Hal Mumme returning to BCS? 7 possible team candidates

Hal Mumme is not going to register much recognition from general football fans, but pigskin acolytes know the influence he’s had on modern college football offenses. What coaches like Mike Leach, Dana Holgersen, Sonny Dykes, Tony Franklin and others have produced at various stops might not have been possible without guidance from the original teachings of Mumme.

And now it sounds like Mumme is ready to get back on the saddle and coach at a major college football program once again. Mumme reportedly accepted the OC position at James Madison after several seasons coaching at McMurry, but he might have turned it down and could be looking for something even better:

There are several prominent vacancies (or potential vacancies) at the BCS level for Mumme that he could chase if he so desires.

NOTE: Several of these are ridiculous, and most will certainly not happen, but we’re trying to be thorough.

USC: The Trojans are still looking to replace Kennedy Polamalu. Here is one of Mumme’s most famous quotes that seemed to typify the earliest variations of the air raid attack.

This sounds like Lane Kiffin in every situation. 1st and 10, 1st and five, 2nd and 15, 3rd and two, 4th and inches, 4th and 29 (well, that kind of makes sense)? Throw that ball and let it fly! Kiffin’s already hired one Kentucky guy this offseason, so why not find the grand architect and go all-out on passing that football?

Michigan State: Let’s describe the absolute hilarity of the Spartans offense if Mumme ends up replacing Dan Roushar.

“You know all those run-up-the-gut plays we do every game? 80 percent of those will be bubble screens now.”

“So your quarterback isn’t very mobile, eh? Let’s put him back in shotgun, where he’ll be asked to move even less.”

“PLEASE LINE UP YOUR FULLBACK IN THE SLOT. THIS IS HIS NEW HOME AND HE WILL EMBRACE IT.”

Florida State: The ACC has needed an offensive jolt for about 30 years. Georgia Tech is the only real wild card in that region, and they responded by going back toward the standard offense of the Model-T era. Getting Mumme to wrench play-calling duties from Jimbo Fisher would be a necessary evolution.

Texas: Major Applewhite isn’t the most popular man in Austin, and Texas wants to keep on picking up that offensive pace. Mack Brown surely wants more points to ensure his stability, and Texas already lines up primarily out of shotgun. And Mumme’s from the Lone Star State. This is too logical a move, which means it’ll never happen.

Penn State: Should Bill O’Brien turn over OC control? Kind of like Michigan State, except far more existential. Will anyone remember any of these touchdowns and three-and-outs? Do these games actually really exist if everyone watches them and concludes they don’t matter? Those are our questions for football’s version of Kierkegaard. Where art thou Beano?

Kansas: Imagine if Mozart had to compose a symphony with a death metal band that could only utilize Russian percussion instruments. This is what a Charlie Weis-Hal Mumme combo would be like: Foreign, potentially toxic, fleetingly marching toward glory.

Washington State: The master takes on a Yoda-like position for his former student, who is now a fully fledged football Jedi Knight. Whether Mumme would take the offense back toward its origins remains to be seen, but this balance of air raid wizards would definitely add even more intrigue to the equation.

Where else in the BCS could Mumme land?

• What’s a “lack of institutional control,” anyway?

• Would you rather coach USC or Texas?

• Judging the entire ACC’s Big Ten-readiness

• Could an assistant college football coach afford to start a drug ring?

• Miami’s president takes on the NCAA

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