Canzano: Emptying the notebook with New Mexico's Jason Eck, Sacramento State, OSU coaching search, and more
Bad feelings about the new Pac-12?
Jason Eck is a really good football coach.
He’s won everywhere he’s been.
It makes sense that the New Mexico coach’s name gets included in early speculation about job openings. But I think Eck would be foolish to leave his post for anything other than a no-brainer “Power 4” job.
I sat down with Eck on Wednesday for an in-depth video interview. We talked about how he manages expectations and his vision for the program. And I asked Eck whether the left-behind Mountain West Conference schools are playing for something extra when they face the conference’s five departing members.
Does it mean more to beat a soon-to-be Pac-12 team?
“It irks me when people think they’re better than you or try to big-time you,” Eck told me. “I’ve conveyed that to our team. Obviously, these schools thought that these teams they left behind didn’t create enough value or weren’t good enough to be competitors with them.
“I think that’s motivational.”
New Mexico beat Utah State earlier this season. It lost to Boise State. The Lobos host Colorado State on Saturday and play at home vs. San Diego State in the regular-season finale.
Watch my interview with Eck:
Emptying the notebook…