On high ground: Bohl brings FCS magic to FBS' toughest job

[J-Rod]

http://msn.foxsports.com/college-football/story/craig-bohl-fcs-north-dakota-state-plan-to-wyoming-051514" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

He says he knows his team won't instantly have the kind of success he was having at NDSU, but when asked how realistic it is to expect the Wyoming Cowboys to be a top 15 program in the next five years, Bohl wasn't hedging.

"It takes years and years to build the rep of a great academic institution," he said. "It takes four years to build a football program. So the proof's gonna be in the pudding. We've got a lot of work to do, but if you look at Year 3 to Year 4, there should be a significant improvement in our program."

Great article....

 

[PokeOLoco]

Definitely not the FBS toughest job. Definitely up there though. Difference between Bohl and DC: Confidence in your system and abilities versus arrogance.

 

[Wyo2dal]

Definitely not the FBS toughest job. Definitely up there though. Difference between Bohl and DC: Confidence in your system and abilities versus arrogance.

I would disagree I would say it is absolutely the toughest place fora coach to be successful.

 

[WYCowboy]

We have to be patient. That is tough to do since we have been asked to be patient for the last 15 years or so. I plan on being there for the Pokes climb to the top.

 

[J-Rod]

Bohl is a smart dude....he knows how to manage this situation. Not like freaking Norm Chow, who talked MWC championships the day he arrived and set that as a standard. He failed to do so (understatement of the year) and now everyone hates him at Manoa. Bohl set a realistic goal: keep an eye on year's 3 and 4. Then judge away....

 

[ProudWYOAlum]

Tougher jobs than Wyoming:
-San Jose State
-New Mexico State
-Idaho
-Indiana
-FIU
-FAU
-North Texas
-Texas State
-UTEP
-UAB
-Kansas
-Kentucky
-eastern Michigan
-Air Force
-Western Michigan
-Bowling Green
-Utah State
-Buffalo

 

[VisorHair]

Tougher jobs than Wyoming:
-San Jose State
-New Mexico State
-Idaho
-Indiana
-FIU
-FAU
-North Texas
-Texas State
-UTEP
-UAB
-Kansas
-Kentucky
-eastern Michigan
-Air Force
-Western Michigan
-Bowling Green
-Utah State
-Buffalo

Preach.

 

[J-Rod]

Tougher jobs than Wyoming:
-San Jose State - SJSU has been recruiting at a high level recently.
-New Mexico State - No argument.
-Idaho - No argument.
-Indiana - Power 5 school. Automatically easier than Wyoming.
-FIU - Recruiting is easier.
-FAU - Recruiting is easier.
-North Texas - Recruiting is easier.
-Texas State - Recruiting is easier.
-UTEP - Slight recruiting edge to the Miners.
-UAB - No argument.
-Kansas - P5
-Kentucky - Kentucky has been recruiting VERY well as of late. P5.
-eastern Michigan - No argument.
-Air Force - No argument.
-Western Michigan - No argument.
-Bowling Green - Easy to win there, but always a stepping stone school. Draw.
-Utah State - Recruiting is slightly easier.
-Buffalo - No argument.

Those are my revisions....

 

[fromolwyoming]

I'd argue the Texas and Florida schools (especially if they have a city name or direction in their name) since those states are so watered down as it is. Cali, highest population in the US, but a surprisingly low number of football schools (div 1) compared to the other two states.

 

[J-Rod]

My list of schools that are harder or just as hard to win at.....There were a good 10-15 others I was on the fence about.

Louisiana Tech
Middle Tennessee State
UAB
Army
Navy
Air Force
Idaho
New Mexico State
Akron
Buffalo
Eastern Michigan
Western Michigan
South Alabama

 

[ProudWYOAlum]

The reason I listed those P5 schools is because they have zero tradition or history of success. Kansas had two years of good football in their history. They also have to get beat down by their counterparts in those P5 conferences every single year.

FAU and FIU get talent buts it's the kids that couldn't get into the other Florida schools because of academics or legal issues. They rarely last there.

Utah State only got easier in the last 3-4 years. That place might have been the hardest gig in the country before Gary Andersen. They had zero fan support, were in the WAC, and played second fiddle to Utah and BYU.

My theory is this... If Utah State can win like they have, Wyoming can too. They have half the fan support and are the third tier in their state.

 

[J-Rod]

The reason I listed those P5 schools is because they have zero tradition or history of success. Kansas had two years of good football in their history. They also have to get beat down by their counterparts in those P5 conferences every single year.

FAU and FIU get talent buts it's the kids that couldn't get into the other Florida schools because of academics or legal issues. They rarely last there.

Utah State only got easier in the last 3-4 years. That place might have been the hardest gig in the country before Gary Andersen. They had zero fan support, were in the WAC, and played second fiddle to Utah and BYU.

My theory is this... If Utah State can win like they have, Wyoming can too. They have half the fan support and are the third tier in their state.

All good points. This is such a subjective topic too......what does easier to win really mean? Win total? Sustained success? Louisiana Tech won 11 games a few years back....but can't sustain it whatsoever. Success every blue moon type of deal. Utah State has done well finding the under recruited Utah kids the Utes and Cougars pass over. WITH THAT SAID......recruiting has tailed off for them since Gary Andersen left. A TON of starters graduated after 2013. Keeton will be done after 2014. The Aggies have had some success....but starting in 2015 we'll know if its legit success, or a brief era that will come to pass. You can only go to the diamond in the rough well so many times before you're just digging up horse shit.

 

[VisorHair]

The reason I listed those P5 schools is because they have zero tradition or history of success. Kansas had two years of good football in their history. They also have to get beat down by their counterparts in those P5 conferences every single year.

FAU and FIU get talent buts it's the kids that couldn't get into the other Florida schools because of academics or legal issues. They rarely last there.

Utah State only got easier in the last 3-4 years. That place might have been the hardest gig in the country before Gary Andersen. They had zero fan support, were in the WAC, and played second fiddle to Utah and BYU.

My theory is this... If Utah State can win like they have, Wyoming can too. They have half the fan support and are the third tier in their state.

Or BOISE. Glorified JuCo who happened to hire a coach who brought them BCS $

 

[VisorHair]

The reason I listed those P5 schools is because they have zero tradition or history of success. Kansas had two years of good football in their history. They also have to get beat down by their counterparts in those P5 conferences every single year.

FAU and FIU get talent buts it's the kids that couldn't get into the other Florida schools because of academics or legal issues. They rarely last there.

Utah State only got easier in the last 3-4 years. That place might have been the hardest gig in the country before Gary Andersen. They had zero fan support, were in the WAC, and played second fiddle to Utah and BYU.

My theory is this... If Utah State can win like they have, Wyoming can too. They have half the fan support and are the third tier in their state.

By the way.. Utah State is our oldest rival and leads the series pretty handily if I remember correctly. :thumbdown:

 

[laxwyo]

Texas is toughest job. Sure u get talent, but not winning NC's is unacceptable.

 

[Brew_Poke]

Definitely not the FBS toughest job. Definitely up there though. Difference between Bohl and DC: Confidence in your system and abilities versus arrogance.

I would disagree I would say it is absolutely the toughest place fora coach to be successful.

How could it be tougher than Moscow, Idaho? It's smaller in population than Laramie, and really, truly is isolated (not just conventional wisdom isolated like Laramie is; seriously, 2 hours from the biggest city between Chicago and the West Coast is made to sound like Siberia). Also, at least we have a stadium.

 

[McPeachy]

I would disagree I would say it is absolutely the toughest place for a coach to be successful.

Right now maybe. But is sure doesn't have to be that way. And it wasn't that was in the late 80's and 90's.

 

[ProudWYOAlum]

There's no way it's the toughest place to be successful at. We had success from 1987-1998. Since that era, we've played in 3 bowl games too.

You can win 6-8 games every year at Wyoming and be a legend. If Joe Glenn had won 6-7 games every other season he would have a 10 year contract today.

Even DC won't find another HC job with 7 wins being a home run. He can ask his friends Whittingham and Pinkel what expectations feel like.

 

[BeaverPoke]

There's no way it's the toughest place to be successful at. We had success from 1987-1998. Since that era, we've played in 3 bowl games too.

You can win 6-8 games every year at Wyoming and be a legend. If Joe Glenn had won 6-7 games every other season he would have a 10 year contract today.

Even DC won't find another HC job with 7 wins being a home run. He can ask his friends Whittingham and Pinkel what expectations feel like.

Oh wow 3 bowls in 15 years, great.
That is an average of one every 5 years. And our most recent coach was our most successful in a while, getting 2 of those bowl games and narrowly missing out on a couple more.

 

[kab1one]

Greetings from Fargo. Am item that you are hearing and will see if NDSU is any indication, is the selling the of the program and feeling good about it.

Things were a little bit down at NDSU when he came on board, we just starting the transition, but he verbally sold the program and the fact we were going to win. Coach Bohl was everywhere. Billboards, radio, TV, around town. And the message was same. We were going to win.

The fact that he backed it up confirms his message.

Fast forward today. My brother is eating in breakfast in Denver, has an NDSU hat on, stranger comes up, Wyoming Grad and said he likes what he sees and hears from Coach Bohl.

That is step two or three. Getting the fan base feeling good about the program. I am sure he has already been working on the players, the media and fans will start to feel it as well.

I don't know if its a lull here in Fargo, but we don't hear much from our new coach. And that may be fine. But after having Coach Bohl not around, you sure realize how involved he was to help build the program.

I wish him and your program well.