Posted by: Chris Vannini on May 21, 2013

Craig Thompson has been waiting for this for a long time.

The Mountain West's only commissioner in its history has been arguing for a college football playoff for some time. Now one is on its way for the 2014 season.

Thompson joined SiriusXM College Sports Nation to talk about the playoff. Since he'd fought for it for so long, he wasn't going to throw out the clichés other leaders have. And he gave some hints about its possible future.

"I like it for several reasons," Thompson said. "I've been espousing a playoff the 14 year history of the Mountain West. I testified in Congress. I think it's a great step forward. I'm probably in the minority in that I don't think we're going to stay at four for the next 12 years. I know that's what the contracts say and everybody's following that script these days. We'll see. Who knows where we'll be down the road.

"But I like it for several reasons. One, America has an insatiable appetite for a playoff, for this team versus that team. Maybe they aren't the right teams all the time, or maybe the (NFC) West snuck into the playoffs at 8-8, but if they win a couple games and get hot, they can go to the Super Bowl. That's what we're accustomed to in every sport, except college football. Going back in the history of the Mountain West, maybe one of those TCU teams, maybe one of the Utah teams could have gone into a four-team playoff instead of just playing in a BCS bowl.

"But I like the opportunity for the student-athletes. I understand the pitfalls of expanding and playing 15, 16 games and the wear and tear on kids, but we would be able to figure that out. But I'm getting the cart ahead of the horse. We're at a four-team playoff. I think it's great for college football.

"I think it's good for the Mountain West because now, instead of a Boise State and TCU in the past at 12-0 having to sweat out meeting a top-12 or top-16 ranking, now you're down to a field of five. There are five conferences whose champions, one of which will be hosting a semifinal bowl and that's great for our leagues."

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Chris Vannini is the lead writer for CoachingSearch.com and has covered Michigan State sports for The State News, The Oakland Press and MLive.com. He writes a weekly column for the Detroit Free Press on behalf of SB Nation. Vannini lives in Big Ten country, so his foot speed is far from SEC caliber, but his pulse on coaches is hard to match. Be sure to follow @CoachingBuzz on twitter and send your feedback to chris@coachingsearch.com

Posted by: Pete Roussel on Tuesday May 21, 2013

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The spring recruiting evaluation period ends on May 31.  Like every year, a handful of coaching jobs will open during the summer months.

We've seen coaches return from several weeks of recruiting to reevaluate their priorities, and then decide the life of a college coach is too much of a commitment away from the wife and kids.

Florida defensive tackles coach Bryant Young actually made the decision just before spring recruiting.

In the summer, we've seen coaches lose jobs over NCAA violations.  We've also seen coaches lose jobs over DUI's or other legal troubles.

Thus, we wanted to bring positive attention to a number of coaches that remain unemployed at the moment.  Perhaps a couple of these coaches will return to the college game sooner than later.

Some great coaches over the years have sat out a season. In recent years, Steve Caldwell, Art Kehoe, and Dave Wommack are examples of coaches that have sat out a year, only to return to great success.

Here's our late Spring 2013 all-unemployed team of coaches:

QUARTERBACKS COACH

Brandon Doman received criticism last season as the BYU offensive coordinator / quarterbacks coach. Brighter days are likely ahead for Doman.  Rip Scherer (60) coached the quarterbacks at Colorado the last two years under Jon Embree.  He spent the previous six years coaching in the NFL with the Browns and Panthers.  Dana Bible is approaching 60-years-old, but he has consistently done well as an offensive coordinator / quarterbacks coach. Don't forget about the job he did with Russell Wilson.  In addition, I wonder if former Penn State offensive coordinator / quarterbacks coach Jay Paterno will ever return to coaching. Former UCLA and San Francisco 49ers offensive coordiantor Mike Johnson is also on the market.

WIDE RECIEVERS COACH

Sideline towel waiving will be down this year in college football as former Auburn wide receivers coach Trooper Taylor will spend the fall watching his son play wide receiver for Auburn High School.  Former UMASS wide receivers coach Brian Crist, who developed Victor Cruz in college, plans to coach high school ball in Virginia.  Before joining the UMASS staff in 2007, Crist spent five seasons coaching the wide receivers at UL-Lafayette.

RUNNING BACKS COACH

Former USC offensive coordinator / running backs coach Kennedy Polamalu hasn't landed a college or NFL job since Lane Kiffin surprisingly dismissed Polamalu just before National Signing Day. Former Virginia assistant Mike Faragalli and former FAU running backs coach David Serna are still looking.

TIGHT ENDS COACH

Bernie Parmalee developed a number of high draft picks at the tight end position at Notre Dame.  He spent the last three seasons coach the tight ends with the Kansas City Chiefs.

OFFENSIVE LINE COACH

Long-time Arkansas offensive line coach Mike Markuson remains on the market since his early-season departure from Bret Bielema's staff at Wisconsin.  Former Arizona State offensive line coach Bob Connelly has yet to land another coaching job, as well. Former Western Illinois offensive line / run game coordinator Jason Eck has a proven track record, as well.

DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR

Don't forget about Tom Bradley, who hasn't returned to coaching since his departure from Penn State after the 2011 season. The list of coaches that have recently served as defensive coordinators includes former head coaches Al Groh, Mike Archer, and Tommy West.  Bill Young has been able to land anywhere since his departure at Oklahoma State.  The same can be said of former South Florida defensive coordinator Chris Cosh.

DEFENSIVE LINE COACH

One of the most surprising coaches still on the market is former Buffalo Bills assistant Giff Smith.  Before joining Chan Gailey's staff in Buffalo, Smith received a lot of recognition for his recruiting abilities at Georgia Tech and Tulane.

LINEBACKERS COACH

Tommy West didn't have much success as a defensive coordinator over the last couple of years at UAB and Southern Miss, but West is capable of developing players.  He did lead the Clemson and Memphis programs to some successful years as a head coach. If a linebacker's job in the SEC or ACC opened up, West could be a logical fit.  Giff Smith (mentioned above) also makes sense.  Former Western Kentucky linebackers coach Karl Maslowski hasn't landed anywhere just yet.

DEFENSIVE BACKS COACH

Former Cal and Colorado defensive backs coach Ashley Ambrose is on the market.  Don't forget about former Arkansas defensive coordinator / defensive backs coach Willy Robinson, who hasn't coached since his departure from Arkansas after the 2011 season. Former Washington State defensive grad assistant Abe Elimimian finished his tenure as a GA in December.

SPECIAL TEAMS COORDINATOR

Former Tennessee special teams coordinator Charlie Coiner is on the market.

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Pete Roussel is a valuable resource for coaches, athletic directors, NFL front-office personnel, and college football enthusiasts. A former college football coach, Roussel shares insight on coaches 365 days a year and is recognized as the most trusted expert on coaching transactions. Follow @CoachingSearch on twitter and send your feedback to pete@coachingsearch.com

Posted by: Chris Vannini on May 21, 2013

Hugh Freeze made a lot of strides in year one at Ole Miss, winning seven games and then bringing in one of the best recruiting classes in the country.

But he has already started to temper expectation from fans a bit. One of those reasons is the schedule.

Four of the Rebels' first five games are on the road, with trips to Vandy, Texas, Alabama and Auburn. That stretch is followed by home games against Texas A&M and LSU. Freeze joined College Football Live and explained that the team could be better, even if the results aren't.

"I wasn't real crazy about the schedule when it came out and I saw it," Freeze said. "But it is the hand we're dealt. We certainly aren't going to sit around and whine about it or complain about it, but we can easily be a better team and it not be reflected in the record."

Ole Miss doesn't have a roster stacked with NFL players at every position like Alabama, but he explained there's one way they can try to be more efficient than the Crimson Tide with what they do have.

"We have a motto I've carried most every place we've been. We talk about just winning today. The only thing we have that's equal with Alabama and some others is time. What we do with our time leading up to our season-opener or whichever game we play, we are controlling that. We can control what we do."

Freeze was also asked about the situation Mike Gundy is facing. Oklahoma State quarterback Wes Lunt is going to transfer, but Gundy is putting some restrictions on where he can go. On College Football Live, Andre Ware unloaded on Gundy. Freeze was asked about similar situations.

"First, I would say that every situation is different," Freeze said. "You take everything on a case-by-case basis. I think I would lean toward trying to help the young man as much as possible as long as I didn't feel I was putting the other kids under my charge at a disadvantage in any way."

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Chris Vannini is the lead writer for CoachingSearch.com and has covered Michigan State sports for The State News, The Oakland Press and MLive.com. He writes a weekly column for the Detroit Free Press on behalf of SB Nation. Vannini lives in Big Ten country, so his foot speed is far from SEC caliber, but his pulse on coaches is hard to match. Be sure to follow @CoachingBuzz on twitter and send your feedback to chris@coachingsearch.com