Other people’s college football

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Originally Posted by budwom

Michigan football fans generally feel they swim in more exclusive waters than those in which we find Duke coaches...I'm totally neutral on Michigan, but for all his publicity and bluster, I find Harbaugh's teams to be somewhat underwhelming...

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Michigan is the absolute epitome of a team that solely gets by on its reputation. They've beaten Ohio State ONCE in FIFTEEN years. They've lost the vast majority of their bowl games in that time span. They've never won their division in the Big 10. The Wisconsin-Michigan game was exactly consistent with what both teams did in the first two weeks of the season.

At least everyone recognizes that teams like Tennessee and Miami aren't the powerhouses they once were. But for some reason, a lot of people still delude themselves into thinking Michigan is about to be a great championship-level team.

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Originally Posted by scottdude8

My thought exactly! Not to mention we handled Army last year in a way neither Oklahoma or (this year's) Michigan could. Cut is a hell of a coach. The only reason he isn't discussed more often in the "coaching carousel" is because people still haven't quite acknowledged that Duke is relevant in football again despite the last half-decade plus of success. Now I think (thankfully!) he's committed to Duke given he doesn't wan't to move again at his age, not to mention he loves Durham. But I think there are a lot of big programs who are kicking themselves that they didn't at least kick the tires half a decade ago.

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Some might roll their eyes at this, but perhaps the biggest obstacle in the way of Duke seeming relevant again are those empty seats on TV from Wally Wade...demographics are a tough opponent, and in football Duke is demographically challenged. Duke has been better over all than Tennessee for a number of years now...but they have that 106 thousand seat stadium that aspiring coaches thing they can fill , and thus the UT job is considered far superior to the Duke job.

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Originally Posted by HereBeforeCoachK

Some might roll their eyes at this, but perhaps the biggest obstacle in the way of Duke seeming relevant again are those empty seats on TV from Wally Wade...demographics are a tough opponent, and in football Duke is demographically challenged. Duke has been better over all than Tennessee for a number of years now...but they have that 106 thousand seat stadium that aspiring coaches thing they can fill , and thus the UT job is considered far superior to the Duke job.

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Coach Cut disagrees on your specific point. :)

I do agree that the visuals of our mostly empty stadium is a huge stumbling block. What 5 star recruit dreams of playing in college in front of hundreds of fans? Ick.

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Originally Posted by Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15

Coach Cut disagrees on your specific point. :)

I do agree that the visuals of our mostly empty stadium is a huge stumbling block. What 5 star recruit dreams of playing in college in front of hundreds of fans? Ick.

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100% agree... it's been something I've been worried about for years now. Big time college football programs who can fill their stadiums have alumni bases that tend to stay close to home (or for whom football is such an overwhelming part of their lives/culture that they plan their fall around trips to the game). Duke, in contrast, experiences a diaspora as soon as students graduate. I give the program a lot of credit with how they've seemingly tried to reach out to the Durham community... Durham is a large enough city that if Duke could cement itself as "Durham's football team" there's no reason Wally Wade couldn't be full as long as tickets are affordable. But the town/gown issues with Durham are long and well documented, which I think has been a major stumbling block.

If I remember correctly, the Iron Dukes has some sort of program in place where, in order to get enough "points" to be on the wait list for MBB season tickets, you need to be a WBB season ticket holder (or something along those lines). Is such a program still in place? If so, football tickets, and in particular attendance (somehow), should be incorporated. There are more than enough local grads, professors, etc. who want basketball tickets who would buy football tickets in order to get on that pathway, and I have a feeling once people make the commitment to the FB program that'll stick.

Regardless, this has and will continue to be the biggest (and last?) remaining hurdle before Duke's perception matches Duke's reality. Northwestern is in a very similar situation to Duke in terms of type of school, recent/historical success, etc., but for whatever reason they get a bit more respect in the CFB community than we do. There's no reason this program can't, at BARE minimum, be where Northwestern is, and addressing attendance is probably the biggest issue there (even though NW isn't perfect in that regard, they do consistently get sold out/raucous crowds for big games).

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Originally Posted by HereBeforeCoachK

Some might roll their eyes at this, but perhaps the biggest obstacle in the way of Duke seeming relevant again are those empty seats on TV from Wally Wade...demographics are a tough opponent, and in football Duke is demographically challenged. Duke has been better over all than Tennessee for a number of years now...but they have that 106 thousand seat stadium that aspiring coaches thing they can fill , and thus the UT job is considered far superior to the Duke job.

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Getting completely pants'ed any time we have a nationally televised primetime game (cough*VaTech 2018*cough) doesn't help improve our mainstream football reputation, either.

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Originally Posted by English

Getting completely pants'ed any time we have a nationally televised primetime game (cough*VaTech 2018*cough) doesn't help improve our mainstream football reputation, either.

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We have two opportunities in a row coming up to do better.

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Originally Posted by English

Getting completely pants'ed any time we have a nationally televised primetime game (cough*VaTech 2018*cough) doesn't help improve our mainstream football reputation, either.

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That is indeed another big factor...the last time we looked good for a big TV audience - off top of my head - was the 2013 Chick Fil-A Bowl...and even in defeat, I thought it was a great day for the program. The Devils were at least the physical equal of a team that had beaten Bama and had a Heisman QB.

Up until recently (the past ten years or so) there wasn't much discussion like this, because our talent and product on the field was so abysmal. Nice that we aren't in that desperate a situation anymore.

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Originally Posted by MartyClark

65 is the new 50, says this 69 year old guy hopefully.

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Damn, you aged hard after ballin with Antonio and Grant. :p

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Originally Posted by scottdude8

Northwestern is in a very similar situation to Duke in terms of type of school, recent/historical success, etc., but for whatever reason they get a bit more respect in the CFB community than we do.

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They got decent in the 1990s and have more or less stayed there, certainly as compares to their prior decades. Duke got decent in 2012. Whatever reason identified.

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Originally Posted by scottdude8

100% agree... it's been something I've been worried about for years now. Big time college football programs who can fill their stadiums have alumni bases that tend to stay close to home (or for whom football is such an overwhelming part of their lives/culture that they plan their fall around trips to the game). Duke, in contrast, experiences a diaspora as soon as students graduate. I give the program a lot of credit with how they've seemingly tried to reach out to the Durham community... Durham is a large enough city that if Duke could cement itself as "Durham's football team" there's no reason Wally Wade couldn't be full as long as tickets are affordable. But the town/gown issues with Durham are long and well documented, which I think has been a major stumbling block.

If I remember correctly, the Iron Dukes has some sort of program in place where, in order to get enough "points" to be on the wait list for MBB season tickets, you need to be a WBB season ticket holder (or something along those lines). Is such a program still in place? If so, football tickets, and in particular attendance (somehow), should be incorporated. There are more than enough local grads, professors, etc. who want basketball tickets who would buy football tickets in order to get on that pathway, and I have a feeling once people make the commitment to the FB program that'll stick.

Regardless, this has and will continue to be the biggest (and last?) remaining hurdle before Duke's perception matches Duke's reality. Northwestern is in a very similar situation to Duke in terms of type of school, recent/historical success, etc., but for whatever reason they get a bit more respect in the CFB community than we do. There's no reason this program can't, at BARE minimum, be where Northwestern is, and addressing attendance is probably the biggest issue there (even though NW isn't perfect in that regard, they do consistently get sold out/raucous crowds for big games).

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Attendance at Northwestern games has a lot to do with the school's proximity to Chicago, which has significant concentrations of alumni from all of the Big 10 schools and is a 5 or less hour drive from many conference campuses. When the Wildcats sell out, the stadium is usually half full - if not more - with fans of their opponent that day. There are also more NU alums in the Chicago area than Duke alums in the Triangle, so that helps attendance somewhat, too.

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Originally Posted by throatybeard

They got decent in the 1990s and have more or less stayed there, certainly as compares to their prior decades. Duke got decent in 2012. Whatever reason identified.

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Correct, they had a Rose Bowl appearance, maybe more, in that time frame...long before Cut started turning Duke around.

Here is a very interesting quote from ECU's football coach. (Scottie Mo's replacement)

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“The one thing that is concerning not only to me, but probably a lot of coaches across the country,” Houston said, “I forget what the stat was exactly last year, but it was something like three percent of the players that enter the transfer portal actually get picked up by somebody. What happens to the other 97 percent? Once you throw your opportunity away, it’s gone. That bothers me because you get into this business to try to help young men graduate and to try to have them part of a positive program, and sometimes somebody might be in their ear and leading them down a path that they think something’s there that’s not. It scares me a little bit for some people. I think I have a pretty good grasp on reality and what’s out there, and what’s not.”

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The article is talking about how their backup QB and a RB are entering the transfer portal.

https://www.witn.com/content/news/EC...561278841.html

FYI..Herring was a 2/3* recruit with offers from Miami and BC, but not by Duke.

Washington State coach says his players are "fat, dumb, unhappy and entitled". Hey Mike Leach, who recruited those guys and coached them up?

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nca...dr1?li=BBnb7Kz

Doubt he survives much longer. Really can't talk about students/kids that way these days. And it sure won't be good for recruiting.

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Originally Posted by Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15

Coach Cut disagrees on your specific point. :)
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Of course he does, publicly. He can't possibly be caught agreeing on video with that point.

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Originally Posted by HereBeforeCoachK

Of course he does, publicly. He can't possibly be caught agreeing on video with that point.

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I meant specifically Cut and specifically Tennessee. I believe he had the opportunity to leave Duke for UT recently, and made fhe decision that the Duke job was a superior situation.

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Originally Posted by Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15

I meant specifically Cut and specifically Tennessee. I believe he had the opportunity to leave Duke for UT recently, and made fhe decision that the Duke job was a superior situation.

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I'm not sure that is accurate. He decided that he would rather stay in Durham. I am not sure that that is a reflection on the quality or status of the jobs.

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Originally Posted by Indoor66

I'm not sure that is accurate. He decided that he would rather stay in Durham. I am not sure that that is a reflection on the quality or status of the jobs.

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furthermore, on one occasion he WAS ready to leave for Tennessee, but the Vols would not let him bring all of his Duke staff (this was much discussed years ago and has little relevance today, IMO).

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Originally Posted by Indoor66

I'm not sure that is accurate. He decided that he would rather stay in Durham. I am not sure that that is a reflection on the quality or status of the jobs.

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Fair point. But saying that Cutcliffe would have to say Duke is a better situation because cameras are rolling feels disingenuous when he literally chose to stay at Duke over moving to UT.

John Rhys Plumlee making some news at Ole Miss. Only listed at 6' tall. Talk about the runt of the litter. ;)