On the Docket - Alamo Bowl: Michigan State (6-6) vs. Texas Tech (8-4)

Synopsis:

After a fraternity mishap that resulted in a full-fledged brawl a few weekends ago, Michigan State will be without eight suspended players for this game. That’s bad news for the Spartans, whose task involves stopping one of the most intricate offensive attacks in college football history. Taylor Potts and Steven Sheffield both put up huge numbers at quarterback for the Red Raiders, and both will see the field in this game. The Red Raiders will return a variety of players next season, which means this game could be quite the springboard for 2010.

Player to watch:

Detron Lewis has been the go-to receiver this year for the Red Raiders, averaging 13.3 yards per catch and grabbing five touchdowns. His production dipped in the final two games of the season, but Mike Leach surely wishes to get him the football much more in the final game of the season. As a junior, Lewis is one of the players who could use this game to create some momentum for a huge season next fall.

Who has the edge?

Michigan State simply does not have its full array of weapons in this game, and there is the foundation of a tumultuous offseason brewing in East Lansing. Texas Tech is one of the hardest teams to slow down, even in the best of circumstances.

Prediction:

Texas Tech 42

Michigan State 20

Leach ousted, logical replacement nearby

As of 1:00 p.m. Eastern time Wednesday, Mike Leach was no longer the head football coach at Texas Tech. The school fired leach after ten seasons amid allegations he mistreated a player who was suffering from a concussion.

Adam James, son of Craig James and a wide receiver for the Red Raiders, accused Leach of forcing him to stay in a dark closet during a three-hour practice after sustaining a concussion.

Leach was the face of Texas Tech football, taking the program to unprecedented heights during his tenure. He compiled a record of 84-45 in Lubbock, including a 5-4 record in bowl games.

During his time as head coach, the Red Raiders produced future NFL stars including Wes Welker and Michael Crabtree, who was a two-time Biletnikoff winner as the nation's best wide receiver.

Despite his success with the Red Raiders, his relationship with the administration at the school was strenuous to say the least. Over the past several years, Leach has either flirted with other head coaching jobs that did not seem to be any better jobs than the one at Texas Tech, leading people to believe he never felt wanted by the powers that be in Lubbock.

However, Leach leaves a program in great shape, and with the right hire, Texas Tech could not skip a beat in its quest to compete with Texas and Oklahoma in the Big 12 South.

The no-brainer leading candidate for this job is Houston's Kevin Sumlin. The Cougars are 10-3 this season, including a win earlier this season over Leach and the Red Raiders.

Sumlin's offense is very similar to what Leach implemented at Texas Tech. The Red Raiders attempted 615 passes this season, while the Cougars threw the ball 706 in 13 games, one more game Tech.

Leach made a name for himself by developing unheralded quarterback prospects into some of the nation's leading passers. Kliff Kingsbury, Sonny Cumbie, and Graham Harrell are a few examples of players who lead the nation in passing yardage as the Red Raiders' quarterback this decade.

In 2009, Sumlin accomplished a similar feat with Case Keenum, who leads the nation with 5,449 passing yards this season. Second place in that category is Levi Brown from Troy, with 3,868.

Sumlin has turned Houston into an offensive juggernaut in only his second season on the job. With his ties to the state of Texas and his immediate success with the Cougars, the Red Raiders would be very wise to throw quite a lump sum Sumlin's way (no pun intended), to pull him from Houston.