The Wrestling Version of Greg Schiano

Scott Goodale was hired as the Rutgers wrestling coach just three years ago. Now, Goodale has his Scarlet Knights headed into the EIWA championships as the No. 22 team in the country.

The Jackson, N.J. native coached seven years at Jackson Memorial High School before coming to Rutgers where he had an overall record of 155-16. His teams of 2006 and 2007 earned the top ranking in the state both years. While at Jackson, Goodale earned coach of the year three times.

Goodale's presence can be felt as soon as he enters a room, very similar to Rutgers football coach Greg Schiano. Like Schiano, Goodale took over a struggling program in need of a revival. Both coaches are very savvy, know how to recruit and above all command respect. Not to mention they both happen to look and sound alike.

Goodale's first recruiting class composed of top wrestlers from the state including the No. 2 wrestler in the country, Scott Winston. Dan Rinaldi and Trevor Melde were also in his first class, both were top 20 recruits.

In his second year as head coach, Goodale coached Rutgers to a school record 20 wins. That year, three wrestlers earned bids to the NCAA tournament. This year, Goodale led the Knights to a school record 15-win dual match win streak. As of now, Rutgers heads into the EIWA championships at 19-5-1.

Goodale is not just a good fit for Rutgers because of his coaching ability, but because of the type of person he is. Goodale understands that his sport is rising in popularity throughout the state, and Goodale has enormous aspirations for his team. This year, Rutgers wrestled No. 23 Virginia at the RAC and defeated the Cavaliers in front of a raucous crowd.

Goodale's team's aren't afraid to wrestle the best in the country either. Rutgers has faced top teams like Iowa and Michigan State this year away from New Jersey and in the future Goodale plans to continue to bring top opponents into the RAC.

Goodale is also a great PR guy. Anytime someone wants an interview, Goodale will do it. This coach will do whatever to bring Rutgers wrestling to the top, and you have to respect that. Goodale is on his phone almost as much as Schiano is now, texting nonstop to make sure everything is running smooth.

Who knows if Rutgers wrestling will ever make it to the likes of Iowa, Michigan State or Ohio State? But if there is one guy that has the tenacity and drive to do so, it's Goodale. Rutgers made a great choice in hiring Goodale, and as odd as it may sound, wrestling could be the next sport at the school to bring in actual revenue. The program is continuing to rise, and it appears like the limits are endless.

The Immature Athlete

Athletes can be quite dumb sometimes. Just take Oregon wide receiver Jamere Holland for example. The Ducks senior WR decided to mouth off on Facebook after his teammate Kiki Alonso was kicked off the team for a DUI, just hours after head coach Chip Kelley held a press conference about his team's off the field issues.

Holland decided to use some choice expletives for his head coach as well as some racial slurs we are taught to not say when we are children. But that is exactly what some of these college athletes act like, children.

Here is just some of Holland's Shakespearean literature, "how the f*** you kick kinko off the team...I'm still here, that s*** weak buff cuh could have done damage for the ducks, that s*** is weak, weak a** f***, quote me".

Forget about how immature Holland is, how about using some proper English to show you are part of an academic institution? The more freedom these college athletes have, the more they mess up. How can you be this stupid to put this on Facebook (a public profile as well) and still think you won't be reprimanded?

Well guess what, Holland is now gone. This issue is not foreign to other schools as well. Former Rutgers basketball player JR Inman sounded off on two different Facebook posts this year. Each time Inman called for the firing of head coach Fred Hill Jr. Like Holland, Inman used racial slurs and even went as far as to call some of the coaches homosexuals.

And it doesn't stop at Facebook either for some of these athletes. This past November, three Tennessee football players were charged with attempted armed robbery. Even the Tennessee basketball program had four players arrested in early January on gun and marijuana charges. Urban Meyer's Florida Gators were without star defensive end Carlos Dunlap this season for the SEC title game after he was arrested on DUI charges.

When will these supposed "grown men" start acting their size? A coach should not have to babysit players and coddle them throughout school. College is supposed to be a time for individuals to learn how to make it in the real world. It is obvious some of these athletes just don't get it.

The problem won't be fixed in a day and the solution isn't 24-hour surveillance. Yes, coaches are part of the problem, but you have to believe that some of these head figures are astonished at some of the trouble their players get into.

Will Winning Now Hurt Rutgers?

The Scarlet Knights improved to 14-12 (4-9) last night after coming back from a 17 point deficit to beat DePaul 68-64 at Allstate Arena. Rutgers has won four out of its last five league games and two in a row including an upset of No. 8 Georgetown last weekend. Less than a month ago Rutgers fans were calling for the firing of head coach Fred Hill Jr. Now fans are scratching their heads wondering where this play was a few weeks ago and if Hill has done enough to keep his job.

Rutgers Athletic Director Tim Pernetti will have an important decision to make at season's end on whether or not to keep Hill at the helm of the program. College basketball is a game of momentum and it's easy to get caught up in the heat of a winning streak.

Rutgers would owe Hill at least $1.8 million to buy him out if Pernetti decides to let him go. Through almost four seasons, Hill is 46-72 overall and 12-53 in the Big East as the head coach of the Scarlet Knights. Over the last few seasons, Hill's team has lost to the likes of Vermont, Jackson State, Saint Peters, Lehigh and St. Bonaventure. Rutgers has not fared much better in conference play being blown out numerous times at home and on the road by league opponents.

With Rutgers playing so well lately, fans are starting to question whether or not Hill and his program are starting to turn the corner. But can one season salvage a coaches career that has been marked with embarrassing losses, a depleting fan base and six transfers, including Gregory Echenique who left midway through this season to go to Creighton?

To me, it seems like these late season heroics may be a bit too late to save Hill and his staff. Don't get me wrong, I am very happy for players like Hamady Ndiaye who have suffered throughout their collegiate career at Rutgers. It's great to see young talent like Dane Miller take the floor at the Louis Brown Athletic Center and showcase his skills in front of a national audience. But this season cannot make up for the utter disaster that has been Rutgers basketball the past few seasons.

Next year, Rutgers will be without a big man after Ndiaye graduates. With Echenique now at Creighton, it leaves Brian Okam as the only center on next year's squad. It is hard to see next year's team winning more than 12 games with such a lack of depth.

Coaching encompasses many aspects. It means recruiting Big East talent to a Big East school, keeping those players there, being a good X's and O's guy and winning games you are supposed to win while winning a few that you are not supposed to win. Hill has done very little of those things. He has brought in players like Mike Rosario and Miller, but has yet to recruit good big men to complete his teams. He has been out coached numerous times and has not won the games he is supposed to win each year. And don't forget about turning one of the greatest home venues in the country into a morgue.

Pernetti is a smart man, and he should be able to weigh out the benefits and disadvantages of keeping or getting rid of Hill. Fans should not root for Rutgers to loose in order for Hill to loose his job. If a winning record and a possible NIT berth saves Hill's job, then maybe Pernetti needs to take a deeper look into his decision making.

Fans should enjoy the recent success of the team because there hasn't been much in the past few years to cheer about. Rutgers could easily finish the season with a winning record and it would be a great way to send out a senior like Ndiaye. But when it comes down to it, the recent play of the Knights cannot make up for the play the last three seasons. Rutgers fans deserve better and it will be Pernetti's job to deliver the basketball version of Greg Schiano to Piscataway.

Rutgers has at least six games left on the season, and who knows what can happen in March. I guess that's the real beauty of college basketball.

Maybe winning now will hurt Rutgers. If the team can pull off a Georgia type miracle and make the NCAA tournament (long shot I know) then Hill would stay. If Hill remains for one more year it will mean another year of mediocrity and maybe worse than that. It could set the program back another year and just frustrate fans even more. No one is saying Hill has not given it his all, but maybe being a head coach in the best conference in the country isn't the job for him.

A Glance at Super Bowl Weekend

WHO DAT NATION

The main story of the weekend has to been the Saints and the city of New Orleans receiving a long overdue championship. The scenes from Bourbon Street with people dancing in the streets and Drew Brees with tears holding up his son speak volume to how important this game was to that city. Whether people want to admit it or not, you have to feel good for a city that was nearly wiped off the map just a few years ago after Katrina. Who knows when the party will end, but with Mardi Gras coming up, there is no end in sight for the biggest party of all-time.

HELLO DREW BREES

Talk about MVP. Drew Brees turned the attention away from Peyton Manning last night and showed the nation just how good he can be. Brees went 32 of 39 for 288 yards and threw for two touchdowns. He completed 18 of his last 19 passes and finished the game with a QB rating of 114.5. Brees orchestrated one of the best game winning drives with just minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. This is a quarterback who most people left for dead in San Diego, now he's a Super Bowl MVP.

PORTER PICK SIX

Tracy Porter helped put an end to the thought of a Colts comeback with his 74-yard interception return for a touchdown. Porter jumped Peyton Manning's pass to Reggie Wayne and sprinted toward the end zone and immortality. Most people will choose to focus on the play of Brees and Manning in the aftermath of the game, but much credit is deserved for the Saints defense. Porter was also the player to intercept Brett Favre in the NFC Championship game.

EASY ON PEYTON

Peyton Manning did not have his best game as a Colt, he did not solidify himself as the best of all-time, but he did not choke. Manning went 31 of 45 for 333 yards with one touchdown and one huge interception. Looking at the interception, it appeared that Reggie Wayne ran a hook instead of a slant on the play. Tracy Porter beat Wayne to the ball and the rest is history. Peyton is not a choker, he has one ring already and should still be in the argument for the best quarterback of all-time.

SUPER BOWL COMMERCIALS

It's part of the Super Bowl that everyone loves, the commercials. But this year's Super Bowl commericals lacked the spunk the game thankfully provided. I'll give credit to Doritos and Bud Light for providing some light entertainment, but the rest just didn't tickle my fancy. My favorite had to be the little kid slapping his mom's boyfriend in the face, but Danica Patrick's appearance for GoDaddy.com didn't impress many. Tim Tebow's commercial was way overblown and the use of animals in commercials is starting to get old. Trying to out due a Zebra looking at instant replay or a streaking sheep is hard to do, but I guess there is always next year.

RUTGERS IN THE SPOTLIGHT

The Scarlet Knights had two former players in the Super Bowl yesterday. Gary Brackett and Eric Foster came up clutch on a goal line stand late in the second quarter for the Colts defense. With the emergence of Ray Rice as a standout running back, the State University of New Jersey's football program had a pretty good postseason.

SUPER GAMES ON SUPER SUNDAY

Fans have been treated to some outstanding football the last few Super Bowls. The last three games have featured game winning, fourth quarter drives with some last minute heroics. Eli Manning and the Giants in 2007, Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers last year and now Drew Brees and the "Who Dat" Saints. Many people forget how many blowouts there were in the 90's, but recently the biggest game in America has lived up to its hype.

Super Bowl Prediction

Super Bowl weekend is a time for drinking beer, watching funny commercials, pigging out on food and betting on boxes. There's even some time to watch the actual game. So here are some humorous predictions for this weekend's big game between the Colts and Saints.

1. Brett Favre's name will somehow be mentioned on the television broadcast at least ten times (Maybe 50 if Joe Buck can find his way from FOX to CBS).
2. Chad Ochocinco will find a way to rename the Super Bowl after himself.
3. Dwight Freeney will play on crutches and still sack Drew Brees.
4. Tiger Woods will host the coin toss from sex rehab.
5. Jim Nantz will reference the "situation" from the Jersey Shore.
6. Sun Life Stadium will be renamed three times before the game ends.
7. Peyton Manning will still be wearing a Colts hat on the sidelines that is too small for his head.
8. Vince McMahon will suggest using the XFL rules to decide who will kick and receive.
9. Derren Sharper will then body slam Mr. McMhon.
10. President Obama will suggest having workers paint the first down lines on the field to stimulate the economy.
11. Lane Kiffin will leave USC midway through the first quarter to coach the Saints.
12. Tim Tebow's anti-abortion commercial will be cut because the Christian group "Focus on the Family" was disappointed with his Senior Bowl performance.
13. Godaddy.com will have the Octomom in a commerical.
14. The cameras will catch Archie Manning making out with Kim Kardashian.
15. Donovon Mcnabb will predict a tie because still does not know NFL overtime rules.

**DISCLAIMER**

None of these things may actually happen, and more likely they won't. But it would be pretty cool if they did. So have some fun this weekend, ignore your girlfriend because she doesn't "understand" football and enjoy watching the best athletes in the world run around in tight pants!

My Super Bowl Predicition: Colts 27 Saints 20

The Big East Dream

One thing is for certain, no one knows what the Big Ten plans to do with the idea of expansion. Many people expect the conference to expand to 12 teams in order to have a conference championship for football. If the Presidents decide to OK the idea, who will the Big Ten go after? Notre Dame, Missouri, Rutgers, Syracuse and Pittsburgh are some teams to name a few. But what if another conference decided to act before the Big Ten makes a final decision?

If a team like Rutgers, Syracuse or Pittsburgh is lured in by the Big Ten then the Big East will certainly lose some luster and possibly its Bowl Championship Series automatic bid. So how can the Big East avoid another conference taking away members?

Many forget that an original east coast conference was in the making with Penn State’s Joe Paterno leading the way back in the 80’s. Paterno’s vision was that of a conference with major schools in the east coast market that could compete in football and basketball. Teams like Rutgers, Syracuse, Maryland, West Virginia, Temple and Pittsburgh would all be a part of the plan. But once the Big East basketball league formed Pittsburgh decided they would not play second fiddle to Penn State. And overnight Pittsburgh and Syracuse were gone while Penn State was eventually added to the Big Ten. The rest is history.

Today, the Big East is mediocre in football but dominant in basketball. But what if a Big East member is taken by the Big Ten if the conference decides to expand? Would schools like East Carolina, Central Florida or Memphis really be able to replace one of the existing conference teams?

The Big East teams that compete in football and basketball need to act before the Big Ten does. There is no reason for an 18-team conference in basketball, and only an eight team conference in football. Schools like Rutgers and West Virginia do not belong in the same conference as schools like Providence, Seton Hall, St. Johns, and Villanova.

These schools that play football and basketball in the conference need to split away from the private catholic schools that are not part of the football mix. Those schools are Syracuse, Rutgers, West Virginia, Pittsburgh, Louisville, Cincinnati, Connecticut and South Florida. Let Villanova, Georgetown, DePaul, Marquette, Seton Hall, Providence and St. Johns find another league to play basketball in.

The power in the Big East remains in the hands of Providence guys who only care about basketball. It shows in the Big East bowl tie-ins and lack of marketing for Big East football.

The next move once the schools split should be to talk to other major institutions in the east coast market and see if they would be interested in forming an east coast conference. Schools like Maryland, Boston College, Temple and Penn State are just four to name a few.

Yes it would be hard to pry these schools away from its current conferences, but it’s been done before. A team like Maryland is solid in the ACC in basketball but not football. Why wouldn’t the Terrapins want to have a better opportunity to be a football power while remaining strong in basketball?

A team like Boston College can make up for its mistake of leaving the Big East for the ACC and return to playing teams they are more compatible with. Temple would leave the Atlantic-10 in a flash to play basketball in the Big East. The Owls were kicked out of the Big East before due to a poor football program. But with Al Golden running the football program the team could compete in the sport.

Penn State would be the hardest school to convince to leave but the man in Paterno who had the dream in the 80’s to have an east coast conference could make that dream a reality. Penn State is undoubtedly a football power but its basketball program has been horrific the past few seasons. High school players would still want to go to Happy Valley for football and the school could resurrect the basketball program by playing in a better basketball conference.

The idea of an east coast conference is a long shot but it has some potential. A conference consisting of Rutgers, Syracuse, West Virginia, Pittsburgh, South Florida, Connecticut, Louisville, Cincinnati, Boston College, Maryland, Temple and Penn State could compete with every conference in football and basketball.

It would have 12-teams and be able to have a conference championship game for football while having major powers in basketball. Natural rivalries would still exist. Madison Square Garden could still hold the conference basketball tournament and better bowl tie-ins could be arranged for football.

The eight Big East schools who play football and basketball in the conference need to act as a group. If one of the eight leave for the Big Ten then football will die and only basketball will survive. Football is the money making sport, and schools like Rutgers and West Virginia who pump millions of dollars into its football programs would suffer if one team left for the Midwest.