This story appears in ESPN The Magazines College Football Preview issue. Subscribe today!?Out there?...? snip?...?Jim is a really big deal?...?snip snipIn here, in this chair, hes still a big deal?...?snip snip snip?...?we just dont treat him like one ... we treat him like Jim.snipBill Stolberg is talking, snipping, smiling, just as he has for the past four decades, holding court in the flatiron-shaped building at the crossroads of the University of Michigan campus. Hes talking about Wolverines coach Jim Harbaugh, whose haircut is crafted within this very Barbicide-anointed shrine, the State Street Barber Shop.He just comes in and sits right there, says Stolberg, pointing to the window seat. I dont know when hes coming. I dont make a big deal out of it when he does. He reads the newspaper, and we talk about anything but football?...?unless, of course, he wants to talk football. But I dont think thats why he comes here. He comes here to just feel like a regular guy for a few minutes. There arent many places in this town where he can do that.There arent many places in any college town where a headliner football coach can do that. Players come and go. The coach is the biggest star, and everywhere he goes, hes on the job. Every grocery run includes free recruiting tips from dads picking up milk. The oil-change tech has suggestions on how to defend the spread. Every sandwich comes with a side of Coach, can we take a selfie? And so it is that big-time coaches face the eternal search for an oasis, be it on a lake, in a corner booth, under a car, anyplace theyll be mostly left alone -- even if said refuge is covered in hair clippings. Heres your exclusive tour of the nations coaching hideouts.Can you hear him now? No? Good. North Carolina coach Larry Fedora finds a cloak of invisibility beneath his beloved 64 Corvette. Its a funny thing. When Im working on my Vette, my cellphone doesnt seem to work all that great, he says.Walking in a briar patchWhen he arrived at Washington State in 2011, Mike Leach took up walking to and from the office, usually even in winter. The trek takes him 40-55 minutes, including a 10-15 minute hike through a field of garbanzo beans that leaves his socks covered in burrs. Its also good exercise, Leach once noted: Two birds, one stone.Dead turkeys dont offer game plansFlorida States Jimbo Fisher wanders into the woods of southern Georgia to hunt turkeys. Says Fisher: I have yet to have a turkey tell me what I should do to stop Deshaun Watson.A 3-iron and a bucket of ballsFor Bob Stoops, entering his 18th season at Oklahoma, sanctuary is the far end of the university golf course driving range. In the offseason, he might sneak in nine holes before anyone notices the most famous Sooner is going for the green in two. You have to go somewhere other than the film room, and you have to go somewhere where there basically isnt a football to be found.No one got between the Bear and his ham steakAt the Waysider in Tuscaloosa, Alabamas Paul Bear Bryant ate the same breakfast-ham steak and eggs-at the same table nearly every weekday morning. Back then, people wouldnt bother him. Today, 33 years after his death, people still sit in that two-seat corner table topped by the coachs bust.Take a seat at the Table of Truth Another OU legend, Barry Switzer, found peace at the Table of Truth at Othellos Italian restaurant in Norman. The eaterys owner is said to have established the table that, legend has it, will shake if you tell a lie while sitting there.The purifying waters of Lake BurtonAlabamas Nick Saban hides at Lake Burton in the northeast corner of Georgia, tooling around on his pontoon boat with wife Terry. Hugh Freeze of Ole Miss, who also has a place there, says Saban just shows up at my place on his Jet Ski. The six-time national champion explains: I have two normals. I have football normal, and I have lake normal.Overtime on relaxingFrank Beamer, just retired from Virginia Tech, says he could never relax when he was coaching so hes working overtime on relaxing now. He was reacting to a recently tweeted photo of himself, from a parody account, being pampered in a salon with the caption: [That feeling when] you give the exact same press conference for 28 years and then go get a pedicure and milkshake.Losing himself in books Now-retired legend Steve Spurrier, widely known as the most competitive coach-golfer, is also a ravenous reader who kept a huge library at home and the office, half football, half non-football.Mack Brown: the Jason Bourne of dining ESPN analyst Mack Brown found himself under constant attention during his 16 years at Texas. Eating out? Impossible. There were places in Austin that would take care of us and get us a back room, but by halfway through the meal word was out and people were lining up to ask for photos once we were done. When dinners became largely take-home, arriving at home usually meant a fan or two waiting in the driveway.Hiding in plain sightSeattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said he had no such problems while leading USC from 2001 to 09. I have no idea how those guys in the South do it, Carroll says. When I was in LA, we could lose a game and I could go to dinner that night and no one would say a word. They were looking for George Clooney or someone from Friends. In Tuscaloosa or Austin, youre George Clooney or the guy from Friends.Or ... just blending inFirst-year Miami coach Mark Richt, who just spent 15 seasons burning like an ant under the magnifying glass of Athens, Georgia, says he has long found solace by retreating into normal life. Richt confesses: Theres a lot of comfort in having other parents just treat you like another dad at the ballfield.A-OK with just a VCR Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze, a hard-core NASCAR fan, still has a VHS tape library of races he recorded in the 1990s. When he wants to relax, he pops in a tape from a favorite race-especially those won by Jeff Gordon.Remember me?Lake Burton, Sabans refuge, also was a hangout for longtime Georgia coach Vince Dooley. He still goes today, at age 83, but no longer has to hide. You know, a funny thing happens when you havent been coaching for a while, he says. All those places you used to go and it felt like such a hassle when everyone would bother you ... now you catch yourself going to those places and looking around, wondering, Hey, does anybody in here realize who I am?And therein lies the secret about the coaching spotlight they so?long to escape. Deep down, they dig it. Jan Jenik Gear . This should be celebrated because it will not always be this way. With the amount of money given to players by their clubs these days, it is a wonder that so many of those teams allow the sport to continue to take away many of their assets so they can play for a different team in the middle of their season. Brad Richardson Gear . Jay Feely kicked a 41-yard field goal in overtime, and the Cardinals edged the Tennessee Titans 37-34 in overtime after blowing a 17-point lead late in the fourth quarter. http://www.arizonacoyotesgear.com/lawson-crouse-gear/ . -- Nate Robinson has played for seven teams, so beating one of them is no longer a rare occurrence. Brendan Perlini Gear . Bryant, who signed a five-year, $34 million contract as a free agent with Cleveland in March, reported symptoms on Monday morning, a team spokesman said. Jason Demers Gear . And follow TSN.ca right through Deadline Day for all the updates. From Pierre LeBrun While Anaheim GM Bob Murray said earlier this season he was not going to trade Jonas Hiller despite the fact hes an unrestricted free agent on July 1, some sources have told TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun that Murray might be willing to move another goalie. Indiana coach Kevin Wilson knows the topic of bowl eligibility will come up this time of year. In a program thats had little to modest success, reaching that six-win threshold has become the symbol of a successful season.Last year was a breakthrough, with the Hoosiers making a bowl for the first time since 2007. They need two more wins to be eligible this season, and they have a real chance with Rutgers and Purdue still on the schedule.Wilson said Tuesday he met with his players to tell them to ignore the bowl speculation on social media and on the street. He said its never been his staffs goal to be a team that just goes to a bowl.Wed like to have more than that, he said. If you get enough victories you get bowl eligible, and if you get a lot of victories you get bigger and better bowls. The guys know the process.Six Big Ten teams already are bowl eligible. Iowa and Maryland each need one more win, and Northwestern joins Indiana in needing two more victories. The Big Ten had 10 bowl teams last year.Minnesota got its sixth win last week and is among four teams tied for second in the Big Ten West, one game behind Nebraska. The Gophers were among the five-win teams that played in bowls last year because there werent enough six-win teams to fill all the slots.The bowl thing is all about consistency, Minnesota coach Tracy Claeys said. It does show youre consistent, and I do think thats the most important thing. We dont want to be a program thats up and down. We want to be consistent each year.But as far as a big celebration... we have bigger goals than that right now. If we reach those goals, were going to be bowl eligible anyway, so we really havent talked about being bowl eligible.Other notes from the Big Ten coaches teleconference:THE BOOK ON BOOKEROhio State linebacker Dante Booker hasnt playeed since spraining a knee in the opener against Bowling Green even though he was medically cleared two weeks ago.dddddddddddd Booker was 2013 Mr. Ohio Football, a five-star recruit and a big contributor as a freshman and sophomore. Coach Urban Meyer gave no indication when Booker would play.Im not sure hes 100 percent yet, Meyer said. Hes medical cleared but hes not 100 percent.WAITING ON WESIllinois coach Lovie Smith remains uncertain of the status of quarterback Wes Lunt, who hasnt played since hurting his back against Purdue on Oct. 8.Were hopeful we can get him back out there as soon as possible, Smith said. If not, well go the way weve been going.Jeff George Jr. has started the last two games, completing a combined 20 of 49 passes for 251 yards, with one interception and two touchdowns. The Illini host Michigan State this week.OVERCOMING MENTAL BLOCKGerad Parker likes how Purdue has played in the first halves of his two games as interim coach. The Boilermakers led Nebraska 14-10 at half and were tied 17-17 with Penn State. They went on to lose both games.Parker said his biggest task is getting his players to truly believe they can win after so much losing in recent years.There have been a lot of bad feelings and bad results on the football field, Parker said, adding that the losing becomes very heavy on your shoulders as players, coaches and everybody.Its my job to make sure these guys are still having fun playing a kids game and get them to believe in something bigger than themselves and that they can have great things happen to them, he said. And then those things will sooner or later begin to happen.---More AP college football: http://collegefootball.ap.org Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys cheap jerseys Cheap Jersyes Cheap Basketball Jerseys Cheap NHL Jerseys cheap jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '