Texas A&M marches out from anonymity into Cowboys Stadium

Unless you’ve been at Kyle Field or obtained access to game film, Texas A&M’s football season has begun in full-fledged stealth mode. Bigfoot and Elvis have been more visible. Sure, the Aggies have played (apparently) well, starting 3-0 and leading the nation in total offense. Their accomplishments have come in a media vacuum, with nontelevised wins over New Mexico, Utah State and Alabama-Birmingham. The anonymity ends Saturday against Arkansas at Cowboys Stadium on ESPN2. Anyone interested will get a good look at the Aggies and have a chance to assess the progress from last season. So how improved is A&M from a forgettable 4-8 season in 2008? “I think we’re a good team,” said senior defensive back Jordan Pugh, of Plano West. “I think this will be our biggest challenge and how we handle the challenge, we’ll find out on Saturday.” – Dallas Morning News

Al Groh: Too Early to Judge

As his team enters the ACC opener after its worst start since 1982, Virginia coach Al Groh developed a “much broader perspective” after a Saturday without coaching. “Certainly revealed that there’s probably far too many teams and players that are anointed way too early in the season and far too many teams and players that are condemned too early in the season to see the significant turnarounds that occur in so many games — that a season is to played out rather than to be seen in microcosm,” Groh said. “I realize that’s not the reality of the way things seem, but that’s the reality of the way things go.” – Washington Post

Nevada AD Supports Chris Ault - For Now

Cary Groth, the Nevada athletics director, said she empathizes with fans, but she also said she is focused on Saturday’s game against UNLV and not whether or not she needs to replace coach Chris Ault. “I don’t think about that right now,” she said via cell phone from Dallas on Monday. “It’s too early in the season. I think what’s important is how we respond after these first three games. I think Coach would probably tell you the same thing. “My job is to make sure we are doing the best we can, and I believe we are. We’re not losing these games on purpose.” – Reno Gazette-Journal

Tommy West Era Likely Over in Memphis

Explain why it’s well past time for the guy to be fired. And I could do that, I suppose. There’s no shortage of material. But after a game like Saturday’s, it almost feels like piling on. This is over, isn’t it? It has to be over. After nine seasons and a lot of good memories, the Tommy West era at Memphis will end after this year. It gives me no pleasure to write this, but it’s not some great mystery. West has lost five of his last six games against teams from the Sun Belt Conference. He has abandoned many of the things he believed in to recruit players who were kicked off other teams. And Saturday, before a crowd of maybe 12,000, his Tigers lost to a lousy Marshall team, 27-16, in what could be the last game of the year they’ll be favored to win. – Commercial-Appeal

George O’Leary Feeling Heat at UCF

Citing the same ineffectual short-run offense that eliminated UCF from Conference USA contention last year, indecisiveness in personnel decisions, and an overall lack of spark coming from the team in their games against Samford and Southern Miss this year, donors, alumni, season ticket holders, and students are calling for George O’Leary’s head. Much to the surprise of Knights supporters, Athletics Director Keith Tribble and UCF President John Hitt aren’t crying foul toward the head football coach. A $5 million buyout in order to cut O’Leary loose might be the answer why. You see, in 2006, the university jumped the gun when the Knights were reaching new heights and on the verge of a Conference-USA championship. They signed O’Leary to a 10-year contract, keeping him at Central Florida until 2015. Two summers later, UCF announced that they were planning to cut five programs and 51 faculty members, saving them just over $6 million. Now is not a good time to be spending $5 million on football. No matter how the next few games go, O’Leary will definitely not be replaced midseason, and most likely won’t be replaced for a while. – Bleacher Report

Illinois Unlikely to Make Move on Ron Zook

It happened two years ago under the Ohio Stadium lights. Quarterback Juice Williams and Illinois delivered a shock-the-world victory over No.1 Ohio State, signaling that the Illini, long an afterthought, were anything but. That season ended with a trip to the Rose Bowl, but the win over the Buckeyes was considered the breakthrough moment in the Ron Zook era. Or so we thought. The Illini crashed back to earth in 2008, going 5-7. Now, they head to Columbus as a team at a crossroads. The following week, Illinois plays host to Penn State. The two-game stretch will surely define the course of the season for 1-1 Illinois — and calculate the temperature of Zook’s seat… Still, the pressure has mounted for both Williams and Zook. The lackluster performance against Missouri and a win over an FCS team did little to quiet the critics, who suggest that last year, and not the Rose Bowl season, is most representative of the state of the program. Zook parlayed the ‘07 season into an extension that is paying him more than $1.5 million a year, so it’s unlikely the university will cut him loose, even if ‘09 proves as uneventful as ‘08. But a fourth losing season in five years would most certainly turn up the heat in 2010. With games against Michigan State, Michigan, Cincinnati and Fresno State, the second half of the schedule will be no cakewalk. But first things first: The back-to-back meetings with Big Ten favorites Ohio State and Penn State could put Illinois at the bottom of the conference standings. That could all change in the Horseshoe, back on the turf where Illinois seemed to turn the corner in ‘07. Now, like then, the Buckeyes are the heavy favorites, and the Illini are an afterthought in the game, and the conference race. – SI.com

Minnesota Could Dump Tim Brewster

University of Minnesota athletic director Joel Maturi is forming the only opinion on Tim Brewster that really matters. He expressed numerous times during a recent interview that he has faith in Brewster. But he also indicated it’s not blind faith that’s judging Brewster in all areas, including Big Ten victories and classroom performance, during what could be a pivotal Year 3 of Brewster’s five-year deal. “When I do a thorough evaluation, which I do at the conclusion of every season for every sports team, I will ask, ‘What’s the best thing to do for the University of Minnesota?’” Maturi said. “We are 2-1. If we go 2-10, the odds of me extending [his contract] probably aren’t real good. If we go 10-2, the odds of me extending him might be better, provided everything else is OK, we don’t have major violations, we don’t have this, we don’t have that.” – Star Tribune

Ron Zook Handling Criticism at Illinois

Ron Zook has developed thick skin and a tough hide. The University of Illinois football coach recognizes he’s in a volatile business. It’s a world of winning. “Five years ago, nobody cared about Illinois football,” said Zook, serving his fifth season as the U of I head coach. “Now people care and I understand why they are passionate about their team and this program.” … “We’re all held accountable - the players and the coaches,” said the 55-year-old Zook, dismissed from Florida after the 2004 season. “So I don’t blame people getting upset with some things. “There are a lot of things that upset me,” he added. So when you shovel criticism Zook’s way, just be prepared to keep it on a professional level, not an emotional one. – The Telegraph

Expectations are the biggest reason Charlie Weis is skewered weekly while less attention is paid to Ron Zook’s shortcomings. Notre Dame fans keep demanding the Irish take what they believe is their rightful place atop college football’s throne, even if it hasn’t been their rightful place since 1988. Illinois has a much lower profile. It has been a program in which stunning one-year rises usually are punctuated by just as steep declines, which are usually followed by long troughs of mediocrity or worse. But this was supposed to be different. Zook was recruiting all the right guys. The program had turned the corner — only to fall through a manhole. – Chicago Sun-Times

Al Groh Likely Done at Virginia

You mean Al Groh hasn’t been fired yet? Coaches more successful than Groh - who is 56-47 in nine seasons at Virginia - have gotten canned, so it would seem his ouster is imminent. The Cavaliers have endured losing seasons in two of the past three seasons and appear spiraling downhill this season with an 0-3 start. Losing to FCS member William & Mary in the season opener had to inflame what already was a hot seat. Then, last week the Cavaliers blew a 27-10 lead and lost 37-34 to Southern Miss. The Cavs are idle this week. Maybe the extra practice time will enable Groh to shore up areas in which the Cavs are struggling. Perhaps they will bounce back and have a strong run through October and November. But the Cavs couldn’t beat William & Mary, so their chances against North Carolina, Georgia Tech, Miami, Clemson and Virginia Tech don’t appear good. Can Groh survive another losing season? Not likely. – Yahoo.com

Brian Kelly Could Bolt Cincinnati

Brian Kelly has a provision in his contract about facilities upgrades at Cincy, and his buyout is significantly lower if those upgrades aren’t complete by specific deadlines. Meanwhile, his Bearcats teams continue to emerge on the national scene. They win big games, they play on national television, they’ve done things never accomplished before at Cincinnati. The reality is, this joyride in Cincy won’t be around much longer if the university doesn’t improve facilities. True story: The Bearcats have no practice fields; they practice at aging Nippert Stadium. Kelly will be the hottest coach in the country by the end of the season. His staying or leaving for a better job is up to the Cincy administration. – Sporting News

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