We all know the story.
Former Ball State coach Brady Hoke asks athletic director Tom Collins to pay his assistants an extra $50,000 and when that doesn't happen, he leaves for San Diego State. While Ball State football becomes the punchline, Hoke leads San Diego State to its first bowl win since 1969.
When Hoke was hired as the next coach at Michigan on Tuesday, the decision to let Hoke leave sparked the question: "Ball State didn't keep him why?"
Sure, the Mid-American Conference can be called a "stepping stone" for coaches who want to coach in the BCS conferences, but the Mountain West Conference could have been cut out before Hoke made the jump to the Big Ten.
Two former MAC coaches followed Hoke's leadthis past December.
Former Northern Illinois coach Jerry Kill left for Minnesota and former Miami University coach Michael Haywood took the Pittsburgh job, only to be fired two weeks later for a domestic violence charge.
Why couldn't Hoke make the jump from Ball State to Michigan instead of taking a detour to San Diego State? Was not giving Hoke's assistants $50,000 a better option to going 6-18 the next two seasons?
If Hoke actually returned for even two more seasons, Ball State football would be in a better state than it currently is.
Think about what could have been.
If Hoke stayed, Ball State has continuity going into the 2009 GMAC Bowl against Tulsa and makes the game respectable instead of a 45-13 loss.
Even with four offensive linemen that saw substantial playing time graduated, former quarterback Nate Davis decides to return for his senior season.
Instead of going 2-10 the following season, Ball State gets wins against North Texas, New Hampshire, Army, Toledo, Temple to go 7-5 and become bowl eligible for a third consecutive season.
This previous season Ball State beats Liberty and Eastern Michigan at home to end at 6-6, but miss being bowl eligible (only one win against an FCS school can count towards being bowl eligible).
Now we're in the present. Michigan comes calling for Hoke to offer him his "dream job" and leaves for the Big House in Ann Arbor.
Hoke leaves Ball State without the fan base criticizing the athletics department for letting him leave. Instead, he leaves as the fan base praises him for his services as he moves on to the Big Ten.
Of course all of that is in a perfect-world scenario, but when a former Ball State coach is now the coach at Michigan, anything is possible.
Since that didn't happen, like my friend said, Hoke becomes the ex-girlfriend to Ball State who wanted to get married. The athletics department got cold feet and now the ex-girlfriend is a Victoria's Secret model.
Ball State wasted its two seasons following Hoke's departure, but with the hiring of Pete Lembo, we can hope he brings the Cardinals back to prominence in the MAC after successful stints at Lehigh and Elon.
If Lembo can make Ball State a winner in the MAC again, maybe then the haunting of the decision to let Hoke leave will finally leave as well.
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