Boilernation

I believe you are correct. So, does Wisconsin cancel again? What's the word on George?

I don't follow IU recruiting unless it's an in-state target that Purdue is also interested in, so I didn't know the Penix's background until I heard about it on a college football podcast I was listening to. I find it comical that Pruitt pulled Penix's scholarship offer to Tennessee when he arrived in Knoxville as the new coach. Penix >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Guarantano.

I think he's too smart to coach for the McCaskey's. IMO, it would be the worst decision any coach could make, but could Jerry Jones convince Meyer to coach the Cowboys. Seems like a move Jerry would make.

Kelly was highly successful at Grand Valley State, Central Michigan, and Cincinnati. I thought at the time of the hire he was a homerun for Notre Dame. He was a proven winnerr and not just a hot coordinator looking for his 1st HC gig. It baffles me when I personally hear ND fans complain that they need a new coach. Though, the ones I know never went to ND and won't be satisfied until ND wins another Title for them to boast about.

Thanks! He still took Florida when given the chance at ND. It's an odd fit in my opinion. Would he really want to move to South Bend at this point in his life? Would the highbrows in ND's Alumni base want a coach that brings baggage with him?

At this point it's just conjecture. You believe he was offered the USC job and you believe he's a Midwest Guy. Maybe he was offered the USC job. Texas and USC are continuously mentioned with Meyer because many believe those are the biggest sleeping giants that can quickly be turned around into CFP contenders. The same would be said for Ohio State if Day wasn't up to their standards. Meyer has been in Salt Lake City, Gainesville, and who knows where prior to coming to Columbus. At this point he may no longer care about his Midwestern roots and be more appealed (his wife too) to live in So Cal/Austin than Ann Arbor, let alone South Bend.

I hear this quite often, but when has Meyer actually been quoted as saying it? Was it back when he was an Assistant at ND? You continue to ignore Footballking's point. Texas and USC would easily have Top 10, more than likely, Top 5 recruiting classes if Meyer were their coach. Both schools are wallowing due to bad coaching hires and still pulling in respectiable classes. Texas was #8 last year in 247 and USC is currently #7 with quite a few recruits out of Georgia/Florida. Texas is the wealthiest Athletic Dept in the Country and USC is LA's real "Pro" Team. They have an alumni base that cares about football and a rabid subway-alum following. You're really reaching DT if you don't think either of those programs are sleeping giants that Meyer would turn into regular CFP contenders. He isn't going to need years to fix recruiting pipelines. He's Urban Meyer. He calls and players listen. I think you're also underestimating the desire for a lot of recruits to reach the NFL. A lot of offensive skilled players are going to be more worried about Meyer developing them into an NFL draft pick as opposed to playing in the SEC, Big Ten, etc.

Me too. I only caught the first half. Not even going to bother watching the 2nd half. I'm assuming Nagy's play calling was atrocious yet again.

Don't disagree with you at all. But, it's Texas. Even more reason an offensive mind like Meyer could love it there. He would have a field day on Big 12 defenses, an easy path to CFP berths, and be part of an environment that idolizes their college football team. The same could be said for USC, which is were I would predict he ends up. I can't see him flirting with the NFL. I think Michigan would be wise to go after Matt Campbell. They need someone who is proven and can come in and immediately compete.

Could? Certainly. Would? Time will tell. Regardless of opponent, can't just slot Eastbrook as the State Champ if the QB is an upgrade. Too many variables and good teams just in the 2A North. Speaking for Andrean, they're a lot better than they were last year.

IMO, way too early to be making that claim with the field that still remains in the 2A North. A lot of good teams still left. Ironically, a potential Semit-State opponent (Andrean) also has a new QB this year that transferred in from Illinois.

And why the **** would you draft Cole Kmet if you're going to give more touches to Harris? Patterson even has more touches than Kmet.

Did you see the graffic ESPN showed regarding the Bears rankings # of QB's started and having only 2 Pro Bowl QB's since sometime in the '80's? We've always known Chicago is where QB's go to die, but the graffic they displayed solidified the point.

Just brutal, brutal, brutal. I can go the rest of my life perfectly contempt without ever seeing Patterson run the ball on a key short yardage situation. It's beyond predictable at this point. It's clear Nagy's job is probably safe because of his W/L record and the Bears may make the Playoffs again this year, however, he can thank Fangio, Pagano, and a roster stacked with defensive talent for that. Last I checked he focuses strictly on Offence and his is atrocious! There are two things I would prefer to see happen: 1. Nagy no longer calls plays. 2. Pace doesn't pick the QB the Bears should take early in the draft.

Agreed. Wright was crushed by a clean hit. I loved that Purdue win for the following reasons: 1. Offense was without King, Moore, and Wright (most of the game). 2. Aidan had some solid throws. The first two TD passes to Bell were elite level throws, IMO. I was definately not expecting him to start. He showed moxy though. 3. The O-Line took control in crunch time and we were able to run the ball down Iowa's throats. I can't remember the last time I've seen a Purdue O-Line take control of the run game in the 4th quarter. We're usually relying on the passing game to save us. Regarding Fitz, I'm convinced he will be the HC of our beloved Chicago Bears at some point. It would be a great story for the Orland Park native and former Northwestern player/coach to win a Lombardy for his hometown team. Would be an even better story if the McCaskey's no longer owned the team. 😉 Admittedly, I'm not the biggest fan of the Row The Boat schtick. I'm curious to see how it plays out this year now that he's replacing a lot of the starters he inherited. Ohio State, Agree with DT, Day is an incredible coach. Not much more can be said. Another year of Ohio State having an embarrasment of riches. The TD catch by the Freshman out of Texas was phenomenal. Harbaugh may have finally found a QB. That guy is a beast with a monster arm. Milk with Steak is still probably looking at another 1 or 2 loss year, which isn't good enough for Go Blue Fans. Oddly, that was par for the course for Lloyd and Bo. I saw a clip from IU's locker room in wich the players were celebrating with Allen after the game. That man looks like a coach who has respect and love from his team. Never thought I would enjoy seeing IU players enjoy a win, but it was nice to see the way they applauded Allen in the lockerroom.

I have a feeling Carroll is going to get revenge on Homestead and take Sectional 3. And with their QB, they could make things really interesting against Westfield or make Caroll the favorite over HSE. Sectionals 1 and 2 should be highly competitive through Regionals. Jeff, The Ville, Penn, and Elkhart are all capable of beating each other.

Nice to see Jackson deliver on the final draw. That pass he threw for the pick six was a hurrendous decision. The CG WR was completely blanketed in coverage. Great win for CG.

From what I've seen the past few years, Warren is lucky to get 1,000 fans on the homeside of a playoff game.

I've long been a proponent of Saturday afternoon playoff games for at least Regionals or Semi-State. Even Illinois and Ohio do it. I think the attendance draws would be better as the weather is often nicer than a November Friday night and it gives opposing/casual fans an easier travel schedule. The fantastic picture from Enlow Field for Memorial/Chatard is an outlier. 50-75% empty stadiums at the 4A-6A level for Regionals and Semi-State is the norm as can be seen on IHSAATV broadcasts the past few years.

Agreed. Not happening. ESPN is booked on Saturday nights for contracted Conference games to be aired. The U is even taken with FIU vs. Charlotte.

And if I were a Central Indiana AD I would probably want nothing to do with crossing paths with a Northwest Indiana team. Nevertheless, I agree with Bears62, I see no reason to assume Michigan City could make this a competive game. They're clearly not the Michigan City team of a few years ago. IMO, you don't want to risk injuries to your starters against a physically superior team when you have Valpo looming in the 1st round of Sectionals.

Completely agree. The talk of D1 talent is nice and it's fun to see the guys, but it doesn't guarantee success. I think Merrillville does only have 4/5 right now: Seniors: JoJo Johnson to Cincinnati (possibly flipping to Michigan State). He's a standout player and had some nice plays offensively including the long TD reception. Dierre Kelly (DL) to Bowling Green. I don't recall him making much of an impact on Friday night. Phil Gunn (OL) to Ball State. Same as Kelly, didn't really stand out to me. Juniors: Kenneth Grant (Big DL). Currently not committed. Maybe a MAC level talent at this point Lavarion Logan (RB). Maybe a MAC level recruit. Wasn't overly impressed by him on Friday. I get he didn't have much running room, but he didn't show much burst/speed. Also, could end up transferring back to Chicago Mt. Carmel when they resume football next Fall. Who knows. The one team I always think of regarding this topic is the Saginaw team that came down from Michigan to play Penn in 2002. They were absolutely loaded with D1 talent including Lamarr Woodley. Penn ended up winning 49-7. Saginaw played nearly every starter both ways and they were completely gassed. They couldn't hang with a complete Penn team that was fresh from platooning. All along I assumed Chatard would win by about 6-10 because as you say they are a complete TEAM. That program is a well oiled machine that has complete buy in from the CYO level. IMO, when it's trully beneficial to have D1 talent, is when you're already a full functioning team and one or a few D1 recruits add the extra layer. Off the top of my head, guys like Jeff Samardzija, Jeremy Finch, Darren Evans, Sheldon Day, James Banks and Jaylon Smith took Valpo, Warren Central, Ben Davis, and Bishop Luers to an entirely different level.

I completely forgot the Olympians are 4A by enrollment. Impressive run. What would it take over the following 2 seasons to stay up in 5A? I haven't put any time into studying the success factor qualifications.

Sadly, The Ville once again showing 6A football in The Region is dead in the water against Central Indiana elite teams.