There's a bit of mixed emotions for Cincinnati right now. They have won the Big East, and are a good bet to go to the Orange Bowl. However, talk of Brian Kelly leaving for Notre Dame reached a fever pitch over the weekend.
There's a reason I've been harping on that point for a while. Hours before College Football Talk started running the Kelly to ND stories, I heard the same thing from a source who has been spot-on in the past. Charlie Weis could be gone in a week, and after talking to Jon Gruden and Urban Meyer, Kelly would be their top target. Brian Kelly is not going to be at Cincinnati next year by his own choosing. Washington could be his backup plan.
UConn starting MLB Greg Lloyd Jr. has "personal issues" and isn't expected to return this year.
I saw a bit of the Backyard Brawl on Friday, and it went exactly how you'd expect. LeSean McCoy was brilliant, while Dave Wannstedt and Bill Stewart competed to see exactly which of them would give the game away first. Here's a thought: coaching matters. Look at Cincy. Why is the ACC better this year? They fired the likes of John Bunting, Chuck Amato, Larry Coker, Chan Gailey, Ted Roof, and (belatedly) Tommy Bowden, with Al Groh and Ralph Friedgen edging closer to the hot seat. The Big East can credit its run over the past few years to the likes of Rich Rodriguez and Bobby Petrino. Big East teams need to be on the ball and find the next big coaches.
On Saturday, the Greg Robinson era was mercifully put out of its misery. First it was Mike Locksley, now Syracuse is interviewing Oregon OC Chip Kelly. If Edsall really isn't interested in this job, I think you have to say that Gross and co. have bungled this search. For weeks, their every move signified that he was their first choice, and now they have to make up for lost time. Now Al Golden seems to be the newest name in the rumor mill. As I said months ago, I think Golden is a future star, and he's one of the few mentioned candidates that legitimately scares me with the possibility of Syracuse coming to dominate Eastern football again.
The challenge for USF this week will be adapting to a forecast of cold weather in West Virginia.
You know what's sad? When Dave Wannstedt coaches a game, and you can definitively say that he was the best tactician on the sidelines that day. Bill Stewart needs to be scrutinized more for squandering Pat White's senior year. White showed in the brawl that his legs were as good as ever, but it wasn't enough. I fear for the future of our friends in Morgantown.