Taking a long view of Texas St/UH

You know the  short term fall-out, an offensive coordinator fired, a fan-base in turmoil etc.  The upset of the University of Houston Cougars has done all of that, and more.  It's energized a fan base in a school's first year of D1-A FBS competition, its  taken one team off ESPN's bottom 10 and  put another team on. It's moved UH football from potential BCS "buster" to FBS joke.  It's taken all of the momentum and good will that UH developed with the national media over the last couple of years and flushed it right down the toilet walls at Robertson Stadium.

Dark days in Cougar land.  As the Mack Rhoades era has gone forward the schools athletic fortunes have grown darker.  One year after leading the Cougars to an improbable NCAA tournament appearance Tom Penders was gone, replaced by washed-up never was James Dickey.  Raynor Noble, the most successful baseball coach in UH history gone, replaced by Todd Whitting who has so far shown a remarkable inability to recruit and win. In golf, Jonathan Dismuke is not Keith Fergus, women's basketball coach Todd Buchanan hasn't had success (the team only won 4 games last year) at least coach Leroy Burrell is still in charge of track and field.

All of this brings us to football, which upgraded after the Art Briles departure in  the form of Kevin Sumlin, but then seemed utterly rudderless when Sumlin left, promoting the special teams coach, Tony Levine, to the head spot, and going cheap on assistants.  The result of this penny-pinching method of hiring coaches was the disaster you saw last Saturday.  Houston fans have a right to be dismayed. If anything, this season is starting off with a very Dana Dimel feel to it, instead of red-shirting an entire class, Levine has decided offensive coordinators are disposable.

All of this is short term, a speed bump in what is supposed to be the return of the House of Coog to athletic prominence.  In my mind however, the Texas St. loss illustrates some long-term issues that UH faces considering their new competition are newly minted D-1A FBS programs of Bobcats and the Roadrunners.

That's right UH fan, you're now competing with TX St. and UTSA.

Think about it, when the three schools finish their facility plans (you can find Houston's, Texas State's and UTSA's by clicking on the respective links) they're going to be roughly equal, funding and alumni support is going to be on par, and all three Universities' athletic programs have strong administrative support. If anything I'd give the edge to TX St. and UT-SA based on location alone.  Where would you rather go to school?  San Marcos or San Antonio?  Or at the University of Houston?

For a little while, there are going to be four tiers of major college football in Texas.  UT-Austin & aTM are going to be firmly at the top, Baylor, TCU & Texas Tech will make up the second tier, UH, SMU, TX St., UT-SA and UT-El Paso will make up a third tier, and UNT and Rice will, temporarily bring up the rear.

Going forward I see a three tier system developing depending on how the eventual 16-team Super Conferences play out:

Tier One:  UT-Austin, aTm, TCU (let's face it, the Frogs are permanently up there with the big dogs.)

Tier Two: Texas Tech, Baylor & TX State

Tier Three: UH, SMU, UNT, UT-SA (maybe, they have the potential to move up) UTEP, Rice and UNT 

The second tier has a chance to hang on in whatever the FBS eventually turns into, depending on how agile their athletic departments turn out to be.  Texas Tech, for example, will probably never drop into being a second classification football program.  I think eventually however all of the teams on the bottom tier will forever shunted off into what is going to be known as FCS (or whatever it's called) hell.  Of the three schools I'm focusing on I see TX State and UT-SA currently having a better chance of remaining relevant than Houston.

UNT and Rice are already glorified FCS teams, I don't see any way out of the bottom for them.  They'd probably be better served moving down in classification where they can compete. The thing is UH should be immune from this problem, but they're on the cusp of being passed by two Johnny-come-lately's to a party they've napped on for over a decade.  UH had a chance to really build something and make a move to a major conference, they had a chance to matter.  For some reason AD Rhoades decided to penny pinch at just the wrong time and now finds his program playing catch-up to TX St. & UT-SA.

Who would have believed this to be possible 5 years ago?  Not me.

Ranking Texas' D-1A Athletic programs

Using no metric other than how I feel the schools are currently positioned.....

1. UT-Austin - Like 'em or not, the horns are the top dog in the State of Texas in regards of overall athletic program.  They have great facilities, and bring in a TON of money through the Longhorn Network (even IF no one will carry the thing)  Yes, their football luster has dulled recently (and I believe that will carry into the next few years, until they can find a solid QB/RB/WR trio again) but they've got more resources than any other school in the State, by far.

2. Texas A&M - For all of the screaming and yelling, aTm did the best job of any of BIG state schools improving their position.  The jump to the SEC was a smart move, and will provide them with money and recruiting resources for years.  Outside of Kentucky, it's a conference that doesn't care much about basketball, so aTm should do better than expected there.  It's football where the big advantages will be found.  Not initially, as Coach Kevin Sumlin and crew will find out, but over time possibly.  To me their ceiling is Georgia.  That ain't too bad.

3. TCU - A surprise here, but not really.  TCU has been working diligently on their athletic program for years now with one goal in mind: making it into the Big ten elven Twelve whatever and they're now there.  They should do well in football, use the money and recruiting to get better in basketball, and surprise some teams in baseball and the other non-revenue sports.  TCU has good (not great) facilities and a leadership team in place that seems to understand what's needed.  I see good things for them in the future.

4. Baylor - Say what you want about the little college in Waco, they've parlayed some friendly government intervention into a decent run in the Big XII and are getting a new football stadium and a host of upgrades for the rest of their facilities.  With quality men's football and basketball teams to complement the Ladies basketball juggernaut the Bears are slowly building a competitive sports product to compete with the big boys.  Ultimately, I feel that their lack of a donor base and other limitations will cap them out here but man, what a ride.

5. Texas Tech - That "West Texas school" has been on a bit of a since the Mike Leach debacle took some steam out of their momentum.  Right now they have the feel of a moribund program whose prospects for future greatness are well.....Football is sliding, as is basketball, and may or may not have reached their low points.  Something needs to change in Lubbock, and fast.

6. SMU - I realize that I'm going to get killed for this by UH fans but the facts here speak for themselves.  SMU has better facilities, better current programs, and a better financial base on which to continue building than do the Cougars. They are in the same conference and have the same problems with that conference that UH has.  The difference is SMU is rising, UH is falling.

7. Houston -  Houston is a school that's fallen way down my rankings over the last few years.  Five years ago they may have been ranked as high as four on the list.  Unfortunately, despite having some measure of success on the football field, the Cougars are still suffering under the immense weight of unfilled potential.  They have a new, on campus, football stadium coming, maybe. Their basketball stadium is an aging relic and every other facility on campus is average at best.  For the Cougars life seems to be a steady stream of "wait and see", meanwhile other schools are moving faster and bumping them down the list. If they can sustain some measure of success on the field, get a new football & basketball stadium up and running they can move back up again.

8. UT-El Paso - It's hard for me to rank any school in the UT system (not named UT-Austin) too high.  Ultimately they have to answer to a board of directors who want to make sure the children don't surpass the parent.  UTEP does have some decent facilities however and some good coaches that they claimed off of the scrap-heap.  They're in a dog conference, and are limited on what they can accomplish due in part to geography.  Still, they are currently a lot better than they were previously.

9. Texas State - You have to like what Texas State is doing.  They're on the cusp of moving to D-1A in a conference (The WAC) that's very weak and which should allow them to make some competitive inroads. However, they couldn't dominate weaker competition in the Southland conference. They have decent facilities and an administration that seems to be committed to making them a D-1 competitive school.  Time will tell.

10. Rice - Due in large part to their tiny alumni base, and the fact that they don't place great value on the revenue sports, Rice is what Rice is, a small private institution who will always be known for academics than athletics.  This is a good thing, because this is what Rice values.  It's not a good thing for the purposes of this list however.  That said, they have a great, if aged, football stadium and the recently renovated Autry at least gives them a workable basketball facility.  Wayne Graham is a genius in baseball.

11. North Texas. - Saddled with a conference affiliation that's terrible (the Sun Belt) North Texas is moving along under the sports radar albeit, with a very large donor ("Mattress" Mack) in their corner.  They recently completed a nice little new football stadium and they have a pretty nice campus up in Denton, I just don't think they will ever have the resources to really challenge anyone above them on this list.

12. UT - San Antonio - Look, I appreciate what they are doing but there's really nowhere else you can put this school but at the bottom considering where they are today.  They've not played a down of football at the D-1 level although they could improve given the dearth of college sports in the San Antonio area and the fact that their WAC affiliation is better than the Sun Belt or C-USA.  I'd say this grade is "incomplete" but, for now, I think this is where they must rank.

With Sumlin gone....

...UH now faces the unenviable task of hiring a third straight successful coach in a row.

I've been saying for years now that non-AQ schools with success need to think about their succession plans since their coaches ARE going to be poached by automatic B(c)S qualifying schools looking to rebuild programs. TCU did a great job of this, as has Boise St. So far Houston has struggled. The Art Briles defection was a personal failure on Briles' part (his poaching of UH assistant coaches before the bowl-game was reprehensible) the Cougars got lucky picking the right successor in Sumlin. By all accounts Sumlin has been honest and forthright with U of H, and will leave them in pretty good shape for the bowl.

But once again, the Cougars appear to have to go outside the current system to find a new coach, seemingly having no one on staff who can keep the machine rolling in the Big East. The hope, for Cougar fans, should be that UH finds and hires another young, up-and-coming coach with a flashy offense but who takes defense seriously. What they don't want to do is follow the basketball program's example and find an old retread who's looking to finish out his career quietly. I also think it's going to be important to find someone with Texas ties. Houston's biggest Big East advantage is going to be the superior players they have first shot at in recruiting.

UH football appears to be firmly back on the road to respectability. They need to find the next Kevin Sumlin, and not fall into the Kim Helton trap. Although given the fickle nature of UH fans (some are already calling Sumlin 'gutless' on the message boards, for what reason we have no idea) they won't be happy with anyone who's selected anyway.

Listen up Coogs

THIS is why the Big XII(X) should be a non-starter for you. It's a conference on the outs, ran by a school (Texas) that doesn't have any concern for the conference as a whole.

Stay away from UT-Austin, far away. What seems like a good idea really isn't. Face it, with lesser facilities and budget you won't be able to compete with the OU and UT-Austin's of the world. Sure, maybe in the 70's and 80's you could, but this is a different football landscape in a different world for College sports. A move to the Big XII(X) is not athletic Nirvana, it's athletic suicide.

What to do now?

Start having conversations with the Big East. Not only are those school's budgets and facilities much more in line with yours, but you also have a travel partner (and instant rival) in TCU that will ease the costs.

Leave the Big XII(X) disintegration to UT-Austin, let them own it and have fund doing it.

Go East young people, and prosper out there.

Goodbye Sumlin. (UPDATED)

There's nothing official yet but given the number of college football coaching vacancies (or soon to be vacancies) there's little chance Kevin Sumlin will be the head ball coach for Houston next year.

Last year I suggested that the University get their succession plans in order, keep a coach in the system in the manner of Boise St. after Dan Hawkins or TCU after Francione. It doesn't appear that they did this.


The problem now is that it appears that Holgerson is going to get a much better offer than UH can provide. Thus endeth the run?


Boy was I wrong.

When Florida hired former Texas D-coordinator Will Muschamp it became pretty clear that the coaching dominoes were not going to fall as I initially thought. Now Miami has selected Al Golden, and it appears that Gus Malzahn is heading to Vandy and I don't see either Temple or the O-coordinator position at Auburn being of interest to Sumlin so.......

He's going to get a chance to fix this mess it appears.

Two things UH must change...

It was uglier than the score suggested. Last night's 31-13 humbling by UCLA wasn't just a loss that will knock Houston out of the Top 25, it was an egg-laying on a National stage that will set an image of the Cougars in the minds of the national media that's going to linger for a long time.

It wasn't supposed to be this way. This was the year that the Cougars were supposed to ARRIVE, the year that they joined TCU and Boise St. as the "B(C)S busters" fans feel they should be. Unfortunately they're missing two key ingredients, things that must change if they want to have long-standing success going forward.

Defense - It was bad enough that the Bruins running back was running over Cougar defensive linemen like they were unanchored tackling dummies, then you had to suffer the indignity of the quarterback carrying a Cougar cornerback five yards into the end-zone for a score.

The Cougars need to find, and develop, a defensive identity in the worst way. The "hot knife through butter" strategy they're currently using isn't going to cut it when real teams are on the schedule. UCLA was a bad Pac-10 team, and they physically dominated the Baby Cougar defense. Mad Dogs? Try whipped puppies. The Cougar defense was too slow, too weak, and in too poor of position on several plays to have any credibility. How many times did UCLA QB Prince fake the hand-off and run around an abandoned edge for a big gain? Too many. The line can't stop the run, the linebackers are out of position and the secondary couldn't cover if you gave them a blanket.

What people often forget is that TCU and Boise St. both have violent defenses that play with discipline, speed and reckless abandon. UH has none of that. That needs to change.



Referendum - Yesterday's loss didn't mean that UH football is dead in the water, it didn't mean that the Cougars are not a good team, and it wasn't a referendum on the future of UH football. These are all things that UT-Austin and aTm fans are clogging up the comments of newspapers and message boards all over Houston. Cougar fans need to learn to ignore this. Last night's game was only a referendum on the program if Robertson Stadium is half-full next Saturday. If Cougar fans give up, if the nay-sayers convince people to quit on the team, if the "fire Kevin Sumlin" idiots are allowed to hold sway? Then yes, UH football is in trouble. If one loss is enough to shut-down Cougar Nation then perhaps a move to D1-AA should be examined.




A loss is a loss it sucks, but it doesn't have to mean that the program is lost for good. The best way to ensure the continued success of Cougar football is to fill Robertson Stadium on Saturday, and then ignore the screams of fans from other schools. While I'm not a Cougar fan, I do pull for them. Mostly because I attended a school in their system and they're the 'home town' school The Cougars have a chance to do some good things this year still. Maybe not as much as they wanted too, but some good things. Fan support will be key.

Back off the ledge Cougar fans

So, your team got housed by UTEP and ChronBlog's resident UT flack is piling it on (while somehow, curiously, morphing this into a win for UT). Your B(C)S buster hopes got buried under and avalanche of Miner offense and you still can't find 3 out of 4 lost helmets.

It's going to be OK.

Let's look at the facts:

1. This years Cougars are a young lot, with several underclassmen starting on defense. This situation was made worse by last week's injury of your defensive leader.

2. Conference games on the road are hard to win. I don't care which conference you're talking about.

3. UH has a target on their backs. Get used to this. Fair or not you're the targeted team in C-USA now.

The one concern that I had was that I heard too much talk of lost helmets and no respect from the pollsters, and very little talk about UTEP. Not only from the media, but from your coaching staff as well. When you overlook a team like UTEP, with a prolific offense and a good coach, you end up losing by 17 in the National spotlight.

The good news is the season's goals are still in reach. I refer, of course, to the goals that were there before the season began. Conference USA is still out there for the taking, as is a berth in the Liberty bowl against an SEC team. The B(C)S dream was all fool's gold, the odds are stacked against too many teams, especially with Boise State an almost certain lock to get the nod. (never mind that TCU is probably the better team)

So, come down off the ledge will 'ya?

Now is not the time to worry about one loss on a 12-game schedule. Don't worry about what the Longhorns are saying, they never make sense anyway.

And hey, at least you're not Baylor.


UPDATE: Houston falls out of the Top 25 - Which illustrates just how ridiculous the polls really are this year. College Football is the best football in the land, but the ranking systems are fatally flawed.

See Red

It was a big win on a big stage for the Cougars, one that long-time program supporters never stopped believing, in the quiet places of their hearts, would come to Cullen Ave. again. Sure there were the requisite 'heartbreak' moments (How many of the Cougar faithful thought "Oh no" after the questionable penalty that nullified an interception?) but in the end this Cougar team, coached by Kevin Sumlin, put to rest all of the ghosts of Cougar past and gave the school its biggest football win possibly ever.

Yes, during the Run n' Shoot days, there were big wins over the University of Texas. In the meaningful games however, games against Hurricanes or blitzing Aggies or Catholics led by Joe Montana, UH often came up just a little short under the bright lights of the National glare. UH has always been just on the edge of the National football conscience, just outside of the periphery, just off the radar.

All of that has changed this season, first with the win over OSU in Stillwater and then against the Wiley old Pirate on National TV in a game that pundits were salivating over. All of this changed because of a coach named Sumlin, a quarterback named Case and a pack of fast, very fast, young talent that's got something UH football has lacked for decades: Discipline.

Make no mistake about it, these are not the same Cougars you saw unprepared for games during the Art Briles era. Teams that were more likely to shoot themselves in the foot in big games than score touchdowns. This is a team whose strength is forged in the kiln of Coach Jackson's strength program, whose game plan has been designed by one of the best coaches in the College game.

Yes, this success is about the players, but it's also about Kevin Sumlin, a coach who's certain to be coveted at the end of the year by big-time programs with big-time budgets. It's about a University that's learned what it means to win, or what it takes to build a winner. UH isn't a 'helmet team' but they are a good team. Probably a top-ten team in the Country.

The fruits of this win will probably be a national ranking in the 12-14 range, which is too low. I have them in the 9-10 range, although I heard Mark May of ESPN put them at five last night. That's heady stuff for a team that, just a few years prior, was playing in front of 15,000 fans and had people wondering if D-1A was in their immediate future.

Next up is the Conference-USA schedule, games that won't have the hype or cache of the OSU and Tech games, but games that are going to be of heightened importance if UH wants to really cash in and take the B(C)S by storm.

The foul stench of success. (I guess)

Red Whine by flickr user DRB62 used via a creative commons liscense.

First off: A hearty congratulations to the UH football team. It was a good win against a team that I had beating them soundly when I was putting together the records this year. Now the question becomes whether or not this team can handle properity. Obviously Oklahoma State could not. Whether or not UH can will depend mightily on the coaching staff*, and the character of the current crop of players.

However, if wouldn't be a UH win if there wasn't a fair amount of grousing from the fanbase....(from the comments of the story)

LloydBentsen wrote:
Is this some sort of joke? Houston is ranked lower than OSU? Houston is unranked in the Coaches' Poll?

and

It_is_so_simple wrote:
I can't believe Miami is higher than Coogs!

Unfortunately comments like that only detract from the win, and lead to the perception of the Cougar faithful as living with a perpetual case of the sore ass.

Here are the facts:

1. Despite the big win UH is nowhere near the front of many people's College football mind. Especially the pundits. Now, granted, it's fair to question the impartiality (and reality-basis) or ANY poll based on that fact, but until there's a playoff there's no way today's sportswriters can be expected to keep tabs on every D-1 (sorry no FBS, or FCS here) team in the country. Houston hasn't been there, they haven't done that, and most voters are probably waiting to see if they can do it again.

2. The polls are, in large part, based on what voters think teams can do, especially this early in the season. In the eyes of most voters, Okie State is still a better team than UH, just one that lost a game in an upset. Those of us who follow UH understand that the 'fluke' factor in this win was relatively small as far as upsets go. 9 out of 10 times Michigan beats Appelachian State, OSU maybe beats UH 6 out of 10 times, if that.

3. The coaches poll is worthless. It's name is even a misnomer since it's filled out by each University's SID while the coach works on the gameplan. That it's held up as some standard of relevency in the bizarro-world that are the B(C)S rankings only goes to show you just how messed up the current system is.

You want respect UH fans?

Go out and beat Tech, beat Tulsa and beat East Carolina and you'll have a heaping amount of it.

Of course, if you win those you might end up in a B(C)S bowl and be the subject of Richard Justice's ire instead of his praise.

Hey, it could happen.



*Note to AD Rhodes: You had better start to get your coaching succession plan in line today. It's not likely that Sumlin is going to be around much, if any, longer after the end of this season. This week is an off-week and Sumlin will have a little time. I'd talk about a raise, and also about having him prep one of the assistants to take over the ship once he departs.

University of Houston 2009-2010 Football outlook

(Image via Flickr user army.mil used via a creative commons license)


The good news, for Houston Cougar fans, is that I foresee the Cougars playing in a bowl this year. The bad news is that I don't think it will be the Liberty Bowl. It most certainly won't be a B(C)S bowl, at least not this year.

The reason for my concern is defense. Namely, the baby Coogs are talented, but green. For Cougar fans intent on reviving the silly "mad dogs" defensive moniker a more appropriate tag might be "mad puppy" this year. They've got some experience at linebacker and in the defensive backfield, but overall this defense is going to be young. Were the schedule not so front-loaded this wouldn't be such an important issue.

Offensively expect more of the same from Houston. They return all of their key skill-position players a year older and more familiar with coach Kevin Sumlin's system. Keenum and Beall should have huge years. For the most inspiring story Google Patrick Edwards to see what that young man is coming back from (warning: not for the faint of heart).

The Schedule:

Week 1: Northwestern State Robertson Stadium - Northwestern State isn't expected to beat Sam Houston State this year. Go tailgate, drink heavy and don't worry about falling asleep during the second half. This game will be long over by then.
Prediction: UH 47 NWSt 3

Week 2: Oklahoma State Stillwater, OK - The Pokes have too much firepower and just enough defense to win a shootout. Should be televised locally for those of you who don't want to travel to Stillwater. For those of you that do? Stop by Eskimo Joes.
Prediction: OkSt 52 UH 35

Week 3: Bye week. The Cougars will need it.

Week 4: Texas Tech Robertson Stadium - It would have been better for the Cougars to get Captain Leach and the Tortilla Pirates in game 1 or 2, before they get the timing down on that offense. As it is Houston should be on the downside of another shootout. Make sure to search Tech fans before they enter the stadium.
Prediction: Tech 42 UH 28

Week 5: University of Texas - El Paso, El Paso,TX - A week after chasing the Tortilla Pirates around UH gets the high-flying offense of the Miners. After this game UH's defense could be the among the lowest rated in the Country and still look pretty good.
Prediction: UTEP 35 UH 32

Week 6: Mississippi St., Starkville, MS - Finally, an offense that doesn't resemble an air-raid. Miss. St. is a physical, middle-of-the-road SEC team that UH should outrun. Expect pathetic "S-E-C" chants from Bulldog fans when they find themselves down in the 4th quarter.
Prediction: UH 42 Miss St 17

Week 7: Tulane: New Orleans, LA - Basically a glorified scrimmage for the Cougars as Tulane has been terrible the last few years and is showing little signs of improvement. I predict the defense starts to "get it" this week.
Prediction: UH 38 Tulane 3

Week 8: SMU: Robertson Stadium - After three weeks on the road this home game is going to be raucous (by UH standards that is). At this point the team's record might turn some off, but good things are on the horizon.
Prediction: UH 52 SMU 17

Week 9: Southern Mississippi: Robertson Stadium - Now on TV. This has the potential to be one of the games of the year in C-USA. It won't be. Defense gets it, and the offense is too good.
Prediction: UH 38 USM 14

Week 10: University of Tulsa: Tulsa OK. - This will be the game of the year in C-USA, at least in the Western division. Tulsa needs a QB, and that should propel the Cougars to the win.
Prediction: UH 47 TU 45

Week 11: University of Central Florida: Orlando, FL - After reeling off five straight the Cougars are confident, and just better than UCF. You'll have to listen to the radio to keep up with this game however, or on the ticker below whatever, more compelling, game you're watching on TV.
Prediction: UH 49 UCF 21

Week 12: Memphis, Robertson Stadium - Now your Cougars are on a roll. The Freshman aren't playing like Freshman any longer and the offense and defense are clicking on all cylinders. Memphis is supposed to be better this year, but still not good enough. And besides, Sumlin > Briles(who couldn't figure out how to consistently beat the Tigers)
Prediction: UH 42 UM 17

Week 13: Rice, Robertson Stadium - Ah the rivalry game that UH doesn't want to admit as a rivalry. Too bad too, because Rice is regaining respectability. Fortunately for Cougars fans the Owls lost too much last year. If UH is motivated (and they should be because the Western Championship should be on the line) then this game shouldn't be close.
Prediction: UH 42 Rice 10


Overall Regular Season Record: 9-3 1st place C-USA West.



I'll talk more about the C-USA championship game in a later post. For now though I think its safe to say that the Cougar train is starting to pick up some momentum. Here's the deal. I think this team is two years away from being really good. As in: "potential B(C)S Buster/undefeated record" good. What this means is that the new AD had better start to get his succession plans squared away for when the big colleges come after Sumlin. Having a coach on staff to take over the reins only makes sense for non-B(C)S programs who are going to have their coaches snapped up by big programs if they have success. As a matter of fact, I'd make it something that was contractual.

If you look at the sucess of the big non-B(C)S schools such as Boise State and Texas Christian you see a "system" in place that carries on well after the original coach that led them to prominence is gone. UH had better start thinking about that now. I've every confidence that Kevin Sumlin would be more honorable than was Art Briles when he leaves, but you still need to have a plan in place for recruiting etc.

After a rough start this should be a fun year Cougar fans, how long these winning ways last is up to your new AD.

UH reportedly finds Maggard's replacement

KRIV's Mark Berman got the scoop (Anyone surprised by that?)

FOX 26 Sports has learned that University of Akron athletics director Mack Rhoades will be named the next AD at the University of Houston.

The school will make the announcement official at a news conference scheduled for 11:30 a.m. Thursday.

UH narrowed its search to two finalists Wednesday. The other finalist was USC senior associate AD Dr. Brandon Martin.

Rhoades has been the athletics director at Akron since 2005.

Rhoades, 43, led the way for the Zips to build a $55 million on-campus football stadium.

And Rhoades didn't just concentrate on football at Akron. He also enhanced the facilities for other Zips sports programs including basketball, baseball, softball, and track.

We here at 3CB wish Rhoades all the luck in the world. He's heading into a job where the majority is apathetic, and the few that are interested closely resemble Republicans in their desire to run out every casual fan who doesn't pass a purity test. He's also going to have to deal with a local media that's ambivilent (or, in the case of some hostile)

Good luck with that.