by Doug Smock , Charleston Gazette

After watching the Tigers pillage the league to the tune of 73-1 since realignment, the events of the past week have to make you snicker. John Calipari's much-feared defection to become grand poobah at Kentucky was really just the beginning.

I had that scenario tucked in the back of my mind about the time the Wildcats were sentenced to the NIT, thus sealing the fate of Billy Gillispie. Back in 2007, when the Big Blue seat was getting warm under the behind of one Tubby Smith, the fear in Memphis had surfaced that yes, that was the one job for which Calipari would leave.

It didn't happen then, but I figure the timing wasn't there. Calipari needed the extra two years to come as close as you can to win a national title without doing so, to fine-tune that "dribble drive" offense, to refine his skills as a master recruiter.

As if they needed refining. This guy has interpersonal skills that defy adequate description - he not only can sell snow to an Eskimo, he can make that Eskimo forever proud of the transaction.

As bad as the Tigers' 61-game conference winning streak has looked on the national scene, I was eager to see if that program was going to lift the rest of the league, as Calipari-led Massachusetts did with the Atlantic 10 in the 1990s. Now, we'll never know.

With the school's coaching search sputtering and top-shelf recruits heading for other schools, you have to wonder if the Tigers won't fall into the C-USA pack. If you've ever seen what the Memphis media and any number of fans think of the realigned league, you'll appreciate that humorous possibility.

From Tuesday, when the Calipari-UK union was cemented, U of M athletic director R.C. Johnson and a band of upper-crust boosters (FedEx is well-represented; Elvis is not) have launched nothing but bricks in their effort to land a big name.

Southern Cal's Tim Floyd was a major target, even as he was also wooed by Arizona. He is staying put. So are Tennessee's Bruce Pearl and Missouri's Mike Anderson (the last C-USA coach to beat Memphis, way back in 2006 with UAB).

Baylor coach Scott Drew, who is doing big things with the Bears but is reviled by his peers, bailed out Saturday, uncertain that he was the Tigers' No. 1 choice. (Oh, puh-leeze.) The names are flying fast and furious, from Reggie Theus to Mississippi coach Andy Kennedy (don't let him hail a taxi) to UMass coach Derek Kellogg, formerly of Calipari's staff.

On his way out of Memphis, Calipari made a pitch for another former assistant, Texas-El Paso coach Tony Barbee. But it seems that endorsement is being held against Barbee. (Oh, puh-leeze, Part II.)

Before and after Drew's withdrawal, Johnson has been criticized for operating a haphazard search. Stay tuned, because this little story will linger.

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Back to football, where Marshall has begun spring practice and is gearing up for the weakest schedule in school history. At least that's what those lovable message boards say.

Certainly, the Thundering Herd seems to have caught a break. It will play only two so-called BCS teams instead of its recent load of three. It gets a home game against Bowling Green, a Mid - American Conference team that just changed coaches, and Southern Illinois of the division formerly known as I-AA.

And the West Division teams in the conference schedule have rotated. Marshall's three such opponents in 2008, Tulsa, Rice and Houston went a combined 20-4 in league play. The 2009 foes, UTEP, Tulane and Southern Methodist, went 5-19.

Boy, this schedule has 8-4 written all over it, doesn't it? Want to bid 9-3?

I don't want to get in the way of well-placed fan impatience, but I won't be predicting such lofty heights this fall. Not that I don't see grounds for optimism; I do. But this program needs to show me something it hasn't since joining Conference USA .

That, and I believe this schedule will play a little tougher than advertised.

Southern Mississippi will be better and so will Central Florida. League champion East Carolina isn't going away. And we may wake up in October and discover UTEP, Tulane and SMU are all better.

OK, I hear you: SMU can't go anywhere but up, right? The Mustangs are switching to a 3-4 defense in an effort to stop anything, but I think their offense is going to go places. Coach June Jones essentially chucked the 2008 season by letting freshman quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell learn the hard way. Eventually, the interceptions are going to stop and the touchdowns are going to flow.

A problem for the Herd: It will have the Mustangs in Game 11. Will Mitchell have his game in full gear, and will the Herd be mired in another November tailspin?

The Herd is 4-11 under Snyder in November, and the fine folks at ESPN have moved the UCF game onto Nov. 1, a dreaded Sunday night game. And remember, the Herd is a painful 0-4 against the Knights, whether they were championship caliber or circling the drain.

Southern Miss comes up next in Huntington, then that SMU game. And the Herd really, really does not want to make the season-ending haul to UTEP desperately needing a victory.

But all that is months and months away. In the meantime, enjoy the spring.

Reach Doug Smock at 304-348-5130 or dougsmock@wvgazette.com

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