View From Bennett Avenue

The recent spate of coaching firings have been met with the annual yawn. After all, focus is on the winners and typically a coach being tossed aside has not won enough. The current group consists of guys who were unable to raise expectations, like Turner Gill at Kansas, or once they did--think Ray Sherman at Texas A&M or Houston Nutt at Mississippi--failed to meet them. The Pac 12 South became a study in the new volatility in coaching tenures. Southern Cal was the only program of the six in the south to play well. That UCLA "won" the crown with USC ineligible and despite getting blown out by the Trojans did not save coach Rick Neuheisel's job. That a bad Bruins club won the division then cost two other coaches their jobs with Mike Stoops out of Arizona in mid-season (okay before UCLA won but the writing was on the wall that the Cats were not going to win it) and Dennis Erickson done in Tempe at year's end. That same thinking was on display last year in the Big East when a mediocre Connecticut team's capture of that league's BCS bid forced change at West Virginia and Pitt because those programs were supposed to win.
So, sometimes the "best" openings are mirages in that the expectations are too high. Texas A&M has always thought they were better than they really are so that job--especially with the SEC beckoning--is not for the feint of heart. Arizona State may be the current plum with Penn State a bit tarnished but it is sometimes better to stay under the radar. I love the marriage of Washington State and Mike Leach for example. Leach will not be facing Big 12 defenses that had been forced to adjust to the wide open passing attacks so prevalent in that conference and should be able to pull some Texas talent up north. I pity the Pac 12 defensive coordinator who has to face the speedy spread rushing attack of Oregon and then the polished pro attack of USC before facing the passing attack of Leach. Good luck.