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Gene Chizik? Really?

5-19 in two seasons at Iowa State and he gets a job at Auburn with an almost $1 million raise. Yes, he was the coordinator the undefeated Auburn team in 2004, but did he prove that he could do anything against the featherbottoms of the Big XII North?

And Doug Marrone to Syracuse. What the hell is Syracuse thinking? They have Turner Gill right there in New York and they go with a guy who has zero head coaching experience?

Big time fail for both schools. Gill should've had one of those jobs. He took the stinkiest and most awful program and turned them into MAC champions. He has more head coaching experience than Chizik and Marrone AND he's actually won.

Hopefully a better job comes along and Gill snags it. He deserves a shot at a BCS program.

There isn't a coach on the planet that could make Iowa State respectable within two years. He only really had one recruiting class that was his and they are too young to make a difference. Chizik has shown what he could do at Auburn and Texas when he has good talent to work with. And I think Auburn expects to have good talent.

I'm an Auburn grad. The fanbase is not pleased. He won't compete with Saban for recruits. He's completely unproven as a head coach...he better hit a home run on his off. coordinator hire. He hasn't officially been announced yet and he's already on the hot seat.

Most of us wanted Turner Gill.

Great call on Gill for the Auburn job. Maybe Iowa State will go after him. I hope this does not take an ugly turn toward allegations of racism.

cardsfansince82 wrote:There isn't a coach on the planet that could make Iowa State respectable within two years. He only really had one recruiting class that was his and they are too young to make a difference. Chizik has shown what he could do at Auburn and Texas when he has good talent to work with. And I think Auburn expects to have good talent.

It's not about making Iowa State respectable in two seasons because that IS impossible. But Iowa State was never even competitive. I just think it's ridiculous that a guy gets a better job and a big raise after doing absolutely nothing as head coach.

Hungary Jack wrote:Great call on Gill for the Auburn job. Maybe Iowa State will go after him. I hope this does not take an ugly turn toward allegations of racism.

With it being a school in Alabama and the SEC, I think that's where it could be headed. I'm not willing to say that the Auburn adminstration was trying to keep a black guy out because I don't know them and I don't know what's in their hearts. But Gene Chizik must've floored them in the interview.

If people are going to speculate that Auburn was being prejudiced, I think the same needs to be said for Syracuse, too. It seems like it would make sense to bring in a guy that's familiar with state recruits and won in the state. Hopefully the Orange get used to being a Big East punching bag.

ISU (my alma mater despite my signature) was moderately respectable right at the turn of the decade when Seneca Wallace led them to some good seasons. They certainly aren't expecting to dominate like the Texas/Oklahoma teams. No wins in the big 12 is pretty miserable, though.

My Cyclone buddies are pissed off. Not like Chizik was doing much, but this continues to reset their recruiting a couple more years. As terrible as their record was, at least he was getting settled with his own recruits. Oops! Not so much!

meh, we weren't the only university that was looking at Gill but didn't give him a job.

For all I know race could have played a role (though, the only race thing I've actually heard in relation to it was that Gill's wife is white and some didn't think an interracial marriage would go down well down here...sadly I fear that might have actually been an issue with some of our more backwards folks who love to somehow bring religion into that discussion) but assuming it did just because we're in the south is reverse prejudice. Like I said, other universities have passed on Gill, even one from that nasty ole librul north yankee New York.

Syracuse not hiring Gill is going to come back and bite them somehow. Syracuse football is a joke.

clevername wrote:I'm an Auburn grad. The fanbase is not pleased. He won't compete with Saban for recruits. He's completely unproven as a head coach...he better hit a home run on his off. coordinator hire. He hasn't officially been announced yet and he's already on the hot seat.

Most of us wanted Turner Gill.

The politics behind the Auburn football must be a mess. The secret Petrino meetings, firing Tuberville with his outstanding record, and then a hire that reeks of someone in power other than the AD making the call. You would have to think there would be several coaches available that would want to make the jump to the SEC. Did they even talk to Brian Kelly at Cincinnati?