Nebraska
The hire that should have been is finally. Bo Pelini represents an old school mentality in football. He was a great defensive coordinator for LSU, Oklahoma, Nebraska, and the NFL (he was also a grad. assistant at Iowa) he will get a chance to show if he's head coaching material. My guess, oh yeah. Bo will find his calling in Nebraska where football is all they have. Bill Callahan never embraced that as a head coach. However, it will be a challenge for Nebraska to regain its swager. Their defense was awful last year (see Ball State - 600 yards) They continue to bring in talent, but what remains to be seen is if this talent will mature into playmakers. I imagine this will take 2 years to get the program back to top of the Big 12 but I'm not convinced Nebraska can ever be a major player in the BCS anymore. The talent disparity is much closer now with Missouri and Kansas both rising in ability, Colorado is poised for a break out year, and ISU isn't a pushover either. I imagine though, people will be patient with Pelini for a few years, but if major improvements aren't in place in 3 years, expect another coup.
Grade: B+
Texas A&M
Mike Sherman brings his NFL know-how to College Station. (No word how much it costs to subscribe to his newsletter) I see this hire going well for a while and then falling flat. I just don't know if NFL coaches are a good fit in college. (I know for a fact college coaches should stay away from the NFL) They tend to bring a different attitude to the game that just doesn't always fit. College Station has an awesome stadium and the University has a ton of pride. Who knows how long Sherman will stay. How will the players respond? Does his fit the A&M mold? I just don't know and for that, don't really like this hire. He seemed like the quick answer to keep the recruits for the fall, which is not always a good solution (see Wayne Morgan). A&M should have spent sometime to find a better replacement who understand college football (see Will Muschamp - Texas Def. Coordinator).
Grade: D+
UCLA
Not only do the get a head coach with some great ability but they picked up a great offensive coordinator. Norm Chow may be the best pick up as far as assistant coaches go, with Texas hiring Will Muschamp a close 2nd. Chow is a tremendous off. coordinator. Look what he did at USC and I think his work in the NFL should be commended considering Vince Young was about his only weapon. They were not respectable and given more time (and talent) he would have been successful. Rick Neuheisel should be a good head coach with his experience. Trouble is that he doesn't like following NCAA rules some times. Regardless the guy is a winner and UCLA will rise towards the top and be very competitive with USC. Can it really be that hard to get talent to Southern California? Honestly, the talent will come and look for UCLA to be excellent in the next 2-3 years.
Grade: A-
Arkansas
I would never in a million years hire Bobby Petrino to coach my team. The man has one foot out the door most of the time. He left a Louisville program poised to get better make a run at the national title in 2007 and left a suffering Atlanta gig with 3 games left. If he's successful at AR, I don't expect him to stay long. Can the guy coach, oh yeah, no doubt. But for the long term success of the program, this was a bad hire. AR could you some stability considering how Houston Nutt was treated but the fan base is not exactly very forgiving either. I see this hire ending in an awful blood bath (hopefully figuratively)
Grade: D
Michigan
I loved what Rich Rodriguez did with the WVU program. However, having actually been to Morgantown, I can't say I blame the guy for leaving. The stadium in an moderate upgrade from Jack Trice and the town leaves something to be desired. So now he gets a program committed to winning, with the tradition (and money) to make it happen. However, this will not be a quick turnaround. Pat White made Rich look very smart and right now no such QB is attending Michigan. So it might be 3-4 years until his system really begins to blossom. Can Michigan fans be that patient. We'll see, but trust me, the man can coach and get the job done.
Grade: A
WVU
Feel good stories only last so long. Cinderalla was wonderful but we don't care how many kids she had with Prince Charming. George Mason was great 2 years ago, but how did they do last year? Norm Stewart did wonders against Oklahoma (who by the way should try bowl games before the New Year sometime, just to see if it changes matters) However, one game should not decide a season or a head coach. Such impulse hires only lead to trouble and disappointment. Norm Stewart bought his time and shined when it mattered. But I don't seem him recruiting well in the future, nor being able to take this program to a national championship. AD's need to think long term and this decision was made on a whim and 2 martinis into the night. WVU will regret this hire.
All the sudden Rutgers looks like the best Big East team.
Grade: F
SMU
June Jones has done more with less than any coach every in the history of the world. Maybe a bit of a stretch, but he peaked at Hawaii this last year. The ceiling was hit and unless the AD was willing to pump some more money into a pathetic program, he could only do so much. So I don't blame the guy for leaving and taking a job with a ton of potential. SMU used to be a powerhouse until they (like Neuheisel) couldn't follow rules very well. But he's in Texas, and talent will no longer be a problem. Will the be consistent BCS teams, unlikely. But this team will improve greatly and June Jones can finally have a decent office.
Grade: B
One coach to watch for next year to make a jump to a better program
Brian Kelly (Cincinnati) - this guy just wins and made Cincy a good program in one year, look for this to continue and him to coaching a bigger school soon.
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