December 3, 2025 • 50 mins
Glen Mason is back in studio to chat with Dan about the Lane Kiffin saga, his own experience changing coaching jobs, Gophers/Badgers and the Big Ten Title Game.
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Speaker 1 (00:03):
It's time for another edition of Mace in Your Face
is now along with college football Immortality Glenn Mason.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
Here's Dan Burrero. Jack's Cafe helps bring Glenn Mason to
the to the masses each and every week on the
A Bumper to Bumper program. We are contractually obligated to
have you on the air between four and five every Wednesday.
Speaker 3 (00:32):
You have to put it that way.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Does that seem negative?
Speaker 3 (00:34):
Yeah? You know, you know, really, you know, you disappoint
me though.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
Because that wouldn't be the first time, would it.
Speaker 3 (00:41):
I knew you'd take a shot like that when I
was sitting.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
I don't want to get your cold.
Speaker 3 (00:45):
By the way, you know what, a lesser man probably
wouldn't be any tough kaya tough, you know, I don't
feel bad if you go on to those things.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
You just sounded. It's like a head cold.
Speaker 3 (00:58):
I don't have my normal goal voice.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
No you don't. It's a little bit more nasally.
Speaker 3 (01:03):
Yeah. Usually yeah, and I mean stayed away. People don't
want to be around me anyway. But yeah, I was
in the in the in the as I call it,
the kitchen, back kitchen where he's got all his food,
and uh, I thought you'd be a little bit nicer
where he came in there, but you just you know,
boom right there the same winning. The only reason you're
(01:23):
talking to me is because you have to do it,
because you're obligated by a contract.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
Here is the toss up question regarding Lane Kiffin. Curious
to know write six one two guy. If Glenn Mason
has ever done hot yoga like Lane kiffins.
Speaker 3 (01:39):
No, but I've been thinking about doing it. I don't
even know what hot yoga is. You know, I do
cold yoga in the morning with some granola, and that's different.
I probably should. I know that stuff is good for you,
flexibility and all that stuff. I know he is, uh,
he is really dedicated to it, you know. I don't
know if that cleans this system out of all that
(02:02):
other stuff that he's put in. What do you mean
by well he's that's some issues you don't get fired
out on the tarmac at USC and then you know
they're standing citizen.
Speaker 2 (02:12):
I mentioned this to guards he yesterday. We talked about
it briefly with him, but I got to get your
view on it, because when the debate broke out about
whether Kiffin should be allowed to coach ole Miss through
the tournament. I was surprised at the number of media jackals,
despite you know them being critical of Kiffen previously, who said, absolutely,
(02:35):
players want him to do it, the school should rise
above that and absolutely let the let him play that out.
I just don't think that's practical. What and now you're
a coach though, so you tell me, is.
Speaker 3 (02:46):
It a different situation because there's a good chance they're
going to be in the college football playoffs? Yeah, you know, absolutely,
And you know so I think if it wasn't that,
a lot of people say, who cares, you know, either
coaches or doesn't coach. But if ole misses, he can't coach,
(03:06):
and the committee, in their infinite wisdom, uses that as
an excuse not to let them get in the tournament.
They're punishing the players, no question. You remember, I think
it was Florida State when they the quarterback got injured
and they use that as an excuse not to let
them in a four team playoff. So I don't know.
(03:27):
I mean, it's a delicate situation. They had an unbelievable year.
Obviously he's a big part of it. The players are
a bigger part of it, and in this day and
age of the college football playoff. You know, if it
was a four team playoff, it even be worse, you know,
if they were on the edge of getting in or out.
But maybe Ole Miss isn't going to get in again
(03:50):
in the near future. So I hope that the committee
they look at it like you should look at it
and say, our first concerns for the players, and they
should begin with or without Lane Kiffen and I I personally,
(04:11):
I'm not sure he wanted the coach anyway that despite
what it sounds good. In fact, I'll tell you I
don't know this, but I was the belief from day
one he was going to LSU and all this stuff
delaying and delaying and delaying. Oh, it's such a tough decision.
I do not buy that, is there.
Speaker 2 (04:31):
There's been a lot of talk about, well, what needs
to change is the college schedule in a way that
then we avoid these kinds of un you know, very
very difficult, challenging circumstances where something like this might arise.
Do you buy that is.
Speaker 3 (04:45):
I think the whole thing is broke. I do. I
mean not only this, but uh, you know the problem
that you have everybody's not in the same schedule. I
know that back when I was coaching, you didn't have
the the nil and the portal and stuff, but you
had the signing date and a lot of people wanted
(05:06):
to push it back while the other teams that we
can't do that we start spring practice early. Well, we
don't start spring practice up north because it's too cold,
and so you know, you can't please everybody. So I
think you got to look at it, and when you
set the schedule, I think you got to do what's
good for the game. And then if it doesn't fit
(05:27):
someone's normal schedule, they've they've just got to adjust, you know,
the DAN And the other thing is I hear a
lot of people they want to talk about this portal
and they say, well, why shouldn't the players be able
to do Coaches have done it forever, and that's true.
(05:47):
But the one mistake people make that I always talked about,
you know, in Pro football, and I heard Nick Saban
kind of talk about it. Pro football, a contracts a
contract there was if you sign a contract with the team.
Let's say you started a contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers
for a million dollars a year, five year contract. If
they fire you after one year, they only four million
(06:08):
dollars and they unless they let you out of the content,
you're not going anywhere. Well, the difference all the contracts
in college are different. You know. I never had to
buy out any place that I've been, and someone they
might say, oh, yeah, because you always wanted to go
to some other place. I never went any place I
thought it was wrong. My issue was always every place
I was. You want to buy out, you can have one.
(06:29):
Here's the deal. If you signed me to a five
year contract and you fire me after one year, you
owe me four million. If I leave you after one year,
I owe you four million. And that's a contract. You
know what. Schools don't want to do that. They want
to look at the downside and they want to say, well,
how can we mitigate our damages and get out of it?
So we don't like it, so they pay you a fraction.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
At Kifflin had sent out a statement three days ago,
I think, you know, confirming after a lot of prayer
and time spent with family, I made the difficult decision
up the head coaching position at the LSU. And within
that release or within that statement, he also says my
request to do so regarding you to finish, you know,
(07:12):
and coaching coach the team in the postseason was denied
by Keith Carter. Is that the ad mus Keith Carter,
despite the team also asking him to allow me to
keep coaching them. Now, what's interesting is today, I believe
this was today a member of the team, Bryson Sanders,
who I think is an offensive lineman, took that part
(07:36):
of the quote despite the team asked me to keep
coaching and said this, I think everyone that was in
that room would disagree, which is pretty interesting. Now he's
not the last word, but that's kind of itself, I thought,
kind of interesting.
Speaker 3 (07:50):
Well, I don't know, but I would speculate I would
side on the side of the player because typically, you
know those players, they have a lot of pride, sure
and and shun. You know, when the coach says, well
I'm leaving, I'm going to a different place, they don't
like that. You know. It's how about us? You know,
you've told us this is the best place to go.
(08:12):
You've recruited us, you told us we could win a
national championship. Why are you going to LSU? Especially when
you say I don't make decisions on money. I find
it interesting that he said he had to prey on it,
he has to define praying because he called Nick Saban
and Pete Carroll. I didn't know those guys. I didn't know.
Speaker 2 (08:29):
Those their deities.
Speaker 3 (08:30):
Yeah, I didn't know they were connected that way.
Speaker 2 (08:34):
It's a very good point. Well, I mentioned in there.
I don't know if you were still in the room.
I went through this covering the Georgia National championship team
in eighty Back then, as you know, it was basically
rankings is how you picked. And they were undefeated. That
your's herschel Walker's freshman year. So Auburn, they finished the
regular season, Georgia undefeated, They're gonna play Notre Dame in
(08:56):
the Sugar Bowl.
Speaker 3 (08:57):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (08:58):
In between, Auburn has fired it's coach. They're looking for
a new coach. That's where Dooley went to school. They
come after Vince Dooley and there were I mean a
lot of rumors that he was going to take the job.
But then it was the same situation about well, you know,
(09:19):
would he coach them in the National championship game?
Speaker 3 (09:22):
Whatever?
Speaker 2 (09:22):
Well, I can see I don't know if he was
then he might have been, but he became that for sure. Regardless.
I remember him talking to the reporters me included saying,
you know, it was uncomfortable because I definitely did talk
to Auburn. Ultimately he chose to stay, but he said
I talked to the players about it, and I asked
(09:42):
them whether they, you know, they want me back, would
they because I did flirt with a rival school in
the opposition, And Duley claimed that the response he got
from the players was resounding in his favor. Now, I
later found out that nobody said anything.
Speaker 3 (10:05):
In the room.
Speaker 2 (10:06):
It wasn't quite the way it had been described that
the players like, yeah, well, coach, we're back. Let's get
this thing done. It was just an uncomfortable sort of silence.
So it just goes to show you it doesn't always
go the way the coach wants to believe it would
go in that circumstance, because, as you say, players, they
think like, you're either with us or you're against us.
Speaker 3 (10:27):
Right, Well, I tell you how it went for me.
Mentioned Georgia. Yes, I took the George.
Speaker 2 (10:33):
Yeah, we've talked about that.
Speaker 3 (10:34):
And we had had a great season at Kansas and
we were off to play UCLA in the Bowl Game,
and before we're going to leave, I interviewed for the
Georgia job, and I didn't think I was gonna get it,
but I got it. I took it. And but Vince
Dilley told me that the athletic director at Kansas, one
(10:57):
of the things he requested was if they hired me,
that he'd still let me coach the bowl game. And
he so basically says, I told him you can do that,
So you can do that. So I did. And probably
if he would have said no, I think I probably
would have taken the job. I would have went to
Georgia because I couldn't have gone back to Kansas. I
would have had a job. But I changed my mind. Uh,
(11:21):
And I talked to the team in the morning we
were going to play UCLA, and I didn't know how
they'd react because a lot of them weren't really happy.
I can tell you that you know that I was leaving. Sure,
no confrontations, but you can tell you know. And so
in my pregame meeting, no one knew except me, and
I went over a bunch of stuff and lastly I
(11:41):
said I'm staying at Kansas, not leaving, And I got
a standing ovation, which was which was that happened? I'm
telling maybe because I I didn't know what was going
to happen, might say, right for sure? And and then
it didn't hurt that we really hung it on U C.
L A. And everybody was happy.
Speaker 2 (12:02):
So Kiffin, do you accept now? I mean his history
is his history right, and it's it's it's checkered. I mean,
there's no way around that. Somebody mentioned we talked about this.
I think the last day or two. He's never played
or he's never won a postseason game at any level,
despite his relative success. Certainly an old miss he succeeded,
(12:22):
but he's foreign form balls, didn't he Yeah that might
you might have the revue record big game. I don't
think he's ever won one. Now, I'm not saying I'm
not suggesting that means he can't coach. But do you
buy because in the earlier years you were on the show,
you had a lot of you had a lot of
Lane Kiffin shots that you took.
Speaker 3 (12:42):
I did I don't remember, Yeah, a lot of them.
I don't regret it.
Speaker 2 (12:48):
Have you come to a different place on him just
on the basis of performance, or do you still feel
the same way.
Speaker 3 (12:53):
I've come to a different place. On college football. You
heard me a number of times. It's shot, it's broken
with all the stuff that's going on. And I can
tell you that one of the things that prerequisites in
hiring coaches most often, not all the time, most often
is integrity. They don't consider that. It's all about winning.
That's that's all it is. And and is he gonna
(13:14):
win the press conference? Are they gonna are the fans
are gonna like it? When you know, when you look
at Lane Kiffin as an assistant, he got hired by
the Raiders, got fired him one year, and uh, al
Davis called him a fraud and wasn't gonna pay him. Now,
al Davis had fired a lot of coaches and paid him.
He had no problem. He wasn't gonna pay him. Uh.
(13:36):
Then he gets the Tennessee job and he gets that,
let's in the middle of the night after one year. Uh.
And then he goes to USC that's why he left
Tennessee and he gets fired out there, okay, uh. And
then he goes to Alabama rehab. Uh. Saint Nick, I'm
gonna call it that now resurrected him. You know, he
probably did and they showed up and he hired him. Uh,
(13:58):
and then he was there, and then he went to
fa U as the head coach. Nick didn't like it.
He fired would let him coach that ball game. It's
not interesting the Nick says he should coach the ball game,
but he wouldn't let him coach at Alabama. I didn't
think about it.
Speaker 2 (14:09):
Has he been called? Has anybody asked him that contradiction?
Has he responded?
Speaker 3 (14:13):
I don't know. And then he gets the old miss job,
which was unbelievable, and he did a great job there,
and then he gets the ls U and job by
a point being. You know, it used to be that's
a good those are good jobs. You know. It used
to be to get one of those jobs, you needed
(14:34):
an you needed to win in an impeccable record. You know,
if you had a drunk driving whatever you were done,
wouldn't even wouldn't even think about it. And now you
look what's going on. Uh, it's just amazing. I applaud
Michigan State with all the problems that they've had up there.
I mean, they don't they don't know the left fuff
(14:55):
of the right right higher Pat Fitzgerald, I don't know
if he'll be good up there or not. I really
liked pack for the show. He did a heck of
a job. I don't think Northwestern could have ever hired
a better coach than what they did to him was wrong,
and that's why he won the long suit lawsuit. He's different,
dealing with a different animal up there. I guarantee you
you know, the players that he'll deal with up there
at Michigan State are a lot different than the guys
(15:15):
that he used to walk through the door at Northwestern.
Just the way it is. But I remember when we
played Arkansas in the Bowl Game and Frank Royals was
the athletic director. What's that former coach? Coach? And you
know he retired at the top of his career. He
(15:36):
and Darryl Royal at Texas when they were like fifty
two years old. So we were at a cocktail party
both teams, and I was there talking to him and
I said, coach Brow's going to ask a personal question.
I'm just curious. I said, why did you retire at
such an early because he's in good health, Houston and
he looked at me and he said, Coach, I learned
(15:57):
a long time ago he says, if you retire at
the top of your game, you can live a real
nice life. If you're a major college football coach, you
can get fired. You're damaged fruit for the rest of
your life. That's not the case anymore. You know, everybody
has short memories, and to think you know what's happening here,
(16:19):
you know, is crazy. And what's happened in college, you know.
I heard with Lane Gibvens said I don't believe him,
but he said, I told Jimmy Sext and his agent,
I don't even want to know about what they're offering
me at all these schools. That's not important. I just
want to know what they're going to offer the money
they're going to have available for the players. So what
are we talking about. I mean, it is a championship team.
(16:42):
It's like Major League Baseball, you know, if you got
enough money, you can buy the good plays.
Speaker 2 (16:46):
Sort of word it is. I'm glad you brought up
half his scherild because we have not talked about that.
So what's the moral of the Pat Fitzgerald saga. I mean,
it looked to me like he did have some vulnerability
in terms of You've always said to me, you know.
Most stuff that happens to your organization, coaches know or
(17:08):
is their responsibility. I think that's the way you tended
to look at it. With some exception, and it looked
really bad for him. Was that when we look back
on it, was it? It just became a feeding frenzy.
He ends up getting blamed for more than he should have.
Why now is he able to get another job? When
back then I don't think anybody thought he was ever
going to get another position. Is that short memory again
(17:28):
or new information?
Speaker 4 (17:30):
No?
Speaker 2 (17:31):
Telling us it wasn't quite as bad as it appeared.
Speaker 3 (17:33):
Well, first of all, on a couple of counts, you're right,
I was a big hits at the show fan I
coached against him. Then when I did Big ten network'd
be in there and you get an idea how a
guy runs a program when you're in there for a
couple of days, and I was in there multiple times.
I was shocked when the accusation came out, But you
don't know. I just said, you know, that's that's why
you get paid the big bucks. You're supposed to know. Now.
(17:55):
I ran into Trevor Simeon, who you know, football player
who was there, and I asked him about this situation.
He goes, hey, I was there four years, blooney, I
don't know where they came up with it. He said,
I'm telling you he's as fine a guy that didn't happen.
If something happens, blown away out of proportion. Now to
the other point is that I think he was vindicated
(18:17):
when he won the big lawsuit. Yeah, I mean Northwestern.
You know they don't have to pay those legal bills.
Those you know they got in house guys when they
roll over and settle for was it fifty million?
Speaker 2 (18:27):
I don't remember.
Speaker 3 (18:28):
The number was a big number. I think they probably said,
you know what, we don't have a chance here. Yeah,
you know, they settled. That's usually what it was. They're afraid,
why this goes in front of a jury man, we
might be paying more money. So I am really glad
that the guy surfaced. And you know, Michigan State, it's
really been bad ever since they got rid of D'Antonio.
(18:50):
Come on, it's been terrible. One thing after another thing
after on the field, off the field ministration, the whole deal.
They I think they needed a guy that had some credit, Billy,
probably a guy that the non athletic people at the
University of the acutivists said, you know what, this guy's
a class guy. We can trust this guy.
Speaker 2 (19:09):
Let me ask a national championship question. Now that it's
a tournament the way it's set up today. So a
good example is, obviously the Big Ten title game will
match your Ohio State against Indiana.
Speaker 3 (19:21):
Why isn't you're Indiana. Why isn't my high state? It's
my Indiana.
Speaker 2 (19:25):
No, I've made that clear. It's my Indiana, it's your
Hio State. You're right, you went there. I went to IU.
But here's what's interesting to me as a coach. How
do you because if you know both of those teams
know they're in the tournament right regardless, Now seating might
be effected, but they're both going to participate to try
to win a national championship beyond the Big Ten title game.
(19:47):
So does that change? So I guess what I'm saying
is the bigger prize is winning at all, right, there's
no doubt than winning the Big Ten titles. So that
being the case, does that if you're in that position
coaching your team, does it change the way how much
emphasis you put on this game? Because let's say you
(20:09):
lose it, and there's you know, I'm Indiana's I think
last I saw five point underdogs. Let's say they lose it.
Let's say they lose by fourteen. Okay, well, you don't
want to lose your team because the larger issue is
still you got a chance to make amend. So does
that mean as a coach you deemphasize the significance of
the game. How do you approach it?
Speaker 3 (20:29):
No, I don't think it deemphasize it. But here's the thing.
You look at the High State they lost to Michigan.
They're sitting at home, they're watching the game on TV.
But they win it all. So did losing the Michigan
mean anything? Did not playing for the Big Ten title?
Not winning the Big title mean anything? It brings back
what's happened with this college football playoff? We've minimized the
(20:52):
regular season. You know it used to be without a playoff.
If you wanted to be considered, you better win them
all or maybe you lose only one. Otherwise you were gone.
You were done. It was over public opinion. Brings me
back to a story when I was at Kansas or
the basketball coach was Larry Brown and in eighty eight
(21:13):
they won the national championship. I forget what happened. I
think they might have got beat in the first round
of the Big A Tournament. But he told me one time,
I never want to win that Big A Tournament. I
want to lose and get out as fast as I can.
I said, why, He said, you got to win too
many games in a row. The important thing is the
big dance, So get out so much. Yes, you could
(21:34):
be the team that doesn't get in, as long as
you're getting in the college football playoff and now you're resting,
you're preparing, you're getting everything going, and you don't have
to worry about hating anybody injured.
Speaker 2 (21:44):
Yeah, so that's true. That's been in the basketball side,
it's been true. I think for a long time, the
old deal of conference tournaments.
Speaker 3 (21:49):
Who cares?
Speaker 2 (21:50):
You know that no one's going to remember it. But
is it? Do you buy the notion? Can I keep
hearing this that there are people in Ohio, the state
of Ohio, who still believe that it's more important to
beat Michigan than even to win the national championship.
Speaker 4 (22:06):
Is that?
Speaker 2 (22:06):
Is that true? I'm not saying they should think that way,
but are there idiots who sink that way.
Speaker 3 (22:11):
I don't know if they're idiots. It's easy for you to.
Speaker 2 (22:13):
Say, pretty close, you don't you want to win the whole.
Speaker 3 (22:17):
Thing if you let me finish, He asked the questions, Yeah,
it's on the idiots in there. So I had to respond, well,
I think that would be the older generation that grew
up that. I mean that. I used to have these
conversations with Jerry DeNardo All. He absolutely couldn't comprehend it,
the emphasis that was put on that game. Now, I
(22:38):
lived it, you know, I lived it as a player,
I lived it as a coach, and that game meant everything. Now,
typically it was translated to going to the Rose Bowl. Now,
I'm sure you might be able to find some old timers,
big ten schools that said, in the old day, would
you rather go to the Rose ball which to beat
(23:00):
the college football players? I would rather go to the
Rose play You look at you look at Indiana. If
there's no college football playoff, they're going to pass the d. True,
they're there. They hadn't been there since sixty seven, So
so I think there are some people like that. I
think it's changing because especially what happened last year. Now.
(23:21):
I said this one time before. I really believe if
they hadn't expanded the college football playoff the twelve teams,
I don't think Ryan David, the coach of Ohio.
Speaker 2 (23:31):
State, Yeah, I agree with you on that.
Speaker 3 (23:32):
Four straight losses, No, and he wouldn't have been a
fourteen playoff. That wouldn't have been the cancer.
Speaker 2 (23:39):
So what chance do you give my Hoosiers?
Speaker 3 (23:43):
Good States? Really good? Yeah? I think the Hoosiers are
really good. I mean, you know, uh, they've they've proven
in good getting people that they're supposed to beat, manned,
they beat them. You think about the producer what they've
scored fifty three points or something like that.
Speaker 2 (23:59):
No, I mean fifty six, yes, whatever it was, it
was sixty three.
Speaker 3 (24:03):
Right, fifty sixty three. I think they got all the
ingredients when I watched and play. They got a quarterback
that I think, how about this? I think you should
win the Heisman Trophy. I think either he how about this?
Or the quarterback down at Vanderbilt. Those are the two
greatest stories in college football right now, those two guys.
But when you look at statistically in everything with the
(24:25):
Mendoza kid, he's superior to the kid at a high state,
except the kid at a high state place for o
high state and just the perception. But he got a
real good quarterback, he got good receivers. They run the ball,
they've got a very efficient offensive line, they play aggressive defense. Yeah,
I think, you know, I think it'll be a heck
(24:46):
of a game. Well, and you know what can happen
in any game. Yeah, you know, sure you can win
the game, more if or not you lose the game, turnover, interception, mistake,
whatever it may be.
Speaker 2 (24:56):
The counter I'm getting via text is the loser the
big tentile game likely have to play an extra game.
Speaker 3 (25:01):
The winner will get.
Speaker 2 (25:02):
A first round by I've heard people say both unless
it's like, unless Indiana loses by forty or something like that,
that both teams, regardless of who wins or loses this game,
both those teams still should merit a bye in the
first round.
Speaker 3 (25:16):
Yeah, if you look at it, let's let's either one
let's say they lose by a field goal. Yeah, okay,
and now that you have one loss, well, what other
one loss team has a better record or that than them?
Speaker 2 (25:29):
A better quality loss too?
Speaker 3 (25:30):
You're right? Yeah, so I I you know I think
that I don't think that's what the committee would really like,
but it'll it'll be interesting how this plays out with
these twelve teams, you know, the Loo the name get in.
Speaker 2 (25:43):
Yeah, I think they're in.
Speaker 3 (25:44):
You know, you look at Texas, but they have three losses.
He's politics in the game. How does he get him
with three losses? Yeah, Now he talks about the teams
that he beat, but he doesn't want to talk about
the teams he lost to.
Speaker 2 (25:54):
That's the fatal thing.
Speaker 3 (25:55):
And that's and that even that discussion minimizes the regular
season even more.
Speaker 2 (26:01):
Let's get our bottom of the hour pause, lots more
to get to with Mason your face. We'll get his
reaction to, uh, the Gophers knocking off the Wisconsin Badgers
in one of the one of several snow globe games
and the Big Ten almost it felt like almost all
of the outdoor games were in snowy kind of you know,
esthetically pleasing condition conditions for those of us who grew
(26:22):
up with outdoor football, and Mace's usually got a couple
of things stuck in his craw as well. Brought to
you by our good friends at Jack's Cafe. More Mace
next knocking.
Speaker 5 (27:04):
By kick off your weekend right.
Speaker 4 (28:02):
The Friday Football Feast is at Buffalo Wild Wins in
Savage This week, Pa Nordo and Alec Lewis Young Alec
are live with NonStop football talk and your shot at
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Speaker 2 (28:13):
The doors open at eight.
Speaker 4 (28:15):
You can get the full details at kfa n dot
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Speaker 2 (28:42):
Apologize for my clock management issues. Mace in your Face
Part two If you have questions for Mace cratch on
Brian kfein text line at six four six eight six.
Gophers finish with a seventeen to seven victory over the Badgers,
before we get to your reaction to that and then
the overall feelings about the the go for season. I
(29:07):
don't know if we've talked about this before over the years.
I I'm not saying I always want to see every
game played in wintry conditions. Okay. I get the people
who say, well, you don't really see the best of
the players all the times in those conditions. But I
will tell you and maybe it's the you know, very
romantic as you know, and maybe it's the romantic in me,
(29:27):
the sentimental in me that grew up with you know,
football in those conditions. And said I loved watching a
series of games over the weekend in the Big Ten
in which the snow and cold and wind, We're all
part of the deal. Did you like coaching in those
kinds of conditions. Yeah, I thought it was part of
(29:48):
the deal. I was a traditionalist so to speak. You know,
when I was advocating for an outdoor stadium, a lot
of people say, you know, you're crazy.
Speaker 3 (29:57):
We're in Minnesota. So wait a minute. The weather in Minnesota.
My belief is it much different up until about Thanksgiving
than it is in Lancey, Michigan, or ann or Army
or Lincoln, Nebraska or whatever. And the proof of that, yeah,
we had snow here. Who didn't have snow?
Speaker 2 (30:15):
Absolutely?
Speaker 3 (30:16):
You know, the two worst games snow games. The most
blizzard type conditions that I coached as coached in was
one when I was a player at a high state
against Purdue next to last week and lucky we went.
Then we won the next week against Michigan. And then
(30:39):
when I was at Kansas, we played in two blizzard games,
one in Boulder, Colorado and one in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Go figure. Wow.
Yeah it was fun.
Speaker 2 (30:48):
Yeah, And was it like blizzard kind of conditions just
like wind and yeah, it.
Speaker 3 (30:54):
Was both those games, especially in still Water. It wasn't
that cold, but they were windy and snowy and you know,
to the place where you couldn't see the field. I
mean it was and remarkably, the play was pretty good.
Wasn't too sloppy, Yeah, which is amazing, all right, Gophers.
Wisconsin had actually shown a little life. They think they'd
(31:16):
knocked off a couple of ranked teams. Defensively, they were
pretty good actually much of the season. They just couldn't
get much going offensively, and it was to turn the
game that guards he was at was a snow globe
game for for sure.
Speaker 2 (31:31):
I actually, Guardian, I haven't talked about it much. So
Wisconsin cuts it to ten to seven on that late
reversal on the touchdown pass that was that replay called
good after I've been called in complete right before the
right before the half, literally, so it's ten to seven.
Wisconsin gets the ball to start the same half, I
think with the backup QB right the second QB guardsy
(31:54):
and there he's winging it like he's Joe Montana. I mean,
he's just weighing it and they're going right on the
field until interception. He gets under cut. Not a very
good throw and it wasn't a pick six, but it
was close and everything changed. I thought from that point forward,
I thought the Gophers might have been a little bit
of trouble at that point if Wisconsin had followed that
(32:15):
through and scored, but they didn't. So what did you
make of the game, and what do you make of
the season for the Gophers?
Speaker 3 (32:20):
Good questions. I think I think it was an okay season.
You know, I think anytime that you had you know,
it's not really hard to get Bowl Elgemer or if
you don't get Bill Els, well it's a bad year.
But you know, they played well at home, not too
well on the road. Most part, they beat the teams
(32:40):
they should have beat, didn't beat the teams that you know,
probably were better than them. You know what, I didn't
see that entire game. I was busy out east. But
to me, it was amazing. Statistics guards Hee, like I
always tell you a figures lion liars, figure can be misleading,
But when you look at the stats of that game,
(33:01):
you look at the stats of the game, you would
have thought Wisconsin would have won the football game with
the exception of three turnovers. Now that's part of the game,
right it is. But you know, Minnesota's offense with a
quarterback that I think is pretty good. They really don't
have a lot of offense. I mean, I think they
had like less than two hundred and twenty yards total offense.
(33:21):
I think my concern, if I was PJ. Flake, which
I'm not, is our inability to run the football, you know,
which has been quite consistent on almost every occasion. You know,
with the exception, I think of maybe one, but you know,
it was okay. I think that I don't know what's
happened to the Wisconsin program. I thought Luke Fickel was
(33:43):
a was a home run higher And right now you
talk about a guy that's on the hot Seaum, I
mean he got he got to win. I'm say he's
got to win big, but he's he needs a good
season next year. They've they've grown impatient there from what
they're they're used to. And he's not the only one.
I think that the that Mike Loxley at Maryland's on
(34:08):
the hot seat, and I think Greg Ciano at Rutgers
is on the hot seat. You know, he goes a
certain time and then people want to know why you're
not Indiana whatever. They don't look at themselves and and
something happens.
Speaker 2 (34:20):
They got to get I mean, Wisconsin still is about
you got to get a quarterback, right, and I don't
know who they have.
Speaker 3 (34:25):
I mean they were down at number four. I think
weren't they or something. I don't know. You know, he
went in there and he uh, you know, everybody over
uses the word culture, but systematically he changed them. You know,
everybody knows what Wisconsin's been for a long time, big
offensive lineman. And you can't stop the run. You've got
(34:47):
a long day play action pass. You know, you know
when too long ago. I forget that they Wisconsin ran
for over five hundred yards against Nebraska in the Big
Ten championship game, which is kind of crazy.
Speaker 2 (35:02):
Do you think there's any like contract extension remorse in Lincoln?
I think didn't it. Ultimately, I think Nebraska finished with
below five hundred in the conference. I think they finished
four and five. So I know, I think you're a
Matt Rule guy. I'm not saying a bad coach, but
I you know, honestly.
Speaker 3 (35:19):
What you know, I base guys on what they've done. Yeah,
and I saw what he did at Temple, and I
thought what he did at Baylor and just a terrible,
terrible situation was unbelievable. I discount pro football because that's
a different bird. But when they hired him out there,
I thought, I really did. I said, if this guy
can't turn it around, no one's ever going to turn
(35:40):
it around out there. I don't think anybody's going to
get him back to the days of the nineties with
you know, three national championships, in the days where they
just rolled overybody with you Tom the Big Eight Conference,
which people can't remember. I can as a different bird,
you know, anytime there was different rules and regulations in
the Big Eight that you know make them pretty darn successful.
Speaker 2 (36:03):
Texter. This is from seven to six to three. Guy
wants your thoughts on getting rid of the conference championship games,
going to a sixteen team playoff starting the week after
the season, and salary cap of twenty five million dollars
and players only can use portal once unless the head
(36:23):
coach or position coaches leave.
Speaker 3 (36:25):
Obviously it's well thought out. You know, it's sounds like
you need to collect the bargaining agreement to get that.
It sounds like pro football. You know, I would not
be opposed to getting rid of the conference championship game.
You know, if you go the whole way, you're playing
sixteen games. High State played at fifteen because they didn't
play in the championship game. But sixteen games if you're
(36:46):
one of those teams that's in it just about every year,
and I think it's meaningless. You know, played the regular season,
you know, you know when I went to I talk
about this all the time. When I went to High State,
we played nine games, and then it was ten, was eleven,
and then after I was done coaching, it went to twelve.
Uh and along with that, you know, used to have
to be pretty darn good to get a ball game.
(37:07):
Everybody gets a ball game. Now, you know it's crazy. Hey,
how about this. Though you don't think Jimmy Sex is
a good agent, Lane Kiffin's gonna get his bull bonus
from all from all miss Y has some good negotiating.
Speaker 2 (37:22):
Well, everybody tells me he is the most powerful man
in college football. I don't think I got any coach.
He's the guy.
Speaker 3 (37:30):
Yeah, I don't think that. You know what I think
I told you the story about this. He went to
Tennessee and Reggie White. He we're good friends. Reggie White
was a great football bay when he got they knew
each other in the dorm. When he got drafted, he
went to Jimmy. He said, Jimmy, how much to represented?
He said, what do you think he's You're the smartest
guy that I know? And he was right. You know,
but in the sec he's got about every coach under cos.
Speaker 2 (37:53):
What's the percentage he gets? By the way, Yeah, so
three percent of these deals? That's pretty good. Okay, you
think thank he's doing all right?
Speaker 3 (38:02):
Yes, for sure. Yeah, he's not worring. Where's get his
next meal?
Speaker 2 (38:07):
Island?
Speaker 3 (38:07):
And if he gets endorsements, I think he gets ten.
Speaker 2 (38:10):
Pretty good, Giga, you can get it more. I know
Mace's got a couple things stuck in his craw a
couple of their texts to get to as well. In
our final segment, with him top five at five and
Kessler yet to come out at six, Guardie, is this
breaking college football news? Texter nine to five to two? Guy,
(38:32):
I have a coach. Kurt Farrence, the nation's longest tenured
coach in the FBS, will return in twenty twenty six
for a twenty eighth season with the Hawkeyes. Farrence seventy
confirmed his expected return today, telling reporters he has the
support of his wife Mary and is in good health.
In September, he surpassed Ohio State's Woody Hayes for the
most coaching wins at a Big Ten school. So that
(38:54):
must have I mean, I guess it was not surprising necessarily,
but now confirming that he's coming back next year, what
do you think?
Speaker 3 (39:01):
Man?
Speaker 4 (39:02):
Yeah, and he talked about it that their signing day
press conference. Okay, that's how it came up. He was
doing media and it came up and he said, yeah,
I expect to be back.
Speaker 3 (39:09):
Well, you know it happened, said, using instant recruiting, say,
you know when you go there, Oh, Kirk's not going
to be there, you know. Yeah, right after signing dates,
he's in a good Hey. I got to tell you
one thing for I forget though. You know, I like
things that are reliable. You know that, and that's why
you like me.
Speaker 2 (39:26):
That's right, reliably, unreliable, unprofessional, that's uncalled for.
Speaker 3 (39:31):
Actually, I traveled over the holiday and I had an
early morning flight, and you know, when you have our
man Todd Anderson and Kerry Limo. Yeah, supposed to pick
you up at four thirty am. About four point fifteen,
they're there. And you don't have to sweat it because
I've in the past before I was dealing with those guys,
(39:52):
you had one of those early morning flights you weren't
sure correct, you know, and the guy get lost or whatever.
And and now I don't worry about it.
Speaker 2 (40:02):
Where's I had a couple more texts on do you
have something on your list that we haven't covered yet?
Speaker 3 (40:07):
First of all, talking about coaches, what is going on
at Penn State? What do you mean they were the
first guy to fire somebody? Yea, and they still haven't
hired a coach.
Speaker 2 (40:16):
They're making it a very thorough search, thorough citing that
I think it was today and it's.
Speaker 3 (40:24):
Crazy Pat Craft, the ad who I don't know. They
got to be pulling their hair out there. You know.
It's I think the way to go if you're contemplating
firing new coach. And I think they were with James
Franklin or they wouldn't have done in season. You like
to see what they they do at Michigan State, you know,
boom boom. The deal was done with Patids show. You
(40:45):
know probably think if we don't get this guy, we're
not going to fire that guy. But you see more
of that now. You got to move quickly. There's too
much at stake. And if you put a big committee
together and they can't make a decision, the only thing
I can figure are they waiting for a pro guy
that has to wait until his contract's done. I don't know,
it's kind of crazy, that's true.
Speaker 2 (41:09):
Jonathan writes. My alma mater is a local college currently
looking for a new college football coach. What characteristics is
Mace believe are most needed characteristics for a college coach
to possess And how much is your answer today different
than it might have been ten years ago.
Speaker 3 (41:22):
Well, you'd have to tell me the situation that at
level that you're in. And I've always thought that if
it's a program that's been struggling that needs to be
turned around, if you can find somebody that's been part
of one of those programs that understands it, that's not
going to be a victim of knee jerk reaction. Every
(41:43):
time you hit a bump in the road, they change direction.
Because there's going to be lots of bumps in the road,
and all too often you see what happens is whoever's
making a decision hires a guy that's going to win
the press conference, and then a couple of years later
they're going through the same thing. Any names come to mind, No,
not at all.
Speaker 2 (42:01):
No, No, there's not so many top of top of
your head.
Speaker 3 (42:05):
No. I was talking about a program that had to
be turned around.
Speaker 2 (42:07):
I see, okay, tend to round Jeff and Monticello Dan
to keep on the football theme. To Mace, I would
ask how much longer could PJ. Fleck keep his job?
After nine years, he's thirty nine and forty in the
Big Ten? This year he beat five Big Ten teams
with an overall record of nine and thirty six. No
(42:27):
wins against teams with winning records? Or does he just
keep coaching because things will never change to the University
of Minnesota.
Speaker 3 (42:33):
Your thoughts, well, I hear that a lot people say
that to me, And I'll say, Okay, if you're tired
of PJ, who are you going to get? Who are
you going to get better than him? Tell me that
in this culture and everything, who are you going to get?
And they have no answer. Now they might come up
(42:54):
with an answer, Oh, we could have got Lane kiffing. No,
you can't get Lane Kiffin, you know, and I wouldn't.
I wouldn't hire him anyway. But my point is you
have to be you have to be realistic. And the
thing that that makes it even tougher is some of
these salaries at some of these places where assistant coaches
(43:15):
are making really you know, some guys are thinking, you know,
I think I'm gonna stay here and his assistant coach
at two million dollars a year and I don't have
all the headaches. You know, my phone's not ringing, bad game,
I'm not going to the press conference. I mean there's
some guys thinking about that.
Speaker 2 (43:30):
Did you know Monty Kiffin at all?
Speaker 3 (43:31):
I do, Yeah, I have no money for a long
long time. I knew money when I was at Iowa
State and he was the defensive coordinator at Nebraska, and
I thought Mony was just a gem of a guy.
Speaker 2 (43:42):
Everybody it's the old deal of you know, the contrast. Yeah,
and look, not everybody's wired the same, but I mean,
you can't get any different. I don't think a personality
standpoint between Monty kiff and.
Speaker 3 (43:55):
I'll tell you a story when I was out of coaching,
and and you know the Southeast Conference, all those towns
they have a thing where they have a Monday quarterback
club and it's a big thing, yes, and they look
to get a different guy. So I was available, being
a former Big Tang coach. So I made the rounds
a lot of those places, and I spoke at the
(44:15):
one in Knoxville and it was really good. Then I
went over to their facility where they were and I
walked in and Money was He wasn't around. But I
walked in and I identify myself to Lane Kiffin's secretary
and I said, I just I know he's busy, only
just say a load on him. So she got up,
she went in there, and she came back. She said
(44:38):
he's too busy. I said, no problem.
Speaker 2 (44:41):
OK, so now we know why you don't like him.
Speaker 3 (44:43):
No. No, So then I walked down the hall. Who
run into I run into Money? Hey, Hey what Money is?
You know? Yes? And he said do you say hello
to Lane? And I said, well, I stopped by there,
but he say said he was too busy, So he
did huh. He walked in, he walk to the office,
He walked right in there closed the door. I heard
him reaming them in there, who do you think you are?
(45:06):
You know? And a couple of minutes later, Lane came
out and he said, oh, coach, I didn't know you're here.
Come out in Can I get you a cup of cafe?
He said, talk? But that's the.
Speaker 2 (45:18):
Lane Kiffman came back tail between his legs. Obviously spent
a lot of time here. I mean, but these were
of those he isn't. I always think about the game
of football as being the look that Montie Kiffin is
like one of those glue guys. Well you know what
I'm saying, where they make the whole thing go around,
(45:38):
because here's a million places. It's just a good, solid
football guy and assistant coach correct at all levels.
Speaker 3 (45:46):
Well, you know, there's a uh, there's a lot of
guys that played football. There's a lot of guys that
like football. There's a few guys that love football, I
mean love yeah, okay, and I and I can tell
you the ones that have played for me that were
like that. And then in this day and age, more
and more you have two types of coaches out there.
You have guys that loved to coach and you have
(46:06):
guys that loved being the coach because of everything that
goes with Now, okay, well may would come to those
guys that really loved coaching. I mean, he thought and
talked football twenty four seven, three sixty five, and he
always had time to sit down and be with you
and do all those things. And I remember when obviously,
(46:29):
I know when I was at Iowa State, but then
he was at Arkansas and I visited Arkansas and he
was down there for the defensive coordinator for Lou Holls.
And that's when he used to smoke cigarettes NonStop and
drink coffee, you know, And as soon as he had
a free mon here, I want to talk to you.
Sit down. What are you doing? You know you got
going in and going hey, I saw Michigan play. What
are they? He was great to be around.
Speaker 2 (46:51):
What a characters it really was. Yeah, it's very very true.
Speaker 3 (46:54):
We're late.
Speaker 2 (46:55):
But I'm going to throw one last one out and
see if you can answer this fairly quickly. This from
lawyer Tom seventh to six three guys. Idea would be nice,
but it wouldn't work. Mace joked about a collective barneying agreement.
But that is actually what you would need to have
a salary cap. Otherwise you've got anti trust violations and problems,
and you have no union to bargain with to get
(47:15):
a CBA. And there's really no way to get a
union of college players because there's too many possible members
and some of them aren't even legal. Adults can't be
held legally to a contract. So is that the answer?
I mean, as much as you joke about a CBA,
is that where we're headed?
Speaker 3 (47:28):
Almost? Wells to the lawyer, lawyer Tom, I'm not a
lawyer obviously. Yeah, I'd like to be a lawyer, though,
I'm sure you big time for what reasons? Uh? You
you what do you call it when you defame somebody?
Speaker 2 (47:46):
Huh? You have to prove malice? Well, I could prove anything, Yeah,
and you might actually might be able to.
Speaker 3 (47:52):
I don't know how you do it. And that's the problem.
Everybody knows the problem football. No one has any idea
yeah for the solution. I kind of laugh a little
bit when they say, oh, you don't need when excited
to be the bizarre football. Well, a lot of the
things that were dealing, and Nick was a smart coach.
He figured around. You know the reason why the staffs
(48:12):
exploded the way. Didn't Nick figured a way around it.
You know, we used to have hard and fast regulations
on staff. You could have a head coach, you have
nine assistants. You could have an administrative assistant, recruiting coordinate
and two gas. That was it. Well, he figured out
in the weight room there's no limit, so he had unlimited.
Speaker 2 (48:32):
GA in the weight room, working.
Speaker 3 (48:34):
With every position. I mean, I give him credit. You know,
I wish I would have thought of that. They wouldn't
want to create. They wouldn't let me do it.
Speaker 2 (48:40):
No, I'm not here, No mother mature. Well, because they were,
they got stung, they got put on probation. Not you,
but obviously the whole clumb deal, they were all. It
made him run scared forever.
Speaker 3 (48:50):
Yeah, well you know what I'm saying, Well, all right.
Speaker 2 (48:54):
I hope your cold gets better.
Speaker 3 (48:56):
You really feel sorry for me, of.
Speaker 2 (48:57):
Course I do. I mean, but I don't think you're
I mean, I don't think you're hurting that much. I
think you sound worse than you.
Speaker 3 (49:02):
See. I came here.
Speaker 2 (49:03):
I just don't want to get what you have, and
don't get near Kessler because he's a germafol I just.
Speaker 3 (49:09):
Want to tell you I came here today not because
I was contractedly obligated. I came here because I'm committed.
You are to Dan Barrero and the Bumper and Bumper Show.
How's that bumper to bumper changed?
Speaker 2 (49:22):
Change as well? I have a good We'll see you
see you back here next week. Are you going back
to Fargo? No, you're being from here? Okay, good enough, Hoosiers.
Ohio State picked the winner. Hoosiers, Seriously, yeah, I hope
you're right. You got a nice Who are you picking?
(49:42):
I'm picking Ohio State. Not a lack of faith, I
just think that. But I think they're good. But I
have a hunch on Ohio State.
Speaker 3 (49:49):
Everybody wants. I believe in cinderellatives.
Speaker 2 (49:51):
That's there's no question.
Speaker 3 (49:53):
Yes they have that.
Speaker 2 (49:55):
They got a little that startusk going. There's no question
they prove that at the end of the Penn State camp.
Speaker 3 (50:00):
With the three million dollar quarterback.
Speaker 2 (50:01):
Absolutely, just like Cinderella.
Speaker 3 (50:04):
You know what you quick crying, just like right, because
let me tell you, you're such a go get someone
to belly up and get a four quick crying geez.
Speaker 2 (50:13):
Love was crying.
Speaker 4 (50:14):
I just don't call it Cinderella, Yes it were, don't
call it Cinderella.
Speaker 2 (50:17):
Well, whatever it is, it's everybody's in India is having
a good time with it, that's for sure. Everyone else
is doing it. But if you can gain, if you
can get, if you can glomb onto it, you do
it right.
Speaker 3 (50:27):
You know what. You might not like it, but if
you're gonna play the game, that's the rules right now.
Speaker 4 (50:31):
Top five will include vikings, injury report.
Speaker 3 (50:34):
That's what we'll have time for.
It's time for another edition of Mace in Your Face
is now along with college football Immortality Glenn Mason.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
Here's Dan Burrero. Jack's Cafe helps bring Glenn Mason to
the to the masses each and every week on the
A Bumper to Bumper program. We are contractually obligated to
have you on the air between four and five every Wednesday.
Speaker 3 (00:32):
You have to put it that way.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Does that seem negative?
Speaker 3 (00:34):
Yeah? You know, you know, really, you know, you disappoint
me though.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
Because that wouldn't be the first time, would it.
Speaker 3 (00:41):
I knew you'd take a shot like that when I
was sitting.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
I don't want to get your cold.
Speaker 3 (00:45):
By the way, you know what, a lesser man probably
wouldn't be any tough kaya tough, you know, I don't
feel bad if you go on to those things.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
You just sounded. It's like a head cold.
Speaker 3 (00:58):
I don't have my normal goal voice.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
No you don't. It's a little bit more nasally.
Speaker 3 (01:03):
Yeah. Usually yeah, and I mean stayed away. People don't
want to be around me anyway. But yeah, I was
in the in the in the as I call it,
the kitchen, back kitchen where he's got all his food,
and uh, I thought you'd be a little bit nicer
where he came in there, but you just you know,
boom right there the same winning. The only reason you're
(01:23):
talking to me is because you have to do it,
because you're obligated by a contract.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
Here is the toss up question regarding Lane Kiffin. Curious
to know write six one two guy. If Glenn Mason
has ever done hot yoga like Lane kiffins.
Speaker 3 (01:39):
No, but I've been thinking about doing it. I don't
even know what hot yoga is. You know, I do
cold yoga in the morning with some granola, and that's different.
I probably should. I know that stuff is good for you,
flexibility and all that stuff. I know he is, uh,
he is really dedicated to it, you know. I don't
know if that cleans this system out of all that
(02:02):
other stuff that he's put in. What do you mean
by well he's that's some issues you don't get fired
out on the tarmac at USC and then you know
they're standing citizen.
Speaker 2 (02:12):
I mentioned this to guards he yesterday. We talked about
it briefly with him, but I got to get your
view on it, because when the debate broke out about
whether Kiffin should be allowed to coach ole Miss through
the tournament. I was surprised at the number of media jackals,
despite you know them being critical of Kiffen previously, who said, absolutely,
(02:35):
players want him to do it, the school should rise
above that and absolutely let the let him play that out.
I just don't think that's practical. What and now you're
a coach though, so you tell me, is.
Speaker 3 (02:46):
It a different situation because there's a good chance they're
going to be in the college football playoffs? Yeah, you know, absolutely,
And you know so I think if it wasn't that,
a lot of people say, who cares, you know, either
coaches or doesn't coach. But if ole misses, he can't coach,
(03:06):
and the committee, in their infinite wisdom, uses that as
an excuse not to let them get in the tournament.
They're punishing the players, no question. You remember, I think
it was Florida State when they the quarterback got injured
and they use that as an excuse not to let
them in a four team playoff. So I don't know.
(03:27):
I mean, it's a delicate situation. They had an unbelievable year.
Obviously he's a big part of it. The players are
a bigger part of it, and in this day and
age of the college football playoff. You know, if it
was a four team playoff, it even be worse, you know,
if they were on the edge of getting in or out.
But maybe Ole Miss isn't going to get in again
(03:50):
in the near future. So I hope that the committee
they look at it like you should look at it
and say, our first concerns for the players, and they
should begin with or without Lane Kiffen and I I personally,
(04:11):
I'm not sure he wanted the coach anyway that despite
what it sounds good. In fact, I'll tell you I
don't know this, but I was the belief from day
one he was going to LSU and all this stuff
delaying and delaying and delaying. Oh, it's such a tough decision.
I do not buy that, is there.
Speaker 2 (04:31):
There's been a lot of talk about, well, what needs
to change is the college schedule in a way that
then we avoid these kinds of un you know, very
very difficult, challenging circumstances where something like this might arise.
Do you buy that is.
Speaker 3 (04:45):
I think the whole thing is broke. I do. I
mean not only this, but uh, you know the problem
that you have everybody's not in the same schedule. I
know that back when I was coaching, you didn't have
the the nil and the portal and stuff, but you
had the signing date and a lot of people wanted
(05:06):
to push it back while the other teams that we
can't do that we start spring practice early. Well, we
don't start spring practice up north because it's too cold,
and so you know, you can't please everybody. So I
think you got to look at it, and when you
set the schedule, I think you got to do what's
good for the game. And then if it doesn't fit
(05:27):
someone's normal schedule, they've they've just got to adjust, you know,
the DAN And the other thing is I hear a
lot of people they want to talk about this portal
and they say, well, why shouldn't the players be able
to do Coaches have done it forever, and that's true.
(05:47):
But the one mistake people make that I always talked about,
you know, in Pro football, and I heard Nick Saban
kind of talk about it. Pro football, a contracts a
contract there was if you sign a contract with the team.
Let's say you started a contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers
for a million dollars a year, five year contract. If
they fire you after one year, they only four million
(06:08):
dollars and they unless they let you out of the content,
you're not going anywhere. Well, the difference all the contracts
in college are different. You know. I never had to
buy out any place that I've been, and someone they
might say, oh, yeah, because you always wanted to go
to some other place. I never went any place I
thought it was wrong. My issue was always every place
I was. You want to buy out, you can have one.
(06:29):
Here's the deal. If you signed me to a five
year contract and you fire me after one year, you
owe me four million. If I leave you after one year,
I owe you four million. And that's a contract. You
know what. Schools don't want to do that. They want
to look at the downside and they want to say, well,
how can we mitigate our damages and get out of it?
So we don't like it, so they pay you a fraction.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
At Kifflin had sent out a statement three days ago,
I think, you know, confirming after a lot of prayer
and time spent with family, I made the difficult decision
up the head coaching position at the LSU. And within
that release or within that statement, he also says my
request to do so regarding you to finish, you know,
(07:12):
and coaching coach the team in the postseason was denied
by Keith Carter. Is that the ad mus Keith Carter,
despite the team also asking him to allow me to
keep coaching them. Now, what's interesting is today, I believe
this was today a member of the team, Bryson Sanders,
who I think is an offensive lineman, took that part
(07:36):
of the quote despite the team asked me to keep
coaching and said this, I think everyone that was in
that room would disagree, which is pretty interesting. Now he's
not the last word, but that's kind of itself, I thought,
kind of interesting.
Speaker 3 (07:50):
Well, I don't know, but I would speculate I would
side on the side of the player because typically, you
know those players, they have a lot of pride, sure
and and shun. You know, when the coach says, well
I'm leaving, I'm going to a different place, they don't
like that. You know. It's how about us? You know,
you've told us this is the best place to go.
(08:12):
You've recruited us, you told us we could win a
national championship. Why are you going to LSU? Especially when
you say I don't make decisions on money. I find
it interesting that he said he had to prey on it,
he has to define praying because he called Nick Saban
and Pete Carroll. I didn't know those guys. I didn't know.
Speaker 2 (08:29):
Those their deities.
Speaker 3 (08:30):
Yeah, I didn't know they were connected that way.
Speaker 2 (08:34):
It's a very good point. Well, I mentioned in there.
I don't know if you were still in the room.
I went through this covering the Georgia National championship team
in eighty Back then, as you know, it was basically
rankings is how you picked. And they were undefeated. That
your's herschel Walker's freshman year. So Auburn, they finished the
regular season, Georgia undefeated, They're gonna play Notre Dame in
(08:56):
the Sugar Bowl.
Speaker 3 (08:57):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (08:58):
In between, Auburn has fired it's coach. They're looking for
a new coach. That's where Dooley went to school. They
come after Vince Dooley and there were I mean a
lot of rumors that he was going to take the job.
But then it was the same situation about well, you know,
(09:19):
would he coach them in the National championship game?
Speaker 3 (09:22):
Whatever?
Speaker 2 (09:22):
Well, I can see I don't know if he was
then he might have been, but he became that for sure. Regardless.
I remember him talking to the reporters me included saying,
you know, it was uncomfortable because I definitely did talk
to Auburn. Ultimately he chose to stay, but he said
I talked to the players about it, and I asked
(09:42):
them whether they, you know, they want me back, would
they because I did flirt with a rival school in
the opposition, And Duley claimed that the response he got
from the players was resounding in his favor. Now, I
later found out that nobody said anything.
Speaker 3 (10:05):
In the room.
Speaker 2 (10:06):
It wasn't quite the way it had been described that
the players like, yeah, well, coach, we're back. Let's get
this thing done. It was just an uncomfortable sort of silence.
So it just goes to show you it doesn't always
go the way the coach wants to believe it would
go in that circumstance, because, as you say, players, they
think like, you're either with us or you're against us.
Speaker 3 (10:27):
Right, Well, I tell you how it went for me.
Mentioned Georgia. Yes, I took the George.
Speaker 2 (10:33):
Yeah, we've talked about that.
Speaker 3 (10:34):
And we had had a great season at Kansas and
we were off to play UCLA in the Bowl Game,
and before we're going to leave, I interviewed for the
Georgia job, and I didn't think I was gonna get it,
but I got it. I took it. And but Vince
Dilley told me that the athletic director at Kansas, one
(10:57):
of the things he requested was if they hired me,
that he'd still let me coach the bowl game. And
he so basically says, I told him you can do that,
So you can do that. So I did. And probably
if he would have said no, I think I probably
would have taken the job. I would have went to
Georgia because I couldn't have gone back to Kansas. I
would have had a job. But I changed my mind. Uh,
(11:21):
And I talked to the team in the morning we
were going to play UCLA, and I didn't know how
they'd react because a lot of them weren't really happy.
I can tell you that you know that I was leaving. Sure,
no confrontations, but you can tell you know. And so
in my pregame meeting, no one knew except me, and
I went over a bunch of stuff and lastly I
(11:41):
said I'm staying at Kansas, not leaving, And I got
a standing ovation, which was which was that happened? I'm
telling maybe because I I didn't know what was going
to happen, might say, right for sure? And and then
it didn't hurt that we really hung it on U C.
L A. And everybody was happy.
Speaker 2 (12:02):
So Kiffin, do you accept now? I mean his history
is his history right, and it's it's it's checkered. I mean,
there's no way around that. Somebody mentioned we talked about this.
I think the last day or two. He's never played
or he's never won a postseason game at any level,
despite his relative success. Certainly an old miss he succeeded,
(12:22):
but he's foreign form balls, didn't he Yeah that might
you might have the revue record big game. I don't
think he's ever won one. Now, I'm not saying I'm
not suggesting that means he can't coach. But do you
buy because in the earlier years you were on the show,
you had a lot of you had a lot of
Lane Kiffin shots that you took.
Speaker 3 (12:42):
I did I don't remember, Yeah, a lot of them.
I don't regret it.
Speaker 2 (12:48):
Have you come to a different place on him just
on the basis of performance, or do you still feel
the same way.
Speaker 3 (12:53):
I've come to a different place. On college football. You
heard me a number of times. It's shot, it's broken
with all the stuff that's going on. And I can
tell you that one of the things that prerequisites in
hiring coaches most often, not all the time, most often
is integrity. They don't consider that. It's all about winning.
That's that's all it is. And and is he gonna
(13:14):
win the press conference? Are they gonna are the fans
are gonna like it? When you know, when you look
at Lane Kiffin as an assistant, he got hired by
the Raiders, got fired him one year, and uh, al
Davis called him a fraud and wasn't gonna pay him. Now,
al Davis had fired a lot of coaches and paid him.
He had no problem. He wasn't gonna pay him. Uh.
(13:36):
Then he gets the Tennessee job and he gets that,
let's in the middle of the night after one year. Uh.
And then he goes to USC that's why he left
Tennessee and he gets fired out there, okay, uh. And
then he goes to Alabama rehab. Uh. Saint Nick, I'm
gonna call it that now resurrected him. You know, he
probably did and they showed up and he hired him. Uh,
(13:58):
and then he was there, and then he went to
fa U as the head coach. Nick didn't like it.
He fired would let him coach that ball game. It's
not interesting the Nick says he should coach the ball game,
but he wouldn't let him coach at Alabama. I didn't
think about it.
Speaker 2 (14:09):
Has he been called? Has anybody asked him that contradiction?
Has he responded?
Speaker 3 (14:13):
I don't know. And then he gets the old miss job,
which was unbelievable, and he did a great job there,
and then he gets the ls U and job by
a point being. You know, it used to be that's
a good those are good jobs. You know. It used
to be to get one of those jobs, you needed
(14:34):
an you needed to win in an impeccable record. You know,
if you had a drunk driving whatever you were done,
wouldn't even wouldn't even think about it. And now you
look what's going on. Uh, it's just amazing. I applaud
Michigan State with all the problems that they've had up there.
I mean, they don't they don't know the left fuff
(14:55):
of the right right higher Pat Fitzgerald, I don't know
if he'll be good up there or not. I really
liked pack for the show. He did a heck of
a job. I don't think Northwestern could have ever hired
a better coach than what they did to him was wrong,
and that's why he won the long suit lawsuit. He's different,
dealing with a different animal up there. I guarantee you
you know, the players that he'll deal with up there
at Michigan State are a lot different than the guys
(15:15):
that he used to walk through the door at Northwestern.
Just the way it is. But I remember when we
played Arkansas in the Bowl Game and Frank Royals was
the athletic director. What's that former coach? Coach? And you
know he retired at the top of his career. He
(15:36):
and Darryl Royal at Texas when they were like fifty
two years old. So we were at a cocktail party
both teams, and I was there talking to him and
I said, coach Brow's going to ask a personal question.
I'm just curious. I said, why did you retire at
such an early because he's in good health, Houston and
he looked at me and he said, Coach, I learned
(15:57):
a long time ago he says, if you retire at
the top of your game, you can live a real
nice life. If you're a major college football coach, you
can get fired. You're damaged fruit for the rest of
your life. That's not the case anymore. You know, everybody
has short memories, and to think you know what's happening here,
(16:19):
you know, is crazy. And what's happened in college, you know.
I heard with Lane Gibvens said I don't believe him,
but he said, I told Jimmy Sext and his agent,
I don't even want to know about what they're offering
me at all these schools. That's not important. I just
want to know what they're going to offer the money
they're going to have available for the players. So what
are we talking about. I mean, it is a championship team.
(16:42):
It's like Major League Baseball, you know, if you got
enough money, you can buy the good plays.
Speaker 2 (16:46):
Sort of word it is. I'm glad you brought up
half his scherild because we have not talked about that.
So what's the moral of the Pat Fitzgerald saga. I mean,
it looked to me like he did have some vulnerability
in terms of You've always said to me, you know.
Most stuff that happens to your organization, coaches know or
(17:08):
is their responsibility. I think that's the way you tended
to look at it. With some exception, and it looked
really bad for him. Was that when we look back
on it, was it? It just became a feeding frenzy.
He ends up getting blamed for more than he should have.
Why now is he able to get another job? When
back then I don't think anybody thought he was ever
going to get another position. Is that short memory again
(17:28):
or new information?
Speaker 4 (17:30):
No?
Speaker 2 (17:31):
Telling us it wasn't quite as bad as it appeared.
Speaker 3 (17:33):
Well, first of all, on a couple of counts, you're right,
I was a big hits at the show fan I
coached against him. Then when I did Big ten network'd
be in there and you get an idea how a
guy runs a program when you're in there for a
couple of days, and I was in there multiple times.
I was shocked when the accusation came out, But you
don't know. I just said, you know, that's that's why
you get paid the big bucks. You're supposed to know. Now.
(17:55):
I ran into Trevor Simeon, who you know, football player
who was there, and I asked him about this situation.
He goes, hey, I was there four years, blooney, I
don't know where they came up with it. He said,
I'm telling you he's as fine a guy that didn't happen.
If something happens, blown away out of proportion. Now to
the other point is that I think he was vindicated
(18:17):
when he won the big lawsuit. Yeah, I mean Northwestern.
You know they don't have to pay those legal bills.
Those you know they got in house guys when they
roll over and settle for was it fifty million?
Speaker 2 (18:27):
I don't remember.
Speaker 3 (18:28):
The number was a big number. I think they probably said,
you know what, we don't have a chance here. Yeah,
you know, they settled. That's usually what it was. They're afraid,
why this goes in front of a jury man, we
might be paying more money. So I am really glad
that the guy surfaced. And you know, Michigan State, it's
really been bad ever since they got rid of D'Antonio.
(18:50):
Come on, it's been terrible. One thing after another thing
after on the field, off the field ministration, the whole deal.
They I think they needed a guy that had some credit, Billy,
probably a guy that the non athletic people at the
University of the acutivists said, you know what, this guy's
a class guy. We can trust this guy.
Speaker 2 (19:09):
Let me ask a national championship question. Now that it's
a tournament the way it's set up today. So a
good example is, obviously the Big Ten title game will
match your Ohio State against Indiana.
Speaker 3 (19:21):
Why isn't you're Indiana. Why isn't my high state? It's
my Indiana.
Speaker 2 (19:25):
No, I've made that clear. It's my Indiana, it's your
Hio State. You're right, you went there. I went to IU.
But here's what's interesting to me as a coach. How
do you because if you know both of those teams
know they're in the tournament right regardless, Now seating might
be effected, but they're both going to participate to try
to win a national championship beyond the Big Ten title game.
(19:47):
So does that change? So I guess what I'm saying
is the bigger prize is winning at all, right, there's
no doubt than winning the Big Ten titles. So that
being the case, does that if you're in that position
coaching your team, does it change the way how much
emphasis you put on this game? Because let's say you
(20:09):
lose it, and there's you know, I'm Indiana's I think
last I saw five point underdogs. Let's say they lose it.
Let's say they lose by fourteen. Okay, well, you don't
want to lose your team because the larger issue is
still you got a chance to make amend. So does
that mean as a coach you deemphasize the significance of
the game. How do you approach it?
Speaker 3 (20:29):
No, I don't think it deemphasize it. But here's the thing.
You look at the High State they lost to Michigan.
They're sitting at home, they're watching the game on TV.
But they win it all. So did losing the Michigan
mean anything? Did not playing for the Big Ten title?
Not winning the Big title mean anything? It brings back
what's happened with this college football playoff? We've minimized the
(20:52):
regular season. You know it used to be without a playoff.
If you wanted to be considered, you better win them
all or maybe you lose only one. Otherwise you were gone.
You were done. It was over public opinion. Brings me
back to a story when I was at Kansas or
the basketball coach was Larry Brown and in eighty eight
(21:13):
they won the national championship. I forget what happened. I
think they might have got beat in the first round
of the Big A Tournament. But he told me one time,
I never want to win that Big A Tournament. I
want to lose and get out as fast as I can.
I said, why, He said, you got to win too
many games in a row. The important thing is the
big dance, So get out so much. Yes, you could
(21:34):
be the team that doesn't get in, as long as
you're getting in the college football playoff and now you're resting,
you're preparing, you're getting everything going, and you don't have
to worry about hating anybody injured.
Speaker 2 (21:44):
Yeah, so that's true. That's been in the basketball side,
it's been true. I think for a long time, the
old deal of conference tournaments.
Speaker 3 (21:49):
Who cares?
Speaker 2 (21:50):
You know that no one's going to remember it. But
is it? Do you buy the notion? Can I keep
hearing this that there are people in Ohio, the state
of Ohio, who still believe that it's more important to
beat Michigan than even to win the national championship.
Speaker 4 (22:06):
Is that?
Speaker 2 (22:06):
Is that true? I'm not saying they should think that way,
but are there idiots who sink that way.
Speaker 3 (22:11):
I don't know if they're idiots. It's easy for you to.
Speaker 2 (22:13):
Say, pretty close, you don't you want to win the whole.
Speaker 3 (22:17):
Thing if you let me finish, He asked the questions, Yeah,
it's on the idiots in there. So I had to respond, well,
I think that would be the older generation that grew
up that. I mean that. I used to have these
conversations with Jerry DeNardo All. He absolutely couldn't comprehend it,
the emphasis that was put on that game. Now, I
(22:38):
lived it, you know, I lived it as a player,
I lived it as a coach, and that game meant everything. Now,
typically it was translated to going to the Rose Bowl. Now,
I'm sure you might be able to find some old timers,
big ten schools that said, in the old day, would
you rather go to the Rose ball which to beat
(23:00):
the college football players? I would rather go to the
Rose play You look at you look at Indiana. If
there's no college football playoff, they're going to pass the d. True,
they're there. They hadn't been there since sixty seven, So
so I think there are some people like that. I
think it's changing because especially what happened last year. Now.
(23:21):
I said this one time before. I really believe if
they hadn't expanded the college football playoff the twelve teams,
I don't think Ryan David, the coach of Ohio.
Speaker 2 (23:31):
State, Yeah, I agree with you on that.
Speaker 3 (23:32):
Four straight losses, No, and he wouldn't have been a
fourteen playoff. That wouldn't have been the cancer.
Speaker 2 (23:39):
So what chance do you give my Hoosiers?
Speaker 3 (23:43):
Good States? Really good? Yeah? I think the Hoosiers are
really good. I mean, you know, uh, they've they've proven
in good getting people that they're supposed to beat, manned,
they beat them. You think about the producer what they've
scored fifty three points or something like that.
Speaker 2 (23:59):
No, I mean fifty six, yes, whatever it was, it
was sixty three.
Speaker 3 (24:03):
Right, fifty sixty three. I think they got all the
ingredients when I watched and play. They got a quarterback
that I think, how about this? I think you should
win the Heisman Trophy. I think either he how about this?
Or the quarterback down at Vanderbilt. Those are the two
greatest stories in college football right now, those two guys.
But when you look at statistically in everything with the
(24:25):
Mendoza kid, he's superior to the kid at a high state,
except the kid at a high state place for o
high state and just the perception. But he got a
real good quarterback, he got good receivers. They run the ball,
they've got a very efficient offensive line, they play aggressive defense. Yeah,
I think, you know, I think it'll be a heck
(24:46):
of a game. Well, and you know what can happen
in any game. Yeah, you know, sure you can win
the game, more if or not you lose the game, turnover, interception, mistake,
whatever it may be.
Speaker 2 (24:56):
The counter I'm getting via text is the loser the
big tentile game likely have to play an extra game.
Speaker 3 (25:01):
The winner will get.
Speaker 2 (25:02):
A first round by I've heard people say both unless
it's like, unless Indiana loses by forty or something like that,
that both teams, regardless of who wins or loses this game,
both those teams still should merit a bye in the
first round.
Speaker 3 (25:16):
Yeah, if you look at it, let's let's either one
let's say they lose by a field goal. Yeah, okay,
and now that you have one loss, well, what other
one loss team has a better record or that than them?
Speaker 2 (25:29):
A better quality loss too?
Speaker 3 (25:30):
You're right? Yeah, so I I you know I think
that I don't think that's what the committee would really like,
but it'll it'll be interesting how this plays out with
these twelve teams, you know, the Loo the name get in.
Speaker 2 (25:43):
Yeah, I think they're in.
Speaker 3 (25:44):
You know, you look at Texas, but they have three losses.
He's politics in the game. How does he get him
with three losses? Yeah, Now he talks about the teams
that he beat, but he doesn't want to talk about
the teams he lost to.
Speaker 2 (25:54):
That's the fatal thing.
Speaker 3 (25:55):
And that's and that even that discussion minimizes the regular
season even more.
Speaker 2 (26:01):
Let's get our bottom of the hour pause, lots more
to get to with Mason your face. We'll get his
reaction to, uh, the Gophers knocking off the Wisconsin Badgers
in one of the one of several snow globe games
and the Big Ten almost it felt like almost all
of the outdoor games were in snowy kind of you know,
esthetically pleasing condition conditions for those of us who grew
(26:22):
up with outdoor football, and Mace's usually got a couple
of things stuck in his craw as well. Brought to
you by our good friends at Jack's Cafe. More Mace
next knocking.
Speaker 5 (27:04):
By kick off your weekend right.
Speaker 4 (28:02):
The Friday Football Feast is at Buffalo Wild Wins in
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The doors open at eight.
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Apologize for my clock management issues. Mace in your Face
Part two If you have questions for Mace cratch on
Brian kfein text line at six four six eight six.
Gophers finish with a seventeen to seven victory over the Badgers,
before we get to your reaction to that and then
the overall feelings about the the go for season. I
(29:07):
don't know if we've talked about this before over the years.
I I'm not saying I always want to see every
game played in wintry conditions. Okay. I get the people
who say, well, you don't really see the best of
the players all the times in those conditions. But I
will tell you and maybe it's the you know, very
romantic as you know, and maybe it's the romantic in me,
(29:27):
the sentimental in me that grew up with you know,
football in those conditions. And said I loved watching a
series of games over the weekend in the Big Ten
in which the snow and cold and wind, We're all
part of the deal. Did you like coaching in those
kinds of conditions. Yeah, I thought it was part of
(29:48):
the deal. I was a traditionalist so to speak. You know,
when I was advocating for an outdoor stadium, a lot
of people say, you know, you're crazy.
Speaker 3 (29:57):
We're in Minnesota. So wait a minute. The weather in Minnesota.
My belief is it much different up until about Thanksgiving
than it is in Lancey, Michigan, or ann or Army
or Lincoln, Nebraska or whatever. And the proof of that, yeah,
we had snow here. Who didn't have snow?
Speaker 2 (30:15):
Absolutely?
Speaker 3 (30:16):
You know, the two worst games snow games. The most
blizzard type conditions that I coached as coached in was
one when I was a player at a high state
against Purdue next to last week and lucky we went.
Then we won the next week against Michigan. And then
(30:39):
when I was at Kansas, we played in two blizzard games,
one in Boulder, Colorado and one in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Go figure. Wow.
Yeah it was fun.
Speaker 2 (30:48):
Yeah, And was it like blizzard kind of conditions just
like wind and yeah, it.
Speaker 3 (30:54):
Was both those games, especially in still Water. It wasn't
that cold, but they were windy and snowy and you know,
to the place where you couldn't see the field. I
mean it was and remarkably, the play was pretty good.
Wasn't too sloppy, Yeah, which is amazing, all right, Gophers.
Wisconsin had actually shown a little life. They think they'd
(31:16):
knocked off a couple of ranked teams. Defensively, they were
pretty good actually much of the season. They just couldn't
get much going offensively, and it was to turn the
game that guards he was at was a snow globe
game for for sure.
Speaker 2 (31:31):
I actually, Guardian, I haven't talked about it much. So
Wisconsin cuts it to ten to seven on that late
reversal on the touchdown pass that was that replay called
good after I've been called in complete right before the
right before the half, literally, so it's ten to seven.
Wisconsin gets the ball to start the same half, I
think with the backup QB right the second QB guardsy
(31:54):
and there he's winging it like he's Joe Montana. I mean,
he's just weighing it and they're going right on the
field until interception. He gets under cut. Not a very
good throw and it wasn't a pick six, but it
was close and everything changed. I thought from that point forward,
I thought the Gophers might have been a little bit
of trouble at that point if Wisconsin had followed that
(32:15):
through and scored, but they didn't. So what did you
make of the game, and what do you make of
the season for the Gophers?
Speaker 3 (32:20):
Good questions. I think I think it was an okay season.
You know, I think anytime that you had you know,
it's not really hard to get Bowl Elgemer or if
you don't get Bill Els, well it's a bad year.
But you know, they played well at home, not too
well on the road. Most part, they beat the teams
(32:40):
they should have beat, didn't beat the teams that you know,
probably were better than them. You know what, I didn't
see that entire game. I was busy out east. But
to me, it was amazing. Statistics guards Hee, like I
always tell you a figures lion liars, figure can be misleading,
But when you look at the stats of that game,
(33:01):
you look at the stats of the game, you would
have thought Wisconsin would have won the football game with
the exception of three turnovers. Now that's part of the game,
right it is. But you know, Minnesota's offense with a
quarterback that I think is pretty good. They really don't
have a lot of offense. I mean, I think they
had like less than two hundred and twenty yards total offense.
(33:21):
I think my concern, if I was PJ. Flake, which
I'm not, is our inability to run the football, you know,
which has been quite consistent on almost every occasion. You know,
with the exception, I think of maybe one, but you know,
it was okay. I think that I don't know what's
happened to the Wisconsin program. I thought Luke Fickel was
(33:43):
a was a home run higher And right now you
talk about a guy that's on the hot Seaum, I
mean he got he got to win. I'm say he's
got to win big, but he's he needs a good
season next year. They've they've grown impatient there from what
they're they're used to. And he's not the only one.
I think that the that Mike Loxley at Maryland's on
(34:08):
the hot seat, and I think Greg Ciano at Rutgers
is on the hot seat. You know, he goes a
certain time and then people want to know why you're
not Indiana whatever. They don't look at themselves and and
something happens.
Speaker 2 (34:20):
They got to get I mean, Wisconsin still is about
you got to get a quarterback, right, and I don't
know who they have.
Speaker 3 (34:25):
I mean they were down at number four. I think
weren't they or something. I don't know. You know, he
went in there and he uh, you know, everybody over
uses the word culture, but systematically he changed them. You know,
everybody knows what Wisconsin's been for a long time, big
offensive lineman. And you can't stop the run. You've got
(34:47):
a long day play action pass. You know, you know
when too long ago. I forget that they Wisconsin ran
for over five hundred yards against Nebraska in the Big
Ten championship game, which is kind of crazy.
Speaker 2 (35:02):
Do you think there's any like contract extension remorse in Lincoln?
I think didn't it. Ultimately, I think Nebraska finished with
below five hundred in the conference. I think they finished
four and five. So I know, I think you're a
Matt Rule guy. I'm not saying a bad coach, but
I you know, honestly.
Speaker 3 (35:19):
What you know, I base guys on what they've done. Yeah,
and I saw what he did at Temple, and I
thought what he did at Baylor and just a terrible,
terrible situation was unbelievable. I discount pro football because that's
a different bird. But when they hired him out there,
I thought, I really did. I said, if this guy
can't turn it around, no one's ever going to turn
(35:40):
it around out there. I don't think anybody's going to
get him back to the days of the nineties with
you know, three national championships, in the days where they
just rolled overybody with you Tom the Big Eight Conference,
which people can't remember. I can as a different bird,
you know, anytime there was different rules and regulations in
the Big Eight that you know make them pretty darn successful.
Speaker 2 (36:03):
Texter. This is from seven to six to three. Guy
wants your thoughts on getting rid of the conference championship games,
going to a sixteen team playoff starting the week after
the season, and salary cap of twenty five million dollars
and players only can use portal once unless the head
(36:23):
coach or position coaches leave.
Speaker 3 (36:25):
Obviously it's well thought out. You know, it's sounds like
you need to collect the bargaining agreement to get that.
It sounds like pro football. You know, I would not
be opposed to getting rid of the conference championship game.
You know, if you go the whole way, you're playing
sixteen games. High State played at fifteen because they didn't
play in the championship game. But sixteen games if you're
(36:46):
one of those teams that's in it just about every year,
and I think it's meaningless. You know, played the regular season,
you know, you know when I went to I talk
about this all the time. When I went to High State,
we played nine games, and then it was ten, was eleven,
and then after I was done coaching, it went to twelve.
Uh and along with that, you know, used to have
to be pretty darn good to get a ball game.
(37:07):
Everybody gets a ball game. Now, you know it's crazy. Hey,
how about this. Though you don't think Jimmy Sex is
a good agent, Lane Kiffin's gonna get his bull bonus
from all from all miss Y has some good negotiating.
Speaker 2 (37:22):
Well, everybody tells me he is the most powerful man
in college football. I don't think I got any coach.
He's the guy.
Speaker 3 (37:30):
Yeah, I don't think that. You know what I think
I told you the story about this. He went to
Tennessee and Reggie White. He we're good friends. Reggie White
was a great football bay when he got they knew
each other in the dorm. When he got drafted, he
went to Jimmy. He said, Jimmy, how much to represented?
He said, what do you think he's You're the smartest
guy that I know? And he was right. You know,
but in the sec he's got about every coach under cos.
Speaker 2 (37:53):
What's the percentage he gets? By the way, Yeah, so
three percent of these deals? That's pretty good. Okay, you
think thank he's doing all right?
Speaker 3 (38:02):
Yes, for sure. Yeah, he's not worring. Where's get his
next meal?
Speaker 2 (38:07):
Island?
Speaker 3 (38:07):
And if he gets endorsements, I think he gets ten.
Speaker 2 (38:10):
Pretty good, Giga, you can get it more. I know
Mace's got a couple things stuck in his craw a
couple of their texts to get to as well. In
our final segment, with him top five at five and
Kessler yet to come out at six, Guardie, is this
breaking college football news? Texter nine to five to two? Guy,
(38:32):
I have a coach. Kurt Farrence, the nation's longest tenured
coach in the FBS, will return in twenty twenty six
for a twenty eighth season with the Hawkeyes. Farrence seventy
confirmed his expected return today, telling reporters he has the
support of his wife Mary and is in good health.
In September, he surpassed Ohio State's Woody Hayes for the
most coaching wins at a Big Ten school. So that
(38:54):
must have I mean, I guess it was not surprising necessarily,
but now confirming that he's coming back next year, what
do you think?
Speaker 3 (39:01):
Man?
Speaker 4 (39:02):
Yeah, and he talked about it that their signing day
press conference. Okay, that's how it came up. He was
doing media and it came up and he said, yeah,
I expect to be back.
Speaker 3 (39:09):
Well, you know it happened, said, using instant recruiting, say,
you know when you go there, Oh, Kirk's not going
to be there, you know. Yeah, right after signing dates,
he's in a good Hey. I got to tell you
one thing for I forget though. You know, I like
things that are reliable. You know that, and that's why
you like me.
Speaker 2 (39:26):
That's right, reliably, unreliable, unprofessional, that's uncalled for.
Speaker 3 (39:31):
Actually, I traveled over the holiday and I had an
early morning flight, and you know, when you have our
man Todd Anderson and Kerry Limo. Yeah, supposed to pick
you up at four thirty am. About four point fifteen,
they're there. And you don't have to sweat it because
I've in the past before I was dealing with those guys,
(39:52):
you had one of those early morning flights you weren't
sure correct, you know, and the guy get lost or whatever.
And and now I don't worry about it.
Speaker 2 (40:02):
Where's I had a couple more texts on do you
have something on your list that we haven't covered yet?
Speaker 3 (40:07):
First of all, talking about coaches, what is going on
at Penn State? What do you mean they were the
first guy to fire somebody? Yea, and they still haven't
hired a coach.
Speaker 2 (40:16):
They're making it a very thorough search, thorough citing that
I think it was today and it's.
Speaker 3 (40:24):
Crazy Pat Craft, the ad who I don't know. They
got to be pulling their hair out there. You know.
It's I think the way to go if you're contemplating
firing new coach. And I think they were with James
Franklin or they wouldn't have done in season. You like
to see what they they do at Michigan State, you know,
boom boom. The deal was done with Patids show. You
(40:45):
know probably think if we don't get this guy, we're
not going to fire that guy. But you see more
of that now. You got to move quickly. There's too
much at stake. And if you put a big committee
together and they can't make a decision, the only thing
I can figure are they waiting for a pro guy
that has to wait until his contract's done. I don't know,
it's kind of crazy, that's true.
Speaker 2 (41:09):
Jonathan writes. My alma mater is a local college currently
looking for a new college football coach. What characteristics is
Mace believe are most needed characteristics for a college coach
to possess And how much is your answer today different
than it might have been ten years ago.
Speaker 3 (41:22):
Well, you'd have to tell me the situation that at
level that you're in. And I've always thought that if
it's a program that's been struggling that needs to be
turned around, if you can find somebody that's been part
of one of those programs that understands it, that's not
going to be a victim of knee jerk reaction. Every
(41:43):
time you hit a bump in the road, they change direction.
Because there's going to be lots of bumps in the road,
and all too often you see what happens is whoever's
making a decision hires a guy that's going to win
the press conference, and then a couple of years later
they're going through the same thing. Any names come to mind, No,
not at all.
Speaker 2 (42:01):
No, No, there's not so many top of top of
your head.
Speaker 3 (42:05):
No. I was talking about a program that had to
be turned around.
Speaker 2 (42:07):
I see, okay, tend to round Jeff and Monticello Dan
to keep on the football theme. To Mace, I would
ask how much longer could PJ. Fleck keep his job?
After nine years, he's thirty nine and forty in the
Big Ten? This year he beat five Big Ten teams
with an overall record of nine and thirty six. No
(42:27):
wins against teams with winning records? Or does he just
keep coaching because things will never change to the University
of Minnesota.
Speaker 3 (42:33):
Your thoughts, well, I hear that a lot people say
that to me, And I'll say, Okay, if you're tired
of PJ, who are you going to get? Who are
you going to get better than him? Tell me that
in this culture and everything, who are you going to get?
And they have no answer. Now they might come up
(42:54):
with an answer, Oh, we could have got Lane kiffing. No,
you can't get Lane Kiffin, you know, and I wouldn't.
I wouldn't hire him anyway. But my point is you
have to be you have to be realistic. And the
thing that that makes it even tougher is some of
these salaries at some of these places where assistant coaches
(43:15):
are making really you know, some guys are thinking, you know,
I think I'm gonna stay here and his assistant coach
at two million dollars a year and I don't have
all the headaches. You know, my phone's not ringing, bad game,
I'm not going to the press conference. I mean there's
some guys thinking about that.
Speaker 2 (43:30):
Did you know Monty Kiffin at all?
Speaker 3 (43:31):
I do, Yeah, I have no money for a long
long time. I knew money when I was at Iowa
State and he was the defensive coordinator at Nebraska, and
I thought Mony was just a gem of a guy.
Speaker 2 (43:42):
Everybody it's the old deal of you know, the contrast. Yeah,
and look, not everybody's wired the same, but I mean,
you can't get any different. I don't think a personality
standpoint between Monty kiff and.
Speaker 3 (43:55):
I'll tell you a story when I was out of coaching,
and and you know the Southeast Conference, all those towns
they have a thing where they have a Monday quarterback
club and it's a big thing, yes, and they look
to get a different guy. So I was available, being
a former Big Tang coach. So I made the rounds
a lot of those places, and I spoke at the
(44:15):
one in Knoxville and it was really good. Then I
went over to their facility where they were and I
walked in and Money was He wasn't around. But I
walked in and I identify myself to Lane Kiffin's secretary
and I said, I just I know he's busy, only
just say a load on him. So she got up,
she went in there, and she came back. She said
(44:38):
he's too busy. I said, no problem.
Speaker 2 (44:41):
OK, so now we know why you don't like him.
Speaker 3 (44:43):
No. No, So then I walked down the hall. Who
run into I run into Money? Hey, Hey what Money is?
You know? Yes? And he said do you say hello
to Lane? And I said, well, I stopped by there,
but he say said he was too busy, So he
did huh. He walked in, he walk to the office,
He walked right in there closed the door. I heard
him reaming them in there, who do you think you are?
(45:06):
You know? And a couple of minutes later, Lane came
out and he said, oh, coach, I didn't know you're here.
Come out in Can I get you a cup of cafe?
He said, talk? But that's the.
Speaker 2 (45:18):
Lane Kiffman came back tail between his legs. Obviously spent
a lot of time here. I mean, but these were
of those he isn't. I always think about the game
of football as being the look that Montie Kiffin is
like one of those glue guys. Well you know what
I'm saying, where they make the whole thing go around,
(45:38):
because here's a million places. It's just a good, solid
football guy and assistant coach correct at all levels.
Speaker 3 (45:46):
Well, you know, there's a uh, there's a lot of
guys that played football. There's a lot of guys that
like football. There's a few guys that love football, I
mean love yeah, okay, and I and I can tell
you the ones that have played for me that were
like that. And then in this day and age, more
and more you have two types of coaches out there.
You have guys that loved to coach and you have
(46:06):
guys that loved being the coach because of everything that
goes with Now, okay, well may would come to those
guys that really loved coaching. I mean, he thought and
talked football twenty four seven, three sixty five, and he
always had time to sit down and be with you
and do all those things. And I remember when obviously,
(46:29):
I know when I was at Iowa State, but then
he was at Arkansas and I visited Arkansas and he
was down there for the defensive coordinator for Lou Holls.
And that's when he used to smoke cigarettes NonStop and
drink coffee, you know, And as soon as he had
a free mon here, I want to talk to you.
Sit down. What are you doing? You know you got
going in and going hey, I saw Michigan play. What
are they? He was great to be around.
Speaker 2 (46:51):
What a characters it really was. Yeah, it's very very true.
Speaker 3 (46:54):
We're late.
Speaker 2 (46:55):
But I'm going to throw one last one out and
see if you can answer this fairly quickly. This from
lawyer Tom seventh to six three guys. Idea would be nice,
but it wouldn't work. Mace joked about a collective barneying agreement.
But that is actually what you would need to have
a salary cap. Otherwise you've got anti trust violations and problems,
and you have no union to bargain with to get
(47:15):
a CBA. And there's really no way to get a
union of college players because there's too many possible members
and some of them aren't even legal. Adults can't be
held legally to a contract. So is that the answer?
I mean, as much as you joke about a CBA,
is that where we're headed?
Speaker 3 (47:28):
Almost? Wells to the lawyer, lawyer Tom, I'm not a
lawyer obviously. Yeah, I'd like to be a lawyer, though,
I'm sure you big time for what reasons? Uh? You
you what do you call it when you defame somebody?
Speaker 2 (47:46):
Huh? You have to prove malice? Well, I could prove anything, Yeah,
and you might actually might be able to.
Speaker 3 (47:52):
I don't know how you do it. And that's the problem.
Everybody knows the problem football. No one has any idea
yeah for the solution. I kind of laugh a little
bit when they say, oh, you don't need when excited
to be the bizarre football. Well, a lot of the
things that were dealing, and Nick was a smart coach.
He figured around. You know the reason why the staffs
(48:12):
exploded the way. Didn't Nick figured a way around it.
You know, we used to have hard and fast regulations
on staff. You could have a head coach, you have
nine assistants. You could have an administrative assistant, recruiting coordinate
and two gas. That was it. Well, he figured out
in the weight room there's no limit, so he had unlimited.
Speaker 2 (48:32):
GA in the weight room, working.
Speaker 3 (48:34):
With every position. I mean, I give him credit. You know,
I wish I would have thought of that. They wouldn't
want to create. They wouldn't let me do it.
Speaker 2 (48:40):
No, I'm not here, No mother mature. Well, because they were,
they got stung, they got put on probation. Not you,
but obviously the whole clumb deal, they were all. It
made him run scared forever.
Speaker 3 (48:50):
Yeah, well you know what I'm saying, Well, all right.
Speaker 2 (48:54):
I hope your cold gets better.
Speaker 3 (48:56):
You really feel sorry for me, of.
Speaker 2 (48:57):
Course I do. I mean, but I don't think you're
I mean, I don't think you're hurting that much. I
think you sound worse than you.
Speaker 3 (49:02):
See. I came here.
Speaker 2 (49:03):
I just don't want to get what you have, and
don't get near Kessler because he's a germafol I just.
Speaker 3 (49:09):
Want to tell you I came here today not because
I was contractedly obligated. I came here because I'm committed.
You are to Dan Barrero and the Bumper and Bumper Show.
How's that bumper to bumper changed?
Speaker 2 (49:22):
Change as well? I have a good We'll see you
see you back here next week. Are you going back
to Fargo? No, you're being from here? Okay, good enough, Hoosiers.
Ohio State picked the winner. Hoosiers, Seriously, yeah, I hope
you're right. You got a nice Who are you picking?
(49:42):
I'm picking Ohio State. Not a lack of faith, I
just think that. But I think they're good. But I
have a hunch on Ohio State.
Speaker 3 (49:49):
Everybody wants. I believe in cinderellatives.
Speaker 2 (49:51):
That's there's no question.
Speaker 3 (49:53):
Yes they have that.
Speaker 2 (49:55):
They got a little that startusk going. There's no question
they prove that at the end of the Penn State camp.
Speaker 3 (50:00):
With the three million dollar quarterback.
Speaker 2 (50:01):
Absolutely, just like Cinderella.
Speaker 3 (50:04):
You know what you quick crying, just like right, because
let me tell you, you're such a go get someone
to belly up and get a four quick crying geez.
Speaker 2 (50:13):
Love was crying.
Speaker 4 (50:14):
I just don't call it Cinderella, Yes it were, don't
call it Cinderella.
Speaker 2 (50:17):
Well, whatever it is, it's everybody's in India is having
a good time with it, that's for sure. Everyone else
is doing it. But if you can gain, if you
can get, if you can glomb onto it, you do
it right.
Speaker 3 (50:27):
You know what. You might not like it, but if
you're gonna play the game, that's the rules right now.
Speaker 4 (50:31):
Top five will include vikings, injury report.
Speaker 3 (50:34):
That's what we'll have time for.
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