Michigan.....

[rood]

RR isn't going anywhere for at least one more season.....then Cincy can kiss their coach goodbye.

So Michigan is going to take a guy who isn's even Cincy's coach right now and will have only coached one year at a BCS school, cause Brian Kelly is going to ND as soon as Weis is fired at the end of this season and they offer him the job

Don't be so sure Kelly will leave for ND if offered. I'd actually be stunned if he leaves Cincinnati - he's at a place where making a BCS bowl each year is relatively easy. Cincinnati is a school that can really blossom into a national power quickly and the Big East is no doubt on the rise. He also is not under the pressure that ND forces upon its coaches - the Cincy administration is happy with a winning team, but the ND administration is only happy when the coach brings the team into BCS contention each and every year. I think the only bigger job that Kelly would honestly be interested in is Michigan if it opens up in the coming years because of his years spent coaching at GVSU and CMU.

But money and prestige talk...

[BGFalconfromCincy]

RR isn't going anywhere for at least one more season.....then Cincy can kiss their coach goodbye.

So Michigan is going to take a guy who isn's even Cincy's coach right now and will have only coached one year at a BCS school, cause Brian Kelly is going to ND as soon as Weis is fired at the end of this season and they offer him the job

Don't be so sure Kelly will leave for ND if offered. I'd actually be stunned if he leaves Cincinnati - he's at a place where making a BCS bowl each year is relatively easy. Cincinnati is a school that can really blossom into a national power quickly and the Big East is no doubt on the rise. He also is not under the pressure that ND forces upon its coaches - the Cincy administration is happy with a winning team, but the ND administration is only happy when the coach brings the team into BCS contention each and every year. I think the only bigger job that Kelly would honestly be interested in is Michigan if it opens up in the coming years because of his years spent coaching at GVSU and CMU.

But money and prestige talk...

and from what I have heard ND is supposely one of his dream jobs

[Jacobs4Heisman]

Don't be so sure Kelly will leave for ND if offered. I'd actually be stunned if he leaves Cincinnati - he's at a place where making a BCS bowl each year is relatively easy.

If you truly think it's easier to get a BCS bid in Cinci than at ND, you don't know know a whole hell of a lot about the CFB landscape.

[MarkL]

Don't be so sure Kelly will leave for ND if offered. I'd actually be stunned if he leaves Cincinnati - he's at a place where making a BCS bowl each year is relatively easy.

If you truly think it's easier to get a BCS bid in Cinci than at ND, you don't know know a whole hell of a lot about the CFB landscape.

Winning the Big East is a hell of a lot easier than winning 9 or 10 games when USC, Michigan, Michigan State, Boston College, Stanford et al are on your schedule every year. Yeah the BCS will do what they can to pull in ND, but Cincy's got an easier schedule each year - and being in a BCS conference, Cincy's non conf record does not matter as far as getting to the Orange Bowl, only their Big East record. So yes, Cincy's got an easier time getting to the BCS each year than ND.

[Jacobs4Heisman]

Don't be so sure Kelly will leave for ND if offered. I'd actually be stunned if he leaves Cincinnati - he's at a place where making a BCS bowl each year is relatively easy.

If you truly think it's easier to get a BCS bid in Cinci than at ND, you don't know know a whole hell of a lot about the CFB landscape.

Winning the Big East is a hell of a lot easier than winning 9 or 10 games when USC, Michigan, Michigan State, Boston College, Stanford et al are on your schedule every year. Yeah the BCS will do what they can to pull in ND, but Cincy's got an easier schedule each year - and being in a BCS conference, Cincy's non conf record does not matter as far as getting to the Orange Bowl, only their Big East record. So yes, Cincy's got an easier time getting to the BCS each year than ND.

Clearly. Your argument is backed up by the solid evidence of Cinci going to 1 BCS game since the system's inception (last year's loss), while ND has gone to 3. It must be super-easy to win the Big East. The BCS rules have loopholes in place specifically designed to do everything possible to get ND into a BCS bowl. Also, if ND can manage to right the ship, they have such a built in recruiting advantage over teams like Cinci that their talent level should consistently be higher.

I'll also respectfully disagree that Cinci's schedule will be easier than ND's year in and year out. ND has a lot of cupcakes and mid level programs sandwiched around their 3-4 tough games in a year. That sounds a lot like the Big East slate. You think it's going to be easy to stroll into Heinz Field and whoop Pitt in the Big East Championship game this year? They should be favorites, but that will be a war. ND doesn't have to worry about a championship game at the end of the year that decides their fate no matter how the rest of the year has gone. If ND were undefeated right now, the only suspense left for them would be which BCS bowl to pack for. Hell, they would have been packing 2 weeks ago since their slot would already have been locked up. Cinci can have a marvelous year as they have so far, and one bad game in the championship, and it's off to the Meineke car care bowl or wherever.

[Ydfalcon]

Don't be so sure Kelly will leave for ND if offered. I'd actually be stunned if he leaves Cincinnati - he's at a place where making a BCS bowl each year is relatively easy.

If you truly think it's easier to get a BCS bid in Cinci than at ND, you don't know know a whole hell of a lot about the CFB landscape.

Winning the Big East is a hell of a lot easier than winning 9 or 10 games when USC, Michigan, Michigan State, Boston College, Stanford et al are on your schedule every year. Yeah the BCS will do what they can to pull in ND, but Cincy's got an easier schedule each year - and being in a BCS conference, Cincy's non conf record does not matter as far as getting to the Orange Bowl, only their Big East record. So yes, Cincy's got an easier time getting to the BCS each year than ND.

Clearly. Your argument is backed up by the solid evidence of Cinci going to 1 BCS game since the system's inception (last year's loss), while ND has gone to 3. It must be super-easy to win the Big East.

Just feel it's only fair to point out that UC had an awful football program for several decades until very recently. They just became members of a BCS conference a few years ago (Marshall leaving the MAC was to take the spot UC vacated in Conference USA). Last year was the first year since they've been in the Big East that they happened to win the conference, thus giving them a slot at the Orange Bowl. So the fact that UC has only been to one BCS game has very little to do with their history. They've only really had this kind of potential for a few short years now.

[MarkL]

Don't be so sure Kelly will leave for ND if offered. I'd actually be stunned if he leaves Cincinnati - he's at a place where making a BCS bowl each year is relatively easy.

If you truly think it's easier to get a BCS bid in Cinci than at ND, you don't know know a whole hell of a lot about the CFB landscape.

Winning the Big East is a hell of a lot easier than winning 9 or 10 games when USC, Michigan, Michigan State, Boston College, Stanford et al are on your schedule every year. Yeah the BCS will do what they can to pull in ND, but Cincy's got an easier schedule each year - and being in a BCS conference, Cincy's non conf record does not matter as far as getting to the Orange Bowl, only their Big East record. So yes, Cincy's got an easier time getting to the BCS each year than ND.

Clearly. Your argument is backed up by the solid evidence of Cinci going to 1 BCS game since the system's inception (last year's loss), while ND has gone to 3. It must be super-easy to win the Big East. The BCS rules have loopholes in place specifically designed to do everything possible to get ND into a BCS bowl. Also, if ND can manage to right the ship, they have such a built in recruiting advantage over teams like Cinci that their talent level should consistently be higher.

I'll also respectfully disagree that Cinci's schedule will be easier than ND's year in and year out. ND has a lot of cupcakes and mid level programs sandwiched around their 3-4 tough games in a year. That sounds a lot like the Big East slate. You think it's going to be easy to stroll into Heinz Field and whoop Pitt in the Big East Championship game this year? They should be favorites, but that will be a war. ND doesn't have to worry about a championship game at the end of the year that decides their fate no matter how the rest of the year has gone. If ND were undefeated right now, the only suspense left for them would be which BCS bowl to pack for. Hell, they would have been packing 2 weeks ago since their slot would already have been locked up. Cinci can have a marvelous year as they have so far, and one bad game in the championship, and it's off to the Meineke car care bowl or wherever.

ND's last two BCS bowls were 05 and 06. Those were Cincy's first two years in the Big East, when they were basically an average C-USA team thrown into a BCS conference, conveniently right at the time that WVU had Pat White and Steve Slaton coached by Rich Rodriguez and UL had Brian Brohm and Petrino as a coach. Now that Cincy has had the time needed to improve to Big East level and has one of the best coaches in the country, the scope of the conference and their rank within it is totally different.
Also ... Cincy has really only had three truly tough Big East tests this year - UConn, WVU, and Pitt in a few weeks - tough, tough game. Meanwhile, ND had to deal with Michigan while they were still hot, a decent MSU team, USC while they were still hot, Pitt in a very good year, and they still have to take on a hot Stanford team and UConn. So of the toughest tests, UConn and Pitt are common teams. Strike those two. Now who actually would believe that beating USC, Stanford, Michigan, and MSU is easier than beating WVU?
Last year, Cincy also had the same three truly tough conference tests and their loss to Oklahoma absolutely did not matter as far as getting to the Orange Bowl. Meanwhile, ND had to play a good MSU team, an excellent USC team, a decent UNC squad, a good BC team, and that same Pitt team, and each one of those teams mattered.
Yes, ND has a few cupcakes each year. Like Nevada, who is currently 7-3. Also Purdue, which beat both Ohio State and Michigan. Also Navy, who beat ND for the second time in three years and is currently 8-3. Their only real cupcake this year is Wazzou. Last year was a bit easier with SDSU (who almost won), Purdue, Stanford (before they caught fire), and Washington.
If ND's schedule of rivals did not include several teams traditionally vying for the top of their respective conferences, then ND would definitely have an easier time each and every year getting in to a BCS bowl. That's just not the case, though. They've got the cream of the crop to play year in, year out, where Cincy only has to worry about seven Big East games, only a few of which are truly hard tests and only one, maybe two, are nationally cream of the crop. Any team which wins ten games with ND's schedule deserves a BCS bowl, and since ND has such a big fanbase, nine will cut it. Problem is, nine games is a ton to ask with that schedule - it's far easier to ask Cincy to win six or seven Big East games.

[Jacobs4Heisman]

If Notre Dame was even halfways decent this year, they'd be minimum 8-2 this year against their soft puffy schedule, with a chance to sew up a BCS berth with a home win over craptastic Connecticut tomorrow.

Seriously - Notre Dame is a terrible football team this year, and they may still get to 8 wins. It is not too much to ask of a program with their resources to win 9 games year in and year out. Cinci is having a good little run here with Brian Kelly, but once he bolts, can they sustain anything? Put me in the crowd that does not believe Cinci will contend for Big East titles every year.

[NWLB]

Ouch for UM. OSU still doesn't look good, but ouch.

[bgsukid]

At least Michigan won't have to worry about going over the weekly 20 hours of practice time for the next month.

[NWLB]

At least Michigan won't have to worry about going over the weekly 20 hours of practice time for the next month.

We have a winner!