Beyond Buckeye Lines – Hookin ‘Em a Rott
Mike Meals via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
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Besides getting into the heart of college football season, we are (unfortunately) also in the middle of election season. And in the name of fairness, I have to offer equal time to be compliant with federal election laws. Since we had a Texas A&M Aggie sit down last week, this week we are going Beyond Buckeye Lines with a Texas Longhorn. My guest this week is a man known to the Twitter world as
Rott.
Rott, who is a native of the Houston area, was raised in a family of football coaches before going off to Austin to attend Texas. Talking with him, you could hear the coaching coming out. He naturally breaks down the ways a team plays from a view even most football fans wouldn’t do. Now he spends his time outside of Austin, while living entirely in the Texas Football Bubble. (And if you have ever lived in Texas, you know what this means. Football is a way of life here, from youth through the NFL).
Being nearly the same as I am, it was interesting to hear the similarities between high school football in Ohio, in my mind, and hearing his descriptions of high school football here in Texas. We both were raised when you had to play other sports after football, no matter if you are spending time working on your jump shot, curveball, or track. A big change to both of us is how high schools here in Texas have full blown Spring Games, much like big time college football programs.
Longhorn Football Breakdown
As I mentioned in my opinion piece earlier this week, Texas lost a shootout to Cal last week, 50-43. When I asked Rott for his views on what happened with the game, he was quick to point out that he is a big supporter of Charlie Strong, but “that was a game where the coaches clearly did not have the players ready to play. I understand having a young, shorthanded defense…but this is the one game where I don’t think Charlie Strong had the team ready to play. There is no way in HELL that Cal should’ve beat Texas.” Rott is of the belief that Strong will be taking over control of the defense this year. I asked him for his thoughts on the reports and rumors that Vance Bedford will be fired due to this game. “I don’t think Charlie Strong will fire him officially this season, I just think he will take over the defense.” He did mention that, in his mind, Strong is loyal to a fault, so Bedford won’t be fired, but at the end of the year, Bedford will just take off and leave the program. Rott attributes this to the loyalty and friendship between the two.
It was interesting, during this time, to hear the coaching family talk coming out. Rott says he honestly thinks Charlie Strong is one of the best coaches in the country, one of the best defensive minds in the country, but it is going to take time to get his system and players playing to the level needed. There is a lot of support for the changes being made, noting that Strong “is laying bricks, not just putting patchworks on, to fix the program. And even if he were to get fired, he (Strong) has left the program better than it was when he took over.”
Expanding the Big 12
I asked Rott about the Big 12 expansion. He tells me that he feels that the Big 12 is dying, stating that he feels like when the contract is up, Texas will leave. In his mind, there are no teams worth bringing in. There are no programs that are big enough, money wise or other, to make sense for the conference to expand. When questioned about the potential impact recruiting would have after the expansion, and Rott tells me he’s not worried about UH coming to the Big 12. He told me he’s more worried about Herman going to LSU and the SEC, putting Herman (and his staff) in Louisiana and the SEC, and that’s enough to make someone P*ss down his leg. “That scares the hell out of me”. Although, he did mention if OU ever fires Bob Stoops and hires Tom Herman, it would be a nightmare for Texas fans (actually, there was a lot more colorful language here, but I have to keep this rated PG).
I thought it was interesting to hear this point of view. I know from what I have seen and heard, it feels like the football fans of the conference are generally against UH coming in, but Rott was the first one to point out that he’s not scared of the team. He is more against it due to the finical impacts as opposed to fearing the team or recruiting.
Big 12 Outlook
With Texas, he fully expects to drop a game or two, but there is nobody in the Big 12 he is scared of outside of TCU, saying “It’s a completely different conference from 2 years ago, Baylor isn’t the same Baylor they were then. The whole Art Briles thing is as close to the Death Penalty as you can get. They’re not buried yet, but they are in the casket. In 2 to 3 years, they will be the Baylor of the last 50 years. Texas Tech will score 70 but give up 90. Kansas is still Kansas. West Virginia is better than people give them credit for. You’ve seen what Oklahoma is. Kansas State will always be a solid team with Bill Snyder there. I’m a big fan of Bill Snyder…who has a very limited talent pool, but still manages to win 8-9 games. TCU is in a transition period, with a new quarterback and their defense having to recover from the loss of talent to the NFL.”
When asked for who wins the Big 12, his initial reaction was TCU, although he did point out that he could see Texas winning if a few things go their way. He also threw out a dark horse in Texas Tech, if they can ever manage to stop someone.
Ohio State and the B1G
When asked what his and Texas fan’s thoughts are on OSU and the B1G, Rott says “Not Much. I do, I like the B1G. I love the defense and power football. That’s what I look to the Big Ten for. I love Michigan State and their coach. I hate Harbaugh, he’s a whiny little (female dog). But you know what sucks though, is that he’s good. I don’t know if he don’t burn out, either at Michigan or just in his job.” He was quick to point out Harbaugh needs to take a chill pill and take it down a few notches.
Regarding Urban Meyer, he’s not a fan, personally. But he does respect the “living hell out of him as a coach. I think he’s about as crooked as he can be, but I love the way he coaches, and how is able to get more out of his players and his coaches. He’s a great CEO.” He also pointed out that Urban must be doing something right, as he wins everywhere he goes.
I did get a good laugh though, as Rott did follow this up with telling me that it wasn’t that Texas didn’t think much of the B1G out of disrespect to the conference. It’s more of a Texas thing, with all the high school, college, and pro teams here in Texas. He thinks it is more because people are so entangled with Texas football than they disrespecting other conferences. Rott did want me to point out that Mack Brown and Texas say “You’re welcome for your quarterback. Mack Brown says he regrets not recruiting him.”
I did ask if he would rather play Michigan or Ohio State, and he said Ohio State. When asked if he would rather play them in the regular season or the playoffs with a month to prepare, he said playoffs. Rott says he’s not scared. He wants to play the best, telling me “I want to go to the Big 10, I want to go the SEC. I want to play the best”.
Prediction Time
As said above, Rott thinks TCU or Texas wins the Big 12. When I asked him for his College Football Playoff teams, he leaned more to picking just the 4 best teams now, knowing it’s not likely, but his top 4 teams are Alabama, OSU, Michigan, and Michigan State. That would be an interesting round robin, in my mind, but we have seen the SEC play itself for a BCS title, so anything is possible.
As for end of the season awards, Rott thinks Christian McCaffrey will win this year’s Heisman, but you can put Texas Tech QB Patrick Mahomes as the sleeper pick. I asked about Lamar Jackson, and he tells me he can’t put his finger on why, but he doesn’t think Jackson will win.
Wrap Up
I personally have always had a warm spot in my heart for Texas fans. Even living here, for the most part, they are a great fan base. There are a lot of passionate and intelligent fans in the fanbase, and Rott was no exception. Even after the heartbreaking loss Ohio State suffered in the Fiesta Bowl I attended a few years ago, I have always enjoyed my interaction with them. Rott was no exception. He had a lot of really good thoughts and opinions, and was not afraid to say things that people might not agree with. He did leave me with one thing that I wanted to make sure I quoted him on also. When talking about Charlie Strong, Rott said “I’m proud to say he’s my coach, and not a lot of programs can say that”. As a Buckeye, I can appreciate that passion for his team and coaches.
Once again, I want to thank Rott for sitting down and giving me an hour of his time. Make sure you follow him on twitter also, and spread the love of college football we have in Ohio with our counterparts here in Texas.
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Beyond Buckeye Lines – Hookin ‘Em a Rott appeared first on
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