Stewart Mandel of foxsports.com is one of my favorite college football writers. Might be the most knowledgeable national college football writer out there. His weekly mailbag is a must read.
Rather than the link, here is just one question out of around 10. It centers on Leach possibly returning to Texas, specifically Baylor. And yes there's a subtle dig at Tech, but he's not wrong. And for the record, I'm not backing the questioner that Leach got a raw deal. He didn't.
As a lifelong fan of college football in Texas, I've always had a soft spot for Mike Leach. He's a heck of a coach that made Texas Tech nationally relevant before getting a seriously raw deal from his administration. After going 9-4 last year (6-3 in conference) at Washington State, Leach seems to be almost done with his second program turnaround, and this one was a doozy. If WSU has another solid year, would you expect to hear Leach's name mentioned for some higher-profile jobs?
— Mark H., Ft. Worth
"I’m not sure most people realize just how successful a season the Cougars had in 2015, probably in part because their regular season began with an inexplicable loss to FCS foe Portland State and ended with an Apple Cup blowout defeat. Not only did Wazzu — 3-9 the year before — improve by six wins, but it came dangerously close to winning the Pac-12 North. It lost to eventual champ Stanford on a late field goal. Reverse that outcome and the Cougars, who previously beat Oregon, win the division. With star QB Luke Falk returning, Leach’s team is one of four (along with Stanford, Oregon and Washington) I could see winning the North this year.
"Would I expect to hear Leach’s name mentioned if that happens? Absolutely. But I’d put low odds on a glamour program actually hiring him. As you undoubtedly know, Leach is an odd duck. It’s not a coincidence that his two head-coaching stints have come at off-the-beaten-track locales where there’s no expectation of him being buttoned-up and traditional. I could never, for example, see him coaching in the SEC (though from a selfish media perspective, it would be absolutely glorious if he did).
"But there is one spot that already has an opening: Baylor. One might assume it a natural fit for him to return to the Big 12 and the state of Texas. But he’s also got it pretty good in Pullman, and whoever takes that job is going to be in for a turbulent few years, so it’s not necessarily automatic he’d make that jump, nor is it easy to predict whether Baylor would offer him. I expect the Pirate to remain on the Palouse even if the Cougars make it back to Pasadena."
Rather than the link, here is just one question out of around 10. It centers on Leach possibly returning to Texas, specifically Baylor. And yes there's a subtle dig at Tech, but he's not wrong. And for the record, I'm not backing the questioner that Leach got a raw deal. He didn't.
As a lifelong fan of college football in Texas, I've always had a soft spot for Mike Leach. He's a heck of a coach that made Texas Tech nationally relevant before getting a seriously raw deal from his administration. After going 9-4 last year (6-3 in conference) at Washington State, Leach seems to be almost done with his second program turnaround, and this one was a doozy. If WSU has another solid year, would you expect to hear Leach's name mentioned for some higher-profile jobs?
— Mark H., Ft. Worth
"I’m not sure most people realize just how successful a season the Cougars had in 2015, probably in part because their regular season began with an inexplicable loss to FCS foe Portland State and ended with an Apple Cup blowout defeat. Not only did Wazzu — 3-9 the year before — improve by six wins, but it came dangerously close to winning the Pac-12 North. It lost to eventual champ Stanford on a late field goal. Reverse that outcome and the Cougars, who previously beat Oregon, win the division. With star QB Luke Falk returning, Leach’s team is one of four (along with Stanford, Oregon and Washington) I could see winning the North this year.
"Would I expect to hear Leach’s name mentioned if that happens? Absolutely. But I’d put low odds on a glamour program actually hiring him. As you undoubtedly know, Leach is an odd duck. It’s not a coincidence that his two head-coaching stints have come at off-the-beaten-track locales where there’s no expectation of him being buttoned-up and traditional. I could never, for example, see him coaching in the SEC (though from a selfish media perspective, it would be absolutely glorious if he did).
"But there is one spot that already has an opening: Baylor. One might assume it a natural fit for him to return to the Big 12 and the state of Texas. But he’s also got it pretty good in Pullman, and whoever takes that job is going to be in for a turbulent few years, so it’s not necessarily automatic he’d make that jump, nor is it easy to predict whether Baylor would offer him. I expect the Pirate to remain on the Palouse even if the Cougars make it back to Pasadena."
