Maybe the old saying about “the grass being greener on the other side” isn’t always accurate in college football.
There’s often a pattern to life. That axiom applies to college football, too. Over the course of time, the path to becoming a head coach often follows a pattern: start out at a smaller school, establish a culture of winning, and eventually move on to a bigger stage, often at a Power 5 school.
Courtesy: Sports on Earth
That has worked out quite well for some coaches–Urban Meyer comes to mind (he started at Bowling Green)–but not so much for others. I think about the latter when it comes to Matt Ruhle. I can’t help but wonder what he’s thinking as he prepares for his 5th game of the season. Tomorow he’ll be up against legendary coach Bill Snyder and the Kansas St. Wildcats.
Matt Rhule did a fantastic job turning around a Temple football program that was a laughing stock of college football. His first year (2013) was a struggle. The team went 2-10. But Ruhle was establishing a culture of play and patience paid off for the Owls. By his 3rd year, he won 10 games. He repeated that fete the following year. Yeah, TU lost in bowl games both years, but the more important thing is that Ruhle had built a program. Temple was laughing stock no more.
College football took notice and Ruhle was a hot commodity, pretty much able to write his own ticket for the next coaching stop. For reasons I don’t fully understand, Rhule chose Waco, Texas and Baylor University. There he would be tasked with the challenge of resurrecting a scandal-ridden football program, a program that made national news with off-the-field issues–issues that cost the jobs of the former head man, the AD, and the university president.
For Rhule, the job meant an opportunity to coach at a Power 5 school. With that, comes a pathway to the College Football Playoff. He had neither opportunity at Temple.
But it has been a rocky start. Fast forward to September 29th. Baylor is the only Power 5 conference team yet to win a game (0-4). The losses include a defeat (at home) at the hands of non-power Liberty University.
Matt Rhule is a good coach. I’m sure he’ll figure out things at Baylor — and sooner rather than later. He has as much work to do off-the-field as he does on-the-field.
For Baylor, the school is happy to have a stand-up guy running the program, running it the way it should be run. Wins and losses may have to be secondary for a few years. The first step is for Baylor to regain respect.
With showdowns against Kansas St. this Saturday and Oklahoma St. on the horizon, Coach Rhule is staring down the barrel of a 0-6 start.
But here’s a question that I’d like to ask Coach Ruhle: “When you go to bed at night, do you ever wonder what it would be like to be back in Philadelphia coaching at Temple (and enjoying those fantastic cheesesteaks)?
Maybe the old saying about “the grass being greener on the other side” isn’t always accurate.
