No one's immune

Even decorated coaches such as Bowden, Carr coming under fire

Lloyd Carr's Wolverines struggled on offense vs. Notre Dame. Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

Think coach-bashing is reserved solely for the John Buntings and Paul Pasqualonis of the world? No, sir. Following their teams' disappointing showings last week, even those with national title rings and/or the all-time wins record aren't immune to the critics.

I am a longtime fan of Bobby Bowden, but I feel it may be time for him to step down. His son Jeff is a terrible play-caller on offense, and he seemingly won't sit Chris Rix on the bench. What do you think should be done?
--Clay Long, Sarasota, Fla.

It pains me to ask this, because I like the man, but is it time to drum up the Fire Lloyd Carr bandwagon at Michigan? I know it was only one loss, but we've lost the road opener five years running. Add this to the ultra-conservative play-calling, and I don't think the Wolverines can be a true elite team with Carr at the helm. Just look at how handily USC spanked us in the Rose Bowl, or the loss to Tennessee a couple of years ago.
--Patrick Elkins, Houston

Keep in mind that each of these e-mails was just one of several along the same lines about either Florida State or Michigan.

Let's start with Bowden. On one hand, it's fairly absurd to suggest a coach of a program that's still winning 10 games and going to BCS bowls regularly should step down, but he is guilty of one thing: too much loyalty, both to his son and Rix. It's no coincidence that the onset of FSU's offensive woes coincided with the changeover from coordinator Mark Richt and quarterback Chris Weinke to Jeff Bowden and Rix. I never thought I'd see the day where FSU would fear anybody, but it's become clear of late that the Bowdens are either scared to death of Miami's defense or scared to death of what Rix might do against it. It's similar to the way Texas seems to crawl up in a ball when it faces Oklahoma.

The 'Noles have as much pure talent on offense as any team in the country, save perhaps USC, yet in the past three Miami games, they have produced a combined five touchdowns and 11 turnovers. Make no mistake, the 'Canes have one of the best defenses in the country, but that's still inexcusable.

As for Carr, this isn't the first time we've heard the "conservative play-calling" complaint, to which I have just one thing to say: You can't teach an old dog new tricks. That's just who Carr is, and guess who he learned it from: the revered Bo Schembechler. It's been the Michigan way for more than a quarter of a century and it's not going to change anytime soon, not when Carr has two Rose Bowl rings and a national title as proof that it works.

That said, you're right that the Wolverines have yet to return to that elite level, but I'd point to another area: recruiting. Carr has trotted out four different players at tailback this season, and not one seems to have what it takes to be a game-breaker. Through two games (one of them against a Miami of Ohio team that gave up 238 yards to Cincinnati's Richard Hall last week), the Wolverines have rushed for 171 yards on 70 carries. How on earth does Michigan, of all teams, not have an elite running back waiting in the wings?

Carr's explanation: "If you remember, when Chris Perry was a sophomore, he could not find the hole. ... It just doesn't happen overnight." Baloney. Running back, more than any other position, is about natural ability. Look around the country: Georgia freshman Danny Ware is having no problem finding the hole. Oklahoma's Adrian Peterson is having no problem finding the hole. These are the kind of players elite programs recruit -- and there's not much play-calling can do when you don't have one.

Of the three Big 12 North implosions last week (Kansas State, Missouri and Nebraska), am I crazy for thinking my Huskers are the most likely of the three to fully recover? It seems they really beat themselves with turnovers, whereas KSU was manhandled and Missouri was just flat outplayed.
--Nate Pahl, Olathe, Kan.

MAILBAG MAILBAG Stewart Mandel will answer questions from SI.com readers each week in his mailbag. Your name: Your e-mail address: Your home town: Enter your question:

I think Kansas State is the least likely of the three to fully recover. I think the jury's still out on Missouri. But surprisingly, the most promising of the three does seem to be Nebraska. I was one who thought the Huskers' offense would struggle mightily in making the transition to the West Coast offense. Quite the contrary, Nebraska has had no problem moving the ball, rolling up 476 yards against Southern Miss. The running game, behind Cory Ross, has been particularly strong. The problem, like you said, is turnovers -- particularly Joe Dailey's interceptions. The sophomore QB has been given a fairly overwhelming amount of responsibility -- he threw a school-record 42 times against the Golden Eagles -- and it was somewhat inevitable that would force things and make mistakes. If he can cut down on those mistakes, Nebraska will be all right. If it's a matter, however, of Dailey being ill-equipped to run this offense, it could be a long year for the Huskers.

How can Florida State be ranked eighth in the Sept. 12 AP poll when it hasn't won a game? The majority of the top 25 teams are 2-0!
--Gregg Schultheiss, Tampa, Fla.

Well, let's see. Miami is still in the top five, and FSU led the 'Canes for 59 minutes and took it to overtime. I suppose you could punish the 'Noles for playing possibly their toughest game of the season in the first week and drop them into the realm of the also-rans ... or, you could exercise a little common sense.

My husband keeps yelling at me for watching "too much" football on Saturdays. Which makes me wonder ... how many games do you watch in a week? And how do you decide which ones to watch?
--Lisa, Oklahoma City

First of all, your husband needs to have his testosterone levels checked. On most weekends I'm covering a game, so that means catching whatever snippets I can on TV before and after, while also programming the TiVo back home. However, the first weekend (Sept. 4), I spent about 12 hours on the couch at the apartment of SI.com college sports producer Luke Winn, armed with two TVs and ESPN GamePlan. I'd say we caught at least part of about 15 different games. The key is to be constantly active on the remote. Never stay in one place too long, unless that game is at a critical juncture. You have to have a sixth sense of being able to keep track of the current situation in every game on at that hour. If you do, you easily can watch three or four games at once, never lingering too long on a game where the teams are exchanging punts and rarely missing a big play somewhere else.

If your husband truly objects to this, I would recommend either leaving him at home and hitting a sports bar or finding yourself a new man. In fact, you'd probably have the pick of the litter among readers of this column.

Every year we hear about how the Pac-10 gets no respect, but you don't hear from their fans in years like this, when six of the Pac-10 teams already have a loss. When will the media stop carrying water for the Pac-10 and start demanding that they improve?
--Arnold Brice, Tulsa, Okla.

Admittedly, this isn't shaping up to be one of the Pac-10's better offerings, at least beyond USC and Cal. But you also have to give them credit for actually going out and scheduling non-conference opponents that aren't gimmes, unlike most major conferences. By next weekend, Pac-10 teams will have faced Oklahoma, LSU, Oklahoma State, Virginia Tech, Wisconsin, Iowa, Utah, Colorado and Fresno State. By comparison, the SEC will have faced Texas, Oregon State ... and, umm, Utah State, Western Carolina, Louisiana-Monroe, Eastern Michigan, Georgia Southern, Arkansas State, Tulane and Maine.

You called the Notre Dame upset! Nice. I'm sure plenty of readers point out your mistakes. But how many send you congrats?
--Beto, Toronto

You're right, the complaints far outnumber the compliments, but that's OK. I can take it. In fact, allow me to share with you a more typical reader e-mail (from last Saturday morning):

Hey FatBoy, how's your Big Mac today? Michigan will dominate ND today, and you will be wrong yet again. Nice call by the way on the Boise State game ... you really know your stuff. Perhaps wiping the special sauce off of your chin and actually studying your job would be beneficial for you.
--Kenny Flynn, Ft. Myers, Fla.

Full context: Kenny is a regular fan who writes in every couple of weeks, always about Michigan, and always making some joke about my weight. Sorry to burst your bubble, Kenny, but not only did the Wolverines not dominate the Irish, but I only weigh 170 pounds. Not entirely svelte, but not exactly Pillsbury Doughboy, either. And besides -- it's Wendy's over McDonald's any day of the week.

Finally, thanks to all of you who wrote in with advice for my Miami-to-South Bend trip last weekend. Thanks to one reader's particularly helpful back route, I made it to the stadium Saturday with 90 minutes to spare. This week, it's off to LSU-Auburn. Enjoy the games, everyone, and to my fellow members of the Tribe, L' Shana Tova.

Stewart Mandel covers college sports for SI.com.