Five Questions :: Conference Talk

1. Both….The Captain-players…The South Plains Drifter-Defense
2. Big 12 will lose Mizzou/ISU and there is a super conf. with the Pac-10. Not sure how all this will shake out but ut will still be big dog and yet be connected with usc.
3. I would like to lose the North and join the Pac-10 with Boise St. and Utah added in. That could control the SW/W tv sets.
4.Sonny Cumbie, Tommy Mainard, Travais Robinson, and Robert Prunty
5. One of these guys could become a wr…..both have what the South Plains Drifter wants….speed and more speed! Wreck’Em Tech

1. Coach TT. Even though UT and OU are allegedlly down this year (though it wouldn’t shock me if either went undefeated, again) it would not make sense to say TT only won the Big XII with Leach’s players if Leach never won a Big XII with Leach’s players. If TT wins Tech its first Big XII Championship, I doubt very many persuasive voices are going to linger on Leach’s ownership over the trophy. Having said that, if we win a Big XII Championship, I will be giving Leach plenty of credit for putting our program in a position to get there over the last 10 years.

2. Nothing. Realignment talk turns out to be much sound and fury, signifying nothing. Realignment will have to wait another 4-6 years. The season moves forward with all the conferences precisely where they started, each has a surprisingly compelling year story-wise (if only because the past few have been such bores) and sports’ writers across the nation write essays on how great it is to be in the Pac 10/Big 10/Big XII/etc. and why did we ever want to change in the first place? Also, I fail my finals because of this website.

3. Dream: Some kind of super Texas conference with Baylor, TCU, Houston, Texas, Texas A&M, us, we’ll keep the Oklahomas, maybe throw in an LSU and Arkansas if possible.
Realistic: Let’s stay put? Why should I hate the Big XII? I do dislike having to play Texas and OU every year… but I do like beating Texas and OU, and that’s more likely to happen if we play them annually.

4. Neal Brown, McElroy.

5. Formulas are for math, not recruiting. If there are good players, recruit. If there aren’t, don’t. Leach recruited Jeffers and Stephens to the same class. Didn’t Crawford have someone else with him as well? I don’t think we need 4 RBs a year, but two isn’t too many.

1. Both should get some credit. Leach built the foundation we’re building on and Tuberville is planning our next level.
2./3. I like keeping the Big 12 and having a TV alliance with the PAC 10. Games could run to 1:00 am in the morning and I’m okay with that. The only thing wrong with the Big 12 is Dan Beebe. I doubt Tech gets left behind and I fairly sure that UT will determine what Tech and A&M do next. Aggies would prefer we get left out so they wouldn’t have to compete with us anymore but I think UT and OU respect Tech more as a south power. Not sure what academics have to do with these conferences but it appears it does. Tech needs to reach Tier One at a rapid pace.
4. Sonny Cumbie. I think this guy becomes a huge recruiting tool for Tech and he has the west Texas charm that parents and players will relate to. As a coach he looks to be a quick study has the “it” factor. I’m not sure about the other guys as we’ll have to see when the season starts.
5. Keep them coming! Pack the stable folks and just remember the idea is win games and if it’s done on the ground that’s fine by me. Go ahead and recruit Lasco as a 3rd in this class. The passing game isn’t going away and the added RB’s will only make for a much better balanced offense. I think you will see fresh legs among talented backs inside the 20 yard line with a 97% scoring efficiency. I would also mention some of these recruits may be evaluated as corners, inside receivers and possibly LB’s. The fact is they are awesome athletes and we are a top 20 class in May.

1. It’s a clear Tubs gets the win … but Leach layed the foundation and recruited almost all the players. A Leach fielded team is going to win the Big 12 South under this scenario barring a wildly successful true freshmen arrival on the scene.

2. Big 12 is on the verge of a mini meltdown I don’t expect it to disintegrate but I do except Colorado or Mizzou to jump ship and Arkansas or TCU to join up. Result is Tech gets a window to exploit the chaos.

3. Best case ; I want Tech to win the Big 12 outright, get a complete class of 4 star or better recruits , expand the stadium by 15000 more seats and give G. Myers and K. Hance a reason to retire. Realistic scenario; That’s just a dream so the reasonable expectation for the team is winning 9 games and then adding on a victory @ an upper mid tier bow l – probably the Alamo Bowl again. Which they will win against the Big 10 opponent so ultimately it’s a 10 – 3 season. So Tech remains the second best Team in the Big 12 South. Translates into a 3 star heavy recruiting class and a slight pay raise for Tubs and his cohorts. Donors and disaffected fane start to give Tubs a break and Myers but not Hance retires after this face saving season is completed. Again.

4. The Best assistant "Coach" is Willis next best Is Neal Brown third best but more important to the on field success is Matt Moore. If any unit has to maintain its demonstrated level of play it’s the O line. I rant about the thirty plus sacks given up in 09 – but they are pretty good group, check that they are arguably the third best unit in the Big 12 behind Texas and OU.
 
5.Since Carlos Mainard could take ex running backs get them to play defense I say get the fastest strongest kid because they probably can find away onto the field. (Meeks, Britton, Wall right all ex running backs correct? )Get three running backs if that suits your purpose.

1. Tuberville…he’s the coach. The scheme, while similar, is different on offense…and it’s fairly drastically different on defense. In two years we can be done with this question.
2. I think in about 5 years there won’t be a Big XII. Tech is in a tough spot. We can hope that UT and A&M lobby to include us in a move (not likely) wherever they end up. But I have a feeling we will be left to fend for ourselves. We could be attractive to a WAC or even the SEC. I say that based on academic strength of the university that, for some reason, seem to really be important to some conferences.
3. I’d like to see us in either SEC or stay in the Big XII.
4. The S&C coach seems to be a relatively popular topic.
5. I’m a believer in the “best athlete available” system. Find a spot later if it’s not a position of need. The needs constantly change due to injury and attrition, but the talent needs to be there no matter what spot they fill. Doesn’t always work, but neither does the alternative. I’d rather have the best athletes I can find and fill in the gaps as necessary. We have three or four extremely talented guys now, so this doesn’t surprise me at all.

1. Both Leach and Tubbs. Leach for recruiting the talent and Tubberville for putting it all together with an almost completely new coaching staff
2. It will all be the same as it was yesterday the super conference thing is not going to happen tech stays in big 12
3. My dream is all ready a reality I really think being in the big 12 is the best scenario for tech. It gives us a legitimate chance at a bcs and even a nc every year if things go well.
4. Neal Brown because I really just dont know what we’re going to get and if its going to be more spread than air raid. Also this nascar thing is cool might at an extra potentcy to our offense. But assistant would be Cumbie because he’s a tech guy and seems to be a good recruiter
5. Definitely the more talent the better. Speed helps too. Look what TCU has done recuiting running backs and receivers and converting them to linebackers and ends. Everyone is saying this guy looks like a good receiver convert but I wouldnt be suprised if we saw Mr Marquez playing on defense in years to come remember what Tubbs said about speed on defense

1.) Tubs will because of him and his new coaching staff. Leach will also get credit for laying the foundation for the next guy up to be just as,if not more successful.

2.) Expansion doesnt happen. The B10 gets ND like they always wanted. The other conferences stay intact, and life in college football goes on.

3.) Best Case: Tech remains in the big 12 because the big12 never spilt up.

Worst Case: The big 12 gets broken up and we have to scramble to find a conference to join.

4.) Its hard to not talk about James Willis IMO. He is COMPLETELY changing our defense. A new look, a new philosophy, and new talent. I cant wait to see the unit go full tilt.

5.) Another good thing about tubs: he has an eye for RBs. And even if we end up being crowded at RB, talented players will play.

1. Without question Mike Leach gets the credit for ten years of foundation building. But I think that after his firing and hiring of Tubbs, the universal sentiment was, “wow, we lucked out gettin tubbs, he can put us over the top” If we win any title Tubbs will get that credit.

2/3. The Big XII still owns the naming rights to Big XIV. I really dont think any major realignment will happen, but if it does hopefully we will be ready. Any major realignment will (should, hopefully) involve any conference that doesnt already have a title game. The most radical result is the Big East being pillaged in its entirety to a number of different conferences. Whatever happens to Tech, unfortunately, will be out of our hands. Hey, Im being realistic. We dont have the kind of juice necessary to dictate terms of any deal/realignment.

4. Sonny Cumbie. Id love to see this guy become the next Lincoln Riley/Neal Brown

5. if a player can play, then sign him up and figure out a position later- – Seth. see….Wall, Jamar

1. Before I can decide who gets credit for Texas Tech winning a Big 12 chamionship, first I need to work out the details of how I will spend my lottery winnings. But I will say this: Whatever happens this year will be a hybrid of both coach’s efforts.
2. Big 12 loses some North teams (Missouri, Nebraska, maybe Colorado). If the South (Texas, Texas A&M) teams use that as an excuse to bolt who knows what might happen. What happens to OU? Nobody ever speculated on OU leaving. Will a new version of the Big 12 be built around OU or will the conference cease to exist? If it goes under Tech will be in a very dicey situation trying to get a BCS conference to take us.
3. Ideally Tech joins the Pac 10 & is the sole Texas school in the Pac 10.
4. Sonny Cumbie (mainly because I know who he is). I love Neal Brown’s offense. I hope it works well enough so Tubs doesn’t ditch it after two years once his own recruits start playing.
5. I love the fact that two talented athletes have committed. I hate seeing the position move speculation before they’ve signed. If they read here & get an idea that they won’t get to play RB in college they might reconsider where to go to school.

Good list today Seth.

1. Coach T, no doubt about it. But with a nod to Coach Leach for sure. End of the day, you still gotta play and win the games. Each game involves it’s own set of challenges and big decisions. So the current staff should get the credit.

2/3. Who the heck knows. Something’s gotta give though. UT and OU won’t sit and wait for the Big12 to keep up in revenue.

4. Travaris Robinson and Joe Walker. Would like to learn more about the strength coach (where he’s from, experience, notable former players he’s worked with, etc).

5. At first glance my preference was for us to sign a few more OL. But specifically with this kid from Odessa there are tons of possibilities. Most previous discussions were around Offensive potential, but what about converting to saftety, linebacker or corner? Sky is the limit for this kid.

1. We all know that when Tubs is successful it will be another opportunity for the mass media to slam Mike Leach (Tubberville does in one year what Leach couldnt do in 10, etc)

2. I think the Big 10 will expand and control the populated North, the SEC stays put, the tradition and dominance will still rule CFB, the Big 10 can include every team it wants and will still get schooled by the SEC in the NC game. Another important note is that SEC fans like to actually attend games, I dont think they are too interested in driving north (in the winter) to see their teams or lining up to see their guys play inferior northern teams. What Alabama vs Indiania or Purdue when they could be playing LSU or Arkansas, there are only so many games to go around. Those rivalries run deep and must be setteled anuallly.

Overall I dont think these confereces are going to expand way past their current geographic boundaries, Texas to the Big 10, No Way, Texas to the SEC (only if their egos are ready to be humbled)

3. Hopefully we stay intact with where ever Texas tamu and ok end up, as long as our competition level rises we should make the cut.

4. James Willis is the man and will be the highlight of the upcoming season !

5. Tubbs knows RB is most likley to get injured and he is building depth to offset this atrition

My dream scenario has always been:

BIG XII south: TT, UT, OSU, TCU, A&M, BU
north: OU, NEB, KU, KSU, Boise St., Mizzou

PAC 12: USC, UCLA, CAL, ORE, ARZ, ASU, COL, WASH, WSU, Ore. St., Stanford, Hawaii

BIG NORTH: ND, MICH, PSU, OHIO ST, ILL, MICH ST, IOWA, PURDUE, NW, MINN, WISC, IND

Keep everything else the same.

1. Both, but the biggest factor is probably the fact that the Big 12 South will be down across the board with QBs and key pieces of the other three contenders (UT, OSU, OU) leaving, whereas last year was supposed to be our down year. All of those teams will still have good years, but we beat them or almost beat them (2 on the road) at what you’d consider as a year when UT and OSU were supposed to be peaking. It seems less likely that we’d regress than they would since they have more new players and we have mostly the same ones.

If Tuberville had been here last year I wouldn’t even be thinking championship.

2. We might lose one team in the North, pick up Utah or some other team. A 3.0 on the Richter scale. I don’t think enough people can agree at the same time for the massive landslide people are talking about to occur.

3. I’d like Tech to move to either the North, somehow with guaranteed games against UT and A&M every year, or probably stay where it is.

4. Joe Walker

5. I think that both of those commits are great, no problems.

1. Current Head Coach gets credit…has there ever been a case in football in which another coach got credit ?

2. TTU Winds Big12 South, Big12, and our bowl game, where ever it is and whomever against & whatever the stakes.

3. See two with stakes = MNC.

4. I’m more interested in learning more about Scott, the DL coach, he is as important as Moore—I kind of know who he is.

5. The deal about taking a couple rb’s this class may have as much to with the numbers of very good rb’s available as anything…then I don’t know much about what plans may be in store from them…perhaps one will go to the receiving corps.

1. The players must receive the credit should Texas Tech win the Big 12 South. They have gathered themselves together and regardless of what happened, or why, have moved forward to make the most out of this whole thing.
2. The Big 12, if the rumors pan out, could go in one of several directions, maybe more than one, and what happens to Texas Tech will be totally dependent on which direction is taken. Much speculation can be made here, but I don’t have a clue what will actually happen.
3. Best case scenario, I want Texas Tech and the Big-12 to remain intact. Dream-wise, Tech comes out of it all even stronger and become THE team to beat year-in and year-out in the Big-12. Realistically, Missouri and Nebraska wind up as new members in the Big-10—11—12—13, whatever. Texas, A & M and Oklahoma are sucked up by the SEC with new visions of media payouts being offered. Tech, OSU, Baylor, Colorado, Kansas, Kansas State and Iowa State split in different directions, with Tech and Colorado, at least, getting invites to join the Pac-10—11-12-13, whatever.
4. Joe Walker is probably the most intriguing new coach. What he does to improve the strength & abilities of the players could be dramatic…..or nil. Time will tell.
5. Because of the few scholarships available, it is surprising to see more than one RB targeted, but since Tech will be running more, I guess it fits in OK. Any one of them could wind up at some other position and star there. The talent of those RBs that do sign will enable the coaches to consider more than just one option. I do feel Tech needs a couple of athletic & versatile linemen on both sides to round out this 2011 class.