Dave Doeren to Kansas? Nah, Think Lane Kiffin.

This past weekend, the University of Kansas fired David Beaty after a dismal tenure. The Jayhawks have been at the very bottom of the college football barrel for quite some time. They've shown improvement this year under Beaty, but there is a new AD, Jeff Long. Long comes to Lawrence from Arkansas where he served as AD and chairman of the CFP committee.

Since the news of Beaty's firing broke, the inevitable rumor mill of who will be the next coach of the Jayhawks has been swirling across the internet and social media. One potential candidate is NC State head coach Dave Doeren. Doeren briefly flirted with Tennessee last year and reportedly wanted the Kansas job in 2011 when they ultimately hired Charlie Weis. Doeren received a payday after the Tennesse
e search and was an assistant at Wisconsin in 2011. Thus, he may not be inclined to pursue such an opportunity.

Doeren is a Kansas native and served as an assistant for the Jayhawks under Mike Mangino. That culminated in a Big XII championship and Orange Bowl birth. Would Doeren leave the building Wolfpack program? Would he want to take over a program that is 6-39 in their last 45 contests? I don't know for sure.

For now, Doeren is saying all the right things. He has talked, as recently as Sunday November 4, about his love for Raleigh. More importantly, his family's love for Raleigh and NC State. He is building a program is on the verge of the best season in school history. He is putting together top-20 recruiting classes.

On the other hand, he has to try to overtake Clemson for any shot of ACC glory. Clemson is in the midst of an Alabama like run. Doeren also faces a relentless fan base that often thinks of itself more highly than it should. How do I know? I am a part of that fan base. Should we want more? Yes! Should we expect more? Yes! But, it is global domination realistic right now? No!

At Kansas, he would face an epic rebuild. An almost impossible rebuild, if you ask me. At the same time, expectations will be much lower and he would probably have the time to build.

At NC State, he is leading a program that has been on the "verge" for 20 years now. With one program changing win, the lid could be blown off this thing and he could put himself on a basketball level pedestal in Raleigh. It could be Case, Sloan, Valvano, Yow and Doeren. Or, it could be those former four and the "next" guy.

No matter what he would do in Lawrence, he would never reach a level equal to that of their basketball program.

All of that being said, my heart of hearts tells me that Coach D will be in Raleigh for the foreseeable future.  The athletics program is a top 20 program in intercollegiate athletics and improving. The men's basketball program is on the rise. The baseball team is a perennial tournament host. The women's basketball program is coming off consecutive tournament appearances. The other non-revenue sports are taking off as well.  That all bodes well for the football program. It means more exposure, and more exposure means more money. More money means more resources for things like recruiting, facilities, salaries, and more.

As for who I think will end up in Kansas? No idea! Jeff Long is forever connected to Bret Bielema. Long also has ties with Les Miles from when they worked together at Michigan. Miles has Big XII experience prior to his tenure at LSU as the HC at Oklahoma State. Clemson DC, Brent Venables, seems to be the ideal candidate. Venables played for Bill Snyder at Kansas State, coached at Oklahoma under Bob Stoops, and has built a defensive juggernaut at Clemson. But, would he leave Clemson for Kansas? Probably not. Most Group of Five candidates? My advice would be to STAY AWAY!

That brings me to Lane Kiffin. Kiffin has been working to rebuild his reputation for what seems like forever. This would be a nice Power Five landing spot for him. He would have the time to build a foundation, get back into kids' living rooms at the P5 talent level, and impress some people by getting to a couple of bowl games. Then, he could find himself back at a top tier program. Kansas, could also make a run at a bigger name once the ship is righted. It could be a win/win scenario for both. 

Ray's CFP Top 25 & More: Week 10

Ray's CFP Top 25 & More:

1. Alabama (win out and in @ #1)

2. Clemson (win out and in @ 2 or 3)

3. Michigan (win out and in @ 2 or 3)

4. Notre Dame** (yes, they beat Michigan, but the eye test has Michigan looking better)

5. Georgia*

6. Oklahoma**

7. Washington State**

8. Ohio State**

9. WVU

10. UCF

1. LSU
2. Syracuse
3. Kentucky
4. Mississippi State
5. Florida
6. NC State
7. Boston College
8. Iowa State
9. Texas
10. Fresno State
11. South Carolina
12. Penn State
13. Auburn
14. Utah
15. Purdue (bc Tyler Trent)

* - controls their own destiny

** - needs some help

CFP Destiny Predictor:

a. ND needs an Oklahoma loss, and a convincing Alabama SEC championship win to secure their spot bc they don’t have the conference championship game.

b. Oklahoma needs a ND loss.

c. Washington State needs a ND & Oklahoma loss to control theirs. They probably need either an Alabama SEC champ or if Georgia wins it, it needs to be a 2-3 possession win.

d. Ohio State needs ND to lose, Oklahoma to lose to Ok State & WVU to lose.

e. WVU needs more help

f. UCF needs A LOT.

Conference Strength:

1. SEC

2. B1G

3. Big XII

4. Some HS conference in Texas

5. ACC

6. Pac12

Team That Holds The CFP Monkey Wrench:

• Boston College: with a win over Clemson and Syracuse, the Eagles would represent the ACC Atlantic for the conference championship game. While unlikely, it would most likely eliminate the ACC from playoff contention. Clemson looks like Alabama’s best competition, but BC will be hosting their biggest game since leaving the Big East and joining the ACC. Oh yeah, and Gameday will be in Chestnut Hill for this ACC semifinal.

College Football Mid-Season Review

It's that time of year, again! The heart of the college football season is upon us and it is about to get crazy! It's time to recap and set up the back half of the season!

Top 4 - If the Playoff Started Today!

1. Alabama Crimson Tide
- No one has tested the Tide to this point. In fact, they really haven't played anyone of note. However, they have absolutely destroyed everything in their past. This weekend represents The Third Saturday in October and it is going to get ugly. The Tennessee Volunteers travel to Tuscaloosa for what looks like a beat down of epic proportions. The Tide will be tested, a little, because it's a rivalry game and all the Vols have to play for is their pride. Nick Saban has his team positioned to make yet another appearance in the College Football Playoff. Quarterback Jalen Hurts is quietly having a stellar season and deserves to be in the Heisman Trophy conversation. Maybe his Heisman breakout comes this weekend when he puts up video game numbers.
2. Georgia Bulldogs
- The SEC leaves a lot to be desired this year, but one thing is for sure and it's that the Dawgs are for real! They get this week off before heading to Jacksonville, FL for their annual rivalry game with the Florida Gators. Freshman quarterback Jake Fromm has proven that he is up to the task and has replaced Jacob Eason, who was injured earlier in the season. Kirby Smart is in his second year as the head coach at his alma mater and it looks like they will be set up pretty for the foreseeable future. Unfortunately, only one team can make the CFP from the SEC, in my opinion, because it will come down to Alabama and Georgia for the SEC title game. The committee will have a hard time putting in a team that lost in their most recent game. So, Georgia needs to take care of business until they head to Atlanta to face Alabama and then put together an A-plus effort to supplant the Crimson Tide from the CFP.
3. Penn State Nittany Lions 
- Well, James Franklin's boys start their season this weekend in a Happy Valley White Out against the Michigan Wolverines. They will move up to number two with a win and down outside the top eight with a loss. They then have to head to Ohio State and Michigan State in subsequent weeks. The Nittany Lions are defending Big Ten champions, but were left out of the CFP in favor of the Buckeyes last year because of two inexplicable losses to Pittsburgh and Michigan. They can slip once because of their back half schedule, but they'll have to rely on some help to get into the Big Ten Championship Game if that is the case. They have a dynamic duo on offense with Trace Mcsorley at quarterback and Saquon Barkley at running back. Both of those guys have a chance to make some Heisman moments in the next three weeks! If they do, then Penn State will be right where they want to be heading into Thanksgiving.
4. Clemson Tigers
- SHOCKER! The Clemson hater still has the Purple People Eaters in the CFP despite losing last week! I believe that was a fluke and they have to lose again for me to remove them from consideration. Hopefully, that loss comes on November 4th in Raleigh, NC! Playing on the road, at night, in a basketball arena and on a Friday night constitutes the "trappiest of trap games." Well, the Syracuse Orange caught the Tigers by the tail and stole a victory last week. The Orange seem to be on the rise, but will probably lose their head coach Dino Babers to a big time program in the coming months. Clemson has battled some injuries and welcome the bye week before they have to take on the fighting Paul Johnsons, also known as the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. If you have to play the triple option, then you would like to have an extra week of preparation. If the Tigers take care of business and the NC State Wolfpack beats Notre Dame, then they will square off in a CFP elimination game just days after the first CFP rankings come out.

Next 4 - Control Their Own Destiny (Kinda)

5. TCU Horned Frogs
- Win out in the regular season and beat either Oklahoma or Oklahoma State again!
6. Southern California Trojans
- Beat Notre Dame this weekend and don't lose again!
7. Oklahoma
- Beat TCU, twice, and take care of Oklahoma State in Bedlam.
8. Ohio State
- You have the best (if there is such a thing) loss in the country, so just win out!

Still In The Conversation

9. Wisconsin - Has to go undefeated due to weak non-conference.
10. NC State - A lot left to prove, but the schedule to do it.
11. Michigan - Offensively offensive
12. Oklahoma State - Has to win out and win out convincingly.

Heisman Hopefuls

1. Bryce Love - Stanford
2. Saquon Barkley - Penn State
3. Baker Mayfield - Oklahoma
4. Jalen Hurts - Alabama
5. Bradley Chubb - NC State

Coach of the Year

1. Bill Clark - UAB
2. Dave Doeren - NC State
3. Gary Patterson - TCU
4. Will Muschamp - South Carolina