A Candle in the Wind

University of Toledo head coach Jason Candle has left his long-time post for the independent UCONN Huskies. Candle has been with the Toledo Rockets since 2009 as a positional coach, and he has served as head coach since 2016. As someone who follows the MAC consistently, this was a bit of a surprising move. Toledo had a string of good runs over the years under Candle's leadership, including 2 MAC championships, 3 West Division championships, an 81-44 overall record, and a 3-5 record in bowl games. The last two years were disappointing for Toledo as they performed well below expectations and missed out on the conference championship game both times. They weren't bad seasons, though. The Rockets finished well above .500 in both seasons and continued their streak of qualifying for a bowl game. Candle now takes the reins of the only other FBS-Independent school alongside Notre Dame, and he replaces the legendary Jim Mora, who left to coach Colorado State. UCONN is coming off a great 9-3 season, but Candle will have to get used to coaching a team that is not in a conference. There is currently no replacement in line for Candle, and several other coaches are leaving for promotions at other schools as well.

It will be an interesting offseason as the MAC offers one of the highest turnover rates of any conference in college football. From coaches to players to athletic directors, no one stays put for too long. Ohio Bobcats QB Parker Navarro led his team to a MAC championship last season but could not defend their title again this year. Nonetheless, he is one of my favorite young players and an exciting NFL prospect. The momentum will likely swing away from these two recent powerhouses (Ohio and Toledo) and towards some new challengers in this ever-changing conference.