Unbelievable:.Neal Brown announce his resignation and departure leaving the Virginia football see why..
Neal
BrowGod bless Neal Brown: West Virginia football coach talks sanity. Fans go insane
Sometimes, I think you’d be better off with a gambling problem than developing a strong rooting interest in any sporting organization.
Better off using sports as nothing but a craps table upon which you cast your savings in hopes of turning them into winnings. At least you’d usually have a 50-50 chance of leaving happy.
Pour your heart and soul into a team if you wish, young fella, but trust me, when you transition into old dude, you’ll realize how quickly it aged you. For every time “your team” filled your soul with warmth and joy, you’ll remember the 20 times it ran your innards through a wood chipper and fed ’em to the hogs.
I say all that to, finally, say this: God bless Neal Brown.
Do your own research, but trust me, you’re unlikely to find anyone else saying that. Upon reading what folks — especially the locals — are saying about the West Virginia University football coach, you’d assume he came out against buckwheat pancakes and John Denver.
Brown’s Mountaineers were a trendy preseason pick to contend for the Big 12 championship. Halfway through the season, they’re 3-3, with the three losses coming against teams that are a combined 18-0 — the most recent was last Saturday’s loss at home to Iowa State.
Next up is another home game this week against 5-1 Kansas State. At his early-week press gathering, Brown was asked what message he’d like to send to the WVU faithful regarding last week and the coming week. He should’ve left to take a phone call.
Instead … here you go, in case you missed it.
“I get that they want to win. But what I would say is, did they have a good time? Did they enjoy it? It was a pretty good atmosphere. You know, I’m assuming they probably had a pretty good time tailgating.
“So, if they’re in the deal for enjoyment, then I would come back. I looked at the weather and it’s going to be nice again. I get it, they’re frustrated we didn’t win. It was an entertaining football game. We just didn’t play well enough to win. With that in mind, they would come back for another entertaining game. Hopefully, we can play better at the end.”
Blasphemer?
Would overly hopeful WVU fans and others rather Brown follow the script?
“The effort is there.”
“We just have to execute better.”
“We have to coach better, and that starts with me.”
As it turns out, yeah, they’d prefer the modern boilerplate. Except for those who’d prefer he throw himself into a volcano. Or off Spruce Knob, at least.
In a sane world, you’d suggest Brown’s words were the sanest thing you’ve ever heard a coach say during a downcast midseason report.
Repeat: in a sane world.
The fact that even seemingly sane folks erupted in disbelief pretty much sums us up. We’re nuts.
So the advice is clear. Mama’s don’t let your babies grow up to be sports fans. Let’s segue from Waylon & Willie to Kenny Rogers: Let ’em be gamblers.
The ads are so plentiful, you’re bound to find a wagering website or app where you can readjust your use for sports. They ultimately disappoint you. Take a cold-hearted, numbers-based approach to these things, and your fits of disgust will be tempered each time your pick covers the spread.
The obvious warning: You might go broke, so tread lightly.
But your sanity will stay above water.
Rank & File
Weekly ranking of Florida’s seven big-league college football programs, based on results versus expectations, current trends, and some parting tips from Jim Cantore.
1. Miami (6-0). Last week: (ranked 1) Off. This week: at Louisville. What’s up: Canes are 6-0 for the first time since 2017, when they reached 10-0 before losing their last three. They won’t do that again because … well … because. The pick: Cardinals 27, Canes 23.
2. Florida: (3-3). Last week: (2) Lost to Tennessee in OT, 23-17. This week: Kentucky at home. What’s up: “Quality losses” have become a valuable currency in these rankings. Losing in OT as a massive underdog qualifies, as frustrating as it was for Gator faithful. The pick: Cats 16, Gators 13.
3. FAU (2-4). Last week: (4) Lost to North Texas, 41-37. This week: at Texas-San Antone. What’s up: UTSA is also 2-4 and that’s abnormal for the Roadrunners, who have won 18 straight American Conference games at home (Research!!!). The pick: Roadies 35, Owls 30.
4. USF (2-4). Last week: (5) Lost to Memphis, 21-3. This week: UAB at home. What’s up: Don’t look now, but the Bulls have a chance to put together a two-game win streak before losing to Navy next month. You think things are shaky in Tuscaloosa? They’re particularly ugly in 1-5 Birmingham. The pick: Bulls 40, Blazers 20.
5. FIU (2-5). Last week: (3) Lost to Liberty in OT, 31-24. Wednesday night: Lost to UTEP, 30-21. Next Tuesday: Sam Houston at home. What’s up: Two more of these midweek CUSA games before rejoining the weekend routine in November. Even before the UTEP loss, decided to spite-drop the Panthers two spots this week for throwing off our rhythm here. The pick: Bearkats 38, Panthers 20.
6. UCF (3-3). Last week: (6) Lost to Cincinnati, 19-13. This week: at unbeaten Iowa State. What’s up: Just three Saturdays ago Orlando was a major hub in the college football infrastructure. That was also three losses ago (and counting). The pick: Cyclones 37, Knights 17.
7. FSU (1-5). Last week: (7) Off. This week: at Duke, Friday. What’s up: Given the current lay of the land, it blows the mind to know FSU is 22-0 all-time versus Duke. Can’t imagine Noles leaving ol’ Durham Town with that clean sheet. The pick: Devils 23, Noles 20.
The Other Picks: Georgia Bulldogs or Texas Longhorns?
Last week it was Oregon-Ohio State, and this week we get another reason to rethink our original disgust with the hyper-expansion of the big-money conferences.
It used to be, if you got something like Georgia-Texas, No. 5 versus No. 1, it was probably January. But the mega-conference alignments bring along these marquee matchups with a wee bit of regularity.
For the Longhorns, this is their first blockbuster game as a member of the Southeastern Conference. Saturday night’s weather in Austin will be great. No doubt, the tailgate barbecue will be deep-in-the-heart-worthy.
Neal Brown would call that a win, but the Hook-ems would likely rather starve and freeze than lose. Damn shame — Dawgs 27, Horns 20.
Elsewhere: Vols over Bama by 8; Oregon big over Purdue; BYU beats Oak State; Clemson by 20 over Virginia; Indiana wins again, over the Huskers; Auburn upsets Mizzou; S. Carolina beats Oklahoma; Georgia Tech upsets Notre Dame; Illinois over Michigan in OT; LSU beats Arkansas; K-State beats happy-go-lucky WVU; and in a battle of Minnesota saints, the Oles of St. Olaf, at home in Northfield, big over the Saints of St. Scholastica.
BTW: True, Scholastica kinda sounds like a board game for smart people, but it’s the name of a 6th century Italian Christian — a hermit, at that — who formed the Benedictine nuns and eventually became a saint her own self. It helped her cause to be St. Benedict’s sister.
Anyway, this week’s matchup could be deemed an international affair of Italia-Scandinavia flavor, since St. Olaf is named for the 11th century Norwegian king who wasn’t one to be messed with, as his assorted nicknames suggest. One of the nicer ones: Olaf the Stout.
Olaf died during a battle in 1030 and was likely speared by his own men. You think we’re in divided times today? The big guy’s own men give him the run-through, and the very next year a big-shot Norwegian bishop is granting him sainthood.
— Reach Ken Willis at ken.willis@news-jrnl.com
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