Results of the Week 3 Coaches Hot Seat MUST WIN Games for Coaches and Teams
Results of the Week 3 Coaches Hot Seat MUST WIN Games for Coaches and Teams
In Week 3 Coaches Hot Seat identified 18 Coaches and Teams facing MUST WIN Games and the results of those games were:
10 Coaches and Teams WON their MUST WIN Games in Week 3
8 Coaches and TEAMS LOST their MUST WIN Games in Week 3
Now on to the commentary on those Week 3 MUST Win Game results….
10 Coaches and Teams That WON their MUST WIN Games in Week 3
Mike Leach and Washington State BEAT UNLV – It wasn’t pretty BUT Mike Leach and his Washington State team got a win over a tough but winless UNLV team on Friday night and now at 2 – 1 the Cougars enter Pac-12 Conference play with a game against another winless team in Colorado in Pullman this Saturday. Colorado head coach Jon Embree and his Buffs will be desperate to win this game because they have a monster schedule ahead after the WSU game and that means the Washington State – Colorado game will again be a MUST WIN Games for both Coaches and Teams.
Bo Pelini and Nebraska BEAT Arkansas State – While watching the Nebraska – Arkansas State game on Saturday before the USC – Stanford game kicked-off we started to get very concerned about Bo Pelini especially after the interview that Pelini did on the field where we recognized something that a few of us here at CHS have experienced over the years in our work lives where we bring the same kind of passion to our work that Bo Pelini does to his job. Not that there are any doctors here at Coaches Hot Seat but our unsolicited advice for Bo Pelini is that he have a stress test done because we exercise a good bit and yet our blood pressure tends to get up from time to time and a stress test will tell a doctor whether there are any other risks that can be made worse by one getting one’s blood pressure up every once in awhile and that is our two cents on the medical front as it pertains to Bo Pelini.
As for the Arkansas State – Nebraska game the Cornhuskers looked better on defense BUT…..
….they were playing a team in Arkansas State that was down 50 – 10 at halftime to Oregon and the Ducks could have made that much worse if they had wanted to which means the Arkansas State game told us very little about the capability of the Huskers and that more than likely means when Wisconsin and Nebraska meet in Lincoln in two weeks we want know much about either team ALTHOUGH that Wisconsin – Nebraska matchup will be a MUST WIN Game for both Coaches and Teams!
Gene Chizik and Auburn BEAT La. Monroe – Whew! That was way Damn too close for the Auburn Tigers last Saturday because a loss to La. Monroe would have been doubly bad for Gene Chizik after we found out what a pitiful football team Arkansas is after that beatdown that Alabama laid on the Hogs and that La. Monroe beating Arkansas wasn’t that big of a deal and thus why Gene Chizik and his Tigers really did barely miss a Complete Disaster on Saturday against the Warhawks. So far in 2012 Auburn has lost to two pretty-good teams in Clemson and Mississippi State and beat an average team in La. Monroe and here comes the LSU Tigers to The Plains and this very well may be a defining game for Gene Chizik because if Auburn plays like it did during its first three games the Tigers are going get the living Hell beat out of them by LSU and LSU laying a beatdown on Auburn in this spot with Arkansas up next on the docket would set-up a Complete Disaster Game for both coaches and teams between Arkansas and Auburn in Week 4!
Bill O’Brien and Penn State BEAT Navy – Bill O’Brien and Penn State got a nice win over Navy in Week 3 to move the Nittany Lions record to 1 – 2 and up next is another MUST WIN Game in Week 4 with Temple in State College, PA which will tell us a lot about both Penn State and the Temple Owls and their relative strength in the state of Pennsylvania. With the Big Ten schedule beginning in Week 4 with a trip to Illinois this Temple game is also a MUST WIN for Bill O’Brien and Penn State if they hope to build up some momentum for the rest of the 2012 season and into the future BUT a loss to Temple will only set-back Penn State football even further.
Will Muschamp and Florida BEAT Tennessee – We didn’t give Will Muschamp and Florida much of a chance to open the season 3 – 0 with wins over Bowling Green, at Texas A&M and at Tennessee BUT their nice start to the 2012 season opens up an opportunity for the Gators to get another win in Week 4 over Kentucky and set-up what should be a Helluva interesting game against LSU on October 6 at The Swamp in what could be a defining game for the Florida football program BUT first things first….without a win over Kentucky the LSU game will mean NEXT TO NOTHING.
Gary Pinkel and Missouri BEAT Arizona State – You have to give Gary Pinkel and the Missouri coaching staff great credit for beating a suddenly tenacious Arizona State team with a backup quarterback which was a situation where the Missouri football team could have folded without their starting QB on the field. Now at 2 – 1 on the season Missouri faces South Carolina on Saturday in what should be a fascinating game that will help everyone to further fill in the blanks to how Missouri stacks up against SEC Conference teams and this game will also give us some insight into how good Spurrier’s Gamecocks are in 2012.
Tommy Tuberville and Texas Tech BEAT New Mexico – We predicted that Tommy Tuberville and Texas Tech would open the 2012 season at 3 – 0 and that is exactly what the Red Raiders have done with their third win over New Mexico on Saturday BUT now the games against REAL football teams begin with a trip to play Iowa State on the road a week from Saturday. A WIN against Iowa State is a MUST for Tubbs and Tech because of what is up next after the Cyclones….
Oklahoma
West Virginia
At TCU
At Kansas State
Texas
Hell, when that game against Texas is over on November 3 Tuberville and the Red Raiders COULD BE 3 – 6 on the season BUT none of that matters right now since Texas Tech has a MUST WIN game just ahead in two weeks at Iowa State.
Brian Kelly and Notre Dame BEAT Michigan State – The Notre Dame offense played OK against Michigan State but what got our attention was how well the Irish defense completely shut-down the Spartans which is something we have not really seen at Notre Dame for years now and if the Irish can keep playing that kind of defense they will have a chance to win every game they play this season including a very good chance to beat Michigan on Saturday especially because Alabama has already showed the world how the Wolverines and Denard Robinson can be shut-down. With Michigan and Miami up next the Fighting Irish should be 5 – 0 when the Stanford Cardinal rolls into South Bend on October 13 and wouldn’t that be something for Stanford and Notre Dame to play each other undefeated and both teams ranked in the Top 10? First things first though….Notre Dame must beat Michigan and Miami AND Stanford will have to beat two tough teams in Washington and Arizona to make that South Bend dream come true!
Bret Bielema and Wisconsin BEAT Utah State – By all rights Utah State SHOULD HAVE BEAT Wisconsin on Saturday and what we have seen of that game Wisconsin looked even worse against Utah State than they looked against Oregon State in Week 1 and that reality should scare the Hell out of Wisconsin fans and especially the UW coaches with a decent UTEP team up next and a game at Nebraska in two weeks. We predicted Wisconsin to go 11 – 1 in 2012 before the season BUT if the Badgers keep playing like this we see Wisconsin winning….
8 Games MAX.
YES, Bret Bielema and the Wisconsin coaches better get on the same page and get their Badgers playing the game of FOOTBALL or this 2012 season will be massive disappointment and underachievement for Wisconsin.
Mack Brown and Texas BEAT Ole Miss – Mack Brown and the Texas Longhorns did what Texas should have done against Ole Miss on Saturday by laying a BEATDOWN on the Ole Miss Rebels which gets Texas off to a 3 – 0 start and sets the ‘Horns up for their next three games that will determine the success or failure for Texas football in 2012.
Here are those next three games for Texas:
At Oklahoma State
West Virginia
Oklahoma
By all rights Texas has plenty of talent to beat both Oklahoma State and West Virginia and show-up in Dallas at the Red River Rivalry with a 5 – 0 record BUT first things first which is Texas beating Oklahoma State in Stillwater which is a place where Texas has struggled a bit in recent years.
8 Coaches and Teams That LOST their MUST WIN Games in Week 3
Jeff Tedford and California LOST TO Ohio State – California played well against an unknown quantity in Ohio State and with the Golden Bears now at 1 – 2 up next is a game against USC in the LA Coliseum where Cal will probably find a USC team that will be looking for redemption after Stanford opened up a can of WUP ASS on the Trojans! Can Cal beat or even compete with USC on Saturday?
We don’t know and that is what makes this Cal – USC game so Damn fascinating and why it is a shame it is on the Pac-12 Network and thus Tens of Millions of Americans will not even get to see the game on TV!
Memo to Pac-12 Commish Larry Scott and the DirecTV executives: Lots of Americans are going to find out if both of you are children or adults between now and Saturday and if a deal is NOT cut to put the Pac-12 Network on DirecTV and other cable networks before the Cal – USC game then that will be just another example of Overeducated MORONS rising to positions of power in our country that don’t have a clue how to function in the REAL World and wouldn’t know an honest day’s work if it hit them in the ass. Make a deal…..if you are REAL Americans that is.
Charlie Weis and Kansas LOST To TCU – The reason that the TCU game was a MUST WIN for Charlie Weis and Kansas is because what is up next for KU….
At Northern Illinois
At Kansas State
Oklahoma State
At Oklahoma
Texas
At Baylor
At Texas Tech
Iowa State
At West Virginia
…and if Kansas plays the rest of the season the way they played in their first three game Kansas will NOT WIN ANOTHER GAME in 2012 and the Jayhawks only win in 2012 will be over I-AA South Dakota State.
YES, Charlie Weis looks to be headed back to the Hot Seat not that Charlie has forgotten what that feels like since his rear-end was on fire at Notre Dame only three years ago!
Jon Embree and Colorado LOST TO Fresno State – We have a member of Coaches Hot Seat who was living and working in Boulder, Colorado during Bill McCartney’s time as the head coach of the CU Buffs (1982 – 1994) and he had a few friends that worked in the Colorado athletic department then and thus he got to see a good bit of the Colorado football program behind the scenes, at practices and before and after games when Colorado football was one of the top teams in the Big Eight Conference and really in the nation as well and that CHS member has been in and out of Boulder on business dozens of times over the past two decades and he has some advice for the current Colorado coaching staff BUT especially fo Colorado head coach Jon Embree and offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy:
CHS Member’s advice for Jon Embree and Eric Bieniemy: The scheme, the plays, the play-calling and all of the other preparation that you and the Colorado coaches put into the games each week are WORTHLESS as long as the Colorado football team is not coached-up and taught the fundamentals of the game of football which begin with blocking and tackling. If you CANNOT block and tackle you CANNOT play winning football and right now the Colorado football team…
CANNOT block or tackle. PERIOD.
Bill McCartney’s teams at Colorado were some of the most physical, in-shape and fundamentally sound football teams that we saw play in the 1980s and 90s and until Colorado football begins again practicing the fundamentals of football which begin with blocking and tackling which means Colorado football players HITTING EACH OTHER in practice and learning to understand what will be expected of them in games the CU Buffs program will continue to spiral down as it has done now under both Dan Hawkins and now Jon Embree.
After the Fresno State BEATDOWN of Colorado on Saturday…
Fresno State – 69
Colorado – 14
…which could have been MUCH DAMN WORSE if Fresno State head coach Tim DeRuyter hadn’t taken it easy on the Buffs in the second half former sportswriter and now a PR guy for the Colorado athletic department, B.G. Brooks, wrote a column about what happened to CU against Fresno State…
No Simple Fix For What’s Wrong With Buffs, B.G. Brooks, CUBuffs.com
….and here is what stood out in the column to us here at CHS:
“An adage in football is to do a handful of things well rather than try to do too much and succeed at nothing – and success had clearly eluded CU in the season’s first two weeks. This week’s goal, Embree said, was “to give our guys fewer things to think about and let them play faster.”
Coordinator Eric Bieniemy said his offense went into Saturday’s game with about 50 percent of what was made available in the first two games. The running game, which went from 58 yards in the opener to 153 last week, remained his priority. But, Bieniemy added, no matter how simple a game plan becomes, sloppy execution will kill it.”
Two Things:
As much as it might hurt the precious egos of football coaches everywhere the scheme, the plays and the play-calling are USELESS if the football team DOES NOT KNOW and HAS NOT BEEN COACHED the fundamentals of the game of football beginning with blocking and tackling which leads right to the second thing….
If you DO NOT KNOW the fundamentals of the game of football the players CANNOT EXECUTE the plays called by the coaches whether the gameplan is simple or difficult and the…
PAINFUL TRUTH
…right now is that if the remaining teams that are on Colorado’s schedule…
At Washington State
UCLA
Arizona State
At USC
At Oregon
Stanford
At Arizona
Washington
Utah
….play well at all Colorado WILL NOT WIN ANOTHER GAME in 2012.
NO, we are not advocating that Jon Embree have a mid-season training camp that would only beat-up his players when they are already getting beat-up on Saturdays during the games against opposing teams BUT we are saying that if Jon Embree wants to keep his rear-end off of the Hot Seat after putting up a record of 3 – 13 to date he will put a special emphasis on finding ways of challenging his players which will get them to start playing the game of FOOTBALL and if Colorado is not going to play the game of FOOTBALL then why in the Hell is Colorado fielding a football team?
We are pulling for you Jon but that doesn’t mean we won’t put your ass on the Hot Seat and soon unless Colorado starts playing some FOOTBALL.
PERIOD.
Joker Phillips and Kentucky LOST TO Western Kentucky – After Kentucky’s loss to Western Kentucky in overtime UK head coach Joker Phillips’ record is…
Overall: 12 – 16 (.429)
SEC: 4 – 12 (.250)
By comparison the head coach that preceded Joker Phillips at Kentucky, Rich Brooks, put up the following records in his last 4 seasons in Lexington after spending three seasons rebuilding Kentucky football:
Overall: 30 – 22 (.577)
SEC: 12 – 20 (.375)
NO, there is not a big difference between Rich Brooks last 4 seasons at Kentucky and Joker Phillips 2-plus years on the job BUT in Major College Football as in Business the DIRECTION of THINGS is most important and Joker Phillips needs to show that he is continuing the level of football that Rick Brooks put Kentucky on in his last 4 seasons on the job and that makes EVERY GAME that Joker Phillips coaches very important to not only his coaching future but the future of Kentucky football as well.
Kentucky has left this season…
At Florida
South Carolina
Mississippi State
At Arkansas
Georgia
At Missouri
Vanderbilt
Samford
At Tennessee
….and if Kentucky plays the way they did against Louisville and Western Kentucky they will probably only win 1 more game in 2012….maybe 2 games if Arkansas football continues to spiral into oblivion….and that reality means Joker Phillips better start coaching up his football team and quick!
Derek Dooley and Tennessee LOST TO Florida – Derek Dooley’s Tennessee team played pretty well against the Florida Gators BUT the more physical team won out in the end (as is the case 95 plus percent of the time) and now we are going to find out what Dooley and the Vols are really made of because they have up next after Terry Bowden’s Akron team…
At Georgia
At Mississippi State
Alabama
At South Carolina
Troy
Missouri
At Vanderbilt
Kentucky
In OUR opinion Tennessee SHOULD do no worse than put up a record of 4 – 4 in the above eight games and with already two wins on the board and a win over Akron that adds up to 7 WINS for the Vols in 2012 and that would be a step-forward for Dooley and Tennessee and would get Derek off of the Hot Seat….BUT….anything less than 7 wins and Derek Dooley will enter the 2012 season coaching for HIS coaching future and take it from us Derek….coaching football is MUCH MORE DAMN FUN than going into an office everyday! Hell, if that doesn’t focus Derek Dooley on getting Tennessee football winning again…..NOTHING WILL!
Randy Edsall and Maryland LOST TO Connecticut – OK, the KARMA IS A BITCH game if over for Randy Edsall after the Terps lost to UConn and now at 2 – 1 on the season JOB ONE for Randy Edsall is to get his team focused because up next is a game at West Virginia and then the ACC Conference schedule begins and unless Maryland plays BETTER than it has played so far in 2012 the Terrapins are going to have a tough time getting to 6 wins this season and 6 wins at a minimum in 2012 is MUST for Randy Edsall.
John L. Smith and Arkansas LOST TO Alabama – What the Hell was that John L. Smith press conference on Monday?
VIDEO – Razorbacks Coach John L. Smith Would Like You to Smile!, ArkansasSports360.com
Is there anyone else that is like us and thinks that we are watching the sequel to…
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
….with the sequel being titled…
One Who Was Married And Had A Blonde On the Back of His Harley And Had A Wreck Which Sent the Arkansas Football Program Into A Tailspin With A NUT Driving the Good Ship Razorback Off the Freaking Cliff!
Here is what John L. Smith and Arkansas have left this season:
Rutgers
At Texas A&M
At Auburn
Kentucky
Ole Miss
Tulsa
At South Carolina
At Mississippi State
LSU
There is in our opinion at least a 25 percent chance that Arkansas DOES NOT WIN ANOTHER GAME in 2012 and if Arkansas loses to Rutgers on Saturday which has a first year coach itself it will be…
Jessica Bar the Door
…because the floodgates will open up and what comes through those floodgates will be a Complete Disaster for the Arkansas football program that might negatively effect things in Fayetteville for years to come.
Frank Spaziani and Boston College LOST TO Northwestern – After Boston College’s loss to Northwestern on Saturday the Eagles have a bye week before playing Clemson on September 29 and if Frank Spaziani wants the opportunity to be the head coach at BC in 2012 he will need to find five more wins out of BC’s remaining 9 games and that schedule includes…
Clemson
At Army
At Florida State
AT Georgia Tech
Maryland
At Wake Forest
Notre Dame
Virginia Tech
AT NC State
Can Boston College find 5 wins out of the above remaining 9 games?
If they CAN’T Frank Spaziani SHOULD BE FIRED!
