Ketch's 10 Thoughts From the Weekend (After a few days of considering Lincoln Riley at OU...)

[Ketchum]

The difference is that Lincoln Riley is going to inherit a Top 10 team. Most young coaches take over a program that was either terrible or on a slow decline.

Riley is inheriting a really good team with a top QB so he has a lot more tools to work with than most. He can still screw it up (especially against Ohio State on the road), but he just has to drive the bus with Baker Mayfield.

In the long-term, what matters is whether he's elite.

 

[etexbearkat2]

For one thing, the Big 10 will NOT want to take Texas Tech. If Texas and Oklahoma win, the Big 12 is dead talk will cease. So people will know, many of the same things said about Tom Herman have been said of Lincoln Riley.

 

[MikeCorleone]

For 50+ years of Wilkinson, Switzer and Stoops, I would take 10 years of Gibbs, Schnellenberger and Blake.

The demands of a job at a top 20 program have changed a lot since the 80s.

And Riley's experience generally pales compared to Switzer and Wilkenson.

Riley has been at a major program for two years. Switzer had been an assistant at Arkansas and OU for about a decade. Looks like Wilkerson had about a half dozen years. Though I'm not sure the 1940s are much of a comparison.

 

[Ketchum]

In the last 70 years, OU has only hired one coach with HC experience. Will Riley succeed in spite of that? Not sure, but in that same 70 year time period UT has not hired a HC that didn't have HC experience. The record over those 70 years? OU 34, UT 33 with 3 ties.

In the last 30 years, OU is one for three on these types of hires.

 

[drunk randoke]

Dunkirk is the movie to see.

 

[Ketchum]

Ketch, just to be clear, Texas has been hiring coaches with previous head coaching experience since 1977 and only ONE did a damn thing. Akers, McWilliams, Mackovic, Brown and Strong. 4 of them got fired having won nothing. To get 18 years of Bob Stoops, I would have taken 6 years of Gibbs, Schnellenberger and Blake. Hell, I had to suffer through Akers, McWilliams and Mackovic to get to Mack, (who Bob owned). Now, we hope that Herman is everything we think he can be, because Charlie Strong stunk like a fresh turd.

None of that has anything to do with Riley.

 

[Ketchum]

@Ketchum wait, are you saying you don't have a problem with the early favorites being New England and Dallas?

I don't believe in Dallas.

 

[Ketchum]

Herman is undefeated as a Vegas underdog.

Check.

what was Texas' record a year ago?

Just reminding you in case you've forgotten.

 

[Junk_Mail]

It's a different world than it was when the SWC died.

The state congressman from Plainview doesn't mean shit.

And the state congressman from Midland? Amarillo? Lubbock? Abilene? San Angelo? Odessa? Do they not mean anything either?

This is politics and it will be played at a level higher level than the one currently occupied by McRaven.

 

[MikeCorleone]

yeah that sucks. Forgive me for not being excited about playing Minnesota, wisconsin, Iowa, nebraska, Illinois and northwestern every year. Oh I forgot Purdue. It would be nice to be in a conference where you are excited about more than two to three games a year. Will be interesting to see if the people in charge at Texas make better decisions when the opportunity comes than powers and dodds did.

Uh. The anti-SEC attitude goes way, way, way beyond Powers and Dodds.

 

[Ketchum]

Nice piece @Ketchum.

 

[Ketchum]

And the state congressman from Midland? Amarillo? Lubbock? Abilene? San Angelo? Odessa? Do they not mean anything either?

This is politics and it will be played at a level higher level than the one currently occupied by McRaven.

you seem to have it all figured out.

 

[SarkAfterDark]

And the state congressman from Midland? Amarillo? Lubbock? Abilene? San Angelo? Odessa? Do they not mean anything either?

This is politics and it will be played at a level higher level than the one currently occupied by McRaven.

You make some good points, but I don't think Machiavelli is in the Texas legislature.

 

[Ketchum]

For one thing, the Big 10 will NOT want to take Texas Tech. If Texas and Oklahoma win, the Big 12 is dead talk will cease. So people will know, many of the same things said about Tom Herman have been said of Lincoln Riley.

Tom Herman's resume as a head coach is only two years greater than Riley and yet he's proven a million more things.

 

[Junk_Mail]

The demands of a job at a top 20 program have changed a lot since the 80s.

And Riley's experience generally pales compared to Switzer and Wilkenson.

Riley has been at a major program for two years. Switzer had been an assistant at Arkansas and OU for about a decade. Looks like Wilkerson had about a half dozen years. Though I'm not sure the 1940s are much of a comparison.

Lincoln Riley went to college for the specific purpose of being a college head coach. He's not a failed NFL player, he's not a guy who spent time on Wall Street before getting bored. This is who he wants to be.

I like Herman's resume more than Riley, but not because of two years at UH. I like that Herman coached at several different programs and then put the cherry on top with the OC job at Ohio State. But it's dangerous to think Riley is going to be overmatched simply because he's young.

 

[longhornlm]

Ok, and what the did the state congressman from Plainview say? He/She will be involved in this. No way Texas risks the State Leg taking a look at the current configuration of the PUF and that's something that nobody from Plainview can make noise about doing.

Right now, Tech gets $0 from the PUF, do you think Texas is willing to give up a share of it just to get away from them and go to the Big 10? Ain't going to happen.

Again, the Texas officials can say/think whatever they want, but when push comes to shove, no sitting Governor (Texas grad or not) is going to risk his job in this state just to let Texas play Ohio State while Tech gets stuck with Colorado State.

Hey junkie, UH and Tulane have been more relevant than Tech in football. Where did that get them? Your boys are destined to be rivals of West Texas A&M, New Mexico State and UTEP. Deal with it!

 

[CPHornfan]

In fact, Jones, who I view as one of the best reporters covering the NBA today, mentioned that he believed that Durant has emerged as a better player than Larry Bird. Understand that he wasn't saying that Durant's resume is better than Bird's, just that he believes Durant is a better player.

 

[Reagan Dawg]

Movie: Dunkirk

 

[Ketchum]

Lincoln Riley went to college for the specific purpose of being a college head coach. He's not a failed NFL player, he's not a guy who spent time on Wall Street before getting bored. This is who he wants to be.

I like Herman's resume more than Riley, but not because of two years at UH. I like that Herman coached at several different programs and then put the cherry on top with the OC job at Ohio State. But it's dangerous to think Riley is going to be overmatched simply because he's young.

Is it just youth?

Interesting that this topic has brought you out of a posting shell...

 

[Hoss79]

I don't believe in Dallas.

As a Cowboys fan I'm right there with you. No pass rush and a rookie secondary do not win championships

 

[Ketchum]

I should have prefaced I was looking for a movie already released.

 

[Ketchum]

I should have prefaced I was looking for a movie already released.

 

[Tschneider2]

Herman is undefeated as a Vegas underdog.

Check.

what was Texas' record a year ago?

Just reminding you in case you've forgotten.

All I am saying is give the damn guys a fighting chance.

Another factor some people forget is that USC plays Stanford the week prior.

I just don't want to go through the whole damn offseason with people penciling in an automatic L next to USC.

Deer lowered, the season can't get here soon enough!

 

[Junk_Mail]

Is it just youth?

Interesting that this topic has brought you out of a posting shell...

I was in a sports media class in the fall of '98 and DeLoss Dodds was a guest speaker. I wanted Bob Stoops to be hired in the fall of '97 in the worst way, but we went with Mack Brown.

So, having the opportunity to ask, I did. "DeLoss, why did you hire Mack Brown over Bob Stoops?" Dodds replied, "Texas will never hire a first time head coach for this job. This is not a job that comes with training wheels, we want a guy who knows what he's doing."

When OU went up 14-0 early in the '99 game, I thought about the comment Dodds made. Of course, we tracked OU down and won the game, which I believed was shades of things to come for Texas.

And then 2000 happened.

The arrogance and dismissiveness in Dodds response has never left me and having to watch 18 years of Bob Stoops at OU has never left me either. I was really looking forward to Herman putting it in Bob's ass in Dallas, but alas, that will not happen. I will enjoy Herman putting it in Riley's ass as well, but again, OU has made a dynasty from hiring assistant coaches, I just hope this isn't another great one for them.

 

[No Avatar]

The only coach OU has hired since WWII that had head coaching experience was Howard Schnellenberger.

 

[MauiHorn]

No good movies out yet but two great shows on tv.

Catastrophe on Amazon and Master of None on Netflix are both great comedies.

 

[boernefan]

I was in a sports media class in the fall of '98 and DeLoss Dodds was a guest speaker. I wanted Bob Stoops to be hired in the fall of '97 in the worst way, but we went with Mack Brown.

So, having the opportunity to ask, I did. "DeLoss, why did you hire Mack Brown over Bob Stoops?" Dodds replied, "Texas will never hire a first time head coach for this job. This is not a job that comes with training wheels, we want a guy who knows what he's doing."

When OU went up 14-0 early in the '99 game, I thought about the comment Dodds made. Of course, we tracked OU down and won the game, which I believed was shades of things to come for Texas.

And then 2000 happened.

The arrogance and dismissiveness in Dodds response has never left me and having to watch 18 years of Bob Stoops at OU has never left me either. I was really looking forward to Herman putting it in Bob's ass in Dallas, but alas, that will not happen. I will enjoy Herman putting it in Riley's ass as well, but again, OU has made a dynasty from hiring assistant coaches, I just hope this isn't another great one for them.

Do you think that the years of extreme cheating and the arrogance of believing that we could just do business as normal led to the lack of success that some of our coaches had? I believe Herman will use the power of UT resources with his ingenuity to level the playing field?

 

[Ketchum]

All I am saying is give the damn guys a fighting chance.

Another factor some people forget is that USC plays Stanford the week prior.

I just don't want to go through the whole damn offseason with people penciling in an automatic L next to USC.

Deer lowered, the season can't get here soon enough!

I absolutely give them a fighting chance, but that's not what was asked.

 

[Ketchum]

The only coach OU has hired since WWII that had head coaching experience was Howard Schnellenberger.

I would suggest that they aren't swinging the weight around that they have.

 

[andrew77]

Ketch,

I think you need to decide if this is to be a UT rag or journalism. You are walking the line now and it's not working - at least for me. Your critique of Stoops is off. There is zero chance that he is resigning due to the potential prowess of Herman. It's almost laughable to think that the arrogant Stoops gives two cents about other coaches. He does not which I can attest to personally. It's the same mantra that you slander Sumlin who according to you was to be fired in 2015 but for sure in 2016 but now for sure at 2017. How long can you be off. Answer- you don't have creditibilty on this front.