Updated. Added North Texas. Apparently Canales really wants the job and has quite a bit of support on campus. Also: Denver Post reports that Colorado officials are interested in Georgia head coach Mark Richt. Other reports indicate that Richt isn't interested. Sources report that Mike Bellotti has indeed talked with Colorado officials. Louisiana-Lafayette is expected to make a coaching change at the end of the season. They want Ed Orgeron (who is back to being an assistant at USC), but sources say Orgeron isn't interested.
I'd like to see one of the fired big meanies in at Colorado or Minnesota. Referring to Jim Leavitt, Mark Mangino and Mike Leach. All of those guys got raw deals at their previous schools and would probably love a chance to prove everyone wrong.
I'm not as hot on Mangino or Leach, but I would kill to have Leavitt at Minnesota. The job he did taking USF from zero to sixty in about 2.3 secs was pretty amazing. I think you'd have some danged good college football to watch in the TC if he were in charge. (Yes this is for selfish reasons... I can't very well make it to EVERY OU game. )
I know on paper Minny-haha sounds bad - infertile recruiting ground, competitive Big Ten foes, absent of any solid tradition of winning... but they have something that a lot of programs haven't had lately and many never have ever again: A new football stadium. Some places (most places) just add onto existing stadiums. Minnesota actually built a brand new stadium on campus. You want a place to build a program from the ground up, what better way than to go to a place that just got a new stadium?
There's no reason Minnesota can't be as competitive as Wisconsin or Iowa in the Big Ten: Huge new on campus facilities, not just stadium. Weight room, meeting rooms, you name it. The administration is clearly committed. Huge, huge alumni base from a school with strong academics. Means lots of money. A large and iconic city that is an easy sell to recruits (Much more so than Madison, Iowa City, or even hell Norman or Tuscaloosa). Some retarded Gophers fans believe the Vikings are what keep Minnesota from being successful, they are stupid. Big Ten network ensures lots of TV coverage. They do have a winning tradition, but it's from you know... 50 years ago. But the right coach can play on that in the right circumstances. Maturi (the Minnesota AD) has one more year and is likely done after that, which is going to make the hiring of a new coach this year a bit difficult. That's the largest stumbling block. The president of the university has stated clearly for a few years how badly he wants a strong football program.
I like Minnesota. Visited there when I was a child and loved that their mascot was the Golden Gophers (might even still have the GG shirt I got on that trip). So they've always been one of those teams I like to see win. I love that about half of their games involve a traveling trophy. A few years ago, I "adopted" them as one of my teams on EA Sports NCAA football. They had a couple of decent running backs...Laurence Maroney and Marion Barber were their names, I think. I dominated. They also had a really good tight end back then...forget his name. Anyway, all of that to say that I hope for the best for Minnesota. Well, the second best. I want to save the best for OU.
The first D-1 college football game I attended was the Battle for Paul Bunyan's Axe. You know how OU or Texas are presented the big golden hat after the game? In the Wisconsin-Minnesota game, the winning team runs over to the opposing bench to steal the axe if they didn't win it the year before. No official ceremony, just take it after the final tick and start dancing around the field with it held high. It's a big rivalry game up there, so can't say I love Minnesota, but they've been suffering a lot lately and a big hire would be good for them.
There are some rumors floating around that due to Mack Browns great friendship and respect for Greg Davis he might simply promote him to Assistant Head coach and hire a new Off Coord so he doesnt have to fire hi
