I have three boys who go to Oregon State. They’re hardcore football fans in every way. It’s totally genetic. They could care less about Beavers Football, have no interest in going to the games. It’s not only about wins and losses. The games aren’t any fun, the offense isn’t any fun. There’s no identity, no player or ideal or concept to identify with. There’s no high-level direction, there doesn’t seem to be a master plan. So OSU needs to be shopping for a lot more than a new head coach, it needs to be shopping for a vision, a football philosophy, a reason for being. And that will require starting from scratch – absolute ground zero – and asking the big questions.

How attached are you to the Pac-12? The answer speaks to the more basic reason of why OSU plays football, what the community thinks its value is. Football builds character at any level, in the Pac 12 or the Big Sky. Lots of NCAA programs play sports in different conferences or divisions. If you could compete more evenly for the next 100 years playing FCS football, would you do it? Only a fool refuses to contemplate the unthinkable. You’re the little dude in a big pond and you’re getting your fins bit off right and left. Maybe survival means looking at the problem differently, admitting that the objectives might have changed, that this isn’t fun anymore. Downsizing isn’t admitting defeat, it’s just changing the rules. What would happen if you came out and said you just want to play football for the fun of it, that you just want to play with someone your own size? Fans dig football just as much, players and fans still benefit from the character-building elements of football in the same way when they play in a place like the Big Sky. I believe more people than you think would be good with that. But if not, okay. Shit, for 99.9 percent of recorded time Oregon Ducks Football was irrelevant and after this current blip of a wet dream is over, they’ll be irrelevant again, but they’ve proven that a program can rise from nothing. So it can happen. But it can’t happen without a plan and Oregon State fans want to see the plan – in writing.

How are you gonna compete? How are you going to recruit? I think there’s a lot of reasons why a student would want to come to Corvallis, but I can’t really think of any compelling reason for a student to come to Corvallis to play football. What’s the value proposition for a recruit? The chance to play in the Pac-12? That’s not enough, not nearly enough. We’ll get you ready for the pros? That’s not believable. The chance to play as a freshman? Everyone says that today. We play an exciting brand of football? No, you don’t. We’re the biggest show in town? No, you’re not, Oregon is. You can be the cornerstone of what we’re building? You’re not building anything; you can’t keep a coach. It’s a tough, tough sell. Here are a few ideas. First, admit you can’t recruit with the Pac-12, stop wasting your time and money. The focus needs to be on winning over the players that Boise State and Eastern Washington are getting. Get the alumni involved, start with Brandin Cooks and Jacquizz Rodgers. JUCO your ass off. Take chances on the guys that have a chip on their shoulder; recruit the Pacific Northwest more and California less, owning your own backyard will create local interest and give the team an identity.

Who would want to coach here? Your last coach was a bad hire, cop to it. If a guy goes running off in the middle of the night, you hired the wrong guy. If a guy acts like a hero for leaving money on the table but then turns around and fucks over the players, you hired the wrong guy. I don’t know the right guy’s name but he can’t be a climber. If you hire a guy who intends to use OSU as a stepping stone then you’re admitting you’re small time, that there’s no reason why anyone would make a fifteen-year commitment to OSU. The next guy has to bring an offensive style that lights people’s hair on fire. That means touchdown passes and going for it on fourth down, not two yards and a cloud of dust. The last guy was conservative and faceless, the next guy has to be a riverboat gambler, a risk taker with a point of view. Pursuing the usual suspects means you’re doing it wrong. The guy you’re looking for isn’t a coordinator for a program that’s kicking your ass now, he looks a lot more like the high school coach that never punts or an old, innovative sage like Bill Snyder. The next guy can’t wear a visor.

The place where Oregon State Football is now is what’s known as a crossroads. Take a deep breath, take your time, think big. The next move is not a mere transaction, it’s a fist fight for the soul of football at Oregon State.