Dumpster Fires of the Week: Rough stretch for the ACC
This week it's not a team, a player, an offense or a defense but an entire conference that has seized the No. 1 spot.
1. The ACC
It's not bad enough that the ACC somehow cannot keep Maryland from leaving. The on-the-field performance was even worse. Let's recap:
*At home, Florida State got smashed by a Florida team that struggled to score points against an otherwise bad non-conference schedule.
*Clemson was defeated at Death Valley by a South Carolina team led by dead Welsh poet Dylan Thompson and without star Marcus Lattimore.
*Wake Forest got destroyed by the same Vanderbilt team that lost to Northwestern.
*Georgia de-engineered Georgia Tech completely.
2. Missouri
Mizzou's entrance into the SEC has been a wholesale disaster. One conference win over sad sack Kentucky, which had already fired its coach. Add in an embarrassing loss to a bad Syracuse team.
Mizzou and Texas A&M entered the SEC at a similar level talent-wise, with the Tigers having had better success recently. Now Johnny Football is winning a Heisman and Mizzou's only successful coach in the last three decades is feeling the heat.
3. Texas' quarterback coaching/recruiting/development
Basically, since February 2007, Texas has yet to recruit, scout or develop anything resembling a real Big 12-quality QB. Any thought that David Ash had stabliized the position is probably gone.
Now even the future of the QB position at UT seems in doubt. Insiders claim that redshirting QB Connor Brewer is not the answer. Meanwhile, verbal commitment Tyrone Swoopes has had a disappointing senior season, with some recruiting services ranking him as an athlete/wide receiver.
4. Lane Kiffin's game management
Kiffin is suspect when it comes to following recruiting rules and a horrible media relations manager. Now we can add that he's terrible at game management as well.
5. Ohio State's leadership
All throughout the dumpster fire-worthy Jim Tressel debacle, OSU's administration seemed clueless and disconnected about the impact of an NCAA investigation on its football program and the seriousness of its head coach hiding violations.
The final questionable move was not implementing a bowl ban on the Buckeyes last year, especially knowing that hiring Urban Meyer that was the worst kept secret in college football. Instead of banning the 2011 team, which was an underachieving 6-6, E. Gordon Gee and Gene Smith killed a BCS title berth and Meyer having a chance to beat Notre Dame for his third national title.