 people on the defensive side of the ball. Only 28 still remain on the roster. That's almost a 50% attrition rate. Michigan has only 28 scholarship players on defense! That's insane. In contrast, Ohio State has 46 scholarship athletes on defense. Penn State has 40. Notre Dame has 36. Michigan has 0 fifth-year seniors, and only 50% of the 2006 class left, meaning the defense is loaded with unexperienced players, which is why they're forced to start 2 walk-on players. That #2 QB (Mallett) was planning on transferring no matter if Carr was staying or not because he was not getting along with his teammates. He was forced to start some of his freshman year by the way because there were no experience QB's between Henne and him. There was one scholarship QB on the roster last season in Threet (who has since transferred away) with 2 walk-ons behind him. You now have Forcier and Denard Robinson as the only scholarship QB's on the roster this season, both of whom are freshman. Still, the offense is leading the Big Ten in scoring, so the offense looks solid. Seriously with the Dick Rod? So attrition and the fact that they didn't land a good QB in the '08 recruiting class. I don't disagree.

Dick Rod is so bothersome? Where's all the angst for "Charlie is fat...lol"

they had momentum, I don't deny that. But I'm not sure how much of it was based on the ability of their QB to move the ball effectively down the field. I guess I don't trust him b/c it's pretty easy for a long pass to turn into a sack/fumble or a pick. An INT at that point doesn't have to be a pick-6. Any INT other than on a bomb is going to give OSU the ability to gain just 0-25 yards and kick the winning FG. And I have more trust with my QB in OT b/c I'm at the 25, have a solid kicker from inside 40 yards and I have a good defense. You can run the ball effectively in OT. With 50 seconds to go, OSU can come after the QB pretty hard. I just don't trust him to make good decisions/throws in that situation. Obviously, one of the things you can't have in OT is a 10-yard sack to take you out of FG range.

I'd love, love, love to have Stoops. Easily my #1 choice.

They were moving the ball at will at that point and didn't have far to go. And your last sentence is exactly why I said it was cowardice. It was a cover your ass strategy instead of a try to win the freaking game strategy. He had plenty of time, and by forcing his QB to try and win it in OT (after the coach displayed a huge vote of no confidence in him late in the game) was just plain old stupid. at will? They had 2 drives in the 4th quarter. One ended in a TD, one ended in a pick. They had a KO return for a TD and ran out the clock at the very end. On that last possession, they had to go 40-45 yards to get into 50/50 territory. Murray is 5/10 on FGs over 40 yards this year. So 40-45 yards in 50 seconds to have a 50/50 shot at the winning FG v. chance your QB in his first start throws his 2nd pick in the 4th quarter or fumbles the ball, giving the opponent great field position to kick the winning FG. If you thought Iowa was moving the ball at will, why wouldn't you want OT? That's right, in OT they lost 15+ yards in 3 plays to knock themselves out of field position. They were not moving the ball at will. They were having mixed success, which is the best you can hope for with your backup QB. As for your comment about my last sentence as evidence of cowardice - that's ridiculous. Ferentz wasn't thinking about the fan reaction when he decided to run the clock out. He was thinking he had a better chance of winning the game in OT than risking a TO that would lose the game for him. It was conservative, but that's his nature and I think it's the right call in that situation.

I saw that Harbaugh is getting an extension at Stanford. I remember him being eliminated early in the coach search at Michigan. Was that because UM wanted a bigger name or did Harbaugh take himself out early? Harbaugh has burned every bridge possible with Michigan. I don't think he'd ever have a chance to coach at U of M. Rich Rod is still the guy, and I'm still excited for the future. The attrition that Michigan has gone through because of the switch in systems (and Lloyd Carr's lack of recruiting his last few years) is the biggest problem for Michigan right now. They only have 72 players on scholarship when you're allowed to have 85. They're playing 2, sometimes 3, walk-ons on defense. 70% of the team is either fresh/soph. 11 of the starters are either fresh/soph, including a freshman QB. It's young and lacking depth. They'll be fine in a few years. Scout's recruiting ranking for UM '03-'08: 8, 5, 2, 9, 10, 6. And that's with 20-23 guys each year. Unlike some schools in the South, this rankings aren't based on having 32-33 guys, knowing that 5-7 aren't going to make it. Carr left Dick Rod with some quality players, including the #2 overall QB in the '07 class. The players just didn't fit the spread offense.

seriously? I hate to defend the SEC, but at least those 2 teams each had 1 legit OOC opponent. Heck, Bama started the year with Va Tech, a perennial top-25 contender. Florida ends the year with FSU, which isn't a great team, but is at least a real program. Penn State's toughest OOC opponent this year was Temple and I'm guessing when that was scheduled, they expected Temple to be closer to the 130's Saragin rankings that Eastern Illinois and Akron are than the 60 they turned out to be. And that's ignoring the number of mediocre to plain bad teams that are in the Big Ten right now. And the SEC teams know they have to go through the SEC championship, which tubes the title hopes of the loser, in all likelihood. This year with so many teams likely to finish the year unbeaten, don't you think Urban and Saban are both secreting cursing the fact that there is an SEC title game? If you're going to have a 1-2 matchup, wouldn't you rather have it be for the title rather than just the SEC title?

Iowa lucked out against MSU. That offense isn't built to score in less than a minute, especially with the back-up QB playing in the first start of his young career at Ohio State. The risk of a fumble or INT by Vandy was too high. Can you imagine the crap Ferentz would be taking if Vandy through a pick-6 right there?

please beat UCONN so we don't finish the year with 4 straight losses.

I think most ND fans wouldn't be shocked to hear ND haters think ND has received favorable officiating in every game ever played, including ones in which ND is not involved.

$14 million for the Big East if Pitt makes a BCS bowl. Don't embarrass yourself like this. chop block call didn't seem questionable. but really bad officiating (not just against nd, but in many games) + clear incentive for the conferences (that pay the officials) doesn't make you raise an eyebrow?

That was a horse [expletive] roughing call though. In an unrelated story, Pitt has a chance at an at-large BCS bid and more money for the Big East. how much tin foil did you use to make your hat? oh come on. everyone bitches in this thread about calls. there were pitchforks out for the Iowa/Indiana game and there was maybe one Hoosier fan even here.

maybe. he took the guy's leg out. There's no reason to be in that situation.

never mind cripes. I'm a huge fan of Weis and I'll always be thankful for what he did for ND. But he has to be fired. How do you let a guy rush the punter all out in that situation?

keep throwing easy passes to the TEs

eventually the hits taken by a QB, esp in a spread, are going to catch up with a freshman. Not even superman (Tebow) could play every down as a freshman.

injury or did Force get benched?

Weis saying there's a reason McCarthy, the unquestioned leader of the defense, is a captain and Williams is not is the least of my worries when it comes to ND recruiting.

BS. Kid yapped off when he had no reason too. Of course Weis knew they didn't make in-game adjustments quickly enough, but the defense is controlled by Brown and Tenuta. If he admitted that they'd been out-schemed, he'd be tacitly approving of Williams' [expletive] comment and throwing his defensive coaches under the bus. Weis should have addressed that comment privately with Williams instead of trashing him to the press, though. BTW, Williams was right. Navy's coach's saying that they basically attacked ND the exact same way they did last year was pretty damning of Tenuta, whose defenses have been awful. The only good defense ND has had since Weis got here was Corwin Brown's in 2007, so naturally he demoted him after one season. And it's not even that he said they attacked them the same way, but that they attacked ND's prior year game plan. In other words, "we don't think they'll adjust at all and will try to do the exact same thing they did last year." And, for the 2nd time in 3 years, it worked. When you're a kid who knows that the talent around you is much better than the talent across the line from you, I can imagine the frustration you must feel. and if you can't stop yourself from venting that frustration to the press, you're not going to last long at nd (and lots of places, I imagine). besides the defense gave up 21 points, so they didn't exactly lose the game alone. And there were numerous missed assignments where players were in position and just ignored their assignment to attack the football. That will kill you against navy. ND was too slow to fix the scheme, but they were still in a position to win. Williams was completely out of line for his comment. I have no problem with Weis calling him out for that. I'm certain they had a 1-1 to discuss it and Williams hopefully learned from it.

BS. Kid yapped off when he had no reason too. Of course Weis knew they didn't make in-game adjustments quickly enough, but the defense is controlled by Brown and Tenuta. If he admitted that they'd been out-schemed, he'd be tacitly approving of Williams' dumbass comment and throwing his defensive coaches under the bus.