{"id":323872,"date":"2025-10-22T13:01:18","date_gmt":"2025-10-22T13:01:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/323872\/"},"modified":"2025-10-22T13:01:18","modified_gmt":"2025-10-22T13:01:18","slug":"does-ohio-state-deserve-more-skepticism-plus-fired-coach-rankings-and-more-in-mandels-mailbag","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/323872\/","title":{"rendered":"Does Ohio State deserve more skepticism? Plus, fired coach rankings and more in Mandel\u2019s Mailbag"},"content":{"rendered":"

I\u2019ve got to say, this has been one of the newsiest seasons I can remember covering. It\u2019s not enough just to watch and write about the games; you\u2019ve also got to stay on top of coaches getting fired after a win,<\/a>\u00a0not fired after a bad loss<\/a>, private equity deals<\/a> and GMs going to Saudi Arabia<\/a> \u2014 and, of course, tortilla controversies<\/a>.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ll get to that last one later.<\/p>\n

Of the 44 first- and second-teamers currently at Ohio State, I only count eight seniors scattered among both levels. So, if they win the national championship again this year, would they also start the 2026 season as the favorite? \u2014 Charles C.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yes, because Ohio State would be back-to-back national champions at that point, and no one would dare vote for anyone else, possibly for several years. But before we go ahead and fast-forward to August 2026, I\u2019d like to take this opportunity to slow everybody\u2019s roll about the 2025 Buckeyes.<\/p>\n

Ohio State is the unquestioned No. 1 team right now, with good reason. Ryan Day\u2019s team has been dominant. I\u2019m not going to suggest it\u2019s a fraud, or even that I\u2019ve detected some vulnerability. But has anyone stopped to look at what\u2019s become of its schedule?<\/p>\n

The accolades began when the Buckeyes\u2019 defense humiliated Texas and Arch Manning, but since then, everyone from UTEP to Florida to Kentucky has done the same. Illinois was their other Top 25 win, but the Illini have been overvalued by the pollsters all season. They are No. 31 in ESPN\u2019s SP+ ratings<\/a> and No. 38 in Austin Mock\u2019s College Football Playoff odds<\/a> while boasting the nation\u2019s No. 79 defense in yards per play. Minnesota, which Ohio State beat 42-3 in Columbus, is closer to No. 50 than No. 25 in the power ratings. And Wisconsin might be worst team in the Big Ten<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Ohio State\u2019s most impressive performance remains its 24-6 win at Washington<\/a> on Sept. 27 when the Buckeyes held a top-20 Huskies offense to 234 yards. That was the game when I said that defense is special. I still feel that way. But even that win got a bit devalued when Michigan also shut down Washington last week, a 24-7 win in Ann Arbor. And now, what we all assumed would be Ohio State\u2019s second-biggest conference game, Nov. 1 versus Penn State, has been reduced to rubble as well. We won\u2019t see the Buckeyes get tested again before The Game<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Now let\u2019s compare those first seven games with those of the teams ranked Nos. 2-5. No. 2 Indiana won a top-10 game at Oregon, No. 3 Texas A&M beat current No. 12 Notre Dame on the road, No. 4 Alabama has beaten four straight Top 25 teams and No. 5 Georgia just beat a then-top-5 Ole Miss team. All of those teams have looked flawed at times as well \u2014 IU escaped at Iowa, Bama lost at 3-4 Florida State, A&M gave up 42 points to Arkansas and Georgia\u2019s defense is brutal \u2014 but that\u2019s more likely to happen when you\u2019re playing a tougher schedule.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve seen some people say this week that Alabama and Ohio State are on a collision course for the national championship game, which seems waaaay premature. The Tide are hot, but we already know they\u2019re vulnerable. And though the Buckeyes have not been touched, I\u2019d just caution people to look back at some past Ohio State teams \u2014 2006, 2013 and 2022 come to mind \u2014 that went undefeated for the first 11-12 games only for us to find out that, like most college football teams, they weren\u2019t unbeatable after all.<\/p>\n

Plus, the national championship game is obviously going to be Indiana vs. Vanderbilt.<\/p>\n

Stew, in your last column, you wrote the following: \u201cUnlike the ACC, where Miami and Georgia Tech have realistic at-large chances, the Big 12 looks very much like a one-bid league again due to the teams\u2019 lack of big nonconference wins.\u201d Can you unpack why Georgia Tech can get an at-large bid but BYU can\u2019t, assuming an equal number of losses? \u2014 David P.<\/strong><\/p>\n

You could certainly make the case that, as of today, BYU has a better resume than Georgia Tech. The Cougars were actually receiving more AP votes for the first three weeks, but the Jackets lapped them after they beat then-No. 12 Clemson. That win is completely devalued now, with the Tigers at 3-4, but the voters never felt compelled to reorder them. No. 11 BYU\u2019s win over 5-2 Utah last weekend easily trumps anything on No. 7 Georgia Tech\u2019s resume.<\/p>\n

But Haynes King and company have an opportunity at the end of the regular season that BYU doesn\u2019t: beat current No. 5 Georgia. If Tech either misses or loses the ACC championship game but has 11 wins, and one of them is against the Dawgs, it\u2019s getting an at-large berth, no questions asked. The Cougars might have an at-large path as well, given they could pick up Top 25 road wins at either current No. 14 Texas Tech or current No. 21 Cincinnati, but I wouldn\u2019t feel great about it because we saw how the committee thinks of the Big 12 last season when it ranked its champion 12th.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n BYU is one of six remaining undefeated FBS teams but ranked just No. 11 in the AP poll. (Rob Gray \/ Imagn Images)<\/p>\n

And all of that same at-large rationale applies to Miami, which has the Notre Dame and USF wins in its back pocket to counter what might wind up being an unimpressive conference resume.<\/p>\n

It would behoove Big 12 schools to try to schedule a Big Ten or SEC opponent every year to help their CFP chances. But I realize that\u2019s only getting more difficult with the SEC going to nine conference games. Already, we\u2019ve seen Alabama cancel a home-and-home series with West Virginia and Florida cancel one with Arizona State.<\/p>\n

There is a possible solution, but Big 12 fans might not like it: Start scheduling one-off road games (I\u2019ll spare them the phrase \u201cguarantee game\u201d) at respected Big Ten and SEC schools. They might be more likely to sign on if they don\u2019t have to give up a home game. It\u2019s not ideal, but that\u2019s where we are in this sport. Playing Portland State, Stanford and East Carolina does nothing to help BYU\u2019s Playoff chances.<\/p>\n

Two years ago, we would have all agreed that Vanderbilt and Indiana were among the toughest places to build a winning program. Now that they are winning, which P4 programs would you list as being impossible to win big at? Or have the changes in college football made it such that the right coach, athletic director and donors can win anywhere? \u2014 Michael M.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I suppose that depends on what your bar is for \u201cwin big\u201d and whether we\u2019re talking a one-off or long, sustainable success. But the fact the Big Ten\u2019s all-time losingest program is probably going to make back-to-back Playoffs and the SEC\u2019s all-time losingest program is a realistic contender tells me you can win pretty much anywhere.<\/p>\n

Some might say that\u2019s been the case for some time. Wake Forest, the all-time losingest Power 4 program, went to seven straight bowls under Dave Clawson and was in the ACC championship game in 2021. Iowa State, the Big 12\u2019s all-time losingest program in terms of win-loss record, went to the 2020 and 2024 Big 12 championship games. Kentucky was winning double-digit games under Mark Stoops not long ago, and Northwestern was in the 2018 and 2020 Big Ten title games.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s changed, though, is the Playoff. The fans of those programs have long been conditioned to feel like winning just six games is a successful season. Now, they, like everyone else, are completely justified in expecting 12\/16\/28-team Playoff contention. Not every year, obviously, but every few years. It might require a level of investment they\u2019ve not previously made, but is by no means unattainable. Indiana and Vandy are playing ball in name, image and likeness, but their payroll is more Milwaukee Brewers than Los Angeles Dodgers.<\/p>\n

Of course, there might be a few exceptions. Though I wouldn\u2019t call any job \u201cimpossible,\u201d Stanford\u2019s has become significantly harder in the time since Jim Harbaugh and David Shaw were putting out top-10 teams. They were already fishing from a smaller pool of talent, and now that talent expects nice NIL deals and can leave at any time. And though every Group of 5 team in the country now plays for an automatic CFP berth, a lot of those MAC\/Conference USA\/Sun Belt programs would have trouble making the FCS playoffs, much less the CFP.<\/p>\n

And Rutgers. Poor Rutgers. Just when you think it\u2019s finally building some momentum under Greg Schiano, it has the worst defense in the entire FBS. I retract my earlier statement. This might be the one impossible job.<\/p>\n

Everyone is ranking the destinations and potential candidates for the open coaching jobs (and some that aren\u2019t open yet). Can you rank the fired coaches based on who has the best profile and best chances to land a decent job after being fired? \u2014 Joseph Y.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The fired coaches power rankings? Sure. I\u2019m listing their ages because, right or wrong, that\u2019s a factor in this biz.<\/p>\n

1. <\/strong>James Franklin (53). Though he\u2019s unlikely to land at another elite program, next-level-down Power 4 programs should be interested in a guy who was in the CFP semifinals just last year. UCLA, Stanford and Virginia Tech<\/a> come to mind. He\u2019d be better off waiting a year, when the way things ended at Penn State isn\u2019t so fresh. But that didn\u2019t sound like the plan on \u201cCollege GameDay.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n James Franklin finished with a 104-45 record at Penn State. (Matthew O\u2019Haren \/ Imagn Images)<\/p>\n

2. <\/strong>Pat Fitzgerald (50). Fitz is highly respected in his profession, and his lawsuit against Northwestern is behind him<\/a>. But he did go 3-9 and 1-11 in his last two seasons. A Penn State or Wisconsin would have trouble spinning that, but I could see him being perfectly happy in the American, or even as an FCS head coach.<\/p>\n

3. <\/strong>Mike Gundy (58). The guy is admittedly not for everyone, but he has a heck of a track record. And will drive attention to an off-the-grid program. Looking at you, Oregon State and Colorado State. Or others like them that come open.<\/p>\n

4. <\/strong>Billy Napier (46). The same things that made him attractive to Florida \u2014 Nick Saban and Dabo Swinney ties, 40-12 run at Louisiana \u2014 should help him find a soft landing as a Group of 5 head coach, perhaps back in the Sun Belt.<\/p>\n

5. <\/strong>Sam Pittman (63). I\u2019d put him into a similar bucket as Dan Mullen and Barry Odom, who got fired in the SEC, then resurrected themselves elsewhere, except Pittman is 10-15 years older than those guys, which might limit his options.<\/p>\n

6. <\/strong>Brent Pry (55). I assume Pry will be a major program\u2019s defensive coordinator next season.<\/p>\n

7. <\/strong>Jay Norvell (62). The guy took Nevada to four straight bowls and was 8-5 at Colorado State just last season. He\u2019ll either be a college offensive coordinator or perhaps an NFL assistant.<\/p>\n

8. <\/strong>Troy Taylor (57). Getting fired at Stanford over hostile workplace allegations might make him too toxic to be a head coach again, but there\u2019s much less scrutiny over an offensive coordinator.<\/p>\n

9. <\/strong>DeShaun Foster (45). His brief UCLA head-coaching tenure did not go well and probably hurt his stock quite a bit. But he\u2019s young and was well respected as a position coach. He\u2019ll get a good assistant job.<\/p>\n

10. <\/strong>Trent Dilfer (53). Maybe Lipscomb Academy will take him back.<\/p>\n

11.<\/strong> Kenni Burns (41). Not only did he go 1-23 at Kent State, but also he got fired<\/a> for taking out a six-figure loan that likely violated state ethics rules, racking up $16,000 in \u201cquestionable expenses,\u201d and was sued by a bank over unpaid credit card debt.<\/p>\n

Not even Jimmy Sexton could sell a candidate with that resume.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s just a harmless tortilla, joyfully tossed. Now it is banned. Why? Really?!? \u2014 Jim S.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Technically, the Big 12 did not ban them;\u00a0instead, it created severe repercussions (15-yard penalties, $100,000 fine) that left Texas Tech no choice but to tell its fans to stop<\/a>. (We\u2019ll see whether they do.)<\/p>\n

Look, I love silly college football traditions as much as anyone \u2014 but this one was a complete own-goal by Texas Tech. First, athletic director Kirby Hocutt goes and eggs on the fans before the season, all but assuring that more people will toss tortillas than before, and naively believes fans will listen to him and refrain from throwing them after the opening kickoff. Then the fans go and do it on the road, at Houston, so the people there have to clean up their mess. And then there was the fiasco against Kansas<\/a>, when they just kept drawing penalties, and Lance Leipold got ticked.<\/p>\n

So, the Big 12 had to take their toys away.<\/p>\n

All that being said, they\u2019ve been doing this at Texas Tech for more than 30 years. It does not seem like a coincidence that Big 12 schools only got offended by it once Tech started outbidding all of them for players.<\/p>\n

Why should tortillas be banned from Texas Tech games? They have never hurt anyone, it\u2019s nearly impossible to get a tortilla all the way to the main part of the field, they don\u2019t make a mess when they hit the ground, and now local pigs won\u2019t get the tossed tortillas, possibly causing piglets to go hungry. This rule makes absolutely no sense. \u2014 Robert P.<\/strong><\/p>\n

OK, I had no idea they were feeding them to the pigs. That changes my whole perspective on this.<\/p>\n

Explain yourself, Brett Yormark.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been a crazy, chaotic season so far. What\/who has been the most interesting storyline: Arch, Penn State, Bill Belichick and Jordon Hudson, officiating at Auburn games, Indiana, tortillas, parity or something else? \u2014 Joel<\/strong><\/p>\n

This question makes me appreciate how truly blessed I am to cover college football.<\/p>\n

Like many of you, trainwreck stories interest me more than rags-to-riches stories, officiating debacles or tortilla controversies, and there have been so many to choose from this season. But I\u2019m finding I can\u2019t get enough Belichick\/UNC drama.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not sure I\u2019ve ever worked on a story quite like the \u201cWhat\u2019s gone wrong\u201d piece that several colleagues and I reported on two weeks ago<\/a>. Usually, if you reach out to two dozen people \u2014 many of whom none of us had ever spoken to \u2014 in search of interesting behind-the-scenes details, you\u2019ll inevitably run into quite a few who either aren\u2019t willing to talk to you or don\u2019t add anything you hadn\u2019t already heard. But this was the rare case when 1. Everyone wanted to talk and 2. Each person had a wilder, I-can\u2019t-believe-this-is-real story than the last person.<\/p>\n

And then the next week, after we\u2019d published, we find out about Michael Lombardi\u2019s fundraising trip to Saudi Arabia<\/a>. I\u2019m sure there will be another jaw-dropper next week.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been so fascinated, in fact, that I drove the hour and forty minutes or so (in traffic) to Berkeley on Friday night to see the Tar Heels take on Cal in front of a half-full stadium in what felt like the middle of the night<\/a>. I got there early and went down to the sideline before the game, turned right and, lo and behold, there\u2019s Jordon. Impossible to miss in her snakeskin jacket and knee-high cowboy boots, while surrounded by UNC friends\/family wearing mostly jerseys\/sweatshirts. Not going to lie: I was way more starstruck by her than by Bill, whom I\u2019d also never seen in person.<\/p>\n

None of which is to undersell James Franklin\u2019s abrupt downfall,<\/a> the humbling of Arch Manning<\/a>, all those early-season coach firings, etc. But I\u2019ve seen versions of those stories before. I\u2019ve never seen anything like the Belichick fiasco.<\/p>\n

If you were in a minor fender bender, which Allstate customer would you be most and least excited to exchange insurance information with: the Georgia fan who barked at work, the Michigan fan who stole cotton candy from a child, or the Texas fan who let the mascot out of his pen? \u2014 Kevin J.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I think I\u2019d be scared of the Texas fan who seems wildly reckless and super-annoyed by the super-annoying Dawgs guy. But the cotton candy Michigan fan seems harmless. And funny.<\/p>\n

Sidenote: Is anyone else surprised Michigan granted the use of its branding for a commercial about stealing?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"I\u2019ve got to say, this has been one of the newsiest seasons I can remember covering. It\u2019s not…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":323873,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[8802,3920,1428,1318,23536,9443,1317,1315,1316,4733,62,8799,67,132,68,50643],"class_list":{"0":"post-323872","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-ncaa-football","8":"tag-alabama-crimson-tide","9":"tag-byu-cougars","10":"tag-college-football","11":"tag-football","12":"tag-georgia-tech-yellow-jackets","13":"tag-indiana-hoosiers","14":"tag-ncaa","15":"tag-ncaa-football","16":"tag-ncaafootball","17":"tag-ohio-state-buckeyes","18":"tag-sports","19":"tag-texas-tech-red-raiders","20":"tag-united-states","21":"tag-unitedstates","22":"tag-us","23":"tag-vanderbilt-commodores"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115417952386124172","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/323872","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=323872"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/323872\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/323873"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=323872"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=323872"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=323872"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}