{"id":213160,"date":"2025-07-17T03:04:16","date_gmt":"2025-07-17T03:04:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/213160\/"},"modified":"2025-07-17T03:04:16","modified_gmt":"2025-07-17T03:04:16","slug":"mandels-mailbag-nick-sabans-future-penn-state-pressure-top-non-sec-big-ten-games","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/213160\/","title":{"rendered":"Mandel\u2019s Mailbag: Nick Saban\u2019s future, Penn State pressure, top non-SEC\/Big Ten games"},"content":{"rendered":"

The dirty little secret of SEC media days is that for all the hoopla, for all the $10 million coaches and future No. 1 draft picks, the event is actually quite boring. We\u2019re talking four straight days, 16 schools, which means about 298 variations of \u201cI\u2019m really excited about my ballclub.\u201d<\/p>\n

So, a sincere thank you to Greg McElroy for creating a juicy storyline out of thin air.<\/p>\n

Note: Submitted questions have been edited for clarity and length.<\/p>\n

If he does return to coaching, could you see Nick Saban going to USC if the Trojans underwhelm again under Lincoln Riley?
\u2014 Don D.<\/p>\n

I could shut down the question right here and remind everyone that Nick Saban will be 74 come this next coaching carousel, likes being on TV and has made it emphatically clear how much he detests name, image and likeness and the transfer portal.<\/p>\n

But what fun would that be?<\/p>\n

As I\u2019ve written previously, USC is not going to pay a Jimbo Fisher-sized buyout (possibly bigger) even if Riley goes 3-9 this year. So the job only opens if Riley leaves on his own accord, which is certainly plausible.<\/p>\n

Knowing Saban\u2019s criteria when he picked LSU and Alabama, he\u2019s going to be looking for the following: 1. A place where you can win big, 2. A location where you can dominate recruiting. 3. A school with passionate fans. USC definitely checks off the first two. The third is debatable. If you win like Pete Carroll, they\u2019ll fill the Coliseum. If you go 7-5 your first year, you\u2019ll be playing in front of 40,000 empty seats.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m guessing he would much prefer either to remain in the South or perhaps return to his Ohio\/Michigan roots. (West Virginia has a coach.)<\/p>\n

What jobs could feasibly open that fit those bills? Florida State, for one. That\u2019s also a hefty buyout situation, but FSU donors would be more likely to write those checks than USC\u2019s. Certainly, Florida as well if the fans turn back in the other direction on Billy Napier.<\/p>\n

But here\u2019s one I find more intriguing \u2014 perhaps even realistic? \u2014 than all of them: Oklahoma.<\/p>\n

You can win BIG at Oklahoma. You have zero recruiting competition in your own state. Yes, you have to go into Texas and compete with those guys, but he had to go into Florida\u2019s and Georgia\u2019s backyards all the time at Alabama. Oklahoma has sold out 159 consecutive home games (excluding 2020).<\/p>\n

Most notably: The program\u2019s new general manager, who is considered parallel to the head coach on the organization chart, is former Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy, a longtime NFL scout who I\u2019d imagine spent a lot of time in Tuscaloosa over the years, given all of Saban\u2019s annual prospects. Not to mention, he spent seven years working for a mutual acquaintance of theirs: Bill Belichick.<\/p>\n

To be clear, I am by no means predicting this to happen. In fact, Brent Venables will have a big turnaround year with quarterback John Mateer and remain standing in 2026. But he\u2019s on the hot seat for now, so it\u2019s worth considering.<\/p>\n

One job I\u2019m confident Saban will not consider: Auburn. But it would be hilarious to see fans who hated his guts for 17 years suddenly go to the mat for the guy.<\/p>\n

With the staff and NIL fund for returning players at Penn State, did James Franklin sign his own death warrant if they do not beat Ohio State and\/or make it to the national championship game? Penn State paid a lot to keep Drew Allar, Nick Singleton, Kaytron Allen, Dani Dennis-Sutton and many others. He has the highest-paid coordinator duo in the country with Jim Knowles ($3.1 million) and Andy Kotelnicki ($1.7 million). Is Franklin feeling the outside pressure? \u2014 Anthony C.<\/p>\n

Franklin strikes me as someone who is always feeling the pressure, whether real or imagined. This is a guy who is known for getting defensive over criticism, has had multiple confrontations with hecklers in the stands \u2014 including one at a spring game, and, after last year\u2019s Fiesta Bowl win over Boise State, said, \u201cSometimes it feels like all the media and people on blogs \u2014 I feel like I work for them sometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n

But in terms of actual job pressure? Not a chance. In what\u2019s becoming a recurring theme in this column, his buyout is nearly $50 million. Like Lincoln Riley and Brian Kelly (and, at one time, Mel Tucker), he was part of the Enormous Long-Term Contract Craze of 2021. We\u2019re only entering Year 4 of his 10-year contract.<\/p>\n

But also: He\u2019s coming off the program\u2019s best season in two decades and is 34-8 over the past three seasons. The man has earned some runway.<\/p>\n

Expectations are understandably sky-high for this season. I will be picking them to reach the national championship game. Say what you will about Allar, but he threw for 3,327 yards last year with only one reliable target (who was his tight end). Now he\u2019s got a true No. 1 receiver in Syracuse transfer Trebor Pena. Singleton and Allen should be this season\u2019s top running back tandem. And the defense was ranked in the top 10 nationally for four straight years \u2014 even before the arrival of renowned coordinator Knowles.<\/p>\n

Of course, every team in the country has at least one big question mark, and arguably Penn State\u2019s biggest is Franklin himself. You all know the history: 1-18 against top-five foes, 4-20 against the top 10. Those are atrocious numbers. Notre Dame\u2019s Marcus Freeman already has more top 10 wins in just three seasons as a head coach (five) than Franklin has in 11 seasons at Penn State.<\/p>\n

I\u2019d just caution people, though: A lot of great coaches couldn\u2019t win the Big One \u2014 right up until they did. Arguably, there was no bigger perceived choke artist in the country heading into last year\u2019s College Football Playoff than Ryan Day, and then he went and won the whole thing. To alleviate the pressure, Franklin needs to either end his eight-year losing streak to Ohio State, then go far in the CFP, or, if he loses to the Buckeyes again, have a postseason run like Freeman did, where he knocks off several respected opponents in a row (preferably from the SEC). Obviously, Day\u2019s run would be even better.<\/p>\n

If he does neither, then we\u2019ll be right back here next summer having the same conversation.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m a Penn State fan, but these are the other teams I want to watch this season and why:<\/p>\n

1. South Carolina \u2014 LaNorris Sellers
2. Texas \u2014 Arch Manning
3. Colorado \u2014 Deion\u2019s teams are always fun
4. Texas Tech \u2014 Love the Big 12
5. Ohio State \u2014 Jeremiah Smith<\/p>\n

Any other suggestions for fun teams to watch? \u2014 Al<\/p>\n

Sure, I\u2019ll give you five more. (In addition to Oklahoma, which I\u2019ve mentioned quite a bit lately.)<\/p>\n

1. Notre Dame: An offense once known primarily for its tight ends could legitimately be one of the most explosive in the country. You got a peek of that in the CFP with breakout performances from running back Jeremiyah Love and receiver Jaden Greathouse, and the Irish added Virginia\u2019s Malachi Fields.<\/p>\n

2. Utah: Former New Mexico QB Devon Dampier is going to be a heckuva lot of fun to watch. He ran for 207 yards against Wyoming last season, 193 in an upset of Washington State. Kyle Whittingham brought in New Mexico\u2019s offensive coordinator, too: former BYU quarterback Jason Beck.<\/p>\n

3. UCLA: We\u2019re all curious to see Nico Iamaleava, right? DeShaun Foster also has Cal big-play running back Javian Thomas. And they\u2019ll be playing for new offensive coordinator Tino Sunseri, who revitalized Indiana\u2019s offense last season.<\/p>\n

4. Navy: Quarterback Blake Horvath is the new Keenan Reynolds. He and the Midshipmen finished last season taking it to Army and knocking off Oklahoma in their bowl game. They could be 8-0 heading into South Bend.<\/p>\n

5. Iowa: Yes, Iowa! The Hawkeyes will be led by quarterback Mark Gronowski<\/a>, the former FCS player of the year, two-time national champion and 42-5 starter at South Dakota State. He\u2019s Iowa fans\u2019 reward for surviving the Spencer Petras and Deacon Hill eras.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Nico Iamaleava transferred from Tennessee to UCLA this spring. (Saul Young \/ USA Today Network)<\/p>\n

Will the Aggies be 8-4 again? \u2014 Doug J.<\/p>\n

No, not likely. New Mexico State was 3-9 last year and really misses Jerry Kill.<\/p>\n

When people complain about some of the recent changes in college football, they are often told, \u201cBut the sport is more popular than ever, as measured by TV ratings, revenue, etc.\u201d Do you have a sense of what percentage of fans might feel like me: still as interested\/invested as ever while also feeling like many of the changes have made the sport worse? And is there a European Super League-style breaking point where the fans say \u201cno more\u201d? \u2014 Matthew W.<\/p>\n

Oh, you\u2019re definitely the norm. Maybe one of 80 percent? 90? I have a hard time believing even the most rabid, loyal, passionate college football fan wakes up in the morning and says, \u201cMan, do you know what I just love? Eighteen-team conferences, an unnecessarily complicated Playoff format and every player on every team being an annual free agent.\u201d<\/p>\n

As for the Super League analogy \u2014 the way European soccer fans responded to that short-lived creation was pretty much the exact inverse of the way college football fans handle realignment. In that case, fans of the elite clubs organizing the money-grab breakaway actually sided with fans of the clubs that would be left behind. So basically, nobody wanted it. Now contrast that with the recent realignment wave. Not a lot of tears shed by Oklahoma for Oklahoma State, Oregon for Oregon State, etc. Eat or be eaten.<\/p>\n

As I\u2019ve said before, I wouldn\u2019t blame fans of left-behind teams outside of the Big Ten and SEC were they to throw in the towel on this sport and say, enough. But the reason those ratings, revenue, etc., remain so high is that Ohio State\/Michigan\/Alabama\/Georgia fans aren\u2019t reducing their consumption of college football in the slightest. Which, if both trends continue to hold true, could actually move the sport closer, not farther, from its own Super League model.<\/p>\n

Who are your most disappointing coaching hires based on the success you believed, and predicted, the coach would have, and the actual results?\u00a0\u2014 Brad, Wayne<\/p>\n

Brad actually asked for my top 10 in each category, but in the interest of brevity \u2026<\/p>\n

Most disappointing:<\/p>\n

\u2022 Scott Frost at Nebraska: 16-31 at his alma mater after taking UCF to a 13-0 season. But at least we now know it was solely because Nebraska was a \u201cbad job.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2022 Rich Rodriguez at Michigan: 15-22, including a 3-9 debut season, after going 60-26 with four Big East titles at West Virginia. This was the textbook definition of \u201cbad fit.\u201d)<\/p>\n

\u2022 Lincoln Riley at USC: This one could prove premature, but 26-14 to this point is far below what any of us expected when it landed Oklahoma\u2019s 55-10, four-time Big 12 champ.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Chip Kelly at UCLA: I wasn\u2019t expecting Oregon redux, but certainly a much bigger splash than 35-34, including 26-26 in the Pac-12, the same league he dominated in Eugene.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Mike Price at Alabama: The guy took Washington State to two Rose Bowls. How was I to know he wouldn\u2019t even make it to his first preseason camp.<\/p>\n

Honorable mention: Bret Bielema at Arkansas and Tom Herman at Texas.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Scott Frost returns to UCF after compiling a 16-31 record at Nebraska. (Raymond Carlin III \/ Imagn Images)<\/p>\n

A few weeks ago, you answered a question<\/a> about trying to attend the best game every week this season while only going to each stadium once. That was, let\u2019s be honest, HEAVILY influenced by the Big Ten and SEC. What if you had to do the same thing this season, but not a single Big Ten or SEC team can be involved? Where would you go each week? \u2014 Ryan W.<\/p>\n

A lot of you didn\u2019t love that I didn\u2019t earnestly answer this question last week, and I take your feedback seriously. So, here we go \u2026<\/p>\n

Aug. 31: Notre Dame at Miami. It\u2019s hard to call this a rivalry, but it\u2019s a glamour matchup with some spice in its history. Not to mention the debuts of CJ Carr and Carson Beck.<\/p>\n

Sept. 6: UConn at Syracuse. I\u2019ve never covered either a UConn football game or a Syracuse home game. (Though I did cover an NCAA basketball regional at the then-Carrier Dome.) Let\u2019s check both off the bucket list.<\/p>\n

Sept. 13: Pitt at West Virginia. The most obvious choice on the whole list. It\u2019s Rich Rod\u2019s return to the Backyard Brawl for the first time since his stunning 13-9 loss in 2007. And amazingly, the game happens to fall on 9-13.<\/p>\n

Sept. 20: SMU at TCU. Arizona State-Baylor also tempted me, but this would be my first Battle for the Iron Skillet, in what is currently the last scheduled edition of the 104-year-old rivalry. Should be fun.<\/p>\n

Sept. 27: BYU at Colorado. At long last, a trip to Folsom Field. Deion. Ralphie\u2019s run. And a chance to see whether the Cougars can still contend without Jake Retzlaff.<\/p>\n

Oct. 4: Clemson at North Carolina. Dabo vs. Bill is so intriguing, it managed to make both lists.<\/p>\n

Oct. 11: Arizona State at Utah. I told you Dampier and the Utes are a team to watch this season. They\u2019re playing the reigning Big 12 champs. And Rice-Eccles is one of the most underrated atmospheres in the sport.<\/p>\n

Oct. 18: Utah at BYU. I love everything about the Holy War. The constant trolling. The dramatic finishes. Sometimes an AD even holds a press conference to go nuclear on the refs. (Note: I originally had USC at Notre Dame here. A reader had to remind me USC is in the Big Ten.)<\/p>\n

Oct. 25: Kansas State at Kansas. Oh, heck yeah. Never in a million years did I think I\u2019d have cause to attend a Sunflower Showdown, much less an Avery Johnson-Jalon Daniels showdown.<\/p>\n

Nov. 1: Fresno State at Boise State. You know I\u2019d make it to the Blue at some point, and it might as well be for one of the best rivalries in all of G5. (I\u2019m still not using G6 yet.)<\/p>\n

Nov. 6: Georgia Southern at Appalachian State. I want to check out a big Sun Belt game at some point, so why not the Deeper Than Hate rivalry? I might tack on a trip to Clemson-Florida State on Saturday if the Noles aren\u2019t 3-5.<\/p>\n

Nov. 15: Notre Dame-Pitt: Hopefully, you guys don\u2019t get on me for too much Notre Dame. These Irish games all fit the stated criteria. And they\u2019re very good.<\/p>\n

Nov. 18: UMass-Ohio. I didn\u2019t love any of the Saturday games, so this is my #MACtion week. And that being the case, I might as well go full-on Sickos Committee. Peden Stadium, here I come.<\/p>\n

Nov. 29: Notre Dame at Stanford. The Cardinal could be 2-9, that\u2019s fine, it\u2019s a home game for me. I can even watch Ohio State-Michigan from my couch before heading over because there will be zero traffic.<\/p>\n

Dec. 5: Conference USA championship game. Why not?<\/p>\n

Dec. 13: Army-Navy in Baltimore. Can\u2019t finish stronger than that.<\/p>\n

Having now completed this exercise, I want to profusely apologize for not doing it the first time. This itinerary would be a ridiculously fun way to spend the 2025 season. I\u2019ll watch the SEC\/Big Ten in these stadiums\u2019 tailgate lots.<\/p>\n

(Top photo: Nathan Ray Seebeck \/ Imagn Images)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The dirty little secret of SEC media days is that for all the hoopla, for all the $10…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":213161,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[9436,4715,4707,843,331,4706,7643,4709,4713,7,4716,5042,4728,4725,1286,4720,4719,4722,577,1868,3364,2972,2549,71,22805,4727,4712,49,48,4604,4714,4717,8243,69,1787,4723,2743,3861,4729,4726,4710,4431,3862,4724,5041,1078,4721,4711,22804,4708,4718,3863,3201,1300,2785],"class_list":{"0":"post-213160","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-ncaa-football","8":"tag-baylor-bears","9":"tag-boston-college-eagles","10":"tag-cincinnati-bearcats","11":"tag-clemson-tigers","12":"tag-college-football","13":"tag-connecticut-huskies","14":"tag-duke-blue-devils","15":"tag-east-carolina-pirates","16":"tag-florida-state-seminoles","17":"tag-football","18":"tag-georgia-tech-yellow-jackets","19":"tag-houston-cougars","20":"tag-illinois-fighting-illini","21":"tag-indiana-hoosiers","22":"tag-iowa-hawkeyes","23":"tag-iowa-state-cyclones","24":"tag-kansas-jayhawks","25":"tag-kansas-state-wildcats","26":"tag-louisville-cardinals","27":"tag-maryland-terrapins","28":"tag-memphis-tigers","29":"tag-miami-hurricanes","30":"tag-michigan-state-spartans","31":"tag-michigan-wolverines","32":"tag-middle-tennessee-blue-raider","33":"tag-minnesota-golden-gophers","34":"tag-navy-midshipmen","35":"tag-ncaa","36":"tag-ncaa-football","37":"tag-nebraska-cornhuskers","38":"tag-north-carolina-state-wolfpack","39":"tag-north-carolina-tar-heels","40":"tag-northwestern-wildcats","41":"tag-ohio-state-buckeyes","42":"tag-oklahoma-sooners","43":"tag-oklahoma-state-cowboys","44":"tag-penn-state-nittany-lions","45":"tag-pittsburgh-panthers","46":"tag-purdue-boilermakers","47":"tag-rutgers-scarlet-knights","48":"tag-smu-mustangs","49":"tag-south-florida-bulls","50":"tag-syracuse-orange","51":"tag-tcu-horned-frogs","52":"tag-temple-owls","53":"tag-texas-longhorns","54":"tag-texas-tech-red-raiders","55":"tag-tulane-green-wave","56":"tag-tulsa-golden-hurricane","57":"tag-ucf-knights","58":"tag-virginia-cavaliers","59":"tag-virginia-tech-hokies","60":"tag-wake-forest-demon-deacons","61":"tag-west-virginia-mountaineers","62":"tag-wisconsin-badgers"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":"Validation failed: Text character limit of 500 exceeded"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/213160","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=213160"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/213160\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/213161"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=213160"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=213160"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=213160"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}