[NU Sports] the Zook watch

[SjT (Stephen J. Truog)]

Building off of Mike's analysis ...

WISCONSIN - I agree that Barry loves the Smug Smirk, but I don't get the impression from friends in Wisconsin that the feeling is quite as strong. For starters, he lost a Rose Bowl ... to TCU ... Barry never did that. And then this year's been a big disappointment after high expectations and such unimaginable breakdowns on defense late in their only two tough road games. He's safe for now, but not gold plated.

NORTHWESTERN - Fitz is coach for as long as he wants to be in Evanston.

MSU - They did luck out with Dantonio, but Spartan fans are always fickle and they missed a chance to move up while Michigan was down in the Big Ten hierarchy ... now that Big Blue is on the way back and they couldn't get the B(C)S bid or big win, they're back to being #2 in their own state.

NEBRASKA - Not sure about them yet, so I'll defer to Mike.

MINNESOTA / INDIANA - New coaches and they need time to be evaluated.

MICHIGAN - Hoke is a perfect hire (though I would have loved to see what Les Miles would have done in Ann Arbor) and a Michigan Man. They're still suffering from RichRod's smallish recruits, but they'll be back to Michigan football in no time, and with the impending changeovers at PSU/OSU, they're poised to be the flagship of the league once again in a few years. They went through their experiment with something different (ala UNL and Callahan) and are now back to the old Maize & Blue.

PURDUE - Hope is OK for now, but Purdue may get restless soon with the sloppy starts. Still, the Boilers are a pretty good model for coaching transitions on the gridiron and hardwood.

IOWA - Ferentz is the dean of league coaches, but also on the hotseat if next year isn't a lot better than this one.

ILLINOIS - Zooker's gone if they lose six straight and don't show up for the bowl game. Stick a fork in him.

And then the big two ... A lot obviously depends on what happens in the next few months, but these are still two of the elite programs in college football and there will be candidates. Neither has fallen to the Notre Dame "once great" level yet.

OHIO STATE - Football recruiting hotbed, rabid fans, talented roster, rich tradition ... the only question is what the sanctions are. If it's a USC-style crackdown, then the job might sink and you can only get a guy like Lane Kiffin, but if they're minor penalties, then OSU can look for, and demand, a big name. And that means bye bye to Mr. Finkel.

PENN STATE - I think a lot depends on who the A.D. is, but I think this job is actually a more desirable one than OSU. Same recruiting hotbed, large fanbase, rich tradition, etc. But you won't have NCAA sanctions to deal with and the pressure's off on the replacing-a-legend doom that was hanging over this job for the last decade or so. No longer will you be in JoePa's shadow - PSU wants a fresh start and the fans will be ready for one as well. Get a new coach, staff, AD, etc. in there with all the tools for success and you can win right away, where OSU might be on probation. The scandal may cause some big-name candidates to shy away more than OSU, and while whoever gets the job will be building over, they're going to start building at a higher level than most other jobs.

GO CATS!!!
-SjT
 

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STEPHEN J. TRUOG
sjtruog at yahoo.com
GO CATS!!! GEAUX SAINTS!!!
Super Bowl XLIV Champions!