Curt Cignetti is like a real life version of picking up some moribund program in dynasty mode then immediately turning them into a national contender despite that being unrealistic. But he's actually doing it.
Average commercial on ESPN+ college baseball broadcasts:
SEC: Taylor Swift tapping a Bank of America card at McDonald's
Sun Belt: the local jet ski lawyer putting a pig on a Sea-Doo in the 2nd most exclusive private lake in a town of 25,000
Going to be tough at 44.
They usually schedule some good games on a neutral floor.
It'll be interesting to see how Saint Mary's basketball is impacted by the new-look WCC and if it hurts recruiting. Those 2 games against Gonzaga are huge for their exposure and their SOS/ability to get an at-large. Though I'd figure Bennett and Few will agree to an OOC series.
I feel like Mount Saint Mary's is a Dayton staple.
The people that are all like "man that's crazy UNC is the last team in and their AD is the committee chair" would be much better equipped for what just happened if they watched ESPN2/U at 11am (CT) on Memorial Day every year for the last 2 decades.
I detest Memphis basketball but I do like the committee rewarding a mid-major conference champ that ran up a bunch of Q1 wins in non-conference despite having a meh NET with a good seed.
Auburn having to play a semi-road game as a 1 is reminiscent of Houston doing the same in 2023 (against Auburn!).
Thinking of Texas getting a playoff game in DFW and I wonder if the B1G (and Notre Dame) try to lobby to take the bowls out of the playoffs. With New Orleans, Dallas, and Atlanta all in the rotation, the SEC will usually have at least 1 team that gets a semi-home game.
I think UIdaho is still regarded higher academically (the first class I ever took at USM had a prof that left for Moscow the next year) but it may be the only state where the flagship university is light years behind the city school athletically.
Idaho's higher education equilibrium is pretty unique. Up until the late 90s, it was a fairly typical flagship vs. urban commuter school dynamic (albeit at a lower level). Then Boise shot to the moon and completely left UIdaho in the dust. Not sure there's another state like it.
Post-1976 presidents ranked on my confidence in their belief in God. 4-7 are fairly interchangeable.
1) Carter
2) Biden
[gap]
3) Dubya
[big gap]
4) Clinton
5) Obama
6) Reagan
7) HW
[gap]
8) Trump
One of my potentially crackpot takes is Carter and Biden are the only American presidents in the last 50 years that actually believed in God. You could maybe talk me into Dubya.
What a map.
Green Bay, Wisconsin is the one place on the planet you don't want to hear Todd Rundgren.
Huff has won over 60% of his games at another SBC school, is coming off a league title, has beaten a top 20 Notre Dame on the road and a 7-win Virginia Tech, and has MS/AL experience as an assistant.
I'm throwing my hands up if this doesn't work.
The happiest people in the country tonight are restaurant and bed & breakfast owners in Austin and State College.
This might be wack but I really think Gundy lost his motivation when OU left the Big 12.
Saints losing is probably for the best long term. Given the franchise's penchant for emotional, short-term decision making, they would have kept Rizzi if he had made a playoff run or gotten close.
My scorching hot take is many of these in-state rivalries have lost a little of their vitriol in an era where rosters and students are increasingly dispersed across the country.
Now obviously the chasm between Georgia Tech and UGA isn't as large as the other examples but wins in this rivalry do not come often for GT ---- especially now.
Like, Jax State-Auburn and Georgia Southern-Georgia in 2015 are still things I think about and bother me.
That's as painful of a loss as I can imagine for Georgia Tech. Right up there with Marshall-WVU in 2010.
The most excruciating losses, IMO, are always in-state games where one team is decidedly a little brother to another team and the little brother team botches a lead.
Luke Fickell at Wisconsin is quickly falling into the Lincoln Riley at USC tier of hires that looked fool proof at the time but has gone poorly.
I like that every time I search Todd Hartley on my phone my browser suggests Todd Haynes' Wikipedia page.
He's a strong favorite at this point.
Ok nvm we're hiring Hartley.
Kind of coming around on Casey Woods for USM (if Shanny is truly off the table).
I understand he isn't calling plays at SMU but whoever is the coach will be presumably taking on a more CEO type role. Was under Malzahn, Clark, and Drinkwitz. On staff at UAB during their revival.
I get coaching searches are often a crapshoot but Biff Poggi was one of those hires that just never had a chance of working.
