This is the real dead period. Not even players only workouts to read about. Of course things will get going in a hurry when Fall Camp opens, and like every year, it can't happen soon enough for me.
This also happens to be the period when pre-season speculation and guessing games run rampant. We have seen speculation on SC's 2015 season range from 7-6 to UNDEFEATED! And, of course, everyone is entitled to their own guess as to how we end up.
So I thought it would help guide our thinking by, of all things, looking at history. For instance, you might predict a bad season based on your dislike of the coach. Or you might based a great season based on your confidence in the coach. Of course, the improved depth of the roster and the big names therein, are taken in to consideration. But let's look at history. Howard Jones started out fast in 1925 at 11-2, and he followed that up with a 9-2, a 8-1-1 and a10-0. So who was going to criticized Jones or ask for his head? But then came 1934 and 4-6-1, followed by 5-7 and 4-2-3. Was he fired? Was he hanged in effigy? No on both counts, so in 1938 he came back with a 9-2 record....and then he died. No one could speculate in advance and see those bad seasons coming.
John McKay began his SC career at 4-6 and the next year held steady at 4-5-1. Yes, there were plenty of doubters, but none in the SC offices of the President. And no one speculated, predicted or even dreamed of what came next. 1962 and an 11-0 National Championship. But I must point out that though John McKay is and was considered one of SC's greats, he had four 7 win seasons, yet no body called him 7 win John. And John Robinson, in his initial stint as HC, in seven seasons he had 3 eight win years. Yet no one called him 8 win John or called for his head.
No coach in SC history has the record that PC boasts as an SC Head Coach. Yet, his first year was 6-6. More importantly, no one, and I even mean the staff, who felt the next year was their year, could have speculated on what happened. Of course I am talking about 2002 and an 11-2 season, being considered by most to be the best team in the country and a clobbering of a very good Iowa team in the bowl game. History tells us that 2001 and 2009 were PC's worst seasons, with 2009 ending up at 9-4.
So we can all speculate but none of use really knows and we tend to mix in our personal likes and dislikes to arrive at a football answer. But the fact is, Sark's first year was 9-4 and a bowl win. That is a better start than former SC coaches Larry Smith, Jeff Cravath, John McKay and Pete C.
So go ahead and speculate. 7-6 or Undefeated. One's guess is as good as another. However, a studious evaluation of all of the factors involved would end you up closer to undefeated than 7 & 6, unless your mind is completely closed to the possibilities. Just remember this, two of our best seasons came out of nowhere.
This also happens to be the period when pre-season speculation and guessing games run rampant. We have seen speculation on SC's 2015 season range from 7-6 to UNDEFEATED! And, of course, everyone is entitled to their own guess as to how we end up.
So I thought it would help guide our thinking by, of all things, looking at history. For instance, you might predict a bad season based on your dislike of the coach. Or you might based a great season based on your confidence in the coach. Of course, the improved depth of the roster and the big names therein, are taken in to consideration. But let's look at history. Howard Jones started out fast in 1925 at 11-2, and he followed that up with a 9-2, a 8-1-1 and a10-0. So who was going to criticized Jones or ask for his head? But then came 1934 and 4-6-1, followed by 5-7 and 4-2-3. Was he fired? Was he hanged in effigy? No on both counts, so in 1938 he came back with a 9-2 record....and then he died. No one could speculate in advance and see those bad seasons coming.
John McKay began his SC career at 4-6 and the next year held steady at 4-5-1. Yes, there were plenty of doubters, but none in the SC offices of the President. And no one speculated, predicted or even dreamed of what came next. 1962 and an 11-0 National Championship. But I must point out that though John McKay is and was considered one of SC's greats, he had four 7 win seasons, yet no body called him 7 win John. And John Robinson, in his initial stint as HC, in seven seasons he had 3 eight win years. Yet no one called him 8 win John or called for his head.
No coach in SC history has the record that PC boasts as an SC Head Coach. Yet, his first year was 6-6. More importantly, no one, and I even mean the staff, who felt the next year was their year, could have speculated on what happened. Of course I am talking about 2002 and an 11-2 season, being considered by most to be the best team in the country and a clobbering of a very good Iowa team in the bowl game. History tells us that 2001 and 2009 were PC's worst seasons, with 2009 ending up at 9-4.
So we can all speculate but none of use really knows and we tend to mix in our personal likes and dislikes to arrive at a football answer. But the fact is, Sark's first year was 9-4 and a bowl win. That is a better start than former SC coaches Larry Smith, Jeff Cravath, John McKay and Pete C.
So go ahead and speculate. 7-6 or Undefeated. One's guess is as good as another. However, a studious evaluation of all of the factors involved would end you up closer to undefeated than 7 & 6, unless your mind is completely closed to the possibilities. Just remember this, two of our best seasons came out of nowhere.
