New coaches, new opportunities

Not all opportunities in life are created equal. Do you really think there are not better actors in the world than Megan Fox, except she is the one with the good looks? College football is much the same. You can be a genius when hired as the new head coach for a school, but your success is often times dictated by who surrounds you and where you are walking a sideline. So, who are the new guys that might be in the right place, at the right time? Here are a few of them. Monday we will look at the ones who the jury is out on. Wednesday we will consider those that need to keep their resumes’ up to date. For now, here are the winners?

Staying Power

Gene Chizik, Auburn-The Tigers were a better team than their five wins from last season indicate. With fifteen returning starters and a staff on the same page look for the Tigers defense to lead a turnaround while the offense finds a rhythm with the quarterback position settled. Looking at the long term one has to believe that Chizik has done an excellent job assembling a group of people that know how to coach football. He will also have better recruiting success than the prior regime enjoyed after Saban’s arrival in Tuscaloosa.

Steve Sarkisian, Washington-What is success? After going zero for the season, three of four wins will help improve the mood around the Husky campus. That can by you several years in Seattle right now. Here is the key to Washington’s 2009: Are the eighteen returning starters a year more mature, or is it a case of returning that many football players who can’t win? Opening against LSU is not a good way to change the momentum, but there are winnable games against Idaho, Stanford and Washington State on the schedule. A few upsets and the Huskies might get to five wins. Getting Jake Locker back at QB will also be a big plus. He is a fiery, athletic quarterback.

Chip Kelly, Oregon-Here is the key to a great year for the new top man at Oregon. Beat Boise State in the opening game. This team is probably a year away from having a legitimate opportunity to compete with USC in conference play, but the table is set here for a nice long run in the Pac 10. Look for Kelly to stay active in the offensive game plan and the Ducks to score lots of points.

So, of the eleven coaching changes we will look at, only three seem to have staying power. That will tell you just how hard it is to keep a head coaching job for more than a few years in big time college football. Monday we will take a look at the guys who might go either way. Kickoff is just around the corner.