Cranky Greg's View

Football Ramblings

This is Texas Tech coach Mike Leach celebrating after Texas Tech's "thrilling" victory over #21 Virginia in the Gator Bowl on January 1.

In what apparently is a bowl-game trend, Tech looks awful the whole game (for example, how about QB Graham Harrell's two safeties in the first half?) and then at the end wins the game in dramatic fashion.  Last year, Tech beat Minnesota 44-41 in the Insight Bowl after being down by 31 points.  The Gopher coach was fired a couple of days later.

But other than Tech fans or Virginia fans, no one cared about this game because it didn't mean anything.  The stadium was damn-near empty.  The meaningless college footballs polls listed Virginia as #21, but unranked Texas Tech beat Virginia.  Doesn't that mean that Tech should be ranked at least #21?

It's simply more proof that the college football polls are bogus.

And how about Choklahoma?  That's the new name for the Oklahoma Sooners who seem to do anything to keep from winning a bowl game.  Last year at the Fiesta Bowl, Boise State beat the Sooners in what was probably the best football game Cranky Greg ever watched.  This year, the #4 Sooners were embarrassed again in the Fiesta Bowl by #9 West Virginia, 48-28.

Polls were wrong again.  OU #4?  Defeated by #9 WVA?  And don't forget that earlier this year, unranked Texas Tech beat Choklahoma as did unranked Colorado.

A team is defeated by two unranked teams and ends up #4 before the bowl games?

But Choklahoma did beat Missouri twice (and Missouri beat undefeated Kansas and Missouri is ranked #6 and hammered Arkansas in their bowl game) and did defeat the Longhorns.

This is precisely why a playoff system is needed.  Who can make sense of all this?

Certainly not the "experts" who look foolish every week.

Here's some more bowl game evidence that the polls are useless and silly:

Unranked E. Carolina beat #24 Boise State, 41-38.
Unranked Wake Forest beat #21 Connecticut, 24-10.
Unranked Oregon beat #21 S. Florida, 56-21.
Unranked Michigan beat #12 Florida, 41-35.
#19 Texas beat #11 Arizona State, 52-34.
#23 Auburn beat #15 Clemson, 23-20.

Oh yeah, there is one game left.  The game is meaningless.  Cranky Greg thinks that USC could beat Ohio State and LSU.  But we will never know because there is no playoff system.  Just some "experts" and computers who know better than settling these issues on the field.

SMU MUSTANG UPDATE:  The SMU Mustangs fired coach Phil Bennett earlier this year, and Cranky Greg was worried that SMU would hire that disgraced dumbass, Dennis Franchione, to replace Bennett as head football coach.  SMU did talk to "Coach" Fran, but it appears that SMU has its eye on Hawaii coach June Jones.

SMU wants to pay Jones $2 million per year.  Oh, brother!

Anyway, CG expects Jones to stay put.  It's not like SMU is in the Big XXII or something.

SMU should hire anyone but Franchione.  The problem is, "Coach" Fran may be the only one willing to take the job.

SATURDAY NIGHT SMU UPDATE:  According to this story in The Dallas Morning News, June Jones is headed for The Hilltop.  Coulda fooled Cranky Greg!

Franchione at SMU?

Cranky Greg told you so, more than once.  The SMU Mustangs are talking to Dennis Franchione, who recently ran away from College Station just as he ran from Tuscaloosa and Fort Worth, before.

The fine folks at Southern Methodist University are clearly desperate, hence their talks with Franchione.

Only an athletic department without a vision and without a future would even consider even talking to Franchione.  What kinda signal does that send to possible recruits?

What kind of future could a high school kid envision with Coach Fran at the helm?

An e-mail newsletter exposing the dirty laundry?

SMU is nowhere near its Mustang Mania days of Eric Dickerson and Craig James.  SMU should be playing teams like Sam Houston State and Stephen F. Austin and Highland Park High School rather than trying to compete in the real college ranks.

The fact that SMU is willing to talk to Coach Fran and the fact that Coach Fran is willing to talk to SMU says it all.

It's not a pretty picture.

Bye Coach Fran!

Well, Dennis Franchione is out as football coach at Texas A&M, just as Cranky Greg has been predicting for months.  And upon leaving, Fran showed his true colors.

This should be a happy day for Aggie fans, and a sad day for folks in Lubbock and Norman.

Well, Longhorn fans should be happy, too, since the only team it seems that Coach Fran's team could consistently beat, other than Baylor, is the Longhorns!

Is that embarrassing, or what?

Apparently the Aggies have hired former Packers head coach, Mike Sherman, to replace "Coach" Fran.

Cranky Greg thinks that the Aggies should have hired or tried to hire Chris Peterson of Boise State, but really, anything is an improvement over "Coach" Fran.

Hell, Cranky Greg would've been an improvement over "Coach" Fran!

SMU fans, all five of them, better hope that "Coach" Fran doesn't end up in Dallas.  That would just about finish off any hopes that the Mustangs could ever make a return back to decent football.

Coach Fran's Last Game for Texas A&M

Dennis Franchione "coaches" his last game today as head coach for the Texas A&M Aggies.

The Aggies face the specter of getting creamed by the Texas Longhorns today.

It oughta be a bloody affair in College Station, with Aggie blood spilled on Kyle Field and national TV.

Nothing would be more appropriate for "Coach" Fran's last game in College Station than the creation of a big stain on Kyle Field and "Coach" Fran's dwindling reputation.

The Aggie big-wigs who were dumb enough to be suckered into the Coach Fran Myth are paying the price for their gullibleness (is that a word?).

R.C. Slocum looks pretty good right now, doesn't he?

Cranky Greg's kinda sad, though.  Who is CG gonna pick on when "Coach" Fran is exiled to the Hilltop in Dallas coaching the hapless SMU Mustangs?

Fran will be right at home at SMU because if he can just win 3 games, that would be a 200% improvement over this season.

It might revive the myth that "Coach" Fran is a rebuilder.

Until then, everyone from Fort Worth to Tuscaloosa to College Station knows that "Coach" Fran is a fraud, and an obnoxious one at that.

Cranky Greg worries about Fran landing a TV job.  The only thing worse than watching a football game with "Coach" Fran analysis is suffering through a game of Phil Simms' analysis.

Oh well, there is light at the end of the tunnel in College Station, whatever happens today.  Fran will be sent off to Dallas, and tomorrow it will be Morning in College Station.  Any coach is better than Fran.  So things are looking up for Aggies fans.

Coach Fran Update......Still a Loser

From Cranky Greg's e-mail:

Dear Cranky Greg:  you are an ass.  Dennis Franchione is doing the best he can at Texas A&M.  You must be an ass.  What do you do all day?  Do you revel in making fun of Coach Fran?  Do you have a life?  Cranky Greg you are a loser.

From another reader:

Dear Cranky Greg:  it has been a few days since you made fun of Dennis Franchione.  Are you lazy?   Get back to work!  Go Horns!

Cranky Greg laughed at these e-mails.  What surprises Cranky Greg is that there are actually people out there who like Dennis Franchione.  That is, Aggie fans that like Franchione.  Fans of Texas Tech, Texas and Oklahoma love Franchione because that means as long as The Franchione Scam goes on, a date with A&M is almost a guaranteed victory.  Should the Aggies get a real coach, like Boise State's Chris Peterson, it would be tougher for teams like Texas Tech and Texas to pound on A&M every year.

Just ask Bob Stoops.

Anyway, nothing has changed.  Coach Fran still sucks.  The Aggies are preparing to be defeated by a lesser Texas team.

And then there's this article about the folks in Tuscaloosa who are delighted at Coach Fran's current problems.

E-mailers have also asked Cranky Greg why he gets so worked up over Coach Fran.  After all, Cranky Greg is a Texas Tech and Oklahoma fan.  He's not an Aggies fan.

Cranky Greg is really not sure exactly what it is about Coach Fran that makes CG's skin crawl.  But it is real.  And it is scary!  Hillary Clinton isn't as scary!

Well, it's a tie.

Coach Fran Loses Again! Chris Peterson Wins Big Again!

Coach Dennis Franchione's Texas A&M Aggies lost again today.  This time they were defeated by the Missouri Tigers.

Things just aren't going well for Texas A&M's $2 million Golden Boy.  His Aggies are a mediocre 6-5.

Coach Fran's boss is preparing a Pink Slip as we continue to laugh at Coach Fran's ineptitude.

Meanwhile, in Idaho, the Boise State Broncos are celebrating their 52-0 clobbering of Utah State and are enjoying a 9-1 record.

Chris Peterson's Broncos are headed for another big win in a big bowl this year.

Coach Fran's Aggies will be sitting at home.

The Aggies should fire Coach Fran now and not let him coach another game.  As soon as the last play is finished in Boise State's season, the Aggies should pick up the phone and get out the checkbook and do whatever is necessary to hire Chris Peterson from Boise State.

Just do it and get it done.

And don't worry about Coach Fran.  he won't mind not being able to coach his Aggie team for the rest of the season.  After all, Coach Fran bailed on his TCU Horned Frogs when they went to the Mobile Bowl in 2000.  He ran off to Alabama and didn't even bother to coach in his team's bowl game.

Coach Fran sucks.  Coach Fran is a joke.  Dump Coach Fran now!

Jeff Tedford for Texas A&M???

There's a lot of speculation that the Texas A&M Aggies are interested in hiring Cal head coach Jeff Tedford.

Puhleeese!!

First of all, the Aggies still haven't fired Coach Dennis Franchione, even though everyone knows Coach Fran's a goner.  And a loser.  And a huckster.

But if those Aggies down in College Station think that Jeff Tedford is the man, they might as well keep Coach Fran.

Jeff Tedford, a Fresno State graduate, is a mediocre coach coaching a mediocre team.

The Cal Bears never live up to expectations.  This year, they were ranked in the Bogus College Football Polls at #2, then lost three games in a row.  Tomorrow, Cal plays USC and SC is gonna clobber the Golden Bears.

A couple of years ago, the Cal Bears were whining because they got stiffed for the Rose Bowl and had to play Texas Tech in the Holiday Bowl.

Texas Tech then went on to kick Cal's asses all the way back to Berkeley.  Making the Cal Bears look really bad after their bellyaching.

Tedford's claim to fame is the ass-kicking the Cal Bears put on the Aggies last year in the Holiday Bowl 45-10.

That makes Tedford the guy to take the Aggies to the next level?

Cranky Greg doesn't think so.

The fine folks in College Station should take Canky Greg's recommendation and get Boise State's Chris Peterson.

Go for Peterson and do whatever it takes to get him.

If that happens, the Aggies might actually contend for the Big XII Championship and the National Championship.

But just hiring a coach that has defeated Coach Fran is not really an improvement, since almost all coaches have beaten Coach Fran.

But Chris Peterson's Boise State Broncos beat the Oklahoma Sooners in a BCS Bowl.  In Peterson's first meeting against OU.

Contrast that with Coach Fran who can't beat Oklahoma.  Ever.

You Aggies in College Station - now is your chance.  Hire Chris Peterson, ASAP.

Don't go for mediocrity.  Don't go for bullshit.  Go for the gusto.  Hire Peterson.

If you don't, don't go crying to Cranky Greg or your mamas if the Aggies end up playing 500 football and losing to Texas Tech, OU and Texas every year!

Chris Peterson in College Station?

Yesterday Cranky Greg declared that Boise State's football coach, Chris Peterson, should be the next coach at Texas A&M.

The bandwagon is rolling, with AggieCoach.com agreeing.  AggieCoach.com's Candidate of the Day for November 6 is Chris Peterson.

Of course, as usual, Cranky Greg was ahead of the curve on this one.

Dennis Franchione sucks!

Coach Fran Pink Slip Watch...cont.....

The Coach Dennis Franchione Pink Slip Watch is kicking into high gear after the Texas A&M Aggies got their asses kicked by the Oklahoma Sooners on Saturday.

There are many reports that the Head Honcho Aggies are looking to buy out Coach Fran's contract.

Here is Dennis Dodd's speculation.  He points out that Coach Fran's last conference championship was in 1997 when Coach Fran coached New Mexico.  That's it!

Dodd even speculates that Coach Fran might end up at SMU.  Of course, Cranky Greg suggested this already, because SMU is Coach Fran's kinda school.  The SMU football program is so bad, one can't help but improve it some!

Really, the only reason Coach Fran was able to fool everyone was because of TCU's surprising win over USC in the Sun Bowl in 1999.  It was Coach Fran's first year at TCU, and TCU's first bowl victory in 41 years.

Coach Fran parlayed that victory into the Coach Fran "The Rebuilder" myth.

He hasn't rebuilt anything since then, with a record that is mediocre at best.

This ESPN story says Coach Fran is discussing his buy out.

AggieCoach.com has more links.

Once Fran's sorry ass leaves College Station, who should the Aggies hire?

Cranky Greg's recommendation:  Coach Chris Peterson of Boise State.  At least he can beat Oklahoma.  In his first year as coach!

Contrast that amazing victory in the Fiesta Bowl with Coach Fran's sorry performance against OU in a regular season game when the Aggies were defeated 77-0!!  LOL!

Coach Fran: 0-7 Against OU: Pink Slip's A Comin'!

Oklahoma beat Coach Dennis Franchione's Texas A&M Aggies 42-14.

That makes Coach Fran 0-7 against the Sooners.

Those Aggies sure got their money's worth when they hired Coach Fran at $2 million per year.

One would think $2 million a year would get at least one victory against OU and maybe a couple against Texas and Texas Tech.

Amazingly, there are some Coach Fran apologists out there, such as Gil LeBreton of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.  LeBreton says that mediocrity is acceptable because the Aggies have a history of mediocrity.  LeBreton says "this man can coach."

Well it's a good thing LeBreton isn't an AD for your alma mater!

Coach Fran sucks and he's burned his bridges in Fort Worth and in Tuscaloosa and now in College Station.

Coach Fran can't do it on the big stage.  He needs to step down a notch.

Perhaps he should be the next coach at SMU.