More hot-seat talk? Enough already
Column by Patrick Hite
accnationpatrick@comcast.net
Enough is enough. All the hot-seat talk needs to end. It’s finally gotten out of hand.
OK, I’m as guilty as the next guy of talking about which coach is going to be fired, but I’ve given myself a cease and desist.
The breaking point, for me, came when I read the following comment on ACCNation.com:
I can’t help but feel that Al Groh is looking at his last year at UVA. Especially if the Cavs don’t deliver this year “as promised” (by Groh). When you look at the big picture can you give me five good reasons why Al Groh should remain? Isn’t it time UVA stepped up to the plate and had a competitive football program?
First, Virginia has a competitive football program. It’s not like it’s Duke. Under Al Groh, Virginia has some big wins over big teams and a good record in bowl games. I realize that’s not enough for fans who always want more. Fans of every team want more.
That’s why Chuck Amato and Tom O’Brien ended up leaving their programs last year. Fans weren’t happy with just going to bowls (and in BC’s case, winning bowls). They wanted, what, a national championship?
Part of the problem is when coaches take over a program they always mention wanting to win a national title. And fans hold them to that. In many cases, both parties are delusional.
Winning a national title in football isn’t as easy as winning one in basketball. And that’s not a shot at basketball. It’s simply the truth.
An average team in a big conference can get into the NCAA Tournament in basketball and, if they catch fire and a few breaks, win the title. It’s been done before.
But an average team in a big conference in football might get a nice trip to Nashville or Boise. Talk of national titles stop with the second loss of the season.
Virginia has been an average team for a very long time. Before that they were a bad team. Here’s what the Cavs have to hang their hats on: they were once ranked No. 1 in the country before Georgia Tech took care of them and they’ve beaten Florida State twice, once when the ‘Noles were still a good team.
Maybe eight or nine wins a season should be enough, but it’s never enough. Teams that win national titles have to start explaining how they’ll win another title the next year. I understand not wanting to accept being an average team, but sometimes it’s good to face reality.
As for Groh, unless Virginia loses more than it wins and Virginia Tech beats them by 42, Groh will be back. At Clemson, Tommy Bowden will return unless the season starts with a bad loss to FSU, ends with one to South Carolina and has another five or so losses in between. Ted Roof will be back at Duke, probably even if the Devils go winless. Chan Gailey isn’t going to be out in Atlanta.
And for those who want to continue with the hot-seat talk -enough already. It’s gotten old.
Filed under: 01-Football
I part ways with Patrick on continuing to talk about who is or isn’t on the “hot seat”. As we all know that can often be a week to week discussion among fans depending on the fortunes of their specific team…and others as well.
Let me focus on the ACC in general and then I’ll come back to Groh. There’s been plenty of talk regarding the need for the ACC to step it up in football in order to garner the respect afforded to the SEC, Big Ten, Pac10, etc. Okay, talk is cheap until you do something about it. How does that happen? Invest in facilities, invest in aggressive coaches and staff, make the deal with recruits and go after more than just an okay season.
We have enough “just okay” teams in the ACC. And we have those that aren’t. As a fan of an ACC school or the ACC in general you’ve got to ask the hard and fast questions….and thus we come back to Al Groh.
Okay, Coach. You are at a well respected University with superb facilities, great reputation and you’ve opened your mouth. What should WE do…..”hold harmless” the promise this year? I think not. Your job is to build a program that delivers the goods. If the best you can do is give us an “almost” season each year is that good enough?
Coach Bowden…same question.
It’s time for the ACC to push to the next level and if you aren’t on board with that then its time to look for another position at a school…..at a conference…..that will accept so-so, almost and complacency as the standard.
Until I hear otherwise, I think I’ll stick with turning the propane up a notch or two…at the very least keeping it in the forefront of your minds until you ask the same question.
Two perspectives on this …
One, Syracuse is a great example of the kind of program that Patrick is talking about above. The ‘Cuse has a great tradition in college football, dating back to Jim Brown, and has royally stunk up the joint the past couple of years.
Virginia, in comparison, is wildly successful.
But two, that having been said, Virginia fans have had their expectations raised by lingering memories of past successes. As have Clemson fans - and North Carolina fans.
So … when you get close to tasting the ultimate success (or in the case of Clemson, have tasted it, though it’s been a quarter-century now), you want to get back there, and time is of the essence.
For me as a Virginia fan and UVa. alum, I figure I might have another 50 years on this earth before I pass to the next world. I’m only asking for one turn on the dance floor with the ultimate trophy. And every year that passes without it is another year wasted - and those years that go by with records somewhere between 5-7 and 7-5 count as three (because of the time that it takes to get from that level to the championship level).
“Virginia has been an average team for a very long time. Before that they were a bad team.”
– um, excuse me? How “average” teams have mananged to have only 4 losing seasons out of the last 25? Take a look at UVA’s academic peers, at that run is even more impressive. Sure you can argue that under Coach Welsh Virginia should have pick up a win or two more each year, but by any measure, the program was above average to say the least.
“As for Groh, unless Virginia loses more than it wins and Virginia Tech beats them by 42, Groh will be back.”
– well, … for UVA to have a winning season, they have to win at least 1/2 of their road games. Does anyone who’s followed Groh’s tenure seriously think that is going to happen? He won’t be fired for last year’s 5-7 season, he’ll be fired for this year’s. The real question surronding UVA football right now is who replaces him and will there finally be accountability for these rediculous coaching contracts?!
Any program is capable of winning a national title. It takes a good coach who can recruit and a little bit of luck. And it also takes some time. Remember when Rutgers was the laughing stock of college football? Now look at them. Greg Shiano (sp) is a great coach. And I can see Rutgers being competitive as long as he’s there. Al Groh is a great recruiter, but fails to meet that standard as a coach. He’s a good, but not great, coach. He can build a staggering program, but I don’t think Groh can take a program to the next level.
Yes, Rutgers is competitive. But Rutgers won’t win a national title. Last year was almost a perfect storm for Rutgers and Wake and they were never a serious threat to play for a national title.
So if Rutgers wants a national title it will have to come in women’s basketball.
I never considered Wake a legit threat to go far. The ACC was way down last year, and they were a byproduct of that. But it was nice to see them rise from the ashes. Rutgers has a more legit shot than Wake. They’re not gonna win it this year, primarily because I think West Virginia and Louisville are better teams. But we all thought that last year, and Rutgers beat Louisville, and lost to West Virginia in triple OT. Things can happen. Just not this year.