December 14th, 2011 at 12:53 PM ^
I don't get this move it's gonna be a challenge in the P12
December 14th, 2011 at 1:31 PM ^
As an ASU Alum, I am furious with this hire. Fork em Devils.
December 14th, 2011 at 1:38 PM ^
Go Devils! It should be fun to play against U of A now being that all his coordinators are with rich rod again.
December 14th, 2011 at 12:54 PM ^
So many tears from the Pitt fans that care about Pitt football. Which is not that many. At least they beat Oklahoma State in basketball!
December 14th, 2011 at 12:58 PM ^
I live an hr away from Pitts and you are right, not too many Pitt fans. They love the Steelers, but not so much the Panthers. The ones who do like them are furious according to my news feed on facebook. Lol
December 14th, 2011 at 1:05 PM ^
Mark me down as another one that is furious. This is just...wow. I can't even describe it.
Edit: With all of the joking about how people should become Arizona season ticket holders after RR got the job there, I sincerely want him to beat ASU by triple digits yearly if Graham took the job there. That will actually be a game I watch from here on out, if only in hopes of seeing Graham's soul crushed annually.
December 14th, 2011 at 1:11 PM ^
For the good of blood pressure, learn not to take Pitt ball too seriousily. Yes every year they'll look good. They'll have a stud player (Larry Fitzgerald, HB Blades, etc). That one guy you think can compensate for some other glaring weakness. Maybe you'll even pick off ND early in the year or almost beat them.
You'll tell yourself things like "Palko isn't that bad, he's mobile after all..". You'll rationalize. You'll make deals like 9 wins (including the Backyard Brawl) will get you a decent bowl. Then suddenly it is late November and you're still fighting to get eligible for the Tire Bowl.
Pitt football is only going to hurt you.
December 14th, 2011 at 1:14 PM ^
Enrolled in 2008, and since then we've been one game away from the BCS twice (2008 and 2009) only to lose to Cincinnati both years and WVU 1/2.
Since 2009 it's been even worse, dropping our third Backyard Brawl in a row and going to two BBVA Compass Bowls, plus now apparently going on our fourth coaching staff in three years.
December 14th, 2011 at 1:19 PM ^
Oh, you go to Pitt justingobue? What is the reaction around campus? I have a few buddies who to go to Pitt and they really dont care about him leaving. Said they will suck whoever is the coach. I guess that is a fair assessment.
December 14th, 2011 at 1:27 PM ^
I transferred in 2010, but my Facebook (probably like any other Pitt student) is a mix of 25% people that really care: these are Pittsburgh natives or people from out of state, usually, and 75% people who show up to Heinz if ND/Iowa/WVU is in town or Pitt is ranked pretty well, these are typical apathetic non-sports fans (or people who don't know we have a football team and are wondering when they can start camping out at Peterson for the basketball opener) and people who grew up on another school.
So...your friends are probably closer to the norm than, say, Michigan students if Hoke left to go coach New Mexico State, in my opinion.
December 14th, 2011 at 1:39 PM ^
Ya thats what I figured. Definitely more of a hoops school.
December 14th, 2011 at 2:00 PM ^
I graduated from Pitt in 2001 and have to say that football games are somewhat enjoyable. They suck now though that they moved games to Heinz Field (off-campus). But I just don't understand the move from Pitt to ASU one bit. Pitt has better tradition and Western PA has a ton of football talent. Unless the move was for money, it seems silly to me. Plus, to go to a school that will see a bunch of his assistants facing him is just weird.
December 14th, 2011 at 2:04 PM ^
Graham said that it was his dream job bc he has family out there and has always wanted to be closer to them. Im sure money had something to do with it, or he realized his "high octane" offense would be suited for the AZ climate.
December 14th, 2011 at 2:17 PM ^
I didn't catch the part about having family out there. Although, I used to always say that in job interviews in places that I have "family" - that included distant, distant cousins - because it makes you look more desirable and likely to stay in the area if you move there. I think Graham took a page out of the profitgoblue interviewing book.
December 14th, 2011 at 7:08 PM ^
He claimed to have family in Pittsburgh too. This is his 4th school in 6 years, he's always trying to move up the ladder (though this seems like a lateral move at best).
Pitt players were calling him a flat out liar in a couple tweets today. Read the espn blog post about it for a well informed read--sorry no link, it's on the espn frontpage though.
December 14th, 2011 at 12:54 PM ^
Cullen Christian's head just asploded.
December 14th, 2011 at 2:15 PM ^
And Vinopal's.... and Carvin's?
December 14th, 2011 at 12:56 PM ^
Whoa!!! Well that was unexpected. Wonder what was going on at Pitt that he decided to head out for greener pastures after only a year.
December 14th, 2011 at 12:57 PM ^
Arizona v. Arizona State just got interesting for the first time since Jake Plummer played the game....
December 14th, 2011 at 12:58 PM ^
sorry, had to.
December 14th, 2011 at 2:31 PM ^
I would laugh myself into a coma, if Jim Tressel took that job. How funny would that be???
December 14th, 2011 at 12:58 PM ^
Graham left Rice after one year, too. He's like a skeezier Petrino.
December 14th, 2011 at 12:59 PM ^
And a lesser Petrino?
December 14th, 2011 at 1:08 PM ^
I'm sorely tempted to post a lengthy thread about all of the RichRod-related storylines that will dominate the Arizona-Arizona State rivalry for years to come given that Gibson and Dews and Magee are now at Airzona and that they now work for RR and that they used to work for Graham at Pitt and... HEAD ASPLODE
December 14th, 2011 at 1:16 PM ^
Not to mention he let the players and adminstration know via text message. What a classless dbag.
December 14th, 2011 at 4:16 PM ^
IMO he's an average coach, at best! He's like that somewhat good-looking girl that you're dating who tells you she's done with you and goes to date someone lesser. After a few days, you get pissed, not because she left you but because you finally realized how not great she really is/was. That's the worst kind of breakup sorrow - the kind where you wish you would have been the first to leave.
December 14th, 2011 at 7:26 PM ^
Apparently the Rice marching band agrees with your character assesment:
December 14th, 2011 at 11:30 PM ^
That. Is. Amazing.
Actually tops the Stanford band's "Tribute to Joe Francis" performed at USC.
December 14th, 2011 at 7:53 PM ^
You're going to blame a guy for leaving *Rice*?
December 14th, 2011 at 1:04 PM ^
If Graham installs a passing based offense for the sole purpose of beating Arizona every year, that will be the greatest commentary on Gibson to date.
December 14th, 2011 at 1:17 PM ^
There really is some great storylines there now. Graham gets to play and recruit against three of his former assistant coaches in the state's largest rivalry? The producers at ESPN just had to fan themselves.
December 14th, 2011 at 1:19 PM ^
Yeah, except no one really cares about that rivalry out of the state.
December 14th, 2011 at 1:56 PM ^
I have watched ESPN hype up New Mexico - New Mexico State. They will hype up anything.
December 14th, 2011 at 1:06 PM ^
Maybe they'll finally hire Tom Bradley once he's let go at Penn State. They interviewed him a bajillion times.
December 14th, 2011 at 1:07 PM ^
Uhh, yeah, so if I'm the only one in this boat, a thousand apologies to everyone... but who is Todd Graham?
December 14th, 2011 at 1:09 PM ^
Pitt's coach. He was only there for one season.
December 14th, 2011 at 1:09 PM ^
The J.T. Turner of football coaches.
December 14th, 2011 at 1:13 PM ^
Speaking of former Michigan CBs, Cullen Christian must be really pissed now.
December 14th, 2011 at 1:18 PM ^
be the coach for the bowl game.
December 14th, 2011 at 1:10 PM ^
HC at Pitt (hired in January 2011), formerly HC of Tulsa and other various stops before that. Known for a no-huddle passing spread, also known for allowing Tino Sunseri to play football at a college level when two halfbacks would be a better solution or a random internet user would get sacked less.
December 14th, 2011 at 1:10 PM ^
He was the former head coach at Pitt, he only had this one semi-disappointing 6-6 season there, he was at Tulsa for 3 years before that
December 14th, 2011 at 1:29 PM ^
Rich Rod gave Graham his start in college football hiring him as a defensive assistant and eventually promoting him to DC. This is a big reason so many of Rich Rod's former staff (Magee, Dews, and Gibson) landed at Pitt.
December 14th, 2011 at 3:11 PM ^
Graham is a defensive guy. He's also high energy. I've heard him speak at clinics and he's crazy. I'd like to say things wil heat up in the PAC-12 with RRod and him taking over the instate battle of 'Zona but no one really cares. It does have potential for those two programs to be relevant which is what they both aspire to be. Look at Stanford five years ago. They were just another team on the schedule for USC and Oregon.
We're talking about it so it's at least a tad bit interesting.
December 14th, 2011 at 1:11 PM ^
Football coach at Pitt, he is now the head coach at ASU
December 14th, 2011 at 1:12 PM ^
Well, selfishly, I look forward to a bounty of 44-42 late-night games every weekend. The P12 has turned into the equivalent of the ABA.
December 14th, 2011 at 1:14 PM ^
The American Bar Association is one of the finest institutions in this great country. I'll thank you not to denigrate in this way, sir.
December 14th, 2011 at 1:43 PM ^
this is funny if only for your handle.
December 14th, 2011 at 1:13 PM ^
Will the last guy remaining in the Pitt weight room please turn in the CARA forms?
Thanks.