ULM had 70+ new bodies. Granted they failed to finish a good start, but considering they were preseason bottom of the barrel, turnarounds can happen quick.
If the new OC doesn’t produce, I can see Tech publicly acknowledging dropping down as a possibility, or folding up like You-A -Bee?
Marshall has always been cocky, they think that they're better than everyone else, that they're entitled to winning. I remember when they first moved up from 1AA and joined the MAC, and their president kept calling it the 'Midwestern Conference.' They're not as bad as the Pillpoppers, but still.
If you have a scandal, I can see getting rid of a winning coach. But from what I hear, they just thought Huff was too difficult. Seems to me that a big part of running a university, particularly a university athletic program, means managing prima donnas. Talented people often have large egos.
I was trying to think of schools that have fired (or in this case, not re-hired) a coach who was doing well... I know that A&M fired Bear Bryant, but that was in the late Paleocene. However, it was one of the reasons people started making fun of them. LSU fired Chollie Mack, and they struggled for a long time.
My gut tells me that letting go of a winning coach is like taking points off the board. It doesn't bode well.
It will be interesting to see where Marshall's program goes.
There's another thing that bothers me about Marshall. They are the oldest school in the state, found in 1837. WVU wasn't founded until 30 years later, in 1867.
You'd think with that long history, Marshall would have established their academic tradition. But they're R2, and their annual research is only about $26M. Meanwhile WVU is R1, with an annual research of about $216M.
Maybe part of the chip on their shoulder is an acknowledgement that they are underperforming.
Shame Dusty has ULM behind a paywall. Meltdown must be epic.
Indy bowl was in deep mess, look how many passed on the invite, including ODU.
5-7 Teams ranked by APR as potential Independence Bowl replacements:
Cincinnati
Wisconsin
Air Force
Auburn
Virginia
Utah
Oregon State
Michigan State
UCLA
Old Dominion
Kansas
Eastern Michigan
Hawaii
New Mexico
Charlotte
Louisiana Tech
ULM
Here’s the kicker. ULM FB, this is the highest their APR has ever been.
BTW, Huff will be introduced at the next USM MBB game this Saturday, the 21st.
They are hosting Marshall.
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