Lee Corso's Great Point on Bowl Games. . . and More Observations

Coach Corso pointed out that teams were 1-7 with interim coaches coaching them in post-season bowl games. My guess is that the Vegas oddsmakers figured the coaching vacuums into the point spreads they set. Coach Corso's point was a good one -- that the assistants holding the fort together had their minds racing in many directions, and one in particular -- where will I be next year? Many of these assistants roam from city to city, campus to campus every three to five years, and it's usually the case that the new coach brings in his own team of assistants. As a result, they're not totally focused on the game. Given the turmoil that can ensue after a coach bolts, I'm surprised the overall record wasn't 0-8.

Coach Corso also pointed out that Michigan fared well despite Lloyd Carr's imminent retirement because the assistants have an additional year left on their contracts and probably were more focused. That doesn't mean, however, that they weren't wondering where they'll be next season, as I'm sure that it has to be the case that new coach Rich Rodriguez will be permitted to fire and hire whomever he pleases. You don't land a big-time coach like Rodriguez and confine him as to whom he may hire.

While it probably helped Michigan that it's assistants have a little more financial security than the average lame-duck assistant elsewhere, I'm sure that Florida's appalling pre-game stomping on the Michigan logo gave the Wolverines plenty of motivation to go Gator hunting. That type of tactic was more befitting of the U, and we all know now that the U at the moment isn't a fun place to play football. Florida's pre-game shenanigans were out of bounds, and Coach Meyer shoulders the responsibility for those actions.