Fran v. Stoops, 2003

They've met before- only once I believe, last year. My faulty memory recalls that OU pulled out a win, but that 'Bama was in the game through all 4 quarters.

Now, question for you guys & gals is this: who's the better gameday coach? Obviously, I expect a heavy tilt toward Fran on TexAgs.com, but if you can- provide reasons why you think one or the other is better.

Me? I don't know yet. I've got to give a slight advantage to Stoops, of course, because he's got one MNC under his belt- but the tenure of both coaches' current positions is still very, very young. We will see...

Your turn, now.

I really haven't seen enough of Fran to make a fair evaluation and comparison, but I'm inclined to give the edge to Stoops.

It seems that every time he pushes a button - fake FG, fake punt, offensive gadget play, etc. - it works. It's uncanny.

i'm thrilled we have fran, but stoops is the best college coach in the nation. period.

This is not a knock on Coach Fran, but he can't even compare to Stoops at this time. Stoops is the best out there right now.

give me Stoops any day of the week...

Fran is close, but no coach comes in and does what Stoops has done...

"All right, brain, I dont like you and you dont like me, so lets just do this and ill get back to killing you with beer." - Homer J. Simpson

stoops is no doubt a great coach, however without the staff he surrounds himself with they would not be AS good. when his son (defensive coordinator) leaves after this year for a head coaching job it will really test daddy stoops.

I think I'd wet myself if Mac 3.0 got the boot and Brother Mike was hired.

speedygonzo - Uhh... Bob's brother Mike is the co-DC, along with Brent Venables. Stoops' kids are still in grade school.

my bad--misunderstanding...i know he's co-dcoordinator...they make a point of it every weekend when o.u. is playing on abc

Mike Stoops is VASTLY overrated IMHO.

Bob was the Def. Co. for UF when they won the National Championship, and now Mike is a Co-Coordinator....hmmm.

He was rescued from obscurity by his superstar brother. Have you even heard him talk.

M-E-A-T-H-E-A-D

nowhere near the savvy nature of Bob Stoops.
Make no mistake, Bob, not Mike is the brains/talent behind the OU machine.

--Matt

If I were Texas, Id rather have Venables than M. Stoops.

so would I, 07

I too would take Bob Stoops over Coach Fran.

yea but who would win in a back alley fight with no gloves?

FRAN

Unless one has been behind the scenes and seen them coach, I can't imagine how one can make an informed judgement between Franchioni and Stoops. Fran is widely recognized as one of the best five coaches in the country. There is a vast talent gap between the two programs right now. Nobody has better game day preparation than Fran, and with even talent, I would take Fran.

I am so happy to have Fran as our coach. Bob Stoops has done a masterful job collecting talent at ou, mostly from Texas. Hopefully, Fran can get some of this talent to come to TAMU. Both of these guys are great coaches and with equal talent, give us two more years, the games will be something to watch.

Ditka.

No... Stoops. Proven with major conference championships and an MNC. Fran has a few skins on the wall, but none yet that are as impressive.

stoops will go down as one the top 5 coaches in college history.

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Mike Stoops is VASTLY overrated IMHO.

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I'm always puzzled by how an Aggie fan would know beans about an assistant coach at another university. Hint: They don't.

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Both of these guys are great coaches and with equal talent, give us two more years, the games will be something to watch.

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I would venture to say that Stoops is ahead in this year's recruiting. Coach Franchione better be a heck of a gameday coach to catch up with ou in two more years.


[This message has been edited by Beau (edited 11/3/2003 6:49a).]

houstontexan, I could believe top 2-3 coaches currently coaching, but it's too early for me to say for a fact that he's one of the top 5 of all time.

What coach doesn't have a down year(s)?

Bob Stoops. OU is underrated at #1

How can some of you argue that Fran is ON PAR with Stoops for gameday prep? He showed a little bit of it at 'Bama, but has yet to come thru here.
Some of you guys are in la-la land.

Stoops, without question, is the no. 1 guy in the land. (By the way, this consciensious (sp?) objector had Venables coming to Aggieland before Fran).

Stoops..No question about it.
OU was at the absolute bottom before Stoops landed in Norman. Sooners compiled an overall record of 37-40-3 from 1992 to 1998 and went thru 3 head coaches..attendance was sagging and the program had nothing going for it all untill Stoops arrived.
His first year at OU in '99 he led his Sooners to a 7-5 record and an Independence Bowl berth..the first winning season at OU in 6 years. The next year Stoops and OU won a national title and he has followed that up with an 11-2 season in '01 with a Cotton Bowl victory and a 12-2 season last year while grabbing another Big 12 title and a Rose Bowl win as well.
Fran did a good job at Bama with his gameday prep ect ect..but has come out on the short end so far in his career in College Station. IMO, Obviously Frans and A&M's best days are ahead of us, but for now..Fran nor any other coach in the country can touch Stoops for gameday preperation, recruiting, motivation,playcalling, flipping pancakes ect ect ect.

I'm quite sure in Stoop's first year, he did not have near the tough schedule that we have had to go 7 - 5. I keep saying it and I'll say it again, let Fran get by this season, recruit and implement and there will be hell to pay. He will have just as much success as Stoops.

Stoops hands down, BUT

Blake left Stoops plenty of talent to build from


I think that factor is always overlooked when talking about Stoops. Stoops was left with a full cupboard as far as talent was concerned.

Stoops is the clear #1 as far as current college coaches go.

he's going to play for his second nc in 5 years coming from a program that was not very good the years just prior to his arrival.

this guy had a grossly successful record against top 10 teams..it's like 11-3 or something like that. I don't know the exact # but it's close to that.

that is phenominal.

no other coach in the game comes close to what stoops is doing right now.

the only other team that has had the success of ou recently is miami. coker is a good coach as well, but he inherited a ton of talent.

pete carrol is shaping up to be a great college coach as well. I hope it is ou vs usc in the nc game. I think Pete's boys will give them a good game, maybe even win. they are the only team that has a shot.

Did I stumble onto a sooner board? Good Lord, they're good and the odds on favorite to win it all but we don't have to crown them with all of championships for the decade yet. It's college football and OU can lose. Look at Miami. Did the look like a team that thought they could possibly lose to VT? There's not a rational person out there that doesn't recognize Bob Stoops as a great coach but enough with the man-crush already.

blake left stoops a bunch of option qb's and rb's...stoops changed these ath's rb's and db's into prolific college wr's....he's amazing.

Mack Brown. Oh, wait a minute, you said coaching, not recruiting. Silly me.

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Did the look like a team that thought they could possibly lose to VT?

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Yes, did you not watch the Miami/WVU game?



"Yes, we feel a gamble may be necessary at key points in the season. We do not focus on what would happen if it does not work. I do not coach with the fear of being criticized. Prefer to do what is necessary to win, based on what I feel is the best choice at the time. Do not coach in fear, ever."
- Bob Stoops on the 10/01 Jim Rome show

Bob Stoops is the best coach I have ever seen in my short life. He will win another NC this year and probably many more depending on how long he stays in the college ranks. It would take a few NC's for me to believe that Fran is as good as Stoops.

No one makes their players think they can walk on water like Stoops does. Those guys come into games knowing they will win...it's not even a question in their minds.

Fran's a good coach, but I honestly believe his best hasn't been seen yet. If he turns A&M into a title contender, it will be his best work ever. Even better thant he turn-around at Bama in my opinion.

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Fran nor any other coach in the country can touch Stoops for gameday preperation, recruiting, motivation,playcalling, flipping pancakes ect ect ect.

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I heard Fran is quite the breakfast chef. They don't even know about breakfast in Oklahoma. They eat cornbread and pork for every meal.

Please tell me more about the "breakfast" that you speak of.



"Yes, we feel a gamble may be necessary at key points in the season. We do not focus on what would happen if it does not work. I do not coach with the fear of being criticized. Prefer to do what is necessary to win, based on what I feel is the best choice at the time. Do not coach in fear, ever."
- Bob Stoops on the 10/01 Jim Rome show

Plano,

Yes, I did...and they way the Miami team lost their composure along with the look of disbelief in their eyes as the clock ticked down tells me that they "knew" they were going to win up until reality smacked them in the face. BTW I'm not dissing OU, they're are great team but in true TexAgs fashion this thread has completely over-reacted to your team's success. The NCAA has seen dominate teams in the past...they all eventually ebb...it's just the nature of things. Really, it;s OK because it's this type of over-reaction that is going to make OU's fall more fun to watch.

I think they both have their positives and negatives. They both play a pretty straightforward gameplan when playing teams that are clearly subordinate talent-wise. I think what sets the Sooners staff apart at this time is when the talent gap is narrowed, they develop gameplans that are more attacking and exploitive in nature. Momentum shifting plays become a staple, not a novelty. Fran and his staff will do the same thing (onside kick v. OU last year) but not right now. The talent gap is too wide at this point to mess around with that kind of stuff.