Calling them as I see them.
In a world where the Power 5 dominates the discussion; where the College Football Playoff is a “members only” club for the traditional teams and conferences, lives a group of talented players and coaches forced to sit at the little kids table while fans make the argument about why their team should be part of the broader conversation.
Such is the life of the so-called Group of 5. That doesn’t mean, however, those schools are sitting idly by waiting for Alabama’s table scraps. But it’s kind of sad watching them try so hard.
Take the University of Houston and its head football coach Tom Herman. Don’t get me wrong, Herman and the Cougars are painting a perfect picture right now of how a Group of 5 team can find success; win games with a fun-to-watch brand of football, have a superstar quarterback, and find a guy to lead the team who is oozing personality along with the coaching chops necessary to have success.
But it appears Herman is starting to go off script a bit.
This week the coach spoke to the Rotary Club of Houston. Herman took the opportunity to be the ultimate salesperson. He suggested Houstonians should have four season tickets to Coogs games. He highlighted all of the successes his team had last season and how they are building toward the future.
.@CoachTomHerman speaking to the Rotary Club of Houston: "We are the hottest show in town." @UHCougarFB pic.twitter.com/UwkL752pZD
— Mark Berman (@MarkBerman_) May 12, 2016
Herman and his Coogs have every right to be excited. You can’t take anything away from the success they had last season. Herman should love it that J.J. Watt is on the sidelines. But it was the following excerpt from Herman’s speech to the Rotary Club that really caught my eye:
“We understand the price of a championship,” said Herman. “That price is the same for Alabama, as it is for Ohio State, as it is for the University of Houston. That price is there. In order to pay that price you’ve got to be willing to invest. Guess what, there’s prices for 9-win seasons. There’s prices for 8-win seasons and 7-win seasons and 6-win seasons. Those prices are a lot easier to pay. And if you’re satisfied with going 7-5 and going to the Poulan Weedeater Bowl, then great. Then you’re in the wrong program, and we’ll find a place for you to go. I here there’s a private school up in Dallas that’s really looking to try to get to 7 wins. We can certainly find you a home. We are into building championships.”
OK, coach, we get it, you are trying to build a culture at UH. You had an outstanding first year in which your team burst onto the national scene by winning the AAC title with only one loss. Unless you are a Seminoles fan, who didn’t enjoy watching the Coogs crush felony, I mean, Florida State in the Peach Bowl?
That’s all well and good, but maybe it’s time to take a breath. Developing a culture is one thing, but taking shots at other schools after one good season is in poor taste. Remember, SMU is in the same boat you are; a program mired in mediocrity for years that hired a high-profile assistant coach to turn things around.
While Houston may have won 13 games a year ago, there is a time in the not-so-distant past Cougar fans would have given anything for an eight- or nine-win season and a berth in the “Poulan Weedeater Bowl” (which by the way no longer exists and hasn’t since 1997). And with a slip from last year’s success, the Cougars should be happy with the Independence Bowl, Bahamas Bowl, or “who gives a crap we get another month of practice and cool swag” bowl.
As for comparing the situation to those at Alabama and Ohio State, coach Herman doubled down in a recent interview with ESPN.com:
“I’m not (Ohio State coach Urban Meyer) from a personality standpoint and never will be,” Herman said, “but the expectations and culture around here are very similar to what’s going on around Columbus.”
Just stop. What’s going on around Columbus, and inside “The” Ohio State University is big-boy ball. What’s going on around Columbus is competing for a Big Ten and CFP championship every single year. What’s going on around Houston is a program on the rise that would love to have a sniff of Ohio State’s success. You should know that coach; you lived it.
Not that anyone should blame Herman for attempting to ramp up the excitement level in Houston; it’s his job to be a coach on the field and program cheerleader off it. But there are better ways to do it than to take pot shots at your rival and draw comparisons to one of the most successful college football programs of all time.
What’s happening in Houston appears to be a renaissance. It’s fun and refreshing to hear about a team that isn’t one of the usual suspects being a part of the conversation. But, again, let’s not forget this was one amazing season. One.
If Herman wants to sell the “we are in the business of building championships” to his players, recruits, and bosses that’s great; but don’t insult the rest of us by comparing what you’ve accomplished so far at Houston to anything more than it is.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
