The Biggest Loser

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Reality TV is all the rage nowadays and earlier this week, one of the biggest names (and fupas) in college football got a little taste of reality. When Charlie Wies started with Notre Dame five years ago, there was a buzz of excitement and a feeling of hope in South Bend. Charlie rallied the troops and declared that 6-5 was just not good enough at Notre Dame. This week, the world learned that Charlie was right. 6-5 wasn't good enough then and 6-6 isn't good enough now. The Irish seemed destined for greatness once again when Weis took them to consecutive BCS games in his first two years after leaving the NFL, but since then, they have fallen to 16-21 under Weis, who leaves ND with a record of 35-27 (.565), which is worse than the two coaches (Tyrone Willingham and Bob Davie) who preceeded him (.583). Now the questions begin to poor in. The question on most people's minds is who will replace him? We, on the other hand, have a different question we've been pondering.

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While Notre Dame started 6-2 and finished with four straight losses, perhaps more disappointing was the finish for the Kansas Jayhawks. Kansas started the season 5-0 and had the Jayhawk faithful thinking Big 12 championship (this was about the time people were talking about Iowa being the worst undefeated in college football). Since that point, the Jayhawks have failed to win a single game, finishing 5-7. As terrible as that sounds, what has some Kansas fans more concerned is the off-field issues surrounding coach Mark Mangino, who is currently under investigation by the University of Kansas for allegedly verbally abusing and having inappropriate physical conduct with Jayhawk players. ESPN.com cited former receiver Raymond Brown as saying the following:

"I dropped a pass and [Mangino] was mad," Brown said. "And I said, 'Yes, sir. Yes, sir.' The yelling didn't bother me. But then he said, 'Shut up!' He said, 'If you don't shut up, I'm going to send you back to St. Louis so you can get shot with your homies.' I was irate. I wanted to hurt him, to be honest with you."

Brown went on to detail an account of an instance involving another player, who had disclosed to the team that his father had been an alcoholic and that he hoped to one day become a lawyer:

"One day, [Mangino] said in front of the entire team, 'Are you going to be a lawyer or do you want to become an alcoholic like your dad?' " Brown said.

Comments like these, along with the allegations he had inappropriate physical contact with some players have many questioning the coach's ethics and coaching style. Couple that with the sub-par finish to the season and Mark Mangino is on the hot seat. So our big question is this: Who is the biggest loser, Mangino or Weis?

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Well, it's obvious neither are going to win any reality show as the Biggest Loser, but both are ending on a bad note in places they started off well. During his tenure at Kansas, Mangino has compiled a 50-48 record, leaving him only 2 wins shy of the school record for wins. In 2007, the Jayhawks were 12-1 and won the Orange Bowl, while Mangino won Coach of the Year. Weis, meanwhile, led the Irish to back-to-back BCS games in his first two years after leaving the Patriots as one of the most heralded NFL coordinators. Today, Weis is a only few days removed from being fired at ND after losing his final four games and, coming off seven sraight losses, Mangino could be next. But which is the bigger loser? Is it Weis because he was at a school with such high expectations and such great recruits? Or is it Mangino because he had so recently been the coach of the year and is now under investigation? What do you think? Who is in a worse spot? Who would you rather have as your coach? Who is the biggest loser?