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Tennessee

In the most prestigious available job in the country, there were many top coaches looking praying to be called the next head coach. Guys like Butch Davis, former Miami (FL) coaching great and current UNC coach, and Brian Kelly, current Cincinnatti head coach who turned Central Michigan and Cincinnati into great teams in a very brief time, were available for this job. But, at the end of the day, the former USC Offensive Coordinator and former Oakland Raiders head coach got the job. It’s safe to say he would have gotten a big job like this if he stayed in college coaching, but his ties to the pros helped him even more. He needs to get a solid recruiting class in there and start to show some signs of life in that terrible offense. Also, there is a very good possibility that he may bring his father, Monte Kiffin, defensive coordinator extraordinaire for the Tampa Bay Bucs, along with him.

-“Winning solves all problems”: After a week of turmoil in Big D this past week, the Cowboys were able to squeak out a 13-9 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. WR Roy Williams got his first TD, the offense did not commit a turnover, and P Sam Paulescu (playing for the injured P Matt McBriar) made a momentum changing tackle over Buccs return man KR Clifton Smith that sparked the entire team. While the Cowboys may still be a mess, this helps sooth the pain before heading to play the defending champion New York Giants next week.

-“What do you mean you didn’t start Seahawks FB Leonard Weaver in Fantasy Football this week?!”: The man wearing neon green shoes had 4 catches for 116 yards and 2 TD in Seattle’s 34-13 win over San Francisco. Weaver is the first receiver to reach the 100-yard mark for the Seahawks this season; taking 7 games to do so.

-“Title Bout: Manning vs. Roethlisberger”: This battle of 2004 1^st rounder Super Bowl winning quarterbacks, scheduled for 60 minutes, came down to a defensive battle and a back-up long snapper. Despite Big Ben’s 4 INT, the Steelers were up 14-12 deep into the forth quarter before replacement long snapper LB James Harrison (playing for the injured LS Greg Warren) sailed a snap over the punter’s head for a Safety to tie the game up at 14 a piece. Giants QB Eli Manning hit a wide open TE Kevin Boss for a TD to seal the game 21-14 and stake their claim as the NFL’s best team.

-“Joe Flacco, master of all trades?!”: The Baltimore Ravens rookie QB can do it all. He was 12 for 24 for 140 yards passing and 1 TD; he racked up 23 yards on 4 carries and scored a rushing TD, and oh wait, pulled in a 43 yard catch from back-up QB Troy Smith to lead the Ravens to a 29-10 win over the Oakland Raiders. Before we know it, LB Ray Lewis will have him playing defense.

-True or False: Has Cleveland Browns RB Jamal Lewis broke 100 yards rushing in a game yet this season? (Answer below)

-“If you don’t think I’m the best WR, then you better check your references!” –Carolina Panthers WR Steve Smith said to NFL Films: After further investigation, we are starting to agree with Smith as he pulled in 5 catches for 117 yards and 2 touchdowns in the 27-23 win over the Arizona Cardinals. He also gets ‘brownie points’ for giving his first TD ball to fellow teammate S Ken Lucas, whom he was suspended 2 games earlier this season for a training camp fight.

-“Detroit Lions = every team’s Homecoming Game”: The silver and gray extended their NFC best ‘losing’ streak to 7 games after falling 25-17 to the Washington Redskins. The Lions gave up 439 total yards with the Skin’s QB Jason Campbell tossing for 328 yards, RB Clinton Portis rushing for 126 yards and WR Santana Moss receiving 140 yards. Moss also took a punt return 80 yards to the house to seal the deal in the 4^th quarter. Are the Lions heading to 0-16?

-“Ted Ginn Jr., welcome to the NFL!”: The Miami Dolphins 1^st round draft pick in 2007 stuck it to his critics (who have begun labeling him with the ‘B-word’ aka BUST) to rack in 7 catches for 175 yards in the team’s 25-16 win over the Buffalo Bills. The former Ohio State play maker looked very Buckeye-esq. busting out a 64 yard reception from QB Chad Pennington. The Dolphins have been waiting for someone to step up at WR and they may have found their man.

-“Is that David Beckham playing QB for the New Orleans Saints or Drew Brees?!”“: The London, England fans couldn’t tell the difference because their ‘home game’ QB Drew Brees decided to light up Wembley Stadium for 339 yards and 3 TD in the Saints 37-32 win over San Diego. The potential league MVP showed 83,000+ London ‘chaps’ why the Chargers should never have let him go in the first place.

-“Best Post Game News Conference Award” goes to new 49ers Head Coach Mike Singletary: After getting spanked 34-13 by the Seattle Seahawks, the former Hall of Fame Linebacker gave a passionate and inspiring media session discussing why he benched his QB JT O’Sullivan and why he needed to apologize to fans. In regards to TE Vernon Davis who was told to leave the game in the 4^th quarter, Singletary told him “he’d do a better job for us right now by taking a shower and coming back and watching the game than going back in the game, simple as that.” Well, at least he didn’t tell them to “crown their @$$” like Dennis Green would have…

-Answer: FALSE; Cleveland Browns RB Jamal Lewis has yet to break 100 yards this season, but he did log 81 yards on 20 carries and a TD in the Browns 23-17 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.

-“What do the numbers 11, 7 and 3 have in common?”: According to New York Jets QB Brett Favre, (11) represents his league leading INT total, (7) of which have come in his past three games and (3) that ended up in the Kansas Chiefs hands on Sunday. Despite the turnovers, the 18^th year ‘ageless wonder’ was able to squeak out 290 yards passing and 2 TD in the 28-24 comeback win over the Chiefs.

-“The Energizer Bunny Award” goes to Houston Texans WR Andre Johnson: The stud WR from the ‘U’ pulled in 11 catches for 143 yards in a lopsided 35-6 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. In the past month (4 games), Johnson has recorded 41 receptions for 593 yards and 2 TD. He keeps going, and going, and going…

-And Finally…

-“Sorry Matt Ryan, but Sunday belonged to the city of Philadelphia”: Not only did the Eagles usher in a 27-14 win over the Atlanta Falcons, but the Phillies won Game 4 of the Major League World Series 10-2 over the Tampa Bay Rays. Also, the NHL hockey Philadelphia Flyers won 3-2 over the New Jersey Devils. And if you don’t care for sports, than you were probably rocking out to Classic Rock Legends “The Who” playing next door at the Philadelphia Wachovia Center. Somebody get me a Cheese Steak!

By: Ryan Kusy

Here’s a look at the Rankings of NFL Teams so far this season, based on record, schedule, and overall play.

Week 4 Power Rankings:

1.)    Cowboys: After two huge wins, and the help of rookie Felix Jones, the Cowboys are the team to beat. Number one is there spot to lose, but it doesn’t look like they will any time soon.

2.)    Giants: They should have done better against Cincy, but they showed some fight and were able to battle out of a tough situation. This win should help them down the road.

3.)    Titans: Having arguably the best defense in league, they will be in practically any game they play. Kerry Collins looks solid enough at QB to keep winning. The Vikings game this week should tell us just how good they will be this year.

4.)    Bills: The Bills won a rough game against the Raiders, but managed to pull it out in the end. They lose WR and KR Parrish for 4 to 6 weeks, which is a large set back, but they play the Rams this week…4-0 is clearly in sight.

5.)    Eagles: The Eagles only lose game on a tight one to Dallas, but they came back and shatter the whole entire Pittsburgh offense. Though Westbrook had an ankle injury in the game, we will see how bad it is.

6.)    Broncos: A surprisingly good start to the season, averaging nearly 40 points a game. But I still cannot get past the fact they SHOULD have lost to the Chargers. Either way they are playing great football and Jay Cutler looks amazing with Brandon Marshall.

7.)    Steelers: They suffered a pitiful lose to the Eagles this week allowing sacks left and right. Both Roethlisberger and Parker were hurt in the game, and it is already confirmed that Parker will miss next week against the Ravens.

8.)    Packers: The Packers looked very impressive up until last week, but after a bad loss to the Cowboys, they looked a bit shaky. The worst news is that Al Harris has a ruptured spleen and could miss the rest of the year.

9.)    Chargers: They looked like a legitimate Super bowl contender, and they clearly showed why on Monday night. They put of 48 points on the Jets and their defense had two INTs, but should have had at least 3 more.

10.)      Panthers: Hey…maybe Steve Smith should have been suspended for more than two games. That or maybe a team shouldn’t give up 20 straight points after leading 10-0. An overall disappointing week for the promising Panthers.

11.)      Patriots: Well it is hard to even put the Pats in the top 20 after this past week’s performance. Ronnie might just be the starting QB next week…he played well enough and scored more than enough touchdowns from that position last week.

12.)      Colts: Their run defense is bad, their pass defense is bad, or well, I guess their whole defense is bad. Bob Sanders has just shown how critical he is to this defense by not even playing. His absence has left this defense, well, shocked. Injuries have plagued their team yet again this season though, unfortunate.

13.)      Jaguars: Another team with a huge expectations this year that has underachieved. They did however pull of an impressive victory to the Colts, but need to become more consistent now. A game against the Texans should help…I hope. Their offensive line has been batter and bruised worse than any other team thus far, they have an excuse.

14.)      Buccaneers: Brian Griese has thrown 98 times in two starts…almost 50 times a game. I wonder how long that will last. Either way he has posted two victories thus far and pulled of a nice OT against a tough Bears team.

15.)      Redskins: A nice win against the Cardinals has gotten this team back on track. Clinton Portis looks very good and Santana Moss has made some huge plays to win games in the past two weeks. They need to keeping posting victories in such a tough division. They play the Cowboys next week…a huge opportunity to make their mark in the NFL.

16.)      Ravens: Who knew Joe Flacco would have a 2-0 start and look rather impressive in both victories? Of course I did. A team scattered with rookies (both players and coaches) could move to 3-0 with a huge test against the Steelers this week.

17.)      Saints: The loss of Shockey to this team hurts a lot. Their defense needs to step up to compliment a high-flying offense.

18.)      Cardinals: Looked a little out of it against the Skins, but their offense should very well keep them in games. Best one, two WR group in the league.

19.)      Vikings: Slow start, but came back to win an impressive victory under back-up QB Gus Frerotte. They have a huge test against Tennessee this week.

20.)      Bears: They have lead every game going into the 4^th quarter…only the best teams can finish them.

The rest of the pack:

21.)      49ers

22.)      Falcons

23.)      Jets

24.)      Dolphins

25.)      Seahawks

26.)      Browns

27.)      Texans

28.)      Raiders

29.)      Bengals

30.)      Chiefs

31.)      Lions

32.)      Rams

Disclaimer:  Mock drafts in September are not accurate!  This is by no means something to live by until next April.  However, what this does offer is a chance get an early idea of talent level, and assess team needs. 

The draft order is based on a non-scientific and non-redeeming combination of current team records and my final outcome predictions.  I preemptively apologize for the boring Super Bowl prediction, and am not and have never been a  ”fan” of either team.

Basically I am both accountable and completely exempt from the followiing content…

1.         St. Louis Rams             Andre Smith, OT Alabama

In 2008 St. Louis took Chris Long with the #2 overall pick, so this year they address the other side of the ball with their other glaring need left unfilled.  Right now they are wasting an awful lot of talent at their skill positions because of their porous O-Line.

2.         Kansas City Chiefs                   Matthew Stafford, QB Georgia

It will be tough for the Chiefs to pass on a talent like Stafford here, even though they are still in the process of evaluating Brodie Croyle and Tyler Thigpen.  As with any rookie quarterback, don’t expect Stafford to set the world on fire in his first year, but he has all the necessary tools to be a solid franchise quarterback.  

3.         Detroit Lions                            Michael Johnson, DE Georgia Tech

Could the Matt Millen era finally be over?  If so, expect whoever comes in to make it a point to build the franchise the right way – starting from the trenches.  The Lions have several defensive line “projects” right now, but Johnson is a potential pass rushing star if they can get consistent output from him.

4.         Oakland Raiders                       Michael Crabtree, WR Texas Tech

As I am writing this, Lane Kiffin is expected to be fired at any moment.  With Al Davis clearly the man in control, expect him to go the playmaker route, in the hopes of giving his young, struggling QB some much needed help on the outside.

5.         Cleveland Browns                    Chris Wells, RB Ohio State

The Browns have been possibly the biggest disappointment so far this year, and while they desperately need to improve their pass rush and secondary, it will be tough to pass up on Wells, who is the best player available and will not have to travel far from Columbus.

6.         Cincinnati Bengals                     Rey Maualuga, MLB USC

As usual, Cincinnati is a mess, and I expect some major changes for next year, not that we won’t see more of the same under current ownership.  Reuniting Maualuga with Keith Rivers would make for a better tandem than TJ Houshmandzedah and Chad “Eight-Five” Johnson.

7.         Houston Texans                        Vontae Davis, CB Illinois

Like Detroit, Houston is a team that consistently promises improvement in July and August only to disappoint during the regular season.  This year, however, they do get not only the best DB prospect in the draft, but possibly the best of the last several years.

8.         Miami Dolphins                        Malcolm Jenkins, CB OSU

I imagine several of the teams picking before Miami here wish they had offered the moon to Parcells last year to come in and rebuild their organization…  Houston makes this decision easier for The Tuna, as he takes the next best corner available, after addressing the defensive front 7’s in 2008.

9.         Atlanta Falcons             Percy Harvin, WR Florida

Mike Smith addressed a number of positions in his first draft, and while Matt Ryan looks to have already developed some chemistry with Roddy White, he would benefit greatly from a playmaker like Harvin who can line up all over the field and create match-up problems.

10.       Chicago Bears                          Jeremy Maclin, WR Missouri

While I feel Josh Freeman may be warranted here, I have the Bears selecting Maclin here based on the notion that the organization will not take a quarterback in the first round.  Either way, Chicago needs an offensive playmaker outside of Devin Hester.

11.       San Francisco 49ers                 Duke Robinson, OG Oklahoma

Mike Nolan might still have a job after all!  This is pretty remarkable considering their former #1 overall pick in Alex Smith is a bust, and while I expect Mike Martz to pine for a quarterback, non-sexy picks worked in 2008, so San Francisco will continue the trend in 2009.

12.       Seattle Seahawks                     Darius Heyward-Bey, WR Maryland

With the season nearly down the drain because of so many injuries at WR, Seattle finally uses the draft to address the gaping hole, finally getting a legitimate homerun threat, to go along with a host of guys who are #2’s and #3’s when healthy.

13.       Baltimore Ravens                      Brian Cushing, OLB USC

I think Baltimore will address the lack of depth on their offensive line in rounds 2 and 3, and take the best outside linebacker in the draft, whose versatility and playmaking ability is coveted by the Ravens.

14.       New York Jets                         Knowshon Moreno, RB Georgia

The Jets faithful wanted Darren McFadden in 2008, but gets its game changing RB in 2009.  Moreno has top 5 talent, but falls to the middle of the first round based solely on team needs.  Don’t be surprised if Moreno jumps to #1 if the toe of Beanie Wells continues to be a problem.

15.       Washington Redskins                George Selvie, DE South Florida

Jason Taylor was supposed to be a quick fix for the Washington pass rush, but Selvie is a long term project who has the explosion teams look for at defensive end.

16.       Philadelphia Eagles                   Michael Oher, OT Mississippi

            (From Carolina)

It’s ironic that the Panthers traded away this pick, when if they had stayed the course they would have been able to draft a better prospect at the same position in 2009.  Right now it might be a toss up as to who is the better prospect between Oher and Andre Smith.  I will side with Smith for now, as Oher’s intelligence is a huge questionmark.

17.       Jacksonville Jaguars                  Marcus Freeman, OLB OSU

Like Baltimore, I expect Jacksonville to go heavy on offensive line in rounds 2-4, but they need to add depth to their linebacking corps as well, and Jenkins is the best available pick on the outside, even though I would consider this pick a bit of a stretch (something Del Rio certainly did not shy away from in the 2008 draft).

18.       New Orleans Saints                  William Moore, S Missouri

Snatching up Jonathan Vilma was a move that will pay huge dividends for the Saints, but their secondary is still clearly lacking.  New Orleans can address either corner or safety here, but with the top two corners gone by this point they will opt for Moore.

19.       Minnesota Vikings                    Brandon Pettigrew, TE Oklahoma State

The Vikings would be elated to get Pettigrew here, as he may be the best all-around TE prospect since Jeremy Shockey.  Based on team needs he is available here for Minnesota, but expect someone in the top 10 to fall in love with him, and look past his recent off the field issues.

20.       San Diego Chargers                  Aaron Curry, ILB Wake Forest

This time last year I made the mistake of surrendering to media expectations and putting both Andre Woodson and Dan Connor in my first mock draft, when I knew from my own evaluations that I would not grade Woodson higher than a 7th rounder, and Connor higher than a 4th.  I will not make that same mistake again this year, and that is why you will not see James Laurinaitis in this mock, who I believe is severely over-hyped.

21.       New England Patriots               Victor Harris, DB Virginia Tech

I think New England might be better served by re-evaluating their offensive line talent, but their secondary is clearly another big issue.  With rival San Diego taking Curry off the board, the Patriots settle for Harris, who has the versatility they look for in their defensive backs.

22.       Arizona Cardinals                     James Davis, RB Clemson

I know what you’re thinking – Arizona drafting after New England?!  It certainly may happen with the injury situations in New England and Seattle this season, and look for Arizona to take whoever they believe is the best runningback left on the board.

23.       Buffalo Bills                              Tyson Jackson, DE LSU

He may not be flashy, but he will make for an excellent strong side end in the NFL, stout against the running holding up the point of attack.  Hmm, not flashy but effective… Sounds like a perfect fit in Buffalo!

24.       Tampa Bay Buccaneers            Vance Walker, DT Georgia Tech

His own teammate at Georgia Tech, Michael Johnson, calls him the best defensive lineman in the country, and his play thus far has shown nothing to prove otherwise.  His motor is awesome, and he is much stronger than you might expect at 290 lbs, and I would expect him to actually play NT in the Tampa 2 scheme of the Buccaneers.

25.       Tennessee Titans                      Louis Murphy, WR Florida

While the Titans could go QB here, I think they will give Chris Simms his fair shot and finally get some help at WR.  Murphy may not have the best total package here but his speed is what moves him into the first round.

26.       Philadelphia Eagles                   Taylor Mays, S USC

After taking BPA with their first pick, Philadelphia addresses a major area of need, as they look to find an eventual replacement for the aging Brian Dawkins.  Mays, however, still must utilize his considerable athleticism to demonstrate consistent production.

27.       Indianapolis Colts                     BJ Raji, DT Boston College

While Raji does not fit what the Colts normally look for at DT in their scheme, their struggles against the run in recent years should convince them to finally take a true space eater who can control two gaps on the inside.

28.       New York Giants                     Travis Beckum, TE Wisconsin

Beckum could help the Giants forget all about the loss of Jeremy Shockey, and give Eli Manning another dangerous weapon.  While he is a liability blocking, the Giants already have that role covered with their current roster, and Beckum will bring a completely new dimension to the offense.

29.       Denver Broncos                       Alex Mack, C California

While the early season has shown the Broncos could use some help defensively, Mack is too good a prospect and too perfect a fit to pass up here, as rarely has their been an interior lineman with his combination of size, strength, and athleticism.  He will be a 10-15 year starter in the NFL and a perennial pro-bowler.

30.       Green Bay Packers                   Mike Mickens, CB Cincinnati

Green Bay desperately needs to add youth at corner, and they hope the combination of Mickens and 2008 draft pick Patrick Lee will be the future of the franchise at the position.

31.       Pittsburgh Steelers                    Eugene Monroe, OT Virginia

In the 2008 draft the Steelers were fortunate to draft some offensive playmakers, but were not able to fix their offensive line.  Monroe could be exactly what they are looking for when they look to replace Marvel Smith.

32.       Dallas Cowboys                       Pat White, WR West Virginia

For the record, I am not a big Pat White fan in terms of his translation to the NFL, but knowing the Cowboys needs, and knowing Jerry Jones, this would not be a surprising pick.  Getting a speedy homerun threat opposite T.O. will be priority number one for Jones in 2009.

by: Eric Galko

It is not surprising that after a season with so many huge upsets across the board, teams were perfectly comfortable with making changes at the top.

A total of 18 Division IA schools have given the reigns to new coaches for their football teams. Now, that was not the case for all teams, as some were fed up with too many inconsistent or losing seasons, and some had to find replacements when their coaches went on to other jobs.

Here are the 18 coaches in new places, with what their season outlook is, coaching outlook, number of years they have to build up the program, and projected season record for the 2008 season.

Arkansas

Old Coach – Houston Nutt (Resigned, Mississippi)
New Coach – Bobby Petrino (Atlanta Falcons Coach)

Season Outlook:
After an up and down season in which he got very drastic yet mixed reviews, Houston Nutt called it quits at Arkansas. The problem with that was the fact that the two best players on the Arkansas roster bolted to the draft, possibly because he wasn’t there. McFadden was a Top 4 selection while Felix Jones was picked 23rd. The return was Casey Dick, but that’s about it, which isn’t much to look forward to.

Coaching Outlook:
Bobby Petrino is a great college coach, no doubt about that. But, his resume as a quitter on his team (left Louisville out of the blue, then left the Falcons after 13 games) isn’t good for future recruiting classes. But, for the time being, he has a decent QB to mold into another NFL draft pick, he has some talent that all teams in the SEC get, and he has the experience in big games. Petrino will most likely win in Arkansas as he is just a classic great college coach. But, the toughness of the SEC could scare him and damage his record, so if he doesn’t start to compete for SEC crowns early on, he could be ousted.

Years to Build: 3 Years

2008 Projected Record: 7-5

Baylor

Old Coach – Guy Morris (fired)
New Coach – Art Briles (Houston)

Season Outlook:
This team has not been to a bowl game since 1994 and hasn’t had a winning record since 1995. They have really struggled in every season, especially against Big 12 opponents. If they can get a few solid recruits and win the games they are supposed to, they could compete for a .500 record early on.

Coaching Outlook:
I was pretty surprised that Briles didn’t get any other looks from bigger schools because he has done nothing but win in Houston. He led Houston to 4 bowl games in 5 years, a team, which before he got there, had one winning season in its last twelve seasons. He also led his team to a C-USA championship. We will see if he can take a Big 12 team to the same result.

Years to Build: 3-5 Years

2008 Projected Record: 10-2

Colorado State

Old Coach – Sonny Lubick (Resigned)
New Coach – Steve Fairchild (Assistant Coach)

Season Outlook:
The Broncos have enjoyed some solid teams and have really not been able to build up a strong core of talent for their team. They have battled Colorado for recruiting in state for a while but may be losing ground now even more. They need to gain some production, as it needs help, but also to step up a little more if they wish to continue to compete in the Mountain West conference.

Coaching Outlook:
Forcing Lubick to resign was somewhat surprising as he led them to a 108-74 record and 9 bowl games. I don’t know who they think they are, but I don’t think Steve Fairchild can do much better. Fairchild has been with the team for a while now, and he knows the players and the system, but he needs to separate himself from Lubick to stay for an extended period of time.

Years to Build: 2-3 Years

2008 Projected Record: 3-9

Duke

Old Coach – Ted Roof (Fired)
New Coach – David Cutcliffe (former offensive coordinator for Tennessee)

Season Outlook:
No team has a better chance to go winless than Duke. Every season that is. How bad is Duke? They would struggle to go .500 in Division II. They make the expansion Tampa Bay Bucs from a while back look like the 2008 New England Patriots. They are just bad. Worse than bad. If any coach can lead this team to a 3 or 4 win season in year one, he should get an NFL coaching gig.

Coaching Outlook:
After posting a Job Description on the Duke Athletics website, I am surprised they still landed a decent coach. Cutcliffe was Eli Manning’s head coach and had a 44-29 record at Ole Miss. He has been the Tennessee offensive coordinator, and they have enjoyed quite a bit of success. He has a tough road ahead of him, though.

Years to Build: 5-10 Years (or until he says “Not worth it”)

2008 Projected Record: 1-11

Georgia Tech

Old Coach – Chan Gailey (Fired)
New Coach – Paul Johnson (Navy)

Season Outlook:
This team loses its heart and soul in Tashard Choice, but they have had some solid recruiting classes the past few years. The big question will be how much Paul Johnson uses the option in the ACC, which has not been the norm for a while. We will see if the current players can fit into Johnson’s system.

Coaching Outlook:
Johnson has run the option at Navy for the past 6 seasons and has had astounding success. It is still up in the air if he will run it at Georgia Tech. Did he only run the option because he didn’t have the necessary talent to run a regular offense? Would Tech hire him if he were going to run the option in the ACC? I don’t know the answer, but it should be interesting to see.

Years to Build: 2-3 Years

2008 Projected Record: 8-4

Hawaii

Old Coach – June Jones (SMU)
New Coach – Greg McMacklin (former Defensive Coordinator)

Season Outlook:
Even though they lost most of their key offensive players, this team still has a number of recruits who will carry over. Losing your quarterback is never good, but losing your three top receivers is really bad. As I said, they still have talent, but I don’t know how long it will last.

Coaching Outlook:
McMacklin is a very puzzling hire. He was the defensive coordinator for a decent defense and will be coaching a team that the only reason they won games was their passing offense. If McMacklin can’t find a way to mimic June Jones’ offense, he will struggle to go .500.

Years to Build: 1-2 Years

2008 Projected Record: 6-7

Houston

Old Coach – Art Briles (Baylor)
New Coach – Kevin Sumlin (Oklahoma)

Season Outlook:
After quite a few good seasons and solid recruiting, Houston has one of the most talented teams in the Conference USA. This team has loads of potential and has really made a name for itself the past few years. They should be looking to once again compete for the C-USA title.

Coaching Outlook:
Sumlin, who has been basically Bob Stoops’ righthand man, has finally gotten his shot to coach. He has been the co-offensive coordinator, the passing game coordinator, and the wide receivers’ coach. Sumlin will have to replace Art Briles, who really put Houston on the map for the 1st time in a while. Sumlin will need to bring his offensive expertise to keep this newfound tradition intact.

Years to Build: 2-3 Years

2008 Projected Record: 10-2

Michigan

Old Coach – Lloyd Carr (Retired)
New Coach – Rich Rodriguez (West Virginia)

Season Outlook:
After having a strong nucleus of great talent for a good 3-4 year stretch and having all those talented players back for one last go, Lloyd Carr blew it, and now all the great talent is gone to the NFL draft, including their top 2 QB’s, top 2 RB’s, Top 2 WR’s, top 2 offensive lineman, and two of their top defensive players. But, they still have some good talent, and Rodriguez brought in a collection of freshman who fit his scheme well.

Coaching Outlook:
After leaving West Virginia, many people were angry with him, just not the people in Ann Arbor. They were overjoyed for 3 reasons. One, they will finally have a system that compares with Ohio State, their archrival and current dominator. Two, they will get a very high profile coach who brings a winning attitude and a great record to back it up. And finally, he brought in the hope that Terrell Pryor would be the savior of the Michigan Wolverines. Even though he lost in the Pryor sweepstakes, two out of three isn’t back, and he should compete relatively soon.

Years to Build: 3 Years

2008 Projected Record: 6-6

Mississippi

Old Coach – Ed Orgeron (Fired)
New Coach – Houston Nutt (Arkansas)

Season Outlook:
The Rebels have not enjoyed a good season since Eli but still have some solid players. They have decent depth at the key positions and even have some good players at quarterback. With Ed Orgeron out, it should be interesting to see if all the players stay, but they really can’t get much worse than they were with him.

Coaching Outlook:
Nutt didn’t really have a defined system at Arkansas since he ran everything from I-formation to shotgun with McFadden in the backfield. At Ole Miss, Nutt has some talented players and can hopefully let his mind be creative a little and move the few special players he has around. I wouldn’t expect too much out of him in year one because this team is rather a mess, but in year 2 or 3, they should start to compete.