I love these threads - we are either idiots who have too much faith in one coach or idiots who are too passionate about Tulsa football, or both. But we are definitely all idiots. And that's fine, if you are willing to take sides in an argument about TU Football, it at least means you care about TU football.
In the end, I was not sad to see BB go. The W/L ratio was going the wrong direction, it did not seem we were recruiting on par with our peers, and people were losing interest. I really liked the idea of a hometown guy coming in and stabilizing a "stepping stone" program, while other people said they'd been there and seen that before... I was okay with the hire. But, I was ready to move on when it ended.
I was okay with the Monte hire too. Close to the opposite of the Blankenship hire. Flashy, known NCAA name, energetic, up and comer, who was going to bring in some big name recruits and light up the scoreboard with his up tempo pass first offense!
Comparing teams from different eras is always hard. But there are certain things you can stack up pretty easy: Wins, titles, bowl games, national rankings, attendance, and negatives (scandals, infractions, etc.). So far, it seems both have done well avoiding big negatives... so yay for that. But both also started off strong in the other categories and then fell off. I always try to keep an open mind for the first two years - good or bad, its just so hard to judge what a coach does with someone else's players (obvious bone head moves, lack of discipline, and "learning curve" issues aside).
But right now it feels very similar to year four of Blankenship. The difference may be that we are used to mediocrity now (that may be a generous word with 1 winning season in the last 5 or 6 years). I started following TU football in 2003, this is the worst stretch of TU football since then. Frankly, like TU basketball, Tulsa football is nearing a point where we squander the reputation we built up. The kids we are recruiting for next year were 12 when we won our last conference championship, since they've been in high school we have had one winning season. What is the identity of our program now?
I'm not calling for Monte's head because after we fired Bill it seems we have ended up right back where we started. Because I don't think we can afford to buy him out. Because he may be better than whatever alternative we could get at this point. Because my expectations are lower. Because the next big thing is just around the corner. Because I'm burned out.
But... if the option was having hit or miss seasons with Blankenship or with Monte, I'd just assume we stuck with Bill. If we finish below 500, I will be very disappointed. If next year starts off like this year, I think it will be very hard for anyone to make excuses for him.
Or... his first couple years in his own program was a tough learning curve. We have loads of talent in the wings that will open up the schemes he wants to run. Mistakes in play calling, schemes, and discipline are a thing of the past. We got this. 11-2 isn't a bad season after all. We can hit 13-0 next year.
