2010 Coaches Quick Hits

Friday June 11, 2010

Interesting quote from Tommy Tuberville: "It would immediately (do that). And again, I don't know whether it's going to happen, but it would immediately be the No. 1 and the toughest conference in the country - (reason) No. 1 being the 16 teams, and No. 2 being the quality of the teams. It'd be a dang slugfest every week. I just came from one of those. I know how they are.''

"I think the way they've got it set up, my understanding of the Pac-10 or Pac-16 is it would be pretty much a Big 12 scenario - just the addition of Arizona and Arizona State (in an eastern division). The travel there is excellent because of weather and the airports and being able to get in and get out for the fans.

"I think just looking at it as a football fan for teams in this league, that would be a much more attractive scenario than any other that I can think of.''

(on why SEC should not expand) "They just signed a huge contract for 15 years. If you start bringing other teams in, it's going to cost them another chunk of the pie, so to speak. I don't think the timing is right. Not at the moment. Not after they've got 12 teams and they're getting $20 million a year each. Not unless TV would go back and renegotiate.''

Quoting Lane Kiffin: "No we don't (change). We need to make sure our players are extremely disciplined on and off the field."

"Imagine if you also had the responsibility for every parent and every family member they have. It's a pretty difficult situation and it's one we're working on all the time to find better ways to do it."

"They're all coming. Regardless of what happens in that appeal, we know this: SC is more powerful than anything else. ... No matter what they try to do to us, it won't matter because I've talked to our players and our recruits and not one kid is wavering one single bit."

"The message out there is this: They didn't come to SC to go to a bowl game. They came to SC to get their education, to be part of the Trojan family and play for the most powerful and prestigious program in the history of college football. So if any of you guys are worried out there, don't worry. SC will always be on top."

If somebody wants to leave the best place in the country to play football, we won't stop 'em."

"We've had a contact with a number of our signees today, a number of the families, and have had great response from them."

In our mind, our fans and everyone involved in the USC program, that USC is an extremely powerful place. It's an extremely powerful university. It's an extremely powerful football program. USC has gone through a lot before. As we looked over the history of things that have happened before. If you go back to 1980, USC over a four-year span had a three-year postseason ban. After that, the next season, USC went on to win the Pac-10, went on to win the Rose Bowl, and in four of the next six years went to the Rose Bowl. So USC's been through a lot before. We will continue to play championship football. We will continue to recruit the best players in America to come here."

"I told the team, and I made sure they understood, that this is something happening to them that's adversity. Football, we talk about all the time, is about adversity, as is life. Our older players have played in a lot of bowl games. Our fifth-year seniors, a number of them have won a number of bowl games already, have played in three Rose Bowl championships. Don't worry about what they can't control. And in the meantime, we'll appeal this."

Quoting TCU head coach Gary Patterson (on stadium renovation): "When you've dated a girl for three years and you're getting ready to ask her to marry you, will she say I do? Will we get it completed? That's what the key is. It doesn't matter how far along we are, as long as it gets done."

"If we complete it, it'll be a great thing for TCU, it will be a great thing for Fort Worth and for all the community. It's going to tell a story not only about football, but about the history of Fort Worth."

"It's going to tell about the wildcatters, it's going to tell about the cattle drives, it's going to have something to do with all of Fort Worth. Those people, those visionaries, those founders that have helped us to get to that point [of building a modern facility]... Those are the people you want to talk about. Because not only have they helped build TCU, a lot of those families have helped build Fort Worth."

"It's another brick in the foundation. That strengthens your appeal to potential students. It appeals to more recruits, to more fan amenities, to the entire community of TCU. It's all part of the project, or the product if you will."

Quoting Steve Spurrier: "I think it's a little sad. I think we need a lot of conferences so a lot of teams have a chance to win conference championships. If it turns out there's only four big conferences, that's only four conference championships each year, plus the national (championship).

"That's the fun thing about being in about an 8- to 12-team conference, is you feel like you've got a chance to win the conference championship. That eliminates a lot of teams from that."

"It's sad that it's all about the money. I think that's what it's all about. But a lot of athletic departments are hurting. We've got a lot of sports that football and basketball support. So maybe that's the reason the presidents and ADs feel like they need to do the super-conferences to bring in more television money."