In today’s Fact or Fiction I look at three big recent topics in college football and decide whether the statement is indeed FACT or if it’s FICTION.
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1. Mel Tucker is worth the $95 million contract.Â
Farrell’s take: FICTION. Tucker is a heckuva coach. He’s done a great job in year one at Michigan State. LSU, Florida and others have been interested. But $95 million? That’s steep. I mean this is fully guaranteed money. Yes it’s donor driven but it still sets the market extremely high for unproven coaches in the long term and honestly I can see Tucker being 5-7 in a few years and everyone wondering why he got paid so much.
Contracts like this are for Nick Saban, Dabo Swinney and Jimbo Fisher – coaches who have won national titles. I think this could be a bit steep.
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2. Mo Ibrahim will be the best running back in the Big Ten next season.
Farrell’s take: FICTION. The Minnesota running back said he’s coming back for next season after having his 2021 cut short due to injury. He rushed for 163 yards and two scores on 30 carries against Ohio State in the opener before going down to a lower leg injury that ended his season. Ibrahim rushed for more than 1,000 yards in the COVID-shortened 2020 season.
Ibrahim was a preseason All-Big Ten selection this year so why wouldn’t he be considered the best back next season? There’s a guy named TreVeyon Henderson at Ohio State who would beg to differ, not to mention Braelon Allen at Wisconsin and Blake Corum at Michigan.
The Big Ten will be loaded at running back next season and this is assuming Michigan State’s Kenneth Walker III doesn’t come back.
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3. LSU will get its fourth or fifth choice as head coach.
Farrell’s take: FACT. This is getting embarrassing isn’t it? Mel Tucker re-ups at Michigan State, Jimbo Fisher isn’t going anywhere and Dave Aranda is rumored to be staying at Baylor? LSU is supposed to be a top 10 job, but rumors of internal interference and looming NCAA issues are likely driving candidates away. This will quickly turn into a Tennessee-like coaching search. And that’s not good.
