5 Things We Know On A Friday: 12/31/10

5 Things We Know On A Friday: 12/31/10

1.  The low turn-out that will happen Saturday at the Cotton Bowl for the legendary Ticket City Bowl shouldn’t be viewed as an indictment on Tech fans or anyone else. It simply proves that there are too many bowls, they aren’t special any more and college football fans are figuring it out. I applaud the Texas Tech fans that made the decision to not spend lots of $$ on a weak 13th game. Bottom line is that teams in a 12-game season should have to win a minimum of 8 games to go to a bowl. If you want folks paying high dollars for tickets and traveling you gotta make it special. Tech vs. Northwestern at a stadium no one wants to go to in a location no one wants to go to at a time of day no one wants to be there isn’t special, it’s bad business. But by all means, let’s blame the Texas Tech fans. . .

2.  At this hour it looks like the Maryland job has come down to Mike Leach and Gus Malzhan. If Leach does get the job he’ll be trying to do something that is rare and that’s have a second act in coaching better the first. I think that Leach may find out that he had one of the best set-ups he could ever hope for in Lubbock. The idea that the grass is always greener may come back to haunt him. Also, if he does get the Maryland job I can’t wait to watch the media coverage. If he thought Steve Dale was tough, allow me to introduce to a few friends in D.C. and Baltimore. . .

3.  Uptight white-guys are going to ruining college football. The flag on Kansas State yesterday for horrific display of emotion that included saluting the crowd is just another example of officials that WANT to influence the outcome of games and WANT to be on TV. Best thing football could do is eliminate about 3 officials and call fewer penalties per game.

4.  After the bowl game is over, expect the Texas Tech search for a new Athletic Director to kick into high-gear. I’ve been told that officials are keenly aware that there are issues that can’t wait to be addressed in the department til May. The most glaring situation is men’s basketball. Tech officials know they very well might have to make a change with Pat Knight and no one want the next A.D. to get saddled with a hire they didn’t make. Look for the next A.D. to be in place by March. Count on it. Now, does that mean Pat is done? No. But it means the next A.D. gets to make the call at a time they can have a legit search if need be.

5.  If you had to give the Texas Tech athletic department a letter grade for 2010, what would you give it? I’m thinking C-minus right now. You won the Alamo Bowl to start the year, but both basketball teams failed to make the NCAA Tournament. Golf was stellar under Greg Sands, men’s tennis was very good and track did what track does. Win.Shannon Hays showed Tech can win in softball too! Beyond that though you lost a volleyball coach and had an up-and-down frustrating year in football that still managed to get to a bowl game. The off-field specter of the ongoing litigation with Mike Leach still hangs over the program but not nearly as much today as a year ago. So, would your grade be? Think about it, justify your answers and post them here.

Hyatt

P.S. We’ll have our Bold Predictions for 2011 coming up later today, so stay tuned.