Around the Big Ten: Is Mel Tucker headed to LSU? Can Jim Harbaugh beat Ohio State?
Could a Big Ten head coach be heading to LSU? Paul Finebaum certainly thinks the move makes sense.
Fresh off an undefeated start and a spot among the top 10 teams in the country, Michigan State head coach Mel Tucker is generating interest for the soon-to-be-vacated Michigan State job. This season, Tucker has done a tremendous job with Michigan State, taking a team that 2-5 a season ago in his first year with the program to now 7-0 and ranked eighth in the latest USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll.
Host Mike Greenberg asked ESPN college football insider Heather Dinich about the LSU job. She said that she thinks Tucker is the most logical choice for the job, building a solid case by stating his prior experience in the SEC. Finebaum agreed.
“I think they would have liked to get a big name – a Dabo Sweeney, who’s not going there or Jimbo Fisher who previously was hired by the AD now at LSU but I don’t think that’s going to happen so I think Mel Tucker is a really interesting choice,” Finebaum said on ESPN on Wednesday morning.
“And the president at LSU is fairly new – is reportedly in favor of that. Think about this for a second though, the last time, LSU hired a coach from Michigan State it was Nick Saban. He did pretty well down there.”
I think Mel Tucker is a really interesting choice. The president of LSU
Finebaum was also asked about Michigan and the College Football Playoff (the Wolverines have the fifth-best chance in the nation of making the playoff according to ESPN). Finebaum is certainly no fan of Harbaugh and has at times been highly critical of the head coach.
Greenberg asked Finebaum if this is the year that Michigan gets into the College Football Playoff for the first time.
“This is definitely the year Greenie that Jim Harbaugh will beat Northwestern but that’s as far as I’m going to go,” Finebaum said.
“I think he has done a really good job, give him credit, he was on the hottest seat in the country, and he’s still alive. Very well because he’s undefeated. He’s got Michigan State next week he’s got Penn State and, of course, Ohio State at the end of the year. And right now, I’ve seen too much football from the Big 10 to believe that Michigan can beat Ohio State – they’re going to have a good season.
“He’ll save his job, whether that pleases Michigan fans or not, but I still don’t believe Michigan is going to beat Ohio State at the end of the year.”
Harbaugh is currently 0-6 against Ohio State during his time at Michigan.
