Is Mike Bellotti the best coach in the history of the Pac 10

[UoweDucks]

Why would any list that includes Willingham be discounted? Have you seen Stanford's act since he left?

Tye Willingham;
Career pac 10 record: 51-52-1
pac 10 Bowl record: 1-3
Top 10 Finishes in P10 career: 0

Contrast those numbers with the some of the coaches that he ranked ahead of in the article.

He had them ranked in the top 10 and in a Rose Bowl WIHTOUT CHEATING

Rich Brooks did the same. Has national coach of the year award and P10 coach of the year, unlike Tye but he doesn't make the top 10? As I said it is a stupid list.

 

[whormoan]

Tye Willingham;
Career pac 10 record: 51-52-1
pac 10 Bowl record: 1-3
Top 10 Finishes in P10 career: 0

Contrast those numbers with the some of the coaches that he ranked ahead of in the article.

Rich Brooks did the same. Has national coach of the year award and P10 coach of the year, unlike Tye but he doesn't make the top 10? As I said it is a stupid list.

There's an enormous difference. Willingham did it at Stanford! Stanford is the ONLY school in the Pac-10 where the football players have to actually be admitted to the school as students before they can accept a scholarship. While Oregon is not a slouchy academic school, they make huge concessions for athletes to get in, Stanford does not. Other than Duke and Vanderbilt, no other place is as tough to win as Stanford.

 

[WCBias]

Hey UofO and Dr. Pepper....who would you prefer as your head coach...Bellotti or Tedford? Assume Tedford would commit to the job long term. You both seem fairly level headed about your program, whom do you prefer.

 

[UoweDucks]

Hey UofO and Dr. Pepper....who would you prefer as your head coach...Bellotti or Tedford? Assume Tedford would commit to the job long term. You both seem fairly level headed about your program, whom do you prefer.

Jeff Tedford. No question in my mind.

 

[ChrisParadise]

Jonh Mckay

127-40-8 record
8 rose bowls
9 top 10 finishes
4 national championships

sure it was called the pac-8 back then but it was still the same conference

now if you want just coaches in the past 20 years...id go with Don James 153-57-2 (bellotti 97-48)
6 rose bowls
22 game win streak.

how you people call tedford a great coach with his 43-20 record is beyond me, bellotti sitting at .667 w% also and hes considered great. you guys sure have low standards

 

[Conan]

This will be a good year to gauge what kind of Coach Bellotti is... more or less on his own. He's lucked out in the past with some of his OC's, need I name who I have in mind. Bellotti wouldn't be the only HC to ride the wave of success on the backs of his AC's. (Does Karl Dorrell ring a bell?)

The more there is to say about Oregon's football program, the less you can say about Mike Bellotti's accomplishments. But the fact is that Oregon now pretty much owns the Northwest insofar as the football program itself goes. And in spite of all the good things that have been said about Bellotti, (the "Dean" of Pac-10 coaches) not many schools in the country have a benefactor like Knight to support their program. But IMHO, I would say that Phil Knight got ripped off, not enough bang for the buck.

If you look at the rest of the typical Oregon team in the "Bellotti era," what part of their game really stands out aside from an offense that usually has a lot more than their share of WC talent? But they underachieve as a team a little too often. I would know this because in spite of the modest amount of success the Ducks managed to achieve in recent years, I have also been disappointed too many times. It's been a roller coaster ride and there's nobody to point the finger at for that except the HC.

I know a little bit about how things are done in this state and I'm pretty repulsed by it. The old boy society is alive and well here and Bellotti signifies it. That might pay off around the 19th hole but there's not much more good about it that can be said, well possibly their recruiting has plenty of energy. But will they make the smart moves and best hires on a consistent basis? Not a chance. Bellotti has achieved overrated status and the sooner he moves on, the better off their football program will be. (And he can take Alliotti with him.) He's done all the good he has to do. Put them both in the Pac-10 Hall of Fame, I really don't care as long as he goes while the program's reputation is in tact and still a good one (especially in the eyes of WC preps.) I hope it's soon because I don't think that will last for long with him still calling the shots.

I think the kids deserve better. This season should reveal plenty.

 

[whormoan]

Jonh Mckay

127-40-8 record
8 rose bowls
9 top 10 finishes
4 national championships

sure it was called the pac-8 back then but it was still the same conference

now if you want just coaches in the past 20 years...id go with Don James 153-57-2 (bellotti 97-48)
6 rose bowls
22 game win streak.

how you people call tedford a great coach with his 43-20 record is beyond me, bellotti sitting at .667 w% also and hes considered great. you guys sure have low standards

Totally agree. Tedford hasn't won shit while at Cal and is still looking for a program-stamping victory. People forget that they were expected by most to beat USC last yr. They drastically underachieved and they finished the season terribly. One OT home win over USC does not make a great coach. What else has he done? How can you be great coach when you don't even win your conference, let alone a below-average conference with 1 great team

 

[WCBias]

You two jokers must have an anti Pac 10 circle jerk every night. I'm not sure where it says Jeff Tedford is "great" anywhere in this thread. There is a discussion comparing what he's accomplished to what Bellotti's accomplished, and he's done it at a university that is anything but a football school. I'm sure if someone took over Vanderbilt and made them a perrenial frontrunner in the SEC, they would at least get props for the accomplishment by other SEC fans. Actually, SEC fan would annoint him as the second coming of Urban.

Funny that most Duck fans would rather have Tedford as their HC than Bellotti. But what do they know, as Whormoan pointed out....Bellotti was the saving grace at Oregon and built them into the empire they are today. If Oregon only knew how well they have it.

 

[whormoan]

You two jokers must have an anti Pac 10 circle jerk every night. I'm not sure where it says Jeff Tedford is "great" anywhere in this thread. There is a discussion comparing what he's accomplished to what Bellotti's accomplished, and he's done it at a university that is anything but a football school. I'm sure if someone took over Vanderbilt and made them a perrenial frontrunner in the SEC, they would at least get props for the accomplishment by other SEC fans. Actually, SEC fan would annoint him as the second coming of Urban.

Funny that most Duck fans would rather have Tedford as their HC than Bellotti. But what do they know, as Whormoan pointed out....Bellotti was the saving grace at Oregon and built them into the empire they are today. If Oregon only knew how well they have it.

Kind of like the hourly circle-jerk you Pac-10 honks have. Are you comparing Vanderbilt to Cal? Maybe it doesn't say Tedford is "great", but you guys talk about him like he is the 2nd coming. Tedford is a solid coach. I would without blinking take him over Bozo the Carroll. He can be a great coach, but let's see him actually win something first. Bellotti has made Oregon somewhat relevant (even if it is for having green and hideous unis). That is an ENORMOUS accomplishment.

 

[ChrisParadise]

Totally agree. Tedford hasn't won shit while at Cal and is still looking for a program-stamping victory. People forget that they were expected by most to beat USC last yr. They drastically underachieved and they finished the season terribly. One OT home win over USC does not make a great coach. What else has he done? How can you be great coach when you don't even win your conference, let alone a below-average conference with 1 great team

When he took the job he had Kyle Boller already on campus, immediately followed by Aaron Rodgers. Sure he looks like an offensive genius! His career covers the span of the two best QB's in Cal history, both top 5 NFL picks.

Historically, if you look at a teams w/l record in the years the have a QB that is a top 5 NFL pick, that teams record spikes in a positive direction.

Simply coaching 2 GREAT qb's does not make you a great coach especially when your barely above .667 w% with them.

 

[whormoan]

When he took the job he had Kyle Boller already on campus, immediately followed by Aaron Rodgers. Sure he looks like an offensive genius! His career covers the span of the two best QB's in Cal history, both top 5 NFL picks.

Historically, if you look at a teams w/l record in the years the have a QB that is a top 5 NFL pick, that teams record spikes in a positive direction.

Simply coaching 2 GREAT qb's does not make you a great coach especially when your barely above .667 w% with them.

And how have his QB's done in the pros? Let's add Harrington and Akili Smith to the mix (and Carr and Dilfer)

 

[Conan]

It's relative.

On one hand you take a football school and a football program like USC has had over the decades going back to the beginning of time and whoever the HC is, he will have strong support (usually.) I don't mean to minimize McKay or Robinson's accomplishments, but that's the facts.

On the other hand, take a school like Berkeley which hasn't accomplished much over the years unless their band is on the field running interference while they are playing Stanford. Oak trees in the neighborhood LITERALLY get more respect than their football program does from the locals.

As far as career accomplishments go, both of you are right. But then again, the difference that Tedford has made in Cal football since he arrived can't be ignored. I also think it's wrong to say he's done all he will ever do. He will get his signature win soon enough, very possibly in W1 because his team has the players and the experience to do it. In his brief career, he's put 6 QBs into the NFL in the first round so far. I don't think any of the other coaches on the list can claim that. He hasn't yet put all the pieces together so as you point out, the record doesn't show. But that doesn't mean that he can't or he won't. He's a hungry young HC on his way up and it's only a matter of time. The only thing that might slow him down is the school he works for.

 

[whormoan]

It's relative.

On one hand you take a football school and a football program like USC has had over the decades going back to the beginning of time and whoever the HC is, he will have strong support (usually.) I don't mean to minimize McKay or Robinson's accomplishments, but that's the facts.

On the other hand, take a school like Berkeley which hasn't accomplished much over the years unless their band is on the field running interference while they are playing Stanford. Oak trees in the neighborhood LITERALLY get more respect than their football program does from the locals.

As far as career accomplishments go, both of you are right. But then again, the difference that Tedford has made in Cal football since he arrived can't be ignored. I also think it's wrong to say he's done all he will ever do. He will get his signature win soon enough, very possibly in W1 because his team has the players and the experience to do it. In his brief career, he's put 6 QBs into the NFL in the first round so far. I don't think any of the other coaches on the list can claim that. He hasn't yet put all the pieces together so as you point out, the record doesn't show. But that doesn't mean that he can't or he won't. He's a young HC on his way up and it's only a matter of time. The only thing that might slow him down is the school he works for.

He will very possibly get his signature win in week 1? Are you joking? A week 1 home game in which he will be a decent favorite against a Tenn team not favored to win their league would be a signature win? I sure hope not for his sake. And he must be a good coach if he could fool 6 nfl teams into drafting his QB's that high, every last one of which crapped out in the pros.

 

[WCBias]

When he took the job he had Kyle Boller already on campus, immediately followed by Aaron Rodgers. Sure he looks like an offensive genius! His career covers the span of the two best QB's in Cal history, both top 5 NFL picks.

Historically, if you look at a teams w/l record in the years the have a QB that is a top 5 NFL pick, that teams record spikes in a positive direction.

Simply coaching 2 GREAT qb's does not make you a great coach especially when your barely above .667 w% with them.

Refresh my memory...how did Vanderbilt do in Jay Cutler's senior season? I seem to remember them beating Tennessee, but don't recall how many times they had a winning season under his tenure. Oh yeah, Cutler wasn't a top 5 pick...he's not as good as Boller.

Feel free to name one other player from the Cal team when Kyle Boller was a senior. How was the recruiting before Tedford got there? Kyle Boller sure wasn't the only reason Cal had a successful season in 2002. Shoot, he didn't even pass for 3000 yards or complete 55% of his passes!

I guess Tedford shouldn't get credit for leading Cal to their biggest bowl win in years with a first year sophomore QB. Nate Longshore is going to be the next Dan Marino.

Tedford must be the most highly regarded average coach in the country.

 

[ChrisParadise]

So thats the criteria to be a good coach? You must take over a shit program? There are only 12 games in a college football season. Its actually easier to turn a 4-8 team into a 8-4 than it is to turn a 8-4 into a 10-2 imo.

So a school like Alabama can never have a good coach ever again, cause if you compare to the schools history he will always fall short.

I see where your coming from,I guess Bruce Pearl is better than John Wooden since he turned around the Vols bball program.

Speaking of Vanderbilt, they almost made a bowl Cutlers senior year. Came up one win short. They beat the Vols for teh first time in 20+ years and lost to the Gators in double OT. That was because of the new coach of course, right? Not because of an NFL talent at QB.

Give me Boller and Rodegers and I could beat up on Stanford and ASU also. I think id do better than 43-20 though.

 

[Conan]

And by the way, something about Cal last year isn't the case this time around. They lacked defensive depth TERRIBLY BAD last season and it finally caught up to them. A month after the season ended, they came back to health once more and once again played up to their expectations in the Holiday Bowl. I'm sure you realize that sometimes you have to dig a little to find out what is really happening.

 

[whormoan]

And by the way, something about Cal last year isn't the case this time around. They lacked defensive depth TERRIBLY BAD last season and it finally caught up to them. A month after the season ended, they came back to health once more and once again played up to their expectations in the Holiday Bowl. I'm sure you realize that sometimes you have to dig a little to find out what is really happening.

That must explain their inability to score points against mighty Arizona and Stanford at the end of last yr

 

[Conan]

So thats the criteria to be a good coach? You must take over a shit program? There are only 12 games in a college football season. Its actually easier to turn a 4-8 team into a 8-4 than it is to turn a 8-4 into a 10-2 imo.

So a school like Alabama can never have a good coach ever again, cause if you compare to the schools history he will always fall short.

I see where your coming from,I guess Bruce Pearl is better than John Wooden since he turned around the Vols bball program.

Speaking of Vanderbilt, they almost made a bowl Cutlers senior year. Came up one win short. They beat the Vols for teh first time in 20+ years and lost to the Gators in double OT. That was because of the new coach of course, right? Not because of an NFL talent at QB.

Give me Boller and Rodegers and I could beat up on Stanford and ASU also. I think id do better than 43-20 though.

Geezus man, are you for real?

You are going to tell us that it ain't nothing to take a perennial loser who played in the basement for years (1-10 the season prior), turn that program around and make a top 10 team out of them MORE than once within a 5 year span and he's done nothing of note? You want more proof than that? I have little doubt that you will get it.

 

[whormoan]

It's relative.

On one hand you take a football school and a football program like USC has had over the decades going back to the beginning of time and whoever the HC is, he will have strong support (usually.) I don't mean to minimize McKay or Robinson's accomplishments, but that's the facts.

On the other hand, take a school like Berkeley which hasn't accomplished much over the years unless their band is on the field running interference while they are playing Stanford. Oak trees in the neighborhood LITERALLY get more respect than their football program does from the locals.

As far as career accomplishments go, both of you are right. But then again, the difference that Tedford has made in Cal football since he arrived can't be ignored. I also think it's wrong to say he's done all he will ever do. He will get his signature win soon enough, very possibly in W1 because his team has the players and the experience to do it. In his brief career, he's put 6 QBs into the NFL in the first round so far. I don't think any of the other coaches on the list can claim that. He hasn't yet put all the pieces together so as you point out, the record doesn't show. But that doesn't mean that he can't or he won't. He's a hungry young HC on his way up and it's only a matter of time. The only thing that might slow him down is the school he works for.

Can you imagine Tennessee calling beating Cal at home in Week 1 last yr a signature win despite Cal being ranked in the top 10 and favored to win the Pac-10? NEVER! Shows the difference in thinking between the 2 conferences

 

[ChrisParadise]

Geezus man, are you for real?

You are going to tell us that it ain't nothing to take a perennial loser who played in the basement for years (1-10 the season prior), turn that program around and make a top 10 team out of them MORE than once within a 5 year span and he's done nothing of note? You want more proof than that? I have little doubt that you will get it.

Sure hes done a good job.

Id compare it to what David Cutcliffe did winning 10 games at Ole Miss and putting them in the polls for the first time in 30 years - he also had a stud QB named Eli Manning. And he coached for 6 years and made one new years day bowl, 5 bowls total. Sounds a LOT like Tedfords career but no one hailed him as the second coming.