College Football 2011: Predictions for Every Big School with a New Coach
This offseason has already been a busy one for college football.
Some of the nation's biggest programs have new coaches.
The University of Miami, University of Florida and University of Michigan are among the traditional powerhouses who will begin 2011 with a new coach at the helm.
How will it affect them?
University of Michigan
1 of 13
Out is Rich Rodriguez and in is Brady Hoke.
Hoke, the former coach of San Diego State and Ball State, is a defensive coach who specializes in turning teams around.
Michigan needs a turnaround, but it won't be immediate. In the time it took them to find a new coach after firing Rich Rodriguez they lost numerous recruits and their defense has to come too far for them to be a contender in 2011.
Hoke is known for focusing on the defense while finding someone capable to run the offense, something he did at both Ball State and San Diego State. Teams improved greatly during his time at their schools.
This team will drastically improve over the next few seasons, but in 2011 they may have to take a step back before they take a step forward.
University of Florida
2 of 13
Urban Meyer decided to actually leave Florida this time around and now Will Muschamp is in as head coach.
Muschamp is an established assistant coach out of Texas who is a defensive specialist.
The Gators have all the pieces to compete in 2011, but it's their offense that needs help, not their defense. For that the Gators hired Charlie Weis, a hire that may have been more important than Muschamp.
John Brantley could be out as quarterback with No. 1 recruit Jeff Driskel on his way to Gainesville. I expect the Gators to improve in 2011 and be a top 25 team, possibly top 10, once again.
University of Miami
3 of 13
Al Golden is the new Miami Hurricanes coach after they fired Randy Shannon.
Golden was the coach at Temple when they became a FCS school where he took them from a 1-11 team to going 9-4 and 8-4 the last two seasons.
Miami had a rough 2010 as they went 7-6 and dropped their last three contests including their bowl game. Golden wasn't the big hire Miami was searching for but he wasn't a bad hire.
He is a defensive coach inheriting some very talented players. For whatever reason Shannon had trouble getting his talent to perform. Losing Brandon Harris to the draft won't help Miami, but if Golden can fire up his players there's no reason they shouldn't improve in 2011.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Stanford University
4 of 13
Andrew Luck returns but Jim Harbaugh doesn't.
David Shaw was the team's offensive coordinator the entire time Harbaugh was head coach. With Luck returning Stanford shouldn't miss a beat in 2011, losing two to three games at most.
However, Shaw will be tested once Luck leaves. Will he be able to run a successful offense without Heisman candidates in the back field? Or will he show us that those Heisman candidates were a product of him and not just of their talent?
University of Indiana
5 of 13
Kevin Wilson, the former offensive coordinator at Oklahoma, takes over at Indiana.
Wilson helped run a highly successful offense at Oklahoma since 2002.
Indiana's quarterback Ben Chappell was in his senior season and they lose star wide receiver Tandon Doss to the draft.
If Indiana is going to have a turnaround Wilson needs time to recruit, which means Indiana will likely finish at the bottom of the Big 10 again in 2011.
Vanderbilt University
6 of 13
James Franklin is the new coach of Vanderbilt after they finished at the bottom of the SEC in 2010.
Franklin was the offensive coordinator at Maryland before accepting the job.
Vanderbilt's offense was among the worst in the nation and definitely could use Franklin's help. They return most of the starters on offense and could see some improvement in 2011.
University of Colorado
7 of 13
The Buffaloes will begin 2011 in a new conference with a new coach.
Jon Embree is relatively unknown, but it's unlikely he will be able to make Colorado even a decent team in 2011.
University of Maryland
8 of 13
Randy Edsall is one of the best hires of 2011.
Somehow Maryland lured Edsall away from the University of Connecticut after he took them to the Fiesta Bowl against Oklahoma.
Edsall led UCONN to four consecutive bowl appearances and he is inheriting a decent team at Maryland.
With Edsall as coach, Maryland should be a contender for the ACC title in 2011.
University of Connecticut
9 of 13
Pasqualoni hasn't been a coach in NCAA in years.
However, in the meantime he has been a defensive coach in the NFL.
Pasqualoni is a good hire and UCONN shouldn't miss a beat after winning the Big East in 2010.
University of Minnesota
10 of 13
Jerry Kill has had great success as a coach at non-major schools throughout his career.
Now he takes over at Minnesota in hope of continuing that success.
However, that may take some time. Minnesota will remain a doormat for the Big Ten in 2011 but the future looks bright.
University of Pittsburgh
11 of 13
Todd Graham is an offensive mastermind, and Pittsburgh needs help.
It took them some time, and the mistake of hiring Michael Haywood, before landing on Graham.
With the weakness of the Big East Pittsburgh could be a contender in 2011 with Graham's help on offense.
San Diego State University
12 of 13
Despite hiring Rocky Long of New Mexico the Aztecs won't be able to survive Hoke's departure.
Many of Hoke's recruits will go elsewhere and San Diego State loses a great football mind.
Back to the dungeon.
Temple University
13 of 13
Steve Addazio could be a great hire for the Temple Owls.
Temple had a good enough defense in 2010 but their offense needed improvement. Addazio was the University of Florida's offensive coordinator, and if he can turn around Temple's stagnant offense they will compete for the Mid-American Conference title.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
