From AL.com:

Western Carolina coach Mark Speir heard Kirk Herbstreit’s comments on the SEC loading up on FCS schools this week, and he wasn’t happy about it. Speir unloaded on the ESPN analyst after his team’s 48-14 loss to Alabama, going after Herbstreit’s football credentials.

“A guy had a silver spoon in his mouth all his life, Ohio State, primadonna state quarterback talking about, ‘It’s an embarrassment,'” Speir was quoted saying in an AL.com article. “He ain’t ever coached.”

Herbstreit originally called the SEC’s soft Week 13 schedule “embarrassing,” as it included four games against FCS schools. Alabama was among them, as Western Carolina plays in the Southern Conference and competes at the FCS level. The Crimson Tide reportedly paid Western Carolina $480,000 for their visit to Tuscaloosa.

“Coach (Nick) Saban had a lot of great things before and after the game about FCS playing the big boys. Alabama needed this game,” Speir said. “I’m just proud of FCS football, I’m proud of our football team, I hope America doesn’t listen to a guy who sits behind a mic that hasn’t ever done it, with that silver spoon in his mouth, he never had probably a bloody nose or a callous like some of these guys.”


What in the world? He's never done it? He was a star at Ohio State! But he "ain't never coached." And coaches are the only people allowed to have an opinion on the entertainment value of a football game. Coaches are also notorious for sustaining bloody noses and callouses in the line of duty.

If coaches were the ones in charge of deciding what mattered for the health of football, we'd still be playing without the down-and-distance system.

People praise the SEC for having great conference games the first week of football while everyone else plays FCS teams.

Then they turn around and gripe when our teams play those FCS teams later in the season the week before rivalry weekend.

....yeah

(11-23-2014 10:14 AM)10thMountain Wrote:  People praise the SEC for having great conference games the first week of football while everyone else plays FCS teams.

Then they turn around and gripe when our teams play those FCS teams later in the season the week before rivalry weekend.

....yeah

Most traditional powers in other conferences don't regularly schedule FCS schools. And none of them schedule bad FCS schools like the SEC teams do. UCLA, USC and Notre Dame have never scheduled an FCS school. Texas and OU rarely do. I think Texas has only done it twice-North Texas-and once was during SMU's death penalty. Ohio St. doesn't do it very often. Michigan scheduled an Appalachian St., not a Georgia St. in their first year of football like Alabama did.

Florida, LSU, Georgia, Alabama, Auburn and Tennessee have no excuse for their scheduling. I know at Georgia the fans are voting by not coming and they are re-thinking their philosophy.

Actually they have the best excuse ever: strong conference SOS.

As long as they get all the SOS they need from conference play there's no worry about rent-a-wins hurting them anywhere but attendance and that's up to them if it's worth it

(11-23-2014 10:38 AM)10thMountain Wrote:  Actually they have the best excuse ever: strong conference SOS.

As long as they get all the SOS they need from conference play there's no worry about rent-a-wins hurting them anywhere but attendance and that's up to them if it's worth it

They could schedule rent-a-wins who have a puncher's chance and who play by the same rules. They are scheduling schools with fewer scholarships. Its one thing when an Ole Miss or A&M do it. They are normally middle of the pack teams. Its another thing when a power team does it.

Good for that coach for sticking up for his team and for FCS football, regardless of his choice of words. Herbstreit ought to be a little less condescending and a little more professional.

(11-23-2014 10:14 AM)10thMountain Wrote:  People praise the SEC for having great conference games the first week of football while everyone else plays FCS teams.

Then they turn around and gripe when our teams play those FCS teams later in the season the week before rivalry weekend.

....yeah

Every SEC School now has to play One P5 OOC Opponent plus their schedule...you're correct the SEC starts their conference schedule earlier then most and these games benefit the FCS Schools.

Personally I hate all the policing that folks try to do over others in this regard. This has been going on for so long with the SEC, it's basically tradition there. I like the way Nationalization of College Football is going but I don't necessarily think that needs to force every tradition to go out the window.

Each school has the right to schedule as they see fit and if the SEC wants to allow some of these schools to have this past week for some cupcake ooc matches then that is their privilege as well. It's not like the SEC doesn't provide enough strong match ups during the season for these teams. If this kind of scheduling is detrimental to these SEC schools then it is likely that tradition will stop, not due to what some talking heads say. There are some very important match ups happening next week in the SEC. This week's scheduling is a non-issue.

That being said, this Western Carolina Coach should just shut his mouth. What Herbie said was no where near as ridiculous as what this Coach said.

(11-23-2014 10:44 AM)MinerInWisconsin Wrote:  Good for that coach for sticking up for his team and for FCS football, regardless of his choice of words. Herbstreit ought to be a little less condescending and a little more professional.

Oh, but that Coach was being professional? I would say Herbie was much more professional in his approach. You may disagree with his opinion but that doesn't make his approach unprofessional.

That Coach was the epitome of unprofessional.

(11-23-2014 10:43 AM)bullet Wrote:  

(11-23-2014 10:38 AM)10thMountain Wrote:  Actually they have the best excuse ever: strong conference SOS.

As long as they get all the SOS they need from conference play there's no worry about rent-a-wins hurting them anywhere but attendance and that's up to them if it's worth it

They could schedule rent-a-wins who have a puncher's chance and who play by the same rules. They are scheduling schools with fewer scholarships. Its one thing when an Ole Miss or A&M do it. They are normally middle of the pack teams. Its another thing when a power team does it.

Or maybe we could evaluate our future mid major opponents and if all of a sudden one of them looks like an unexpected threat, like oh I don't know, Hawaii maybe, then we cancel the game with them at the last minute by citing the high cost of jet fuel for the country's wealthiest athletic department.

(11-23-2014 10:14 AM)10thMountain Wrote:  People praise the SEC for having great conference games the first week of football while everyone else plays FCS teams.

Then they turn around and gripe when our teams play those FCS teams later in the season the week before rivalry weekend.

....yeah

Yeah, I do not see what all of the fuss is about. This is much ado about nothing.

Herbie's world view is clear from his years on the air.

The power 5 leagues are all that should exist and there is nothing more damaging to college football than an underdog program bettering itself.

There are people who believe in rags to riches and there are those who believe that the new rich are an embarrassment and unworthy to be deemed peers of old money. Herbstreit is among the latter.

(11-23-2014 10:52 AM)10thMountain Wrote:  

(11-23-2014 10:43 AM)bullet Wrote:  

(11-23-2014 10:38 AM)10thMountain Wrote:  Actually they have the best excuse ever: strong conference SOS.

As long as they get all the SOS they need from conference play there's no worry about rent-a-wins hurting them anywhere but attendance and that's up to them if it's worth it

They could schedule rent-a-wins who have a puncher's chance and who play by the same rules. They are scheduling schools with fewer scholarships. Its one thing when an Ole Miss or A&M do it. They are normally middle of the pack teams. Its another thing when a power team does it.

Or maybe we could evaluate our future mid major opponents and if all of a sudden one of them looks like an unexpected threat, like oh I don't know, Hawaii maybe, then we cancel the game with them at the last minute by citing the high cost of jet fuel for the country's wealthiest athletic department.

A&M fans just look ridiculous criticizing someone else's schedule. And they don't even get why its so ridiculous. Since A&M dropped LSU in the early 80s have they ever played a good ooc game? Notre Dame in 5 years may be the first. Texas had OU ooc every year. Had Auburn with Bo Jackson, Penn St., MSU when Sherrill was there, Colorado when they were a national power (all of these on top of OU), UCLA a number of times including this year, Ohio St., Notre Dame a number of times.... And USC, Michigan and Notre Dame are on future schedules.

You were the one criticizing other people's schedule

I just pointed out how you cowardly ran away from a mid major you were scared could beat you at their place and therefore have no ground to stand on in criticizing anyone for how they schedule.

(11-23-2014 12:56 PM)10thMountain Wrote:  You were the one criticizing other people's schedule

I just pointed out how you cowardly ran away from a mid major you were scared could beat you at their place and therefore have no ground to stand on in criticizing anyone for how they schedule.

Game, set and match to 10thMountain.

(11-23-2014 12:56 PM)10thMountain Wrote:  You were the one criticizing other people's schedule

I just pointed out how you cowardly ran away from a mid major you were scared could beat you at their place and therefore have no ground to stand on in criticizing anyone for how they schedule.

How do you know Texas was cowardly? From Aggie message boards and June Jones being upset? From Delo$$ Dodd$ making the decision, you should know everything was about $$$.

Texas while in the Big 12 played at Wyoming, Central Florida, Houston, Rice and BYU. Texas isn't afraid of anything. A&M wouldn't even play any of the former SWC schools until they decided to leave the Big 12.

(11-23-2014 10:49 AM)He1nousOne Wrote:  

(11-23-2014 10:44 AM)MinerInWisconsin Wrote:  Good for that coach for sticking up for his team and for FCS football, regardless of his choice of words. Herbstreit ought to be a little less condescending and a little more professional.

Oh, but that Coach was being professional? I would say Herbie was much more professional in his approach. You may disagree with his opinion but that doesn't make his approach unprofessional.

That Coach was the epitome of unprofessional.

I don't give a rip what Herbie thinks he has the right to express, but by saying what he said, he basically put down all of WCU's kids. Like, Alabama should be ashamed because, what, WCU kids don't play hard?

Coach nailed him. You want to take shots on something? Keep the kids out of it. The kids don't get paid, and some loser takes a passive-aggressive swipe at that them. What an ***hole.

Oh so the richest athletic dept was all of a sudden too strapped for cash for a plane trip to paradise right when Hawaii shocked the world with their season and bowl win?

Well that makes more sense.

Carry on and criticize from your position of moral superiority good sir!

(11-23-2014 02:35 PM)bullet Wrote:  

(11-23-2014 12:56 PM)10thMountain Wrote:  You were the one criticizing other people's schedule

I just pointed out how you cowardly ran away from a mid major you were scared could beat you at their place and therefore have no ground to stand on in criticizing anyone for how they schedule.

How do you know Texas was cowardly? From Aggie message boards and June Jones being upset? From Delo$$ Dodd$ making the decision, you should know everything was about $$$.

Texas while in the Big 12 played at Wyoming, Central Florida, Houston, Rice and BYU. Texas isn't afraid of anything. A&M wouldn't even play any of the former SWC schools until they decided to leave the Big 12.

The a&m still won't schedule Houston

(11-23-2014 12:51 PM)arkstfan Wrote:  Herbie's world view is clear from his years on the air.

The power 5 leagues are all that should exist and there is nothing more damaging to college football than an underdog program bettering itself.

There are people who believe in rags to riches and there are those who believe that the new rich are an embarrassment and unworthy to be deemed peers of old money. Herbstreit is among the latter.

I remember his actual moral outrage when NIU went to the Orange Bowl. What a tool. Preach on, Western Carolina guy.