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Openings at South Carolina and Pepperdine

Pepperdine Head Coach Vance Walberg has stepped down due to family reasons. Why is it always family reasons? You never hear of a steelworker leaving his job due to family reasons. I will believe it if he doesn’t coach again somewhere else. For all of the hoopla and track record of success at the junior college and high school level, it never translated into much success at Pepperdine.

Sout Carolina Head Coach Dave Odom anounced his retirement at the end of the season. Glad to see the Gamecock administration do the right thing and let him go out on his own terms. I guess that would mean he doesn’t want to coach again. Let’s wait and see on this one.

That’s five potential openingsif you throw in San Francisco, Detroit, and Arizona. Oh, that’s right Lute Olsen is coming back next year. I would like to know the Vegas odds on that one.

Here’s my choices for the five openings:
Detroit–Perry Watson comes back
Pepperdine–Gib Arnold
Arizona–Kevin O Neill
San Francisco–Eddie Sutton (still looking for 2 more wins to get to 800)
South Carolina–Greg Marshall (it’s a better fit than Wichita State)

With money escalating in Division I, look for there to be plenty of coaching changes.

When are League Wins Really UPSETS

This week Tennessee destroyed a higher ranked Vanderbuilt team. Some would call this an upset. Louisville did the same to Marquette. Are either of these upsets? How about Texas Tech winning at home against Texas A & M? Too often the pundits want to call these major upsets, however, when you play at home in league play things are different. I don’t care what league you play in it is always tough to win on the road.

Ask Rhode Island or ButlerThe Rams lost at St. Louis while Butler dropped a road game to Cleveland State. Let me jump out on a tangent for a moment. How about the job that Gary Watersis doing at Cleveland State. He has them undefeated in the Horizon and off to the best start since the days of Coach Kevin Mackey and Mouse McFadden. Albeit, he is doing it with a little more regard for the rules and his players.

He was not a good fit at Rutgers. His roots are in the Midwest and he is best at mining talent out of Michigan and Ohio. Afterall, he was the one who got things rolling at Kent State. Look for the Vikings to put themselves in a poistion for post season play.

Over in St. Louisthe Billikens came close on Saturday against Dayton, but then got over the hump with a win over nationally ranked Rhode Island. Once again it was Majerus at his best. And it looks like Tommie Liddell is finally starting to soak up some of that basketball knowledge.

Getting back to the BCS boys, Bob Knight beat Texas A&M for the third straight time. Change coaches it doesn’t matter the General has your number. Just like Majerus, he is a master of utilizing the talent available and creating strong defensive, fundamentally sound teams.

Big game this weekend in Missouri. It is part one of the Border War. Kansas visits the Tigers and it should be a heckuva game in front of a sell out crowd. If Missouri wins it will be their second home conference win over a ranked team. However, this one will be an upset as Kansas is capable of running the table in the league. They are that good!

Strahan sick of Favre love fest 2008

Michael Strahan is well aware that Brett Favre is America’s favorite quarterback right now and quite frankly, he’s sick of it.

“I look at all the stories and everything that’s been written that is like, ‘This is Brett’s last swan song,’ or his [last] chance to go the Super Bowl and all that stuff, and I look at it as the same way for me,” Strahan said…

That’s why Strahan surveyed a room crammed with reporters and cameras at Giants Stadium yesterday and wonder aloud: What about us? “Brett being the great player that he is, the Hall of Famer that he is, everybody is going to probably focus on that a little bit more for him,” Strahan said.

“[But] we all feel the same way about ourselves.” Acknowledging Toomer and Feagles, Strahan said: “[Favre] has a ring. He can hang it up and say, ‘I was a Super Bowl champion at some point.’ But all of us don’t have that, and some of us are still pressing to get it.”

You tell them, Gap Tooth.

Bobby Petrino talks to a recruit about commitment

ESPN.com’s Gene Wojciechowski did a mock conversation between new Arkansas head coach Bobby Petrino and a recruit’s dad. It’s hilarious if you know anything about Petrino and his decorative past.

Petrino: “Before we start, can I just say one thing from the bottom of my heart? This is by far the best Chex Mix I’ve ever had in my life. My wife Becky will kill me if I leave here without the recipe.”

Recruit’s dad: “Recipe? You open the bag and pour it into a bowl.”

“Hold on — I’m writing this down. Into … a … bowl. Well, I can certainly see where your son gets his smarts.”
“Yes, about my son …”
“Best recruit I’ve ever seen. He could be a legend in Little Rock.”
“You mean Fayetteville.”
“Fayetteville … Little Rock. I keep getting those two mixed up. Memo to me: buy map of state.”
“You’ve never actually seen my son play in person, have you?”
“Not exactly. But I have seen him on film and he’s absolutely the kind of student-athlete I want in, uh …”
“Fayetteville?”
“That’s the place. And while we’re discussing college campuses, do you mind me asking where your son has taken his official visits?”
“Well, so far he’s talked to Notre Dame, LSU, Florida, Mississippi and Auburn.”
“Weird — so did I. What I meant to say is, has he made any kind of verbal commitment?”
“Yes, to Auburn.”
“Weird — so did I. I mean, he’s only given them his word, right?”
“Isn’t that enough?”
“It’s been my experience that if you try hard enough, you can get out of anything, including your word.”

To read the entire mock conversation, click here.

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