Someone please explain TCU & USCw success this season with new HC’s? Both schools fired their previous coaches after 5-7 (TCU) & 4-8 (USC) seasons. Both hired experienced well thought of HC’s. Both HC’s are top-shelf X’s & O’s guys who run their own high octane offense’s. Both are in their respective conference championship games and on the cusp of being in the little 4 team NC playoff, in season 1. I suspect some of the responses will be centered around the conference they play in and their schedules. They still had to win the games, they’re a combined 23-1, and their rosters are not better than all the teams they played. I believe really good X’s & O’s offensive coaches can get it rolling faster, chicken salad makers, than culture based coaches. It’s remarkable though that both are probably going to make the playoff field this year, imho.
The top level X/O dudes at HC are a rarity. For every Spurrier, there are 10 Mark Richts, Bob Stoops, Jimbo Fishers and Phil Fulmers, then another 100 run of the mill guys.... Not to mention LR got his starting QB and receiver from OU and absolutely crushed it in the portal on O.
Can’t speak to TCU. USC west had a much better roster at important spots plus weaker competition. Remember they lose to Utah who we beat.
They lost to Utah on the road by one point, I also don't buy into the transitive property because we also lost to bad Kentucky and Vandy teams. They also will have played in five games ranked teams after next week, same as us. But yeah USC did have a lot of good talent and a great transfer class. I think they can win a game in the playoffs.
No coaches first year is apples to apples to anyone elses. This comparison is useless. First year success or failure does not dictate the future.
Didn’t say we were better. Did you read my post? They have a better roster and play lesser competition.
Southern Cal has the probable Heisman winner (Caleb Williams) on their team. I would say that their coach had something to work with. 2022 Heisman Favorites: Odds to Win for Top Players | BetMGM No. 4 TCU blasts ISU, finishes 'gauntlet' at 12-0
Pretty simple for USC. They always have a talented roster, and just needed competent coaching to play up to their potential against a lot of mediocre competition. But remember, Gators beat Utah; Utah beat USC. I don't know anything about TCU.
Both have fantastic gameday coaches USC had some great transfers too TCU is maybe the best coached team in the country outside of Saban
USC = heisman favorite + other impact transfers + not in the SEC + elite offensive staff/HC TCU: I know nothing about them, but I just checked based on a hunch: 21 of 22 starters are upperclassmen. When considering the Covid year, they basically play 21 players that are between years 4 and 6 of college.
They trended downward the last few years. Patterson was fired as a result of that. However, he was there for 21 years. There's been some stability. Dykes is woefully underrated. It's good to see him get his due.
Great coaching!!! TCU coach is not a known name also or at least won’t get credit he deserves even though we know Coach Dykes. I’ll go one more. Washington and Coach DeBoer. First year coach having a monster year. These guys don’t say or operate In the we will win year 3 mindset.
Seems like another shot at the Gators coach disguised in curiosity. Nothing about the 2 programs mentioned are apples to apples. LSU is the closest to our situation and a better comparison. The biggest difference with LSU is use of the portal. BK went to the portal for his QB & defense and we used mostly the last guys players. The other 2 programs don’t play in the SEC, didn’t play 7 ranked teams (now or time of game), didn’t play the 2 SEC division champions & didn’t play 7 teams with upperclassman experienced QB’s (Utah, KY, TN, GA, LSU, FSU, SC). USC’s schedule is weaker by team ranking than TCU’s but none stack up to the SEC. We have the same number of wins versus ranked teams as USC (2) and a head to head opponent in Utah which we beat and they lost to. We are closer to turning the program around than many fans think. Hang in there Gators. The tide is turning.
That’s me and you don’t know what you’re talking about. “Curiosity”, my @$$! You’re the defensive one trying to make this about the Gators coach. I genuinely wanted to know what others thought about how those two coaches/teams might get into the playoffs in their first year, it’s a big story. We can talk about other teams here too. Thanks for checking in though..
I think you answered your own question and I agree. Napier is a team builder and not an X’s and O’s type coach.
Caleb Williams is a special talent…AR should watch him and take notes because that’s exactly who he could be.
You got to give it up for Washington, TCU, and other schools like that to win nine or 10 games as a coach in your first year is not easy especially with the talent they have. Much less talent than we have. Maybe we are envious but I don’t think anybody is trying to take a shot
There's no getting around Lincoln Riley is a stud coach and USC has entered into the whatever it takes level of college football competition. Napier may become a stud one day but he's not there yet and UF has not entered the whatever it takes club. Dykes is much more interesting. He has long been on the radar as a top up and coming coach but it has taken him a while to get there. He started his head coaching career at Louisiana Tech and went 22-15 in 3 seasons. He was basically as successful as Napier was at ULL. He then used that to springboard to Cal. That didn't go so well. He went 1-11 his first season. Things got better but not much. He was done after 4 seasons and a 19-30 record. Then he went back to Texas at SMU and, again, did about as well as the typical Napier ULL season. Dykes went 30-18 in 5 seasons and now he is at TCU. Things are obviously going well now but it's not like TCU hired anywhere near a sure thing.
Let me say this about TCU. Not taking away from how hard it is to go undefeated in any conference, but TCU has not really been blowing many teams out and really haven't been overly dominant. They average 31.31 minutes of time of possession and 8 of their games have been won by 10 or fewer points. Some of their biggest ranked wins came against #18 OU who lost 6 of their last 9 games, at #19 Kansas who lost 6 of their last 7 games, and #8 OSU who ended up losing 5 of their last 7. I think the Big-12 just wasn't a very strong conference this year.
