Tag Archives: writing

07.16.26
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A Temple Football Championship: There are no words

Editor’s Note: Every once in a while, I get asked why I write this site and my answer is winning. We get barely (and I do mean barely) enough contributions to keep this website alive yet winning remains the goal. Winning games, yes, but winning championships more. This is the one time in my lifetime of being a Temple fan I was there in person to watch Temple football win a championship. Yet winning remains the goal. When it happens, I’m usually speechless but I’ll try to come up with something. There are no words but I summoned some and they are below.

The morning after arguably the greatest win in Temple football history, there are no words.

Literally no words are coming out of my mouth, at least in the sense of being able to talk this morning.

The throaty and hoarse condition is more than OK because it was the result of cheering for the Owls at beautiful Navy-Marine Corps Stadium as they captured what really is their first-ever major football championship. The 1967 MAC title was admirable, but that was a day when the school played to a level of football that was beneath their status even then as one of America’s great public universities.

So this was it.

ride
I sat in the same aisle across from this trophy on the way home (thanks to Matt Rhule for arranging my seat). I couldn’t stop staring at it.

Walking out of the stadium and into the concourse, I let out a very loud primal: “THAT’S WHAT I’M TALKIN’ ABOUT!!”

Fortunately, I got a few high fives and smiles from my fellow Temple fans and not fitted for a straightjacket. It also put the voice out for 24 hours, maybe more.

When it comes to Temple football today at least, you cannot think in terms of a national championship—the deck is stacked against G5 teams in an unfair system—so what happened yesterday was the pinnacle of Temple football success. Thousands of Temple fans, easily in excess of 10,000 Temple fans, made Navy’s 15-game home winning streak a moot point by turning that stadium into a Temple home field advantage and to get to that mountaintop and look down from it is incredibly satisfying.

Hey, it’s a pretty spectacular pinnacle. The only thing that would have made it better was a G5 slot in a New Year’s Six bowl against Penn State, but that’s not happening for a number of reasons that are not important today. (Objectively, would you take a team for the Cotton Bowl that has won seven straight against this schedule and beat a Navy team, 34-10, over a Western Michigan team that struggled to beat a four-loss Ohio team? I would but I don’t expect the bowl committee to be that objective. I can also grudingly see the WMU argument.)

What is important is that the Owls have gone from being a perennial Bottom 10 team and laughed at nationally to being ranked in the Top 25 for two straight years and going to a title game one year and winning it the next. When you think of the success P.J. Walker and Jahad Thomas have had here, there is a Twilight Zone quality to the parallel between this success and their success at Elizabeth (N.J.). In their freshman year at Elizabeth, they won one game; in their freshman year at Temple they won two games. In their sophomore year at both schools, they won six games. In their junior year at both schools, they reached the title game and lost and, in their senior year at both schools, they lifted the ultimate hardware together.

“Get a Dub?”

Truly amazing and I will miss both of those guys.

The Navy team Temple held to 10 points scored 75 on SMU, 28 on Notre Dame, 45 on an 11-2 USF team, 46 on Houston, 42 on Tulane and 66 on ECU.

Back on Cherry and White Day, I wrote that this team will be better than last year’s team while people on other websites—notably, Rutgers and Penn State fan boards—insisted that Temple would take a step back. I was consistent in my belief that this was the STEP FORWARD year, not the step back one, and that belief was rooted in knowledge that both the defense and offense were significantly upgraded despite graduation losses. Only a Temple fan who follows the team closely would know that, not the know-it-alls who make assumptions on subjects they have no idea what they are talking about.

Today at noon, the Owls will know where they will go for a bowl game. They can finish the season in the top 25 and set the record for most wins in Temple football history.

It won’t be the cake because we saw that yesterday, but it will be the Cherry on top of that white cake and it will be delicious even going down past what promises to be a future sore throat.

Postscript: For the comments to the original post click here:

Monday: Regular Programming

Friday: American Conference Media Day

07.05.26
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Temple’s Mount Rushmore of Coaches

There’s been a lot of talk about Mount Rushmore lately and, while not getting into the context of that discussion, that got me to thinking about Temple’s Mount Rushmore.

Coaches, specifically.

On my Facebook memory feed, I came across a preview of the 1977 College World Series (baseball, of course) that listed Temple as one of the two favorites.

Matt McArdle, a former Temple football safety for the 1979 Garden State Bowl team, responded by saying his brother (John) was the third baseman of that team and we both said that Skip Wilson was responsible for Temple being the most dominant baseball team in the “traditional” East for much of the 1970s.

“Definitely on Temple’s Coaching Mount Rushmore, for sure,” I responded.

With only four spots on that mountain, that caused me to think who would take the other three positions on that mountain.

I came to three men: John Chaney, Pop Warner and Wayne Hardin.

Bruce Arians deserves an honorable mention for both his loyalty and two winning seasons against Top 10 schedules.

Then I asked Chat GPT to make an image of that mountain and, while Chat GPT can do a lot of impressive things, it can’t draw. It had Wilson and Hardin looking like twins and Chaney really not looking like himself.

Warner came closest, probably because of the Stetson hat he wore in the 1930s.

The post got a lot more engagement than I thought it would have with hoop guru Mike Jensen saying I should replace Warner with Harry Litwack. My thought was that if there was a fifth spot on the mountain, he’d definitely be it but the Sugar Bowl appearance gave Warner the nod.

Then I got a lot of people saying Olympic sports coaches like Fred Turoff (gymnastics) and women’s coaches like Tina Sloan Green, Dawn Staley and Nikki Franke belong there.

That’s all well and good but this is a football blog and not a Temple sports blog and we gave both Wilson and Chaney exemptions due to Wilson’s 1,000 wins and Chaney having the most Elite 8 appearances until Michigan State’s coach broke that record.

Let someone start a Temple women’s sports blog–I have neither the expertise nor interest in doing so–and get their own mountain to play with.

As far as football, at least three guys deserve honorable mention–Al Golden, Matt Rhule and Bruce Arians–but didn’t make the final cut for a number of reasons. While Arians showed the requisite loyalty (he turned down an offer to be head coach at Virginia Tech to remain at Temple), he didn’t have enough wins. (Yet his two winning seasons against top 10 schedules was about as impressive as anything a Temple coach has done.) Golden, while deserving credit for bringing Temple football back from the dead, interviewed for the UCLA job after his second season and Rhule, despite two 10-win seasons, didn’t stay for the bowl game that would have set the Temple record.

Longevity has its virtue and that virtue is etched in stone.

Even if it’s only chiseled by Chat GPT and not Gutzon Borglum.

06.28.26
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Turning a metaphor into a literal demonstration

Swimming upstream.

That’s what teams like Temple, really the entire Group of Five, have been doing since the advent of the transfer portal and the NIL.

Temple has watched while it whatever resources it spends on scouting and developing players turns into benefiting some P4 school. It’s not a fair system but we all knew that.

Little did we know, though, that Good Morning America would turn this metaphor of “swimming upstream” into a literal demonstration on its show earlier last week.

Ginger Zee, the Chief Meteorologist and Climate Correspondent for ABC News, grabbed three Temple football players–including starters Eric King (OT), Colin Chase (WR) and Eric Stuart (LB) for a swimming demonstration. For some reason, they added a pair of athletes from the dance team to fill out this five-person squad.

(You think they’d be able to find a couple of members of another American Conference Olympic sports team.)

Whatever.

Despite the fact that I thought the football players would fare better (at last Chase did swimmingly), it’s publicity the school can’t buy and that’s the best kind. I’d give the other two guys a B+.

It was good publicity for the school on the most watched early morning show in the nation and elevated Temple’s name recognition a bit. It certainly couldn’t hurt the football program.

Temple football players spent all day in OC filming a 4-minute segment that appeared on Good Morning America (6/24/26).

Someone deserves credit for this and maybe its Kevin Neghandi, who works for Disney’s ESPN arm. They could have chosen any one of the 136 FBS football-playing schools.

They chose Temple.

Maybe it is someone in the Sports Information Department, but head football coach K.C. Keeler certainly had to sign off on lending his players to ABC for at least a day and arranging transportation to Ocean City, N.J.

No small feat since being a big-time college football player is a 365-day job.

One of those days being set aside for swimming upstream in a literal sense.

When the guys got back to the Edberg Olson Practice Facility, it was back to swimming upstream in a metaphorical sense.

Let’s hope they ace that test.

Friday: A worthwhile investment

06.19.26
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My One Birthday Wish: The Keelers Keep their promise

On the day Steve Addazio was hired by Temple, he called it his dream job. Two years later, he said the same thing about BC.

Another year, one foot closer to the invariable end all of us face.

For me, the number is shocking because I outlived a lot of damn close good friends, like fellow Temple fan John Belli and the great Daily News high school writer Ted Silary.

Belli, I had many “Belli” laughs with at Temple games and tailgates and Ted I had many “belly” laughs with covering Philadelphia high school games together. They were both about my age.

On Tuesday, I learned that the best damn copy editor I ever had at The Philadelphia Inquirer—Al “Moose” Campbell–(nobody called him Al) passed. He was only a couple years older than me.

Everybody wishes for good things on their birthday but sharing Juneteenth with one of the greatest days in U.S. history–the official freeing of the slaves in Texas, ending slavery in the country–makes it a memorable day not just for me but for eternity.

As a Temple fan, though, I’m realistic.

It would be nice to hit tonight’s Mega Millions and get the $452 million, forward $400 million of it to Temple football and scrape by with the few years I have left on $52 million. Not a damn penny to Temple basketball because I’m sick of the mindset online that says Temple football is holding back Temple basketball. Get one of those fans to win the next $452 million.

That way, Temple wins the next four national titles and proves to the rest of the world how flawed this current college football system is and they got back to room, board and tuition. Even I, who loves to win more than anyone, will feel a little guilt for Temple winning under those parameters.

Janice Keeler (left) will deserve all the credit if K.C. Keeler keeps his promise and makes Temple his final job.

If an even college football playing field means no fifth-straight natty for Temple, that’s a price I’m willing to pay.

That’s not realistic, though, but what is gives Temple an advantage and I will take that wrapped up in a box with a nice bow on it.

For the Keelers–K.C. and Janice–to keep their promise and make Temple their last coaching stop.

That would give Temple the kind of stability no other university–either P4 or G5–has.

We’ve seen coaches promise fealty to Temple before. On the day Steve Addazio was hired by Temple he called it his “dream job.” Two years later, he said the same thing about Boston College.

Two DAYS, not two years, before Matt Rhule was hired by Baylor he said he wouldn’t sell his soul to another school for $4 million because “I’d rather coach these (Temple) kids.”

One day after winning a title for the Temple kids, he sold his soul for the $4 million.

This promise, though, has a different feel.

One, Keeler is the winningest active Division I college head football coach. Two, everybody else not named Keeler leaves for so-called greener pastures.

Matt Rhule made this promise to Temple two days before selling his soul for $4 million dollars.

Keeler is a special case. He’s from here. His kids are living here. His grandkids are rooted here. There is a real anchor to Philadelphia for the Keelers that did not exist in the past for other Temple coaches.

Given that, what a tremendous recruiting tool in an era where the kids know full well the coach who recruits them is not likely to be the same guy who is there at the end of their college careers–or even halfway through–that exists now.

Temple offers stability.

Nobody else does.

That sets Temple apart from everyone else and by association, every Temple fan apart from a fan of any other college football school.

Failing a financial windfall that is probably not forthcoming, that’s a birthday present any Temple fan (not just me) can’t top.

Monday: Speed Kills

05.28.26
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An historic opportunity for fan engagement at Temple

The “later date” is today and the time and network is the ESPN flagship network and Temple football will be the only thing on in every sports bar in country in the most crowded Happy Hour of every week, Friday.

On the surface, a 4 p.m. start on a Friday afternoon for a Temple football game looks pretty strange.

First of all, Temple fans who can afford to do it will have to take a day off–or at least negotiate a half-day–to get in some semblance of a pre-game tailgate.

What we’re talking about is Temple being part of an ESPN tripleheader starting at 4 on Sept. 25 with a home game against a true national team, Army.

That’s the somewhat bad news.

The good news might outweigh it, though, if the university as a whole takes this as a challenge.

Declare that Friday in September “Temple Football Day” on campus and cut off all classes at noon. Start a free shuttle bus system at 12:30 in front of the Bell Tower that runs every half hour and make sure the students get treated like royalty with free food and a free tailgate when they get off the bus. Incredible, because it involves not only the 10,000+ students living on campus but the 20,000+ plus students who commute to Temple from Philadelphia and the suburbs.

You are not going to get all 30,000 full-time students to buy in but 15,000 is a realistic goal since cash-strapped students (I know because I was one 100 years ago) love free stuff.

It’s an investment not only in the future but in the present.

Temple football being the only thing on every TV in every sports bar in the country during one of the most lucrative times of sports TV watching–Happy Hour on the final day of the work week in America.

If the university tried to purchase that kind of national advertising, it would cost in the high millions. They now have it pretty much for free and must capitalize to create an engaged crowd showing a worthwhile product.

That means, on a Friday in Philadelphia, students leading the way.

Have those fans watching an involved crowd of mostly students behind their classmates would be the most positive advertising Temple can ever purchase not even locally but nationally.

K.J. deserves all the credit for this terrific idea.

The future part comes into play by establishing a bond between the current students–both commuter and residents–and the university and attracting financial support down the road from students who remember their positive experiences with the school while at the school.

A fun, winning, game against a nationally known team like Army is a positive experience. (That would involve a whole day of defensive practice against the triple option one day a week during at least August and maybe through the first three weeks of Sept.)

We’ll leave the winning part up to head Temple football coach K.C. Keeler and his staff.

The creating the experience part is up to President John Fry with a nudge from athletic director Arthur Johnson. Thousands of engaged, happy, students now lead to millions in contributions in 20 years. A small investment now for a huge return later.

That ball is in their court or, in this case, field (Lincoln Financial).

Monday: A Surprise Position

It’s about time the student section comes back to this level of support. The Army game provides a perfect opportunity.

05.24.26
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College Football News checks in on Temple football

Every once in a while, you read something on the internet from a guy who thinks he knows everything about Temple football.

With Temple playing Penn State on Sept. 12, we are going to run into a lot of those guys.

Like this guy:

Pretty good tweet followed by an ignorant one about Temple not fielding a football team.

My only answer to him is something a very wise man once said on the cross more than 2,000 years ago: “Father forgive them because they don’t know what they are doing.”

In that case, saying it’s a shame Temple stopped fielding a football team. A guy from “Sinking Spring, PA” who should have known better.

I shamed him in the following four posts below his name, including receipts.

Others with some knowledge–like College Football News–are doing a deeper dive into Temple football and coming up with a more fair and balanced assessment.

The one guy who answered the 2stripesCPD post would be wise to read that assessment of this fall’s Temple football team.

Like us in February, College Football News and Temple Football Forever are in agreement that the Owls will finish 6-6.

Unlike CFN, we hope we are wrong and can see a pathway to a few more wins. First, we know Jaxon Smolik is inexperienced. On the other hand, not even in the Al Golden and Matt Rhule Eras–no doubt the best of the last 20 years–was Temple able to recruit a 4* quarterback. (P.J. Walker, for example, was a 3*.) Now, weirdly in this transfer portal era, 4* guys stuck behind other 4* guys are dropping down to Temple.

The Owls might benefit from that.

In fact, our post last week was us putting our money where our months were and plucking down $10 on Temple to win the American Conference football championship, repeating a feat it was able to accomplish a decade ago. That $10 investment could return us $460. (I wish I had $100 for a $4,600 return but we preach only bet what you can afford to lose.)

The twitter account @gnestro probably doesn’t even know Temple football won the AAC title in 2016 nor appeared in the championship game in 2015.

Father forgive him, because he doesn’t know what he’s saying. Or talking about. With Temple football playing Penn State this year, it won’t be the first or last guy who claims Temple gave up on fielding a football team.

So we have to get ready for those kinds of comments.

College Football News supplied the most interesting stat in its lead paragraph and that was in 33 years of football, K.C. Keeler has never had two losing seasons in a row.

He doesn’t plan on having one now, no matter what that guy down the street who claims he knows something about football tries to tell you. Plan is the operative word and what Keeler has done both maintaining and adding to the roster is the result of over 30 years of planning and it should pay dividends once again.

Friday: The Most Surprising Room

05.22.26
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The best $20 you will ever spend

As a big fan of the local Philadelphia comedian Joe Conklin, saw that he was appearing at one of my favorite venues, the Keswick Theater, on a rare night I had off in my “real job” and then clicked on the price.

That was $118 for a single seat.

Yikes.

Love Joe, but that was a little bit above my pay grade.

(Decided to rent a $5.99 movie that night instead.)

Then saw Joe was appearing at Parx Casino on the penultimate night of my birthday (June 18 as June 19 is the day I came into the world) at Parx Casino for $35. Clicked on that and got tickets.

Same show. Saved almost $100.

Pretty good bargain if you like to laugh and hear Philadelphia sports personality impressions as much as I do.

I’m pretty sure this is June 1 but might want to confirm when you get tickets.

If you are a Temple football fan, a better bargain becomes before that night.

K.C. Keeler, Wissahickon Brewing Company, June 1, for a measly $20.

Make plans to attend now if you are able to fit it into your schedule.

Unfortunately, I won’t be able to do so because that’s a Monday night and my “real job” requires me to be in the office doing editing for a myriad of weekly papers that will appear on Wednesdays throughout the Philadelphia area.

Who knows how long that will last so that’s why we ask those of you who appreciate this site to donate $5, 10, 50 or 100 from time to time.

So this is pretty much for those who work traditional 9-5 jobs.

K.C. Keeler isn’t as funny as Joe Conklin, but he is pretty funny and provides more insight on Temple football than just about anyone else.

If I didn’t have to work that night to put food on the table, I would definitely be there and ask him at least one of the next five questions:

Sekou Kromah was good enough to take to media day. Will Keeler take another pass rusher to the same event in August?

One, I know he was going for an experienced quarterback to replace Evan Simon, but what qualities did he see in inexperienced guys like Jaxon Smolik and Ajani Sheppard that would give him the confidence to make them the starter?

Two, I know what Hunter Smith and Keveon Mason can do as running backs, but is there another guy (along with Rutgers transfer Sam Brown) who can emerge from that deep room and surprise everyone?

Three, we had a damn good pass rush when Khalil Poteat, Sultan Badmus and Sekou Kromah were healthy–which was exactly one game, the UTSA win–so what do you see in the transfer portal replacements that make that pass rush better?

It took 15 years but we finally got to our 150th country today, May, 22, 2026

Four, one-point losses to Army and Navy robbed the Owls of 7-5 and a sure bowl appearance and, what, if anything, will you do different in preparing for both triple options this year?

Five, what, if anything, did you learn from the Owls telling the Birmingham Bowl that you had to think for an hour or two about the invitation and what, if anything, would the university do differently given the same call next season?

Thanks, K.C., and I wish I was there, but Joe Conklin is appearing on my night off and you are not. I will see you at the season ticket holder party in August.

Monday: Get Ready for An Attitude

04.30.26
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Regrets, some ex-Temple football coaches have a few

How did college football get into this mess a lot of us more traditional fans see clear as day now?

Well, it started way back in 1869 as a true amateur sport where students could get some exercise competing in “interesting” athletic competitions with rival schools.

The perfect rivalry in those days was Princeton and another school up the road, Rutgers.

So they started one with a “football” game in 1869.

Nobody was paid. Nobody was expected to be paid.

Then, for the next century or so, the sport lived on under the “amateur” umbrella with as close to a level playing field as possible with every football player getting the same thing–room, board and tuition.

That’s the best way to level the playing field.

That’s how the 1979 Temple team led by Steve Conjar, Brian Broomell and Mark Bright–and an offensive line Joe Paterno called the “best in college football”–came 16 points short of 12-0 and a would-be national championship.

I would have given anything to have witnessed that in real time.

Instead, I lived to see that team go 10-2 and become the first Temple team to win a bowl game, destroying a California team that gave both USC and UCLA a much more competitive game than they did Temple.

That was in Giants Stadium where 52,233 seats were sold but 40,000 Temple fans made it through the turnstiles on a 40-degree day that felt like 20. There might have been 300 California fans there, but I seriously doubt it.

Consolation prize because I know I will exit this world with the most imperfect college football system since 1869.

The most compelling argument for what happened after 1987–when SMU got the “death penalty” for doing what every school does now–has always been, “Well, if coaches can break their contracts to go to other schools without having to sit out a year, so should players.”

$100 bucks that I don’t have for providing coverage for this website. I’m sorry, 41mph on Broad Street is not speeding. Today would be a good day to contribute whatever you can to help me cover this monstrosity via the paypal link on the sidebar. Thanks in advance.

My counterpoint was that a contract is a contract and should be honored by both parties until the end of the contract. In other words, BOTH players and coaches should have to sit out a year if they “transfer” and that would end a lot of this current instability we have now.

That probably wouldn’t have withstood the legal system, unfortunately.

Now, everyone–players, coaches, water boys–can move on without consequences.

That doesn’t mean there aren’t regrets on both coaches and players sides.

Collins always had Temple practicing outside in the snow. He said it was part of the “Temple TUFF” culture and fullback Nick Sharga (left), who, in my mind was the MVP of the 2016 championship team (great fullback and linebacker), is now a Catholic Priest.

The biggest Temple football news this week was that Geoff Collins, who holds the unique distinction of being the only Temple coach to NOT have a losing season, said on a national podcast that his “biggest regret was leaving Temple.” The funny thing is that Collins, had he continued those 7- and 8- win type seasons at Temple, would have had a job for life.

Moving up always comes with some risks and Collins found that out the hard way. My feeling was I didn’t like Collins’ OC (Dave Patenaude) but felt he could have done just enough to win and get to bowl games, which should be the goal at Temple.

Still, it’s obvious he had regrets leaving good money at Temple for better money elsewhere.

My guess is that some players have had the same regret, especially Jadan Blue who, after an 81-catch season at Temple, left for a 10-catch season at Virginia Tech. Had Blue duplicated his numbers as a senior there that he did as a junior here, he would have no doubt been an NFL draft choice. Instead, he fell into oblivion.

It’s a cautionary tale for current Temple players who might be thinking the grass is greener outside 10th and Diamond.

Fortunately, the group in the building now seems to have bought into K.C. Keeler’s philosophy. He’s not looking to go anywhere and the players aren’t either. That’s not a culture every other school has right now.

That’s a formula for winning that Temple fans might appreciate come December.

Monday: A Fluid Situation

04.23.26
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The Ultimate Survivor Show: Temple’s Nadia Harvin

Great job by Temple TV’s Ashley Lovelace here.

Amazing in my mind that the show The Survivor has been on for 26 years now.

It seemed like only yesterday that I watched the first year when Richard Hatch won the $1 million prize in the year 2000.

At the time, I thought that was nothing because Hatch survived only one season.

By then, Temple University’s Nadia Harvin survived her 14th season in the football program.

TFF’s interpretation of interesting: Asshole (sorry, Nadia)

Whatever this stupid new show, I thought, was child’s play in comparsion.

It still is.

There is no nicer person involved in Temple football than Nadia and no survivor story anywhere in college football that even compares. Her job is “executive assistant” to the Temple football head coach and, no matter who the Temple football head coach is, she has survived.

They have not.

Nadia has been the rock of Temple football for not only Bruce Arians, but for Jerry Berndt (RIP), Ron Dickerson, Bobby Wallace, Al Golden, Steve Addazio, Matt Rhule, Geoff Collins, Rod Carey, Stan Drayton and now K.C. Keeler.

Wow.

Me? With this kind of diplomacy, I would have lasted about six minutes, not 50 years.

Since all these big-time college football coaches like to bring their own staff, Nadia’s longevity is not only impressive it is spectacular. A lot of this is due to the relationships she made along the way, not only with the players but with the fans.

I thought about all of this while attending my 58th-straight Cherry and White Day. I stopped by Joe Greenwood’s tailgate, where I usually she Nadia but missed her this time.

That was one of the rare occasions, though. I almost always run into Nadia on gameday and she usually gives me a hug and when I write something negative, she admonishes me and I write something positive gives me encouragement, but she knows my heart is in the right place.

As do I with her.

When I got home I watched the excellent job Ms. Lovelace did on the above piece and have to second the motion.

This is the kind of recognition Nadia Harvin deserves.

Geoff Collins with Nadia after the GT job imploded. Probably not happy he ever left Temple.

Love her short descriptions of the coaches she served under.

Pretty damn diplomatic. Despite Daz getting Temple to a bowl game in his first season with Golden’s players, I thought that Daz was a detriment to the program. After a 4-7 season, I knew Temple football enough that the administration wasn’t going to fire him but heard on KYW radio while driving past the Rydal SEPTA Regional Rail Station that Boston College gave him a job.

I banged on the steering wheel in celebration that they took him off Temple’s hands.

When Carey was fired, I was shocked that Temple did an un-Temple-like thing in firing a guy with two years left on a $2 million per-year contract.

Didn’t want Stan Drayton because I felt a school as large and as prestigious as Temple was deserved a big-time winning head coach and not a guy whose Peter Principle was an RB coach.

Now that they have one, Temple football has become a lot more interesting than it ever was under Daz or Carey and, I for one (maybe thousands) are glad longtime people like Nadia Harvin will be around to see the results.

In this definition, interesting means winning more than it means asshole.

Monday: The Most Crowded Room

04.05.26
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The Best Solution: A one-transfer rule

Lost in a lot of news involving war and Easter was an executive order signed by Donald Trump on Friday limiting college sports transfers to a one-and-done basis.

If one guy from one party does something in this politically charged environment, usually the Pavlovian response from the other party is to oppose it.

However, this is something I can get behind as a college football fan. Heck, as a college sports fan.

It should be a bipartisan issue.

There are three starters on both Michigan and UConn in Monday night’s championship basketball game who have played not at one, not at two, but at three schools. That’s ridiculous on its face value.

While the Executive Order probably won’t survive a court challenge, a codified version of the order through legistlation might and that’s probably the only way to save college football now.

At least for schools like Temple.

That’s something both Democrats and Republicans can get behind.

Say, if this gets passed as legislation, one transfer per five years can end a lot of this craziness. Back in the “old days” the fact that athletes had to sit out a year if they transferred pretty much made that kind of thing a rarity.

Under this proposal, a second transfer would be allowed after earning a four-year degree and that would be OK with me. This transferring every year should stop. It won’t end the other crazy element of college football–play-for-pay–but it will stop the musical chairs aspect of college sports we see every transfer portal season.

Also, Incarnate Word has a starting quarterback, T.J. Finley, who will be in his seventh year this season with his seventh team. Finley is giving a middle finger to the NCAA rules as is now, meaning there are no rules.

Everybody who plays or played any sport knows that there should be rules and they should be followed. That means both off the field and on the field.

We’ve always had on-the-field rules. For the last decade, we’ve had very few off-the-field ones.

That needs to be fixed or we risk losing all of the fans from half of the 134 FBS football schools.

Friday: Cherry and White Preview