College Football 2018 Thread: Who gets fired first?

[Drake Tungsten]

Illinois almost covered! It was a good game.

[-Jrabbit]

A full handful of turnovers - including 2 muffed punts - didn't help.
But in truth, Illinois was pretty thoroughly outplayed.

[Drake Tungsten]

It was actually a better game than it seemed; Illinois had a better success rate than Nebraska and was better at finishing drives. Only Michigan and Wisconsin have done the same to Nebraska this season, but unfortunately for the Illini it's pretty hard to overcome a -3 turnover margin.

[-Jrabbit]

Yeah, it's nice to see a whisper of hope down in Champaign. With his NFL background and defensive focus, Lovie *should* be a perfectly decent (by which I mean consistently bowl-eligible) college coach.

[rah]

And who are they gonna get who's any better. So I'm all in on Lovie. Now if they could just figure out a way to play less conference games.

[Drake Tungsten]

I pray that I will never have to watch a 9-6 game again in my life. I didn't ask for this; I'm not an Iowa fan.

[-Jrabbit]

Not a great time to mention Iowa in my world... That was I-L-L.

[rah]

Yep, checked in on the game at what I thought was pretty early on, and my wife saw the score and said "WE AIN"T WATCHING THIS"

[Drake Tungsten]

Well, at least Michigan lost.

[Drake Tungsten]

Urban is a ****ing legend. He didn't even bother coaching most of the season to con Michigan into thinking they had a chance, then went and dropped 62 on 'em.

[pchang]

Colorado fires their coach McIntyre last week. Then, this week, their QB throws 2 pick 6s to start the game.

[-Jrabbit]

Harbaugh should bring in a designated head coach just for the annual OSU game. It's the only way he'll ever go undefeated.

[Drake Tungsten]

I increasingly think Michigan should have hired Les Miles instead of Harbaugh. They'd have the same stout defense, Neanderball offense, and inability to win big games, but at least they'd have a head coach that the rest of the country enjoys having around.

[-Jrabbit]

Well, at least we can take comfort in the fact that Jim Harbaugh is relegated to one permanent location, Ann Arbor.
So the rest of the country can breathe easy.

[Ming]

Well I guess we can take Lovie off the list

Illinois gives coach Lovie Smith a two-year extension despite nine wins in three years

Illinois announced it has agreed to a two-year extension with coach Lovie Smith through the 2023 season following a 4-8 record in 2018. Smith is 9-27 in three seasons as the head coach of the Illini. "This extension demonstrates my belief in Lovie Smith, his staff, and the plan they have for the future success of Illinois Football," athletic director Josh Whitman said. "I have studied our program extensively, and I see steady progress, both in the development of our current players and the talent we are adding to our roster. To date, we have remained one of the youngest teams in college football, with only nine seniors and nearly 80 freshmen and sophomores. As our players grow in strength, skill, and experience, more wins will follow."
Illinois lost eight of its last 10 games in 2018, including a 46-7 loss to Purdue on Oct. 13 and a 63-0 shellacking at the hands of Iowa on Nov. 17. Smith is just 4-23 in Big Ten play during his tenure.
"We recognize that our work is far from finished, with improvement needed in every phase of our program's development, but our plan is sound and our resolve is stronger than ever," Whitman said. "As I have said on many occasions, stability and continuity are key to building a foundation that will yield long-term success. With the opening of our new facility next summer, and the continued efforts of our staff and student-athletes, the success we all covet is within reach. I applaud Coach Smith, his staff, and our team for their commitment and steady progress, and I stand ready, as we all should, to help them in whatever way possible to continue building upon their momentum."


Prior to his time with Illinois, Smith was a longtime NFL coach with the Chicago Bears (2004-12) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2014-15). He won the NFL Coach of the Year Award in 2005 and led the Bears to Super Bowl XLI in 2006, but lost to the Indianapolis Colts.
"The University of Illinois is an incredible place to coach and teach," Smith said. "We love living here in Champaign-Urbana and representing our state's flagship institution. We will continue working every day as we move our football program forward. Our new football performance center, the Smith Football Center, which will be completed next summer, will be among the best in the nation. I want to thank Josh Whitman and Chancellor Robert Jones for continuing to believe in what we are working to accomplish. Those of us around the program see the progress being made each and every day and we expect to be competing for championships very soon. Our incredible fans and everyone on our campus deserve nothing less."
Smith inherited the program under difficult circumstances. Tim Beckman was fired for mistreatment of players following the 2014 season, and replaced on an interim basis by Bill Cubit. After one season at the helm, Cubit was fired on March 5, 2016 -- shortly before the start of spring practice.

[Drake Tungsten]

I like the Lovie extension for Illinois. Their offense made real strides this season, and the program needs some stability if it's ever going to get turned around. Give the man some time.