"What If" BG coaching change 2018

So, the year is 2018. BG has gotten off to another terrible start, and is 1-6 on the year, 0-3 in MAC games. Mike Jinks and the Falcons just lost a sure fire win to the Western Michigan Broncos on homecoming weekend. The Falcons were up 21-7 at the half, and up 28-14 late in the 3rd. I remember the BG sideline was a wasteland of emotions. On the WMU side, their players were jumping up and down with excitment even down 14 points. At that point, I knew BG would lose the game. They sure did and Mike Jinks were fired that week. Jinks made a lot of mistake as a coach, but letting his team get that low on energy is the biggest mistake yet. Honestly, the funniest stat of the Mike Jinks era was going just 2-1 in FCS games, with a win margin of just 8 in the two wins over lackluster FCS schools. 

Carl Pelini was then given the role of interim HC and led the Falcons to a record of 2-3 in their final 5 games. BG was able to beat Central Michigan and Akron thanks to solid defense and competent offense. Pelini was previously a HC at Florida Atlantic where he went just 5-15 before being fired. Carl did a great job during his run as BGSU's HC, with a notable change in attitude with the team. Practices were faster and more intense. Against Central Michigan, BG pulled out onside kicks, trick plays, anything they could do to win. At the end of the season, many players were very vocal about keeping coach Pelini on as the permanent head coach. One player even said they would "take a bullet for coach Pelini". BG legend Scott Miller was also very upfront about his desire to see Carl take control of the Falcons. However, coach Loeffler was given the reigns and even though he kept Pelini on as the DC, Carl decided to leave for Youngstown State to coach with his brother Bo. 

Scot Loeffler took over the Falcons going into 2019, going just 3-9 but having a legendary win at home to top Toledo for the first time in a decade. Loeffler then went 0-5 in the shortened 2020 season, now just 2-11 in MAC play. However, things are looking up as Loeffler has taken this team and shined a light at the end of the tunnel. Many kids from the Jinks era transferred out and left this BG team way too young to compete against anyone in FBS. Last season, there were:

64 Freshman

10 Sophomores

16 Juniors

16 Seniors

Going into 2021 I am unsure of how many kids are staying for an extra year due to the COVID rules, but this team will technically have more Freshman given that these kids are all staying the same class. 

What if?

What if BG stayed with Mike Jinks and did not fire him?

Jinks continues to fail this team, and the Falcons have a lot of students giving up on the staff. BG loses the remaining games on the schedule, going just 1-11 in 2018 similar to the 2-10 record in 2017. Jinks then gets fired at the end of the season, leaving the Falcons with zero momentum and zero hope heading into 2019.

What if Carl Pelini was hired as the next Head Coach?

Pelini continues his momentum into 2019, utilizing the transfer portal to gain some experience and needed depth. Pelini likely gets Jarret Doege to stay at BG, and utilizing a combination of Grant Loy as a gadget QB gets the offense humming. The defense gets bolstered through the portal and the Falcons go 5-7 in 2019. 

Overall I agree that Scot was the right man for the job. He is an amazing recruiter, and is still a young man in the coaching world. Turning a smaller program around is a job for someone willing to kill themselves, drown in their work. Pelini's age is working against him in that aspect. I believe Pelini could have gotten this team back to a bowl game before Loeffler, but Loeffler has the ability to fight for MAC Championships in a few years which I do not think Pelini would have accomplished at BG. Pelini would have used the portal more, and been more content with getting 5-7 wins a year before leaving for a new job. Both were great options, so let's see how 2021 and beyond turns out. 

Twitter: BGFootballTalk