College football

[Vrede too]

Hey Auburn, hold my beer.




Article

I wasn’t aware that there was more than one stratosphere.

It's the newly discovered Jimbosphere.

[Vrede too]

Losers: 4, 7, 12, 15, 20
5 Montana State will probably move to 4
7 North Carolina Central will tumble.
21 Western Carolina will advance

FCS Coaches Poll
Top 3 no change

1 South Dakota State(26) 10-0
2 Furman 9-1
3 Montana 9-1, 6-1. Next, regular season finale vs 4 Montana State in Missoula will determine Big Sky Champ and will likely affect Playoff seeding.
4 Montana State 8-2, 6-1 up1

14 North Carolina Central 8-2 down7 after getting stomped @Howard 50-20, fair enough.

18 Western Carolina 7-3 up3

[O Really]

The $76mill buyout is obscene. Not to say they shouldn't have fired him - I don't care one way or the other. But whoever cut that deal should be sacked and whoever hired those who cut that deal should be sacked.

Not that it's really related, but I wonder if there was something else they could do with $76mill instead of giving to a guy you don't want to work for you. Hmmmm, wonder what it might be.

[Vrede too]

Ruling grants Oregon State, Washington State full control of Pac-12

From the little I've read of the Pac-12 bylaws it seems like a slam dunk for Loyal OSU and WSU. Let the appeals begin, a ton of money is at stake. Given the greed displayed by the betraying schools it's ironic that the Beavers and Cougars will cash in.


Georgia overtakes Ohio State; Michigan, FSU round out CFP top 4

Otherwise, no change in the Top 8.

College Football Playoff Rankings

9 Missouri 8-2 up5 Louisville gets no respect.
10 Louisville 9-1 up1. Next @Miami, GoCardinalsGo. Sorry, O Really.
11 Loyal Oregon State 8-2 up1 Next loses vs 5 Washington, though.

20 North Carolina 8-2 up4 Next stomps @Clemson, Go O Really Go.

[Vrede too]

The $76mill buyout is obscene. Not to say they shouldn't have fired him - I don't care one way or the other. But whoever cut that deal should be sacked and whoever hired those who cut that deal should be sacked.

Not that it's really related, but I wonder if there was something else they could do with $76mill instead of giving to a guy you don't want to work for you. Hmmmm, wonder what it might be.

https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/def ... 110419.jpg

Exactly

$146M in buyouts owed to fired Power 5 football coaches since '22

Texas A&M's record $76 million contract buyout for fired football coach Jimbo Fisher accounts for more than half of the approximately $146 million Power 5 schools owe to fired head football coaches since the start of the 2022 season, according to publicly available data.

Fisher's buyout is nearly triple the highest known coaching contract buyout at a public school. The previous record was set by Auburn's 2020 buyout of football coach Gus Malzahn, which cost $21.7 million.

According to an ESPN analysis of athletic department financial records and contracts, Power 5 and Group of 5 programs spent more than $533 million in dead money -- owed to coaches who were fired without cause with time left on their contracts -- in the 11-year period from Jan. 1, 2010, to Jan. 31, 2021. That included payments to football coaches and men's and women's basketball coaches and accounted for head and assistant coaches.

Also included in the $146 million owed since the beginning of the 2022 season:

• $15.5 million for Bryan Harsin, fired from Auburn in October 2022....

$37.2M total at Auburn

• $8.7 million for Karl Dorrell, fired from Colorado in October 2022....

Deion is 4-6. Vs Nevada and @Hawai'i are his last gasps for a Bowl.

... B. David Ridpath, Ohio University sports business professor and a member of The Drake Group, an organization that lobbies Congress on issues in college athletics, said that despite claims of donors footing the bill for buyouts, "regardless of where the money comes from, all money is state money at a public institution." While he said he understands some severance is needed for coaches fired for performance reasons, it doesn't make sense to pay out their entire contracts for essentially a failure to perform.

Ridpath said the ability of schools to pay these buyouts shows that they can come up with the money to pay athletes, which is a highly debated issue among university leaders, the NCAA, conferences, legislators and athlete advocacy groups.

"I would like to think [the Fisher buyout] would be so outrageous that the Texas public policy groups or state legislators or federal delegation says, 'Hold on a second. Our public institutions should not be doing this,'" Ridpath said. "What I fear is, this is only going to get larger. The only thing that will stem this tide is if the labor is paid," and more money goes to the athletes instead of the coaches.

The $146 million calculation does not include contract money potentially owed to former Michigan State coach Mel Tucker, who was fired for cause in September amid a sexual misconduct investigation, or to former Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald, who was fired following an investigation into hazing allegations. Fitzgerald is suing Northwestern for wrongful termination, and Tucker has said he is preparing to file a similar lawsuit against Michigan State.

[billy.pilgrim]

The ncaa should somehow address these salaries.

Before Jay Jacobs worked to get Chizik and Gus their insane salaries, salaries were more reasonable. Bonuses and incentives (even bonuses for academic achievements and graduation rates) made up the bulk of the advertised salary, but many, like NC or Conference Champion were in the 2 million dollar package, but were rarely paid.

Here’s Auburn’s big new offer to Tubby after our 2004 13 and 0 season

“ head coach Tommy Tuberville has been awarded a new seven-year contract which will pay him $2 million in 2005 with an increase of $200,000 for each year of the contract according to an announcement by President Dr. Ed Richardson today.

The contract will pay Tuberville a base salary of $210,000 with the remainder coming from endorsement rights and radio and television agreements.  Tuberville’s previous package was worth $1.5 million.

"We are pleased to have reached an agreement with Coach Tuberville that will keep him here at Auburn for a long time,” said Richardson.  “He is an excellent representative of the university both on and off the field. He is a gentleman whose teams play hard and by the rules and Auburn is fortunate to have him running our football program."

The contract also features several incentives to reward Tuberville for the team’s success.  The incentives include: $50,000 for 10 victories or more, $100,000 for an undefeated regular season, $100,000 for playing in the Southeastern Conference Championship game, $150,000 for winning the SEC Championship and $300,000 for winning a national championship.  There are also incentives for achieving the NCAA’s academic success rate and for graduation rates.”

[O Really]

NCAA probably has a whole floor of lawyers thinking up funky rules. No reason they can't have one that says maximum pay for any coach, from any and all sources can't exceed X amount. Penalty would be disqualification from coaching any NCAA school and a big ding to the university program.

[Vrede too]

NCAA probably has a whole floor of lawyers thinking up funky rules. No reason they can't have one that says maximum pay for any coach, from any and all sources can't exceed X amount. Penalty would be disqualification from coaching any NCAA school and a big ding to the university program.

Another possible rule change would be to make poor or mediocre team performance a "for cause" reason for firing, thus negating most of the buyouts. If so,
Jimbo Fisher could be ousted for 5-7, 2-6 in 2022 and 6-4, 4-3 in 2023;
Bryan Harsin could be ousted for 6-7, 3-5 in 2021 and 3-5, 1-4 in 2022;
Gus Malzahn could be ousted for 6-4, 6-4 in 2020, maybe. Before that he did pretty good. I'm not sure that his firing was fair nor that any contract would be written to call the ouster "for cause". Arguably, he merited a buyout. This is where O Really's salary cap would come into play.

[billy.pilgrim]

NCAA probably has a whole floor of lawyers thinking up funky rules. No reason they can't have one that says maximum pay for any coach, from any and all sources can't exceed X amount. Penalty would be disqualification from coaching any NCAA school and a big ding to the university program.

Another possible rule change would be to make poor or mediocre team performance a "for cause" reason for firing, thus negating most of the buyouts. If so,
Jimbo Fisher could be ousted for 5-7, 2-6 in 2022 and 6-4, 4-3 in 2023;
Bryan Harsin could be ousted for 6-7, 3-5 in 2021 and 3-5, 1-4 in 2022;
Gus Malzahn could be ousted for 6-4, 6-4 in 2020, maybe. Before that he did pretty good. I'm not sure that his firing was fair nor that any contract would be written to call the ouster "for cause". Arguably, he merited a buyout. This is where O Really's salary cap would come into play.

Did you read my post detailing Tubby’s contract? That’s basically how things were.

His buyout of only 10% of remaining contract wasn’t unusual.

Boosters pay the buyouts anyway and 10% is more doable.

I would worry that these 75% and above guarantees could encourage a coach to quit caring. Sort of retiring in place like Hardin did.

[Vrede too]

Did you read my post detailing Tubby’s contract? That’s basically how things were.

His buyout of only 10% of remaining contract wasn’t unusual.

I missed that part of your post.

Boosters pay the buyouts anyway and 10% is more doable.

I would worry that these 75% and above guarantees could encourage a coach to quit caring. Sort of retiring in place like Harsin did.

Agreed.

[O Really]

NCAA is of course a different world from what's real, but nowhere else could poor performance be considered grounds "for cause." However, it could still be structured similar to billy.p's example so that performance below a prescribed level affects pay. So even if you fired him for losing, he'd still not get everything that was formerly at the end of the rainbow.

Or they could say that all schools that pay over X amount have to contribute an amount equal to the excess to some actual worthy cause such as hunger, homeless, low economic area schools, etc.

[billy.pilgrim]

Whatever the solution it can’t be much worse than what we have.

Back to Tubby. His 2 million dollar contract had a base pay of $210,000, but included:
$50,000 for 10 victories or more,
$100,000 for an undefeated regular season,
$100,000 for playing in the SEC Championship game, $150,000 for winning the SEC Championship
and $300,000 for winning a national championship

[O Really]

What's strange is that nobody but us seems to be complaining about this. Alums and fans seem to be generally saying, "oh well, good riddance. Not my money."

[Vrede too]

NCAA is of course a different world from what's real, but nowhere else could poor performance be considered grounds "for cause." ...

If I had performed poorly as an ER RN I couldn't have been fired "for cause"? Maybe I don't understand the legalities of the phrase.

... I would worry that these 75% and above guarantees could encourage a coach to quit caring. Sort of retiring in place like Harsin did.

$15.3 million goes a long way in Boise.

Bryan Harsin 'thriving' away from football after rocky tenure at Auburn

... Harsin is back home in Boise, Idaho, with his family and a group of close friends, some of whom he went to college with at Boise State. He never sold his house when he made the move to Auburn on Dec. 22, 2020, and when he was fired 22 months later, it was an easy decision to head back....

(blah blah blah life is good for the Harsins)

Age 47. Up in the air whether he'll ever return to coaching, but he's had feelers out.

... New Auburn coach Hugh Freeze is the school's third head coach in four seasons. Auburn has fired its past five coaches and paid a total of $44.2 million in buyout money to the past three....

Gene Chizik is the third.

... Chizik was released after four seasons, and Auburn bought out his contract for $11.09 million. Chizik received $7.5 million based on his December 1 contractual buyout amount and assistant coaches received the remainder....

I'm guessing that Auburn has learned nothing - ironic for a school - and Liberty transfer Freeze could get the same massive buyout if he underperforms.

Fwiw,

Eugene C. Chizik Jr. (born December 28, 1961) is an American football coach who is currently the defensive coordinator and Assistant Head Coach for Defense at North Carolina....

Return to North Carolina

After a multi-year hiatus from coaching, Chizik returned to Chapel Hill and was named assistant head coach for defense, following the departure of defensive coordinator Jay Bateman. He replaced Bateman on January 8, 2022. Chizik serves as the de facto defensive coordinator, with the defense utilizing his preferred scheme, despite Charlton Warren and Tommy Thigpen having co-coordinator titles. His 2022 Tar Heel defense finished close to the bottom of the FBS in many statistical categories, ranking 102nd out of 131 teams in total defense. Most notably, in an early-season game against Appalachian State, Chizik's defense allowed forty points and 338 total yards of offense in the fourth quarter alone, though the Tar Heels would hang on to win 63–61.

2023 Schedule

In its 2nd game UNC beat Appalachian State in Chapel Hill 40–34 in 2OT. In 10 games UNC defense has allowed more than 30 points 5 times, losing 2 of those games (to powerhouses Virginia and @Georgia Tech, both unranked ), and more than 40 points twice I wonder what Chizik's buyout is worth now.

[billy.pilgrim]

“What else is notable about Freeze’s contract?
If you thought Auburn learned from its last two coaching contracts, think again. Both Gus Malzahn and Bryan Harsin were owed at least 70 percent of their remaining contract, without any offset from another job, totaling around $37 million combined after they were fired. Freeze’s buyout would pay him 75 percent of the remaining contract if fired without cause, also without any offset. The only difference is Freeze’s buyout would be paid in equal monthly installments, while Malzahn and Harsin were owed 50 percent of the buyout within 30 days of being fired.”

[Vrede too]

I'm guessing that Auburn has learned nothing - ironic for a school - and Liberty transfer Freeze could get the same massive buyout if he underperforms.

“What else is notable about Freeze’s contract?
If you thought Auburn learned from its last two coaching contracts, think again. Both Gus Malzahn and Bryan Harsin were owed at least 70 percent of their remaining contract, without any offset from another job, totaling around $37 million combined after they were fired. Freeze’s buyout would pay him 75 percent of the remaining contract if fired without cause, also without any offset. The only difference is Freeze’s buyout would be paid in equal monthly installments, while Malzahn and Harsin were owed 50 percent of the buyout within 30 days of being fired.”

Last three coaching contracts counting Chizik's buyout.

Damn, I'm that good . . . and Auburn is that bad.

Ftr, I edited this post while you were posting, merely adding in Harsin's age.

[O Really]

If I had performed poorly as an ER RN I couldn't have been fired "for cause"? Maybe I don't understand the legalities of the phrase.

I've found a lot of employers don't understand it either. "For cause" oversimplified means that the employee did something that was against known rules, which could include staying out of legal trouble, not bad-mouthing the employer, not doing anything very unethical, trying to bang the Dean's wife, yada. It would also include intentionally tanking the team. But if the employee is making a reasonable effort to do what he understands he's supposed to and gets poor results, that's not "for cause"

In your case, if you'd let somebody die because they came in in a MAGA hat, or because you didn't bother to check what medication was needed, then that would probably be "for cause." But if your patient died because you made a bad but reasonable decision on what they needed, it probably wouldn't be "for cause". It might be malpractice, and it might cost your licence, but you'd still be eligible for unemployment.

With the coaches, there are too many factors outside their control that would affect wins, so if he's giving it a reasonable effort, you're not going to get a "for cause" out of win-lost record.

[GoCubsGo]

There's also a huge difference between at will employees, unionized employees and coaches with big fat contracts.

[Vrede too]

There's also a huge difference between at will employees, unionized employees and coaches with big fat contracts.

Great minds . . . While you were posting:

If I had performed poorly as an ER RN I couldn't have been fired "for cause"? Maybe I don't understand the legalities of the phrase.

I've found a lot of employers don't understand it either. "For cause" oversimplified means that the employee did something that was against known rules, which could include staying out of legal trouble, not bad-mouthing the employer, not doing anything very unethical, trying to bang the Dean's wife, yada. It would also include intentionally tanking the team. But if the employee is making a reasonable effort to do what he understands he's supposed to and gets poor results, that's not "for cause" ...

Thanks. Hence, the right has forced "right to work" and "at will" employment states upon nurses like me and tens of millions of other Americans.

[Vrede too]

CONGRATS on the Northwestern win over MN in OT!

LOL

Thx, I've actually tuned the Kitties out after the hazing crap.

You can believe again!

Northwestern set to give David Braun head-coach title, sources say

Northwestern is set to promote interim football coach David Braun to the permanent head-coaching role, sources told ESPN on Wednesday.

Braun, hired in January as defensive coordinator by former coach Pat Fitzgerald, has led Northwestern to five wins, more than the team's combined win total from the past two seasons (four). He is the first Northwestern coach to win five games in his first season since Walter McCornack in 1903.

... Braun, who grew up near Milwaukee, Wisconsin, had never been a college head coach or worked at an FBS school before Fitzgerald hired him following four seasons as North Dakota State defensive coordinator. The Winona State defensive lineman made stops at his alma mater, UC Davis and Northern Iowa before joining the North Dakota State staff in 2019.

North Dakota State won national titles in 2019 and 2021, lost in the Quarterfinals in 2020 and lost in the Championship game in 2022, not bad.

He has called defensive plays for Northwestern and seen the unit improve substantially, going from 82nd to 46th in points allowed and from 62nd to 29th in yards allowed. The Wildcats have allowed just 16.8 points per game in their past five games.

The Wildcats could become bowl eligible with a win over Purdue on Saturday or at Illinois on Nov. 25....

Not bad!

Could the new HC have been unaware of the hazing? Maybe if he's more Braun than brains GoPussiesGo!