I’m really curious to see how things play out with Greg Schiano. This thing has more suspense and drama built in than all of last year’s Hollywood blockbusters combined.
The Larry Coker era ended just under a week ago and not much has come out of New Jersey other than Schiano pledging his allegiance to his current program.
I’ve seen a lot of message board action this week where fans of all shapes and sizes are rambling on about this current situation. Many are saying Schiano won’t leave RU and others are quick to cut and paste his recent quotes, in an attempt to build their argument.
It’s amazing how many don’t understand the business side of all this. Come on now Scarlet Knights. Your one-loss season is impressive, as is the fact that you’re one tough win away from an Orange Bowl berth. That said, we’re still Miami and you’re still Rutgers.
The U is where coaches come to win titles and make their careers. Win five National Championships, out 20+ first round Draft picks in the league over a six year span, do something to change your 0-11 record against Miami and then get back to us.
Good God, are we really trading smack talk with Rutgers fans?
Back to the point. College football is big business and with Rutgers one win away from a BCS berth, Schiano would be a moron to talk about the coaching vacancies at Miami and other big time programs. For what? Right now, it’s all about RU. He’s busy game-planning for a road trip to West Virginia. He’s coming up with a defensive scheme to stop the Mountaineers’ Pat White and Steve Slaton.
The man is strategizing for the biggest game in his coaching career. Right now he’s not concerned with where he’ll be coaching in 2007, yet some folks are hanging on to every canned answer which comes out of his mouth as long as it backs their stance on the Schiano situation.
If “Schiano to Miami” has any legs, you’re not going to hear a peep about it until a week from now. Nothing. Zilch. Nada. For what? Why would he even “go there” with all he currently has on his plate?
My opinion has wavered on Schiano returning to The U. Right now, I believe he’s Miami’s best option. He was part of the family, he knows the culture and he recruits South Florida like a madman. Anyone who wants to discredit the job he’s done at Rutgers? They’ve obviously forgotten how bad that program once was.
A few years back Rutgers and Temple were synonymous and now they’re a contender. That’s unheard of. Rutgers knocked themselves out of the title hunt with a loss at Cincinnati, but the fact they were even IN the title hunt is amazing in its own right. Should Rutgers knock off West Virginia this weekend and end the regular season with one-loss, Schiano should be coach of the year.
I know the job Jim Grobe has done at Wake Forest, but if Schiano can knock off Louisville and West Virginia in the same season, he’s got my vote.
My question to the blog enthusiasts here… do you think this weekend’s game at West Virginia will make a difference in Schiano’s decision? Play out both scenarios. A win in Morgantown puts RU in the Orange Bowl and has optimism riding high for 2007. A loss will end Cinderella’s run and puts the Scarlet Knights in a lesser bowl. Will a BCS berth make Schiano feel he’s on the brink of greatness and that he can accomplish more there? Or will he know he’s hit the ceiling and that it’s all downhill from there?
Conversely, if Rutgers falls short of the BCS berth, does that convince him to return in 2007 to finish the job his team couldn’t take care of this year?
Right now, I don’t think we have a clue what Schiano is thinking. As I wrote a few weeks back, I haven’t heard a coach deny these types of coaching rumors since Butch Davis fawned over his gig at Miami and bailed weeks later for Cleveland. There are uncharted waters for Schiano. What does he want as an up and coming 40-year old coach? How high does he want to climb regarding the coaching ladder?
Is he on the fast track or is he content to hang around Rutgers for a while, either building them up or waiting for the Penn State job to open? Many talk about Schiano’s wife (Christy) not being a fan of South Florida, but what does that really mean? She married a coach. Bouncing around is part of the job description. She knows what she got into the day she said “I do” and it’s a safe bet the Schiano family will move a half dozen times between now and the day he retires.
A 3 to 4 year stint at The U is a career-changer. Even the most diehard Rutgers enthusiast has to see that. Can Schiano really afford to turn Miami down?
We should know in the coming week. Stay tuned!
.:Canes305:.