In Rocky 4, Apollo Creed trainer screamed for Rocky to throw in the towel. The towel was not thrown into the ring and FSU was not saved from the KO. 2-10 and the FSU season ended in a knockout. It is OVER. Been covering FSU in every aspect since 2002-2003. I remember when FSU would lose 1 game during a season back during the Bowden years and we were outraged. Heck, I still can't get over Mark Richt and his play calling in the UF/FSU game where Doug Johnson and Noah Brindise rotated every play. I believe that was 1997. I remember living in California and waking up at 8 in the morning to watch the 12pm showdown games against Miami to hearing we will get them next year. Those were the days. This is one season to forget.
What Next? FSU has a REBUILD. Last night I argued on the podcast with Pat and Mark about how long can it take? It took one season. Yes, one season to go from 13-0 to 2-10. College football is different now. As fans and reporters we need to look at it differently. FSU was the first....they won’t be the last team that goes from winning a lot to losing a lot.
ACC
FSU 13-1 to 2-10
Pitt 3-9 to 7-5
Big 12
Arizona State -3-9 to 10-2
Colorado 4-8 to 9-3
Washington State 5-7 to 8-4
Arizona 10-3 to 4-8
Washington 14-1 to to 6-6
Big 10
Maryland 8-5 to 4-8
Michigan 15-0 to 7-5
Illinois 5-7 to 9-3
Indiana - 3-9 to 11-1
Big 12
BYU 5-7 to 10-2
Baylor 3-9 to 8-4
Oklahoma State 10-4 to 3-9
It is a new era of college football. Like pro sports you can be in the Super Bowl one year and out of the playoffs the next. I keep saying it fans are going to have to start adjusting their expectations. Those that use absolutes on how FSU season next year need to calm down. If Indiana can go from 3-9 to 11-1, FSU can go from 2-10 to 7-5/8-4 and a bowl game the following year.
OC -From my understanding there were two choices; Marion and Malzahn. Mike wanted an answer as his goal was to name an OC this week. Marion used FSU as leverage to possibly get a HC gig or get more from Mike being the OC that he moved on to his only other option Malzahn. Gus was safe until a couple of weeks ago at UCF. For those that did not watch the Utah vs. UCF game the other night the Knights quit. They were blown out and Gus knew he was going to get fired.
Why Gus? - His resume is no doubt impressive - That is if FSU were hiring him ten years ago. I can bring up Jimbo's resume and it is also quite impressive. We have no idea what this version of Malzahn is going to bring to the table. I personally rather had Mike just take back the OC title and hired some young assistants on the recruiting trail. The pupil in Columbus (Day) hired the teacher (Chip Kelly) and along with 20 million in payroll just lost their second game. FSU is not as fortunate as they don't have those resources. I do think if Gus brings Herb Hand with him to FSU then this could turn out to be a good decision turning the program around from 2-10 to a winning record. The question is what is the ceiling for this partnership?
Why not Gus? There are two major red flags; 1) Under Gus his passing attacks are not impressive. UCF was in the 70's or 80's this year. FSU is a school that no matter what has always had the ability to pass the football. 2) Developing QB'S - This is a big one as high school quarterbacks really don't want to play in this offense. We saw Luke last night and he needs to be developed. Does GUS also take the QB title? I don't think Torkaz can continue to do the job. Do you bring in a Kevin Johns. If that happens it would be a big deal.
Other Coaching Changes - Tony White is a name that was brought up for the DC. He has been a good DC and a good recruiter. Most of his coaching has been out west and his scheme is not one that is compatible with the personal FSU has.
UCF - Sorry little bro but we are about to raid the class....
QB-Jacurri Brown - Played QB at Miami and played at UCF this past spring - If Luke is going to stick and be the guy does Gus bring him over to at least be used as FSU running QB?
TE-Randy Pittman - Ironically this kid was once committed to FSU-32 receptions for 416 yards and 2 touchdowns.
DE-Nyjalik Kelly - Third time is a charm - he was committed to FSU, went to UM, then UCF - 5.5 SACKS
DE-Malachi Lawrence- 5.0 sacks
DT-Lee Hunter -9.5 TFL
DB Antoine Jackson -1 Interception
UCF Commits
Taevion Swint -RB
Jayvyn Boggs-WR
Malakhi Boone-LB
Waden Charles-WR
Santonyo Issac-WR
FSU can raid UCF.....This is part of college football. It is how Indiana got better in a hurry. 13 players from James Madison started for IU this year or contributed.
The rest of college football!!!!
Ryan Day - 20 million -You can have all the money in the world but it does not guarantee you anything. Ohio State is a Big 10 school and they may as well be in the old Pac 12. Michigan continues to beat Ryan Day teams because they are just tougher. They are able to run the ball and play great defense and they wait for Ohio State to make mistakes. Once again Michigan won...and Day is probably going to lose his job. You can't go 0-4 for against your main rival. The only thing that can save Day is winning it all.
Where I was wrong - Brent Key - I met him while at UCF under O’Leary. Never would I have thought he would be a head coach, let alone a good one. His Georgia Tech teams are tough and well coached. He is the perfect fit for a program that is fine winning 7-8 and possibly 9 games.
Dan Lanning - I said it before and will say it again, he is going to end up the best coach in college football. His teams are quite impressive. This version of Oregon may finally win it all.
Notre Dame - The dark horse - This is one team that you don't want to face in the playoffs. After losing to NIU they have not missed a beat. They have the QB, their offensive line is good, they can run the ball and the defense is one of the better ones in the country. Their type of team travels.
Mike Gundy - May be time for a change...He has won a lot of games at Okie State but not winning a Big 12 game this year was ugly. I have always been a fan of Gundy as Oklahoma State is one of the toughest jobs in the country. Their one big booster passed away and there is no talent in the state of Oklahoma. They have to go to Texas where Okie State is lucky to be 7th-8th in the pecking order behind -Texas, Texas A&M, OU, SMU, TCU....You get the point.
Billy Napier - UF did not want to spend the money to buyout Napier and he is very lucky to have Lagway. Once again watching UF last night that is not a good football team. They play hard but at UF moral victories don't keep your job. UF is going to have a brutal schedule again next year and if he does not make the SEC title game, Napier will most likely be gone.
Curt Cignetti and Rhett Lashlee are the top two names heading into the 2025 season that will be mentioned with a ton of jobs next off-season. UCF became only the second P4 job to open. Schools just don't want to pay the buyouts. I doubt you see these big deals or buyouts much longer. My guess is most colleges AD's decide to give some sort of signing bonus and up-front money but put in less of a buyout. Teams are not firing coaches with 40-50-60 million dollar buyouts.
That leads me to Texas A&M- They fired Jimbo because they did not like 8-4- Elko just went 8-4 and it cost them 75 million to get rid of Jimbo.
Playoffs
1-Oregon or Penn State
2-Texas or Georgia
3-SMU or Clemson
4-Boise State or UNLV
5-Notre Dame
12-Arizona State or Iowa State
6- Tennessee
11-Miami or Clemson
7- Penn State
10-Indiana
8-Ohio State
9-Georgia
SEC Championship Game - Georgia vs. Texas
Big 12 -ASU vs. Iowa State
Big 10 - Oregon vs. Penn State
ACC- Clemson vs. SMU
Clemson wins - Miami is out and SMU is an At Large
SMU wins -SMU is a top four seed and Miami is an At Large
Georgia wins or loses and they are in
Texas wins or loses and they are in
Penn State wins or loses and they are in
Winner of Big 12 Championship is in the loser is out.
What Next? FSU has a REBUILD. Last night I argued on the podcast with Pat and Mark about how long can it take? It took one season. Yes, one season to go from 13-0 to 2-10. College football is different now. As fans and reporters we need to look at it differently. FSU was the first....they won’t be the last team that goes from winning a lot to losing a lot.
ACC
FSU 13-1 to 2-10
Pitt 3-9 to 7-5
Big 12
Arizona State -3-9 to 10-2
Colorado 4-8 to 9-3
Washington State 5-7 to 8-4
Arizona 10-3 to 4-8
Washington 14-1 to to 6-6
Big 10
Maryland 8-5 to 4-8
Michigan 15-0 to 7-5
Illinois 5-7 to 9-3
Indiana - 3-9 to 11-1
Big 12
BYU 5-7 to 10-2
Baylor 3-9 to 8-4
Oklahoma State 10-4 to 3-9
It is a new era of college football. Like pro sports you can be in the Super Bowl one year and out of the playoffs the next. I keep saying it fans are going to have to start adjusting their expectations. Those that use absolutes on how FSU season next year need to calm down. If Indiana can go from 3-9 to 11-1, FSU can go from 2-10 to 7-5/8-4 and a bowl game the following year.
OC -From my understanding there were two choices; Marion and Malzahn. Mike wanted an answer as his goal was to name an OC this week. Marion used FSU as leverage to possibly get a HC gig or get more from Mike being the OC that he moved on to his only other option Malzahn. Gus was safe until a couple of weeks ago at UCF. For those that did not watch the Utah vs. UCF game the other night the Knights quit. They were blown out and Gus knew he was going to get fired.
Why Gus? - His resume is no doubt impressive - That is if FSU were hiring him ten years ago. I can bring up Jimbo's resume and it is also quite impressive. We have no idea what this version of Malzahn is going to bring to the table. I personally rather had Mike just take back the OC title and hired some young assistants on the recruiting trail. The pupil in Columbus (Day) hired the teacher (Chip Kelly) and along with 20 million in payroll just lost their second game. FSU is not as fortunate as they don't have those resources. I do think if Gus brings Herb Hand with him to FSU then this could turn out to be a good decision turning the program around from 2-10 to a winning record. The question is what is the ceiling for this partnership?
Why not Gus? There are two major red flags; 1) Under Gus his passing attacks are not impressive. UCF was in the 70's or 80's this year. FSU is a school that no matter what has always had the ability to pass the football. 2) Developing QB'S - This is a big one as high school quarterbacks really don't want to play in this offense. We saw Luke last night and he needs to be developed. Does GUS also take the QB title? I don't think Torkaz can continue to do the job. Do you bring in a Kevin Johns. If that happens it would be a big deal.
Other Coaching Changes - Tony White is a name that was brought up for the DC. He has been a good DC and a good recruiter. Most of his coaching has been out west and his scheme is not one that is compatible with the personal FSU has.
UCF - Sorry little bro but we are about to raid the class....
QB-Jacurri Brown - Played QB at Miami and played at UCF this past spring - If Luke is going to stick and be the guy does Gus bring him over to at least be used as FSU running QB?
TE-Randy Pittman - Ironically this kid was once committed to FSU-32 receptions for 416 yards and 2 touchdowns.
DE-Nyjalik Kelly - Third time is a charm - he was committed to FSU, went to UM, then UCF - 5.5 SACKS
DE-Malachi Lawrence- 5.0 sacks
DT-Lee Hunter -9.5 TFL
DB Antoine Jackson -1 Interception
UCF Commits
Taevion Swint -RB
Jayvyn Boggs-WR
Malakhi Boone-LB
Waden Charles-WR
Santonyo Issac-WR
FSU can raid UCF.....This is part of college football. It is how Indiana got better in a hurry. 13 players from James Madison started for IU this year or contributed.
The rest of college football!!!!
Ryan Day - 20 million -You can have all the money in the world but it does not guarantee you anything. Ohio State is a Big 10 school and they may as well be in the old Pac 12. Michigan continues to beat Ryan Day teams because they are just tougher. They are able to run the ball and play great defense and they wait for Ohio State to make mistakes. Once again Michigan won...and Day is probably going to lose his job. You can't go 0-4 for against your main rival. The only thing that can save Day is winning it all.
Where I was wrong - Brent Key - I met him while at UCF under O’Leary. Never would I have thought he would be a head coach, let alone a good one. His Georgia Tech teams are tough and well coached. He is the perfect fit for a program that is fine winning 7-8 and possibly 9 games.
Dan Lanning - I said it before and will say it again, he is going to end up the best coach in college football. His teams are quite impressive. This version of Oregon may finally win it all.
Notre Dame - The dark horse - This is one team that you don't want to face in the playoffs. After losing to NIU they have not missed a beat. They have the QB, their offensive line is good, they can run the ball and the defense is one of the better ones in the country. Their type of team travels.
Mike Gundy - May be time for a change...He has won a lot of games at Okie State but not winning a Big 12 game this year was ugly. I have always been a fan of Gundy as Oklahoma State is one of the toughest jobs in the country. Their one big booster passed away and there is no talent in the state of Oklahoma. They have to go to Texas where Okie State is lucky to be 7th-8th in the pecking order behind -Texas, Texas A&M, OU, SMU, TCU....You get the point.
Billy Napier - UF did not want to spend the money to buyout Napier and he is very lucky to have Lagway. Once again watching UF last night that is not a good football team. They play hard but at UF moral victories don't keep your job. UF is going to have a brutal schedule again next year and if he does not make the SEC title game, Napier will most likely be gone.
Curt Cignetti and Rhett Lashlee are the top two names heading into the 2025 season that will be mentioned with a ton of jobs next off-season. UCF became only the second P4 job to open. Schools just don't want to pay the buyouts. I doubt you see these big deals or buyouts much longer. My guess is most colleges AD's decide to give some sort of signing bonus and up-front money but put in less of a buyout. Teams are not firing coaches with 40-50-60 million dollar buyouts.
That leads me to Texas A&M- They fired Jimbo because they did not like 8-4- Elko just went 8-4 and it cost them 75 million to get rid of Jimbo.
Playoffs
1-Oregon or Penn State
2-Texas or Georgia
3-SMU or Clemson
4-Boise State or UNLV
5-Notre Dame
12-Arizona State or Iowa State
6- Tennessee
11-Miami or Clemson
7- Penn State
10-Indiana
8-Ohio State
9-Georgia
SEC Championship Game - Georgia vs. Texas
Big 12 -ASU vs. Iowa State
Big 10 - Oregon vs. Penn State
ACC- Clemson vs. SMU
Clemson wins - Miami is out and SMU is an At Large
SMU wins -SMU is a top four seed and Miami is an At Large
Georgia wins or loses and they are in
Texas wins or loses and they are in
Penn State wins or loses and they are in
Winner of Big 12 Championship is in the loser is out.
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