September 22, 2025
We still have 8 days to go in September and the leaves haven’t even thought of “turning” … but all across College Football’s Power 4 World, waaaay-overly-caffeinated gangs of irate board monkeys are already in “get a rope” mode as regards their current Head Football Coach.
Despite all the NIL / Portal tsunamic changes in College Football … one element remains constant – those foam-fingered whack jobs desperate for “my team” to win “so I can get a vicarious feeling that I finally “won” at something in my wretched life”. Sad but Quite Loud … they are as much a permanent part of College Football as nubile cheerleaders and goofy mascots.
Blacksburg (VaTech) and Westwood (UCLA) were the first to “drop the hammer” this season. … but other lynch mobs are lining up to join’em in the weeks to come.
Another 2-3 weeks and I expect at least two more … as school admins search couch cushions for “buy out” bucks … scraping up $15-20,000,000 requires a LOT of begging the same Fat Cat boosters to ante up AGAIN …. and then AGAIN again to buy a new coaching staff. Keep going to the same “well” until those Fat Cat wells run dry … then where do you go?
Requiring all Athletic Dept staff to “buy lottery tickets” is one possibility being considered.
Cries of “Get a Rope” are being heard in Madison WI and Stillwater OK and, of course, in Gainesville FL. Wanna bet two of those three HFCs are “bought out” before Halloween?
Luke Fickell at Wisconsin shoulda been a solid hire … but QB injuries have plagued him all three years. He’s toast … just a case of now or later this Fall … not “if”. ….. Mike Gundy at OkState has gotten off his meds and is daring them to fire him. Gundy and Dabo seem to be using the same “consultant” for how to really piss off your fans. ….. Billy Napier at Florida has been “a dead man walking” for three years. “Buy him out” and put him out of his misery.
Sam Pittman at Arkansas is teetering over the abyss as is Mike Stoops at Kentucky. …. Tough Bizness!
No … not “for real … yet” in UpState SC (Clemson) BUT a few “Bring Back Danny Ford” signs are popping up along Hwy 76 and out front of where Dan’s Sandwich Shop used to be.
I’ve always been a “Dabo guy” and I still am BUT “Damn Dabo you gotta stop holding umpteen press conferences where you keep insisting you don’t pay attention to your quite angry critics … when obviously you very much DO.”
Close losses to LSU and to a very good – this year – GaTech were sorta kinda “forgivable” BUT being spanked by Syracuse AT HOME … !!!!! Three losses (two at home) in September has Frank Howard ‘s grandchildren considering taking their “rock” back to the REAL Death Valley.
OK …. What do I think about “Dour Dave” and “The $50,000,000 Experiment amid those lofty pines”.
There has been a “Dump Dour Dave” faction around NCSU for at least nine years. It’s like a case of Herpes that never really goes away. … Saturday’s “Little Big Horn” at The Wally woke’em up … it doesn’t take much to do that. NOW the best Dour Dave can do is 11-1.
Likely scenario for Pack loyalists is another 7-8-9 Ws and another Whozit Bowl “rinse & repeat”…. a better scenario than what looms for Year One of The $50,000,000 Experiment “among the lofty pines”.
.
Old BillB’s “70 new players” being whupped by UCFs “70 new players” was a strong signal to UNC schedule makers to avoid Big 12 teams … better stick to community college cupcakes for a few years. The pic of “Bill & Jordan” (B&J) discussing who knows what on the sidelines was a tad disconcerting to Tru Blues to say the least.
To paraphrase “my buddy Chansky” – “… the enthusiasm for The Belichick Experiment appears to be eroding rapidly across TarHeel Nation …”. Leave it to Art – “Master of the Understatement”.
Credit to Art … he is keeping his WCHL listeners aware of the FACT that Bill Belichick and the $50,000,000 Experiment was entirely initiated by BOT Boy JOHN PREYER … NOT by Bubba Cunningham.
I’ve had several unhappy Tru Blues ask me “whats the name of that Board of Trustees jackass that created this $50,000,000 train wreck?” … His name is John Preyer.
Two “whuppins” by Big 12 programs and two Ws over a coupla “small college cupcakes” is not all that surprising. The degree of the “whuppins” might be a concern. No more Big 12 programs and no more “cupcakes” … now come the “comparables” and the Hated Rivals.
As to the QB question … does BillB stick with “the $1,000,000 transfer from wherever” or switch to the tall “white kid”? I know zilch about “talent evaluation”. Ask a Franklin Street board monkey. I’m sure they have an opinion.
_______________________________
Q: How long can this “Pay For Play” Silliness continue?
A: As long as Fat Cat Boosters keep throwing blank checks down bottomless rat holes.
Do the simple math. Every one of the 70+ Power4 schools are dependent upon gullible boosters bucks to “buy 18 y/o recruits” or even more expensive “transfers”. 50% of those programs will finish at 6-6 or worse. The “worse” won’t even get a Whozit Bowl.
What sort of ROI do those gullible boosters get? And then they get a phone call asking for next year’s ante-up? The players last year’s bucks bought are either “gone somewhere else” or proven “not as good as we hoped”.
The 10-15 Perennial Juggernauts buy the best talent each year … and 2nd tier Juggernaut Wannabees scramble for whats left over. The “sleeping giants” get the one-star leftovers from the leftovers.
.
OK BobLee. do YOU have a whizbang plan yet to resolve this mess?
Sure … BobLee’s Whizbang Plans ‘R Us always has a whizbang plan.
(1) The old fashioned “barter” of a “Free College Education” – tuition, books, fees, room & board – is stil an option … OR … the player can opt to take a $30,000 “buy-out” each year and forego the whole “go to class” myth. …. If the expected Pro future doesn’t happen and he has no fall-back skills … there’s always “bodyguard for a rapper … “bouncer at a strip club” … or “street corner drug dealer”. … which brings up “wonder whatever happened to Marvin Austin?” … sigh.
(2) Any player can “cut a deal” to shill for a local car dealer, pizza place, sports bar, clothing store, on-line betting service, etc etc. He gets to keep whatever he can deal for, minus his agent’s cut. In-kind “use of a car” in exchange for a cheesy commercial and a coupla autograph events would be popular IF the player has enough “star appeal”. 3rd string deep snappers might not benefit much from this …
(3) Every player who makes the final roster gets $4,000 / month for each month he is on the roster.
(4) Every school must have “a deal” with a local bus company to provide round trip transportation for any player to attend his grandmother’s funeral – if the player’s Lambo is “in the shop”. … maximum of two times per player.
(5) Every school must have a deal with a local pizza place to supply every roster player with a complimentary large 2-toppings pizza each week … so he can hang out with his suite mates and not be embarrassed.
The above plan provides each roster player with fair compensation for his athletic skills … depending upon how he works his options. And keeps the athletic institution from totally prostitutiong itself to satisfy the “get a rope” mob.
.
In future insightful commentaries we will explore WHY HFBCs at Power4 schools will continue to demand and get ridiculous buy-out deals.
