1. Fire the entire defensive side of the coaching staff. This is non-negotiable. Only bright spot this season was a couple young guys on the D line. LB play was terrible this season, and not a whole lot better last season. Secondary is full of "athletic" guys who can't cover a brick wall and are poor tacklers. This is either recruiting or coaching, and that staff seems to have made lots of poor decisions with both.

2. Fire Hallet, or move him to a more suitable position. Offensive line recruiting & play have both really fallen off in the past two seasons, and that has more than contributed to our problems on offense.

3. Start Carter Bradley at QB. Yes, he will struggle, maybe for a couple seasons. But I've seen enough of Peters to conclude that he is not going to lead us to a MAC championship, even with more playing time. Time to start the move in another direction.

4. For that matter, start playing more freshmen period. I'd rather see a 3-9 season next year and have some hope knowing that a lot of guys got some very valuable experience that will pay off (remember what PJ Fleck was able to accomplish at WMU?), rather than a 6-6 season with lots of upperclassmen that looks suspiciously like the beginning of the end.

And, Candle should free up some of his own $1 million to be able to help land a better DC.

Winning 7 games & being invited to a bowl shouldn't be considered "bonus worthy" accomplishments at Toledo...that should be the minimum expectation.

(12-21-2018 04:02 PM)bcunn3128 Wrote:  1. Fire the entire defensive side of the coaching staff. This is non-negotiable. Only bright spot this season was a couple young guys on the D line. LB play was terrible this season, and not a whole lot better last season. Secondary is full of "athletic" guys who can't cover a brick wall and are poor tacklers. This is either recruiting or coaching, and that staff seems to have made lots of poor decisions with both.

2. Fire Hallet, or move him to a more suitable position. Offensive line recruiting & play have both really fallen off in the past two seasons, and that has more than contributed to our problems on offense.

3. Start Carter Bradley at QB. Yes, he will struggle, maybe for a couple seasons. But I've seen enough of Peters to conclude that he is not going to lead us to a MAC championship, even with more playing time. Time to start the move in another direction.

4. For that matter, start playing more freshmen period. I'd rather see a 3-9 season next year and have some hope knowing that a lot of guys got some very valuable experience that will pay off (remember what PJ Fleck was able to accomplish at WMU?), rather than a 6-6 season with lots of upperclassmen that looks suspiciously like the beginning of the end.

Don't count out Desquan Finn at QB next year either. I wouldn't care if they used both QB's next year to see who was going to lead this team the next 4 years. Wasted opportunity this year to get Bradley some experience. Bottom line, our Defense is a mess.

I remember the excitement of the upcoming 2019 season, and there *was* every reason to be excited. Two years ago, or even at the start of this season, I don't think there's a single one of us that would've expected anything less than to go to Lexington and get a win. We have a chance at revenge on Byu in our own house, but we'll likely be home underdogs. We have to go on the road to high altitudes for a g5/g5 matchup at Colorado State who's down this year, have a seemingly open qb competition, and can't play run defense, so basically they're just like us. What started as a season to circle on the calendar is now looking like a serious struggle to even reach bowl eligibility. Coach has a lot of work to do.

(12-21-2018 04:02 PM)bcunn3128 Wrote:  1. Fire the entire defensive side of the coaching staff. This is non-negotiable. Only bright spot this season was a couple young guys on the D line. LB play was terrible this season, and not a whole lot better last season. Secondary is full of "athletic" guys who can't cover a brick wall and are poor tacklers. This is either recruiting or coaching, and that staff seems to have made lots of poor decisions with both.

2. Fire Hallet, or move him to a more suitable position. Offensive line recruiting & play have both really fallen off in the past two seasons, and that has more than contributed to our problems on offense.

3. Start Carter Bradley at QB. Yes, he will struggle, maybe for a couple seasons. But I've seen enough of Peters to conclude that he is not going to lead us to a MAC championship, even with more playing time. Time to start the move in another direction.

4. For that matter, start playing more freshmen period. I'd rather see a 3-9 season next year and have some hope knowing that a lot of guys got some very valuable experience that will pay off (remember what PJ Fleck was able to accomplish at WMU?), rather than a 6-6 season with lots of upperclassmen that looks suspiciously like the beginning of the end.

Who's going to make Candle fire his "friends"? O'Brien doesn't care.

O'Brien likely sits down (or should if he doesn't) with all the head coaches after their respective seasons are over to assess how the year went, how they get graded for the success (or failure) of their teams, and what needs to be done to approve. O'Brien should help where he can. If O'Brien doesn't see the problems in specific areas, then he is not paying attention to the games. Could be he is too busy greasing the skids for more donations while at the games. I would think he gets an ear-full of advice and criticism from large donors who are long-time fans. Gaber should also be involved - if nothing more than to see how the AD addresses the issues that seem to be obvious to even the casual fans.

I just cannot understand how we can supposedly have the top recruiting class every year but come out and lay an egg like we do. I think right now we have our version of John Cooper.

(12-21-2018 04:02 PM)bcunn3128 Wrote:  3. Start Carter Bradley at QB. Yes, he will struggle, maybe for a couple seasons. But I've seen enough of Peters to conclude that he is not going to lead us to a MAC championship, even with more playing time. Time to start the move in another direction.

Carter Bradley or Dequan Finn, PLEASE!!!!

(12-21-2018 06:08 PM)CharlottesvilleRocket Wrote:  

(12-21-2018 04:02 PM)bcunn3128 Wrote:  3. Start Carter Bradley at QB. Yes, he will struggle, maybe for a couple seasons. But I've seen enough of Peters to conclude that he is not going to lead us to a MAC championship, even with more playing time. Time to start the move in another direction.

Carter Bradley or Dequan Finn, PLEASE!!!!

We won’t win another MAC championship until either Bradley or Finn has played a couple seasons as the starter. I really don’t care which one. But that clock needs to start ticking next season.

(12-21-2018 06:55 PM)bcunn3128 Wrote:  

(12-21-2018 06:08 PM)CharlottesvilleRocket Wrote:  

(12-21-2018 04:02 PM)bcunn3128 Wrote:  3. Start Carter Bradley at QB. Yes, he will struggle, maybe for a couple seasons. But I've seen enough of Peters to conclude that he is not going to lead us to a MAC championship, even with more playing time. Time to start the move in another direction.

Carter Bradley or Dequan Finn, PLEASE!!!!

We won’t win another MAC championship until either Bradley or Finn has played a couple seasons as the starter. I really don’t care which one. But that clock needs to start ticking next season.

That and until we get a new DC

(12-21-2018 07:04 PM)BDV27 Wrote:  

(12-21-2018 06:55 PM)bcunn3128 Wrote:  

(12-21-2018 06:08 PM)CharlottesvilleRocket Wrote:  

(12-21-2018 04:02 PM)bcunn3128 Wrote:  3. Start Carter Bradley at QB. Yes, he will struggle, maybe for a couple seasons. But I've seen enough of Peters to conclude that he is not going to lead us to a MAC championship, even with more playing time. Time to start the move in another direction.

Carter Bradley or Dequan Finn, PLEASE!!!!

We won’t win another MAC championship until either Bradley or Finn has played a couple seasons as the starter. I really don’t care which one. But that clock needs to start ticking next season.

That and until we get a new DC

Carter Bradley will start next year

There needs to be Defense coaching changes made I believe there will be. Need better O-line play as well But I don't see Hallett as the problem

I look forward to the trips to Kentucky and Colorado next September. Plenty of golfing, hiking, and scenic views. If the football team decides to be competitive that’ll be a bonus.

(12-21-2018 04:02 PM)bcunn3128 Wrote:  1. Fire the entire defensive side of the coaching staff. This is non-negotiable. Only bright spot this season was a couple young guys on the D line. LB play was terrible this season, and not a whole lot better last season. Secondary is full of "athletic" guys who can't cover a brick wall and are poor tacklers. This is either recruiting or coaching, and that staff seems to have made lots of poor decisions with both.

2. Fire Hallet, or move him to a more suitable position. Offensive line recruiting & play have both really fallen off in the past two seasons, and that has more than contributed to our problems on offense.

3. Start Carter Bradley at QB. Yes, he will struggle, maybe for a couple seasons. But I've seen enough of Peters to conclude that he is not going to lead us to a MAC championship, even with more playing time. Time to start the move in another direction.

4. For that matter, start playing more freshmen period. I'd rather see a 3-9 season next year and have some hope knowing that a lot of guys got some very valuable experience that will pay off (remember what PJ Fleck was able to accomplish at WMU?), rather than a 6-6 season with lots of upperclassmen that looks suspiciously like the beginning of the end.

LOL! The peeps on this board will go into full meltdown if the Rockets went 3-9 next year. PJ Fleck was working with a totally empty cupboard. Not the case at UT. Please don't forget that Boise State and Toledo are the two most successful programs G5 over the last several years. Additionally, the Rockets were MAC Champs JUST LAST YEAR after a 13 year dry spell. The SKY is not falling! Chill.

(12-22-2018 04:08 PM)AquaRocket Wrote:  

(12-21-2018 04:02 PM)bcunn3128 Wrote:  1. Fire the entire defensive side of the coaching staff. This is non-negotiable. Only bright spot this season was a couple young guys on the D line. LB play was terrible this season, and not a whole lot better last season. Secondary is full of "athletic" guys who can't cover a brick wall and are poor tacklers. This is either recruiting or coaching, and that staff seems to have made lots of poor decisions with both.

2. Fire Hallet, or move him to a more suitable position. Offensive line recruiting & play have both really fallen off in the past two seasons, and that has more than contributed to our problems on offense.

3. Start Carter Bradley at QB. Yes, he will struggle, maybe for a couple seasons. But I've seen enough of Peters to conclude that he is not going to lead us to a MAC championship, even with more playing time. Time to start the move in another direction.

4. For that matter, start playing more freshmen period. I'd rather see a 3-9 season next year and have some hope knowing that a lot of guys got some very valuable experience that will pay off (remember what PJ Fleck was able to accomplish at WMU?), rather than a 6-6 season with lots of upperclassmen that looks suspiciously like the beginning of the end.

LOL! The peeps on this board will go into full meltdown if the Rockets went 3-9 next year. PJ Fleck was working with a totally empty cupboard. Not the case at UT. Please don't forget that Boise State and Toledo are the two most successful programs G5 over the last several years. Additionally, the Rockets were MAC Champs JUST LAST YEAR after a 13 year dry spell. The SKY is not falling! Chill.

Over the past five seasons, Boise has the best overall record amongst Great 5 schools, followed by our friends down south Appalachian State, and then Toledo is third. Not a bad place to be, but how the heck did we let a school that just moved up to FBS five or so years ago surpass us? We need to invest more money into stadium upgrades and a larger assistant coaching budget.

(12-22-2018 10:00 PM)inductchuck16 Wrote:  

(12-22-2018 04:08 PM)AquaRocket Wrote:  

(12-21-2018 04:02 PM)bcunn3128 Wrote:  1. Fire the entire defensive side of the coaching staff. This is non-negotiable. Only bright spot this season was a couple young guys on the D line. LB play was terrible this season, and not a whole lot better last season. Secondary is full of "athletic" guys who can't cover a brick wall and are poor tacklers. This is either recruiting or coaching, and that staff seems to have made lots of poor decisions with both.

2. Fire Hallet, or move him to a more suitable position. Offensive line recruiting & play have both really fallen off in the past two seasons, and that has more than contributed to our problems on offense.

3. Start Carter Bradley at QB. Yes, he will struggle, maybe for a couple seasons. But I've seen enough of Peters to conclude that he is not going to lead us to a MAC championship, even with more playing time. Time to start the move in another direction.

4. For that matter, start playing more freshmen period. I'd rather see a 3-9 season next year and have some hope knowing that a lot of guys got some very valuable experience that will pay off (remember what PJ Fleck was able to accomplish at WMU?), rather than a 6-6 season with lots of upperclassmen that looks suspiciously like the beginning of the end.

LOL! The peeps on this board will go into full meltdown if the Rockets went 3-9 next year. PJ Fleck was working with a totally empty cupboard. Not the case at UT. Please don't forget that Boise State and Toledo are the two most successful programs G5 over the last several years. Additionally, the Rockets were MAC Champs JUST LAST YEAR after a 13 year dry spell. The SKY is not falling! Chill.

Over the past five seasons, Boise has the best overall record amongst Great 5 schools, followed by our friends down south Appalachian State, and then Toledo is third. Not a bad place to be, but how the heck did we let a school that just moved up to FBS five or so years ago surpass us? We need to invest more money into stadium upgrades and a larger assistant coaching budget.

I was discussing this with a friend and our theory is that App State's quick rise to prominence is absolutely due to all their success at the FCS level. This is in no way to take away from what they have done FWIW. We went on to hypothesize that they were able to play at the absolute highest level of FCS football (see: winning National Championships) and generated a lot of excitement. Moving to FBS only added fuel to that fire and thus they have been able to successfully leverage this into a great G5 program.

Take this in comparison to several other G5 programs who have tasted great success (Hawaii, Western, Northern and Toledo for our consistency) and nothing has changed for the long term of the program. This is discouraging for a fan base. Just ask NIU after the Orange Bowl and WMU most recently. Fans don't show up, they are extremely fair weather, the $$$ isn't there for substantial upgrades or assistants, etc. Being in the bitter cold north doesn't help fan support either. I feel at some point this will hit App State and temper the excitement around that program. It's an unfortunate truth that outside of Boise, no G5 has been able to build a program that is sustainable over the long haul from all angles.

I hate to sound like a cynic but I fear that is really the direction college football is headed in with what feels like the imminent possibility of super conferences. As long as the G5 is held out of the playoffs, it becomes more and more likely we become our own division at some point.

Just some offseason level ramblings. I will be there every step of the way supporting our Rockets, regardless!

(12-21-2018 04:02 PM)bcunn3128 Wrote:  1. Fire the entire defensive side of the coaching staff. This is non-negotiable. Only bright spot this season was a couple young guys on the D line. LB play was terrible this season, and not a whole lot better last season. Secondary is full of "athletic" guys who can't cover a brick wall and are poor tacklers. This is either recruiting or coaching, and that staff seems to have made lots of poor decisions with both.

2. Fire Hallet, or move him to a more suitable position. Offensive line recruiting & play have both really fallen off in the past two seasons, and that has more than contributed to our problems on offense.

3. Start Carter Bradley at QB. Yes, he will struggle, maybe for a couple seasons. But I've seen enough of Peters to conclude that he is not going to lead us to a MAC championship, even with more playing time. Time to start the move in another direction.

4. For that matter, start playing more freshmen period. I'd rather see a 3-9 season next year and have some hope knowing that a lot of guys got some very valuable experience that will pay off (remember what PJ Fleck was able to accomplish at WMU?), rather than a 6-6 season with lots of upperclassmen that looks suspiciously like the beginning of the end.

Send this to MOB please!

As a follower of North Dakota football many years ago where they were D2 power houses when I was stationed up there during my AF days, look what has the Bison has done at N. Dakota St at the FCS level! They have won many national championships and played in a dome to boot (16, 500 capacity). They are going for another title upcoming against Eastern Washington. This could be where UT and many strong mid majors are going with a step down from the FBS level and forming a new level of football. I don't know how much longer can schools like UT, WMU, NIU, Ohio (by the way Bobcats congrats on winning your bowl game against SD ST.) can support football at the FBS level. Getting back to NDSU, I have watched the Bison play this year in the playoffs and they are impressive. They would give UT all they could handle. They have had victories against Ball State, Kansas, and Iowa all on the road recently.

(12-24-2018 12:04 PM)Springboromark Wrote:  As a follower of North Dakota football many years ago where they were D2 power houses when I was stationed up there during my AF days, look what has the Bison has done at N. Dakota St at the FCS level! They have won many national championships and played in a dome to boot (16, 500 capacity). They are going for another title upcoming against Eastern Washington. This could be where UT and many strong mid majors are going with a step down from the FBS level and forming a new level of football. I don't know how much longer can schools like UT, WMU, NIU, Ohio (by the way Bobcats congrats on winning your bowl game against SD ST.) can support football at the FBS level. Getting back to NDSU, I have watched the Bison play this year in the playoffs and they are impressive. They would give UT all they could handle. They have had victories against Ball State, Kansas, and Iowa all on the road recently.

I really think another division in NCAAF would be a great idea. An eight team or 16 team playoff for the National title.
I would expect there would be a need to cut the regular season games to 11 but may not be nessasarey. The teams that do not make the playoffs could still have an opportunity to play in a bowl game. Provided they have at least six wins. I think this is a good plan and could give the NCAAF a boost that IMO needs so desperately.

If Toledo dropped FB to a lower Division, I'm done. They might as well drop FB.
And if that is the case, I wouldn't care if the athletic programs were gone.

maybe not soon, something has to give, schools cannot be supporting the athletic football programs at this level anymore, not enough fannies in the seats.