SEC hot seats
Last week listed the bowl destinations across the SEC.
Not much has changed. Although with Tua on the shelf, if Bama wins out (and it likely will because its wide receivers are worth 17 points with me throwing the football, and as any self-aware, attention-paying Auburn fan can tell you, 17 is plenty against this offensive mess that causes all AU fans to get the Malzahn Morose SIGH), we think the Tide may not be the most attractive non-playoff SEC team. Think that likely will be Georgia, as long as they play a dogfight against LSU in Atlanta.
So as we scan the SEC, let’s rank the teams by temperature on the coach’s chair moving forward. Since the weather is changing, we’ll go from cool to warm to Malzahn and the rest of the M boys with their heads on a swivel. (That’s provided Malzahn doesn’t up and leave for the Arkansas job during the editing process of today’s effort.)
Alabama. If you are wondering why “The coach at (fill in the blank) is having a better year,” well, that may be, but with the lone exception of Clemson no coach in the country is forever as safe as Saban. “Well, what about … ” Stop it, and answer this: If Saban walked tomorrow and called any school in America and said, “I want to come there and coach and bring a billion 5-stars” how many ADs would not go directly into their current coach’s office and help him pack his desk? Again, maybe Clemson. The rest, well, “Nice knowing you, coach.”
LSU. On track for a playoff date, a Heisman winner and all the spoils. Simply put, it’s the perfect fit with the Swamp Monster that is Coach O. As for not aging well, how about this old tweet I found at the bottom of my timeline: “Hiring Coach O was a huge mistake. Yes, it was his dream job. My dream job is pitching for the Dodgers. Neither of us are qualified to do it.” Wow, that has aged like buttermilk.
Florida. Yes, Florida is more TLF with Dan Mullen right now than Georgia is with Kirby.
Georgia. Kirby is in no means on a chair that is anything but ice right now. (Side question: OK, how cool was the old-school George Gervin poster with him in the white/silvery jumpsuit sitting on a chair of ice with “Iceman” over his head? Wicked cool. Kids of America were better when posters covered the walls of rooms across the land.) Still, there are folks wondering how good Kirby is in game, and there will be a lot of questions about the direction of the offense moving forward.
Kentucky. When a fan base is more worried about their coaching leaving than anything else, well, that’s a very good sign for said coach. Mark Stoops has done a whale of a job.
Tennessee. Jeremy Pruitt has climbed this chart with a dazzling five-week run. Because with the flurry of second-year firings, looking back, the Mississippi State win cannot be overstated in terms of fan approval, locker-room commitment and Pruitt’s own job security.
Texas A&M and Auburn. Meet the buyout brothers. There is frustration. There also is a certain amount of fiscal functionality. Both of these teams could fire Jimbo Fisher and Gus Malzahn, but both will have winning records and play in bowl games, and that makes really hard for a lot of top-dog school administrators to sign off on paying tens of millions to clear a staff and then tens of millions more to hire a staff. That said, let either one of these guys kick the tires on another job, and the reaction is going to be “When can you leave?” (And Malzahn is the hardest guy to rank on this list, right? The buyout matters. He is 2-5 against Bama, which is not good enough for Auburn folks but it’s also more wins over Bama with Saban than the rest of the current SEC coaches have combined. Wow, this makes my head hurt.)
Ole Miss. Matt Luke has done an admirable job in an untenable situation handed down by the NCAA and in the wake of the Hugh Freeze mess. The Rebels are improved, and he hired a couple of top-notch coordinators. Still, a lot of the Ole Miss boosters I know realize that Luke is more Mike Shula than Nick Saban in terms of Alabama comparisons.
Missouri. Barry Odom is the first in this bottom group that needs a clear disclaimer. I do not think, other than Arkansas, there will be another SEC opening this year. But there are several guys who will need a much-better 2020 to continue. (Side point: OK, I almost wrote a “better vision in 2020” line or something of that ilk. I am going to try to live the code of not taking the easy way and avoid all eyesight-2020 links moving forward.) As for Odom, even with the NCAA cloud looming, this team has sorely under-performed and the loss to Vandy was a really bad optic, and one that cannot happen in 2020, when a lot of things will come into focus. (Hey, I tried.)
Vanderbilt. This may be a touch low, because, despite the vote of confidence, Derek Mason and Vandy feel right for each other. Still, Mason followed James Franklin,who lifted the ceiling for Vandy football, which right now is on the floor.
South Carolina. I think Will Muschamp is a very good football coach, and he would get another head coaching job if it doesn’t work out. But it’s hard to overstate what 2020 will mean for Coach Boom.
Mississippi State. Terribly hard to replace the guy, but that was the task for Joe Moorhead when Mullen left for Gainesville. He’s in that group that a) could be looking around and no one would mind, and b) next year will be critical.
Arkansas. Well, they are on an interim guy after all. Which brings us to the question: Who gets that job? Chad Morris was a name a lot of people wanted when he was hired a couple of years ago in Fayetteville. They are going to have to hire a guy who can bring some sizzle, because they need an energy infusion. Yes, Mike Norvell at Memphis is a fine coach. But could this be a place that calls Lane Kiffin? Would Les Miles want to come back to the SEC?
SEC rankings
Wow that got long in a hurry, huh?