UConn James Posted November 28, 2009 Share Posted November 28, 2009 For the reasons written and more, no, he's not leaving. Yet. Jacobs: Edsall To Kansas Unlikely Look, I'm not saying Edsall is Urban Meyer or Nick Saban, but I would argue he's among the five best possible coaches for the job at Storrs. And that includes the big names. He is a program builder. He has shown a terrific knack for "coaching up" available talent. He has brought stability to a football experiment too many people doubted. He has demonstrated a demand for decency and academics from his players. None of this is light praise. Edsall isn't going to turn UConn into Florida, but already turned it into something that can beat Notre Dame. ... Penn State would have to be Edsall's dream job. We'll see if Notre Dame or Michigan has any interest, although the Irish search to replace Charlie Weis should start and stop with Brian Kelly's cellphone number. If Rich Rodriguez survives one more season and UConn makes a serious run at a Big East title in 2010, who knows if Michigan comes knocking? The Huskies should have a very good team next season, plus Edsall's buyout drops from $1.25 million to $500,000 after Dec. 31. Yet who's to say Edsall doesn't settle into a full career at Storrs? He has defined himself as more than a football coach this fall with the death of Jasper Howard. He has defined himself as a leader of considerable depth and caring. Each season brings an argument about this X or that O, and that never will stop. Certainly, the hiring of Joe Moorhead as offensive coordinator answered an important shortcoming. As a program builder, Edsall has remained ahead of the curve. In the end maybe this is meant to be Edsall's legacy. He took nothing and built something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuckincincy Posted November 30, 2009 Share Posted November 30, 2009 For the reasons written and more, no, he's not leaving. Yet. Jacobs: Edsall To Kansas Unlikely Nice article - Edsall's a fine coach. Pretty good bunch of them in the Big East. Nice teams the past few years in the conference, too - Rutgers, UConn, Pitt, UC, WVA, USF. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UConn James Posted November 30, 2009 Author Share Posted November 30, 2009 Nice article - Edsall's a fine coach. Pretty good bunch of them in the Big East. Nice teams the past few years in the conference, too - Rutgers, UConn, Pitt, UC, WVA, USF. The mentionings of the 'Big Least' have grown pretty quiet. Thing is, once things get good, they get raided. RR left for WV, Kelly will likely be headed to ND. This could have been an elite conference itself if Miami, VT, and BC had stayed. What could have been.... And I think it's coming to a head that ND will have to join a conference. Big East is right there waiting, they play in the conference for everything else. If some agreement could be worked out whereby ND can make its own television deal separate from the rest, and some laxity in scheduling.... That's been the biggest issue that's stopped them. Let's face it, their competitive level has dropped. But joining up would mean if they win the conference they get an automatic BCS bowl. If Kelly jumps, he might be able to convince the AD it's time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cynical Posted December 1, 2009 Share Posted December 1, 2009 The mentionings of the 'Big Least' have grown pretty quiet. This post alone defines why the Big East will continue to be known as the Big Least, and somewhat of a laughing stock WRT college football. Thing is, once things get good, they get raided. RR left for WV, Kelly will likely be headed to ND. This could have been an elite conference itself if Miami, VT, and BC had stayed. What could have been.... Big red flag indicator of how everyone thinks of the Big Least, including coaches. The conference is not considered to be "elite", and therefore is seen as nothing but a stepping stone for those who desire access to bigger and better opportunities. And I think it's coming to a head that ND will have to join a conference. Big East is right there waiting, they play in the conference for everything else. If some agreement could be worked out whereby ND can make its own television deal separate from the rest, and some laxity in scheduling.... That's been the biggest issue that's stopped them. Let's face it, their competitive level has dropped. But joining up would mean if they win the conference they get an automatic BCS bowl. If Kelly jumps, he might be able to convince the AD it's time. The biggest issue in stopping ND from playing football in BE conference play is the weakness of the BE conference, and ND's ability to manipulate that weakness. IMHO, the Big East needs to grow a set of balls, and inform ND that ND football will start conference play in 2011, or ND will be thrown out of the conference for all sports. I wonder how much exposure ND basketball will generate as a independent program? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KD in CA Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 The biggest issue in stopping ND from playing football in BE conference play is the weakness of the BE conference, and ND's ability to manipulate that weakness.IMHO, the Big East needs to grow a set of balls, and inform ND that ND football will start conference play in 2011, or ND will be thrown out of the conference for all sports. I wonder how much exposure ND basketball will generate as a independent program? The biggest issue is a big fat contract with NBC. Plus, ND has a ton of rivalry games that are important to the school and fans. Purdue, USC, Navy and Michigan are the big ones. Scheduling would get difficult if they had to play 9 conference games a year, plus they really would have no flexibility to add series against other teams. ND likes to play against teams from different regions of the country as they have a fan base more geographically diverse than probably anyone. As for the Big East kicking them out, I really don't see that happening, especially when the BE has been continually raided by the ACC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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