The former head coach at Washington is back on familiar grounds.

It is true that every time I post something about Steve Sarkisian on this site, traffic doubles. Commenters come out of the woodwork to insert their opinion that either a) Coach Sark saved the Washington program from the abyss or b) did nothing more than establish a culture of mediocrity with players who were far more talented than ever accomplished.

I promise that the point of this article isn’t to provide click-bait for the mother ship to rejoice over. There is a point to cover, though it might take me a while to get there.

It cannot be debated that Sark owns a significant part in the fabric of this program. Now that he has been officially announced as the new offensive coordinator at Alabama, this is as good a time as ever to reflect upon the life and times of our former coach.

From a football perspective, this announcement is about as surprising as poop in baby diapers. The departure of Lane Kiffin to the football purgatory that is Florida Atlantic left an opening on the Alabama staff. Nick Saban, who more resembles a feudalistic, medieval monarch more so than just about any other living, breathing American, filled that opening by hiring what the typical ‘Bama fan sees as Kif 2.0.

In reality, this is a much more shrewd move. Sark has many of the same attributes that Kiffin possesses. He’ll be a sharp recruiter for a head coach that doesn’t like to dirty his hands with that sausage-making. He’ll be a relatable coach who knows how to relate to millennial players in a way that old-school Saban will not. He’ll also be an innovative play-caller who will recognize the talents of his personnel and leverage those in his system.

But he is different than Kiffin in many respects. The most obvious is that he has rock-bottomed to a level that Kiffin has yet to go. The conditions surrounding his dismissal from USC – in particular the multiple incidents of public intoxicaction and the pursuant reports of very questionable behaviors involving women, booze and expense account abuse during his time at UW – were devastating to both his personal life and his professional aspirations. He was not hireable at any level and he lost his friends, his professional network and his family. Only a Nick Saban (or maybe a Bill Belichick?) has the gravitas required to reclaim a man like that and, by all accounts, Sark has started putting the pieces back together. I’d argue that he is a more serious and humbled coach at this stage of his life than is Lane Kiffin.

On the field, Sark is both a better tactician and a more versatile offensive coach. Husky fans have seen evidence of this in many forms. In his first game against LSU in 2009, Sark surprised everybody by putting up nearly 500 yards of offense on the #11 LSU Tigers and their vaunted SEC defense. In 2011, Sark demonstrated his versatility by switching to an innovative brand of up-tempo, rhythm offense that was rooted in pro-style concepts. That offense broke Husky records in overall productivity (at least until this year). Sark’s recruiting prowess and charisma is also a factor. While at UW, he delivered some of the better offensive talent the program had ever seen such as Chris Polk, Bishop Sankey and John Ross.

Nick Saban took a trip to the local scrap heap and found himself a serious upgrade for his ‘Bama offense. That he did so just in time for his Peach Bowl matchup with the team that Sark himself picked up from that same scrap heap is a development dripping with football irony.

Whether or not he is calling the plays, Sark will help Alabama. He’s a good offensive coach who has the respect and attention of his players. He has also had the opportunity to prepare an offensive game plan against a Chris Petersen defense three times in his career – even managing to win one of those matchups (while taking a second as close to a win as you could get). That experience is like gold to Saban and the rest of the staff.

I don’t really know if Sark will ever again have the trust of a college president or NFL billionaire to get back into a head coach’s seat. I’m not sure that he even desires that at this stage of his life. But I do know that this once-broken man has found his way back. As an offensive coordinator, he is back on familiar ground with his footing underneath him. Protected by Saban, he will have room to grow and to demonstrate publicly his maturity. With the cache of ‘Bama, the conditions are ripe to succeed.

Welcome back, Sark.

My personal favorite moments of the calendar year

My 15th favorite Mississippi St. Bulldogs moment of 2016 is something of a personal one. The #AlwaysRunNeverPass hash tag that actually became a thing.

It started based off of a couple of tweets I posted during the Kentucky game. Here they are.

The following week, our managing editor Ethan had written an article and included the tweets and actually turned the phrase into a hashtag. I don’t think either of us really thought about trying to make into anything special, but then the Arkansas game rolled around.

Arkansas entered the game in Starkville with the worst yards per carry allowed in the country. We tweeted about it a little bit, and it started to make its presence on Twitter a little more and more. Then I heard Brian Hadad mention it on Bulldog Sports Radio. So I ran a piece and linked the Twitter search results for the #AlwaysRunNeverPass hashtag to try to give it a little momentum. Ethan took it a step further and put it in the title of a post. Next thing I know, this happened.

There were literally hundreds more I could have put on this post. It’s amazing how it took off.

So thanks to Ethan for taking a couple of tweets I posted during a game as a joke and trying to make it into a movement. And thanks to you guys for picking the ball up and running with it, no pun intended. Okay, maybe it was a little intended. It was really fun to watch unfold.

And how does U of A stack up against the rest of the conference?

With the departure of Donte Williams to Nebraska, the subject of how much Arizona Wildcats assistant football coaches has been kind of a hot topic recently.

Luckily for us, USA Today released their assistant coach salary database. Here’s a look at how much Arizona’s coaches make, and how they rank in the entire NCAA:

Williams obviously now makes more than what is listed here. He will now make $400,000 a season, which goes up to $425k/year in Feb. 2018.

When talking about Arizona’s ability to compete year in and year out, it kind of starts with how much money is available for assistant coaches, and if those coaches will actually get multi-year contracts moving forward.

So let’s compare how the $2,834,900 figure compares to the rest of the Pac-12 (USC and Stanford do not have to release these numbers, so they don’t):

Arizona is being outspent by just about everyone in the South except for this year’s division champion, Colorado.

In the individual coach ranks, Calvin Magee is the 7th-highest paid assistant in the conference. Marcel Yates is 11th. So Arizona is paying its coordinators about on par with the rest of the conference, but the other assistant positions are much lower (Vince Amey is among the worst-paid coaches in all of the Power Five conferences).

This also gives a pretty good idea of why Williams left Arizona after just one year for bigger and better things at Nebraska. There wasn’t a lot of future for him in Tucson, so he got an opportunity to move up in the coaching ranks by taking the exact same job he had at UA. He also has better job security thanks to a multi-year contract. If you’re criticizing him for that move, then you’re living in some sort of alternative reality.

If Arizona wants to seriously compete in the Pac-12 each and every year, a few things need to change, but near the top of the list is the structure of assistant coach contracts. Both the years need to be increased, as well as the yearly salary. Whoever the head coach is won’t be able to bring in the best of the best because they will be handcuffed by the amount of money available, and by the fact most of these coaches are on year-to-year deals.

One more accolade for Coach Franklin, and it probably won’t be the last.

Sporting News named Penn State’s James Franklin as their pick for Coach of the Year, adding to the growing list of accolades for the Nittany Lions head coach.

Franklin been named Big Ten Coach of the Year and David McClain Coach of the Year (as honored by Big Ten media). The last Penn State coach to earn Sporting News Coach of the Year honors was Joe Paterno in 2005, also the last time that Penn State won the Big Ten conference title.

Franklin is also a finalist for the 2016 Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year award as presented by the Football Writers Association of America.

In his third year, Franklin has guided the Lions to a nine game winning streak, an 11-2 record, the Big Ten East title (their second divisional title), their first Big Ten Conference championship since 2008, a College Football Playoff ranking of No. 5 (the highest ranking since 2009) and a spot in the January 2 Rose Bowl against USC.

Not too shabby.

Congratulations, Coach!

Virginia Tech’s top target, safety Devon Hunter, originally planned to announce his college intentions on Christmas Eve, but now has moved that announcement into the new year.

Devon Hunter, Virginia Tech’s top remaining target for the class of 2017, announced on Tuesday he was pushing his decision back into January. Originally, Hunter had planned on announcing his college intentions on Christmas Eve.

The 4-star safety from Indian River High School in Chesapeake, is a must-get for the Hokies in this recruiting cycle.

A talented two-way player in high school, Hunter will likely play defensive back at the next level. He has long been considered a Virginia Tech lean, but some of the nation’s top programs continue to push Hunter, including Alabama, Auburn and Florida. Florida, of course, has former VT defensive backs coach Torrian Gray in pursuit of Hunter.

The announcement likely has Virginia Tech fans in a state of panic. The recruiting misses of Josh Sweat, Derrick Nnadi and Da’Shawn Hand, just to name a few, in recent years have led Hokie faithful to expect the worst.

However, there are many reasons to be optimistic in the case of Hunter. All along, sources close to Hunter—and Hunter himself—have maintained the Hokies are the team to beat. Sure, that can change in an instant, but with the Hokies recent string of momentum it is OK for to feel good about Hunter. And, remember before the season began when the Hokies chose Hunter to unveil the special uniforms for the “Battle at Bristol?” That stuff means a lot to recruits.

So, Hokie fans, relax.

WSU will be in either northern or southern California

Good morning, and welcome to college football’s version of Christmas Day. By 9:15 (PST) this morning, the College Football Playoff committee will have announced its four participants (almost certainly Alabama, Ohio State, Clemson and Washington – probably in that order). Once that is complete, and once everyone commences yelling about how the dumb stupid morons on the CFP committee got it wrong because they’re all dumb and stupid, the rest of the bowls will announce their matchups.

It is then that we all expect the Holiday Bowl to extend an invitation to WSU, which will be happily accepted. The signs all point to the Cougs facing either Iowa or Minnesota. The guess here (and elsewhere) is that Iowa ends up in Tampa and the Golden Gophers head to San Diego. If WSU does indeed face Minnesota, it will do so 10 years after Mike Leach faced the Gophers in a bowl game. You might remember that as the greatest comeback in bowl history, as the Red Raiders rallied from a 38-7 deficit to force overtime, ultimately winning 44-41.

A rematch between Leach and the Gophers would probably be a fun one, as it would be a clash of styles. While the Cougs are well-known for the Air Raid, the Gophers had more rushing yards in 2016 than passing yards. They also don’t beat themselves, giving up 37 points off of turnovers while scoring 93 points off opponent turnovers.

Since I spent three paragraphs talking about the likelihood of a trip to San Diego to face Minnesota, the Cougs are all but guaranteed to either draw Iowa, or head to the Foster Farms Bowl. Either way, we get to find out pretty soon. And at least we know that WSU won’t be in El Paso the day after Christmas.

The CFP selection show begins at 9 a.m. PST on ESPN and lasts four hours, during which you will hear every lava-hot take from every ESPN analyst who ever lived. If that isn’t enough for you, flip on over to ESPNU at 1 p.m. for the Championship Drive Bowl Selection Show. Hopefully they’ll dedicate a minute or three to the Cougs. Merry College Football Christmas.

Football

Washington State likely headed to Holiday Bowl | The Spokesman-Review
Washington State will know its bowl destination by early Sunday afternoon, and all signs right now point to the Holiday Bowl on Dec. 27 in San Diego.

Pac-12 Final Regular Season Rankings, Bowl Projections, Scores | College Football News

Welcome to the Pac-12 rankings, bowl projections and scores in the final week of the college football season.

Bowl watch: Still plenty of options for Holiday, Poinsettia bowls – The San Diego Union-Tribune

The Cougars, who haven’t been to the Holiday since a 2003 win over Texas, are expected to bring plenty of fans after a resurgent season. Stanford has turned its season around with five straight wins, has never played in a bowl game here and has one of the country’s most exciting players in Christian McCaffrey.

Basketball

WSU’s bad basketball team played a bad basketball team from New Orleans Saturday. Once all the bad basketball was over, the Cougars were once again on the wrong side of the scoreboard.

New Orleans downs cold-shooting Washington State | The Spokesman-Review
For the second time in a week, the Washington State men’s basketball team competed on its own floor and played a lackluster game that resulted in a loss against an inspired opponent.

Beer

Best beer I had this week: I was all set to come in here and tell everyone that Dogfish Head Pennsylvania Tuxedo Imperial Pale Ale was easily the best of a lot of good beer I had. It is tremendous. Then I tasted another beer I bought at the same time, and a new winner emerged. Genesee Salted Caramel Chocolate Porter is one of the best beers I’ve had this year.

Non-Sports

Lee Harvey Oswald’s little green book shows JFK wasn’t the real target – LA Times
James Reston Jr. offers an address book belonging to Lee Harvey Oswald as additional evidence indicating that President Kennedy wasn’t the target of the Dallas assassination.

The only question is the timing.

Unsurprisingly, Alabama backup QB Cooper Bateman has decided to become a graduate transfer and has already been granted his release, per Matt Zenitz of Al.com.

Complicating matters is Alabama’s inevitable bid to the College Football Playoff. If Bateman’s new chosen team wants him to participate in their bowl practice to better prepare for next season, he may leave immediately. At that point David Cornwell would be the only scholarship QB on the roster other than starter Jalen Hurts.

The Tide would also need to find a new holder to replace Bateman on field goals and extra points.

Stay Tuned.

It will be a drama-free Sunday for Wolverines across the nation.

College Football’s regular season is over and now all eyes are on the playoff committee and the subsequent bowls that churn out on Sunday afternoon.

Michigan needed help with Washington and/or Clemson losing to throw them back into the mix. That did not happen and now their postseason destination has become extremely clear.

Every major outlet currently has the Wolverines heading to the Orange Bowl to take on Florida State, though some still have Louisville in the mix for that Dec. 30 game. Ohio State is likely locked in to a playoff spot and Big Ten Champion Penn State (very weird to type that, truthfully) is Rose Bowl bound. Wisconsin appears headed for the Cotton Bowl against the Western Michigan Broncos.

We will see what Sunday brings, but expect the Wolverines to be announced as an Orange Bowl team when the assignments drop.

The playoff will be set at 12:30 p.m. ET and the New Year’s Six bowl pairings will be out at 2:30 pm. ET.

Early-morning musings after a disappointing collapse in Indianapolis.

Play of the Game

Wisconsin was up 28-7 in the second quarter when Penn State started to drive down the field. With 58 seconds left in the first half, sophomore quarterback Trace McSorley threw a pass to junior wide receiver Saeed Blacknall. Junior cornerback Lubern Figaro misplayed his angle and allowed the junior wide receiver to run 40 yards for a touchdown and gave the Nittany Lions some momentum heading into halftime.

That would lead to a string of five consecutive scoring drives, and Wisconsin—albeit for one field-goal drive in the second half—could not answer. Even if there’s a stop there for a first down, there could have been opportunities for Wisconsin’s defense to regroup and make a stop against what would become a surging Penn State offense.

This play did not lose the game for Wisconsin, but rather, started the pendulum swinging permanently toward Penn State in an uncharacteristically sloppy game on the defensive side of the ball.

Honorable mention: Bart Houston’s incompletion to Troy Fumagalli late in the third quarter due to Penn State’s pressure.

Game balls

1. Trace McSorley. Not much else really needs to be said here. The sophomore quarterback went 22-of-31 for 384 yards and four touchdowns with zero interceptions. He allowed his receivers to make plays throughout the game, and Wisconsin’s secondary did not have any answers for an explosive Penn State offense in the second half. McSorley and the Nittany Lions’ passing attack, which survived pressure and failed fourth-down attempts in the second quarter, decimated the Badgers.
2. Corey Clement. The senior running back had two fumbles on the evening that could have spelled disaster for Wisconsin’s offensive momentum, but he also had his best game of the season, rushing for 164 yards on 21 carries (7.8 yards per carry) and his 67-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. Behind an offensive line and multiple-tight end sets, Clement looked truer to his 2014 form than any other game this season. If injuries to Clement and the offensive line didn’t happen earlier in the year, it would have been intriguing to see what else he could have accomplished in the stats column (guessing higher yards per carry).

What to watch for

1. The bowl matchup. A lot of chatter about facing Western Michigan in the Cotton Bowl. If that’s the case, that’s a New Year’s Six Bowl. It could be against P.J. Fleck and his Broncos, and the Badgers will have to row their own boat against a raging current of kinetic energy who may (or may not) be with his MAC program next year. It’s also essentially a trap game where it could be a lose-lose proposition. If they do make it there, and with the projections many had for this UW squad heading into the 2016 season, it’d be a worthy destination. Where they go will be worth watching on Sunday. Stay tuned to B5Q for all breaking news.
2. Other bowls. Pretty sure the top four are set with Alabama, Ohio State, Clemson and Washington for the College Football Playoff, but where Penn State and Michigan end up will worth noting (will the Nittany Lions upend the Buckeyes or Huskies somehow?), along with the other bowl matchups.
3. Perspective. Wisconsin (both players and fans) should feel disappointed they were 15 minutes from a Big Ten championship and a potential College Football Playoff or Rose Bowl berth (entering the fourth quarter with a 31-28 lead). The Wisconsin State Journal’s Tom Oates admitted the collapse was the “biggest surprise in a surprising season.” Hearing post-game audio from players, this loss will sting and it will last with them for a bit, but as cornerback Sojourn Shelton noted, they’ll lick their wounds and bounce back for the next game. This team exceeded almost everyone’s expectations for 2016 with talk of an 8-4 or 9-3 season being the most optimistic of predictions with their “daunting” schedule. Now UW has a chance for its fourth 11-win season since 2010. There will be the talk of “what might have been” for sure, and it absolutely should be discussed after losing three games to top-seven teams Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State by a combined total of 21 points. Yet Paul Chryst has a solid coaching staff and only 13 seniors departing for a team full of experienced players returning next year. Fans should excited for next year, and also a possible Jan. 2 bowl that no one thought Wisconsin would get to.
4. More possible Walk-On This Way book signings. They won’t end (in a good way, promise!). Coming up in the next week or two before Christmas, hoping to have one with some more former walk-ons joining us (*wide-eyed eyes emoji*). We had a great turnout last Thursday at Mayfair Mall in Milwaukee with former punter Drew Meyer. Thank you to those who came out.