I hate to say I called it. Saturday before the game and again Sunday after. Montana State University fired head football coach Rob Ash on Monday, ending a nine-year career with the Bobcats. He was the winningest coach in program history. Think about that for a moment. The man with the most wins ever (70) was let go for not winning. MSU captured three Big Sky Conference championships during his tenure. That’s one every three years based on the math. That coach was fired. Rob Ash moved to Bozeman and turned a dumpster-fire into a contender. Since the Sonny Holland glory days in the 1970, MSU football coaches compiled a record of 141-183 before Ash. Only two had a winning record and one of those went only 6-5. Ash was 70-38. The Montana State football program was in shambles after the firing of former head coach Mike Kramer (now with Idaho State). Drugs and murder littered the roster and Kramer had less control than he did wins. That’s a justifiable firing. Rob Ash ran a clean program and stressed academics as much as athletics. Of course, some 45-year-old in his mom’s basement, wearing maroon and silver, can Google some sort of troubles from the MSU program in the past nine years. Just like some jealous fan decked in blue and gold could do the same for Montana. Don’t kid yourselves. It’s happening everywhere. Here in Tucson, University of Arizona head football coach Rich Rodriguez is one of the most intimidating (and yet, funny) men I have ever encountered. But even his players are dumb enough to make mistakes a college-aged kid would make. Let’s be clear: after the downward spiral left behind by Kramer, Ash deserves a medal. Or, at the very least, perhaps a job? I mentioned RichRod, who is one of dozens of high-profile coaches in the rumor-mill this season. His Arizona Wildcats entered 2015 fresh off a Pac-12 South championship and appearance in the Fiesta Bowl. Some Wildcat fans want him gone. I have spoken to other fans who say they would love to watch RichRod win eight games each year and earn an invitation to the “insert ridiculous-named bowl game here.” Sounds familiar. Cat-Griz Insider Greg Rachac spoke with an MSU fan who stated, “If (Ash) went 7-4 every year that would be good enough for me.” There lies the dilemma. Do you retain a coach that can win seven or eight games a year, go to the postseason but lose consistently before the championship round? Do you settle for a guy with a 2-7 record against your in-state rival? I’ll be honest. Saturday before the game and Sunday again after, I texted my cousin and my father-in-law that I thought Ash’s time in Bozeman had come to a close. I also texted them that I thought it was probably the right move. I have no horse in this Cat-Griz race (my wife, a Griz fan, believes me a Bobcat supporter while my friends, MSU fans, think the opposite) but from an unbiased view, I felt it was time for Peter Fields, the MSU athletic director, to make a change. I said that under one condition. They damn well better have the right replacement in mind, because Bobcat fans can’t wait another 30 years to be relevant.
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Even during a bye week Rich Rodriguez is making headlines. The kind on Twitter anyway. As the University of Florida was providing the final flush on their disappointing home loss to Missouri, Gator fans and college football "enthusiasts" were calling for Will Muschamp's job. Saturday's loss dropped Muschamp to 15-14 in SEC games at UF, a record Gator fans are less than willing to settle for. While the "fire Muschamp" chants echoed throughout Gainesville, the "hire (insert college football coach's name here)" mantras were well underway. That's where Rich Rod steps in, whether he knows it or not. Florida is arguably one of the top coaching destinations in the country. The Gators claim three national championships, two in the last 10 years. There's the raucous stadium pushing 90,000 screaming fans. Gatorade, Tebow, Spurrier, Meyer, did I mention Tebow? Big names grow in Gainesville. Could it be the place that pushes Rich Rod into the top tier? It makes sense. Rodriguez would be in a recruiter's dreamland in the state of Florida. Imagine how potent his offense could be with some of the freakiest athletes in the country. Picture yourself as a fly on the wall of Nick Saban's office as he tries to prepare a defensive game plan for those Gators. The fan base, boosters and resources would be unlimited for Rich Rodriguez in Gainesville. Florida's SEC is widely considered the best of the power conferences. Voters continually put these programs in the top 25. In the BCS era, SEC teams captured the national championship nine times in 16 seasons. Yes, Rich Rodriguez would likely have the advantage at a school like Florida. But would any potential success be a product of the location more than the coach? Don't misinterpret the last sentence. No ordinary Joe could walk into the SEC and coach a team to a national championship. Odds are someone like Rich Rodriguez would have a fair chance. But if he truly needs to prove himself to fans, wouldn't it be more impressive coming from Tucson? The University of Arizona is an incredible community. Athletic director Greg Byrne and his colleagues have done a great job constructing quality coaching staffs, providing state-of-the-art facilities and putting the Wildcats back on the map, not that they ever truly vanished. But gridiron glory has been scarce at best. Rodriguez currently has the Wildcats 5-1, 2-1 in Pac-12 play and ranked 16th in the country. Arizona fans are buying in. Boasting the number 16 ranking is a feat Arizona fans can be proud of. The Florida faithful, the ones used to competing for national championships, expect better, although these days 16 probably sounds pretty good to the Gators. Let's say the Wildcats run the table the rest of the way. That would give UofA three more wins over Top 25 teams and a record of 11-1. Those accomplishments would at least give the Wildcats some consideration for a berth in college football's final four. Not bad for a basketball school. The point is simple, but the decision for Rich Rod may not be. If Florida comes calling, and odds are they will reach out to a handful of college football's promising coaches, it will be difficult to turn them away. The Gators brass will dare coaches to say no, offering an insane contract and all of the perks many will never see. If Rich Rodriguez were to jump on the hook, and I would imagine those chances are quite low, it won't be because he has something to prove. Florida doesn't need much proving. Winning at Arizona on the other hand? That would give Rich Rod some gusto. Rich Rod's son Rhett is a star QB at Tucson's Catalina Foothills H.S.
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AuthorRichie is a small-town boy chasing big-city dreams. When he's not involved with sports, he's spending time with his wife, Fallon; their yorkie, Tinker; and their Rhodesian Ridgeback, Rosie. Archives
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