December 4, 2008

The SEC has lost its dang mind

Rick Bozich of the Louisville Courier-Journal takes an interesting angle to the speculation surrounding UofL football coach Steve Kragthorpe's future: The SEC needs to stop the insanity.

When you're turning over 25 percent of your head coaches -- and all three were considered in the top half of the league's coaches in the last couple of years -- your league has a virus that needs to be medicated.

Tennessee and Auburn are going to try to out-sizzle Florida and Alabama by throwing more money at their programs. That's a new concept.

When a coach like Tommy Tuberville can't withstand one bad year, it's time for somebody to take a big-picture look at what's going on and put restrictions on how much money schools can spend on football.

Who makes these decisions to pay guys $6 million not to work?

That's an interesting question. What is the decision process like when you decide your team is better off paying a coach six million to eat Fruit Loops on the couch all day??

But that's not the question that needs to be asked. The real question is... why?

The answer is brutally simple -- SEC teams are dumping coaches faster than mortgage backed securities because Nick Saban has turned around Alabama in two years time.

Bozich nails it.

That deal Nick Saban signed at Alabama two years ago might have been great for Bama football, but it was terrible for SEC football because five coaches have now lost their jobs in the last two years.

Five coaches have been fired since Saban came back to the SEC. Why? Because Saban is winning and EVEN SUCCESSFUL SEC COACHES are being held to the insane standard of winning a national championship this year or next. No margin for error - win a championship next season or your fired.

Does anyone believe that Tuberville has forgotten how to coach? Has Tubs forgotten how to recruit? Are the booster donations dropping like the Dow? The answer to all three is a resounding no.

So if Tuberville hasn't lost "it"... what has changed? Quite simply, the expectations of Auburn fans have changed. Forget winning six in a row against 'Bama. All that matters to Tigers fans is that he lost the last one.

If anything, Tuberville is guilty of "chasing it". He's tweaked his staff year upon year - rolling through coordinator after coordinator in search of SEC championships. And, for the most part, he's managed to make it work. Tubs finished his career at Auburn with an 85-40 record (0.640) -- the eleventh best winning record in the country -- that will have dozens of schools licking their chops to get him on their sidelines. And with good reason, Tommy Tuberville is a damn good coach.

But, in this win-or-bust SEC, being a damn good coach isn't enough.

I get it. Everyone wants to win a national championship. Hell, I want *my* team to win a championship every year, but the fact of the matter is there will only be one champ. Statistically speaking, there's a pretty good chance it's not going to be you.

The Florida Gators have the best record in college football since 1990. And what do the Gators have to show for it? Two national championships in seventeen years. My point? Even the most dominant teams don't win championships every year. It's an unrealistic expectation.

Even Nick Saban thinks it's getting absurd.

In the wake of Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville's resignation, a shaken Nick Saban paused for 10 seconds while pondering the reality in the coaching profession.

"I guess we're 5-7 away from the same thing ... I really question some of the judgment relative to how it is for our game that people with those kind of relationships and done that kind of job and affected so many people in a positive way and have had a reasonable amount of success relative to their circumstances would not be given more respect and consideration than what these guys have been given."

When pressed further, Saban didn't duck. After being asked if his success at Alabama had contributed to Tuberville's demise, Saban raised his eyebrows in disbelief during his answer, and he paused once for a few seconds to search for the right words.

"When you see a program start to lose toughness or discipline, that's one thing," Saban said. "That;s not the case. It wasn't the case at Tennessee, and it wasn't the case at Mississippi State. It wasn't the case anywhere."

As we've said before... be careful what you wish for, SEC fans. For every Urban Renewal and St. Nick... there's Mike DuBose... and Dennis Franchione... and Mike Shula... and Joe Kines....

Without a doubt - Auburn, Tennessee, Mississippi State et al are going to get change. The only question now is... change to what?

Comments:

The SEC has lost its dang mind
Rick Bozich of the Louisville Courier-Journal takes an interesting angle to the speculation surrounding UofL football coach Steve Kragthorpe's future: The SEC needs to stop the insanity.
When you're turning over 25 percent of your head coaches -- and all three were considered in the top half of the league's coaches in the last couple of years -- your league has a virus that needs to be medicated. Tennessee and Auburn are going to try to out-sizzle Florida and Alabama by throwing more money at their programs. That's a new concept. When a coach like Tommy Tuberville can't withstand one bad year, it's time for somebody to take a big-picture look at what's going on and put restrictions on how much money schools can spend on football. Who makes these decisions to pay guys $6 million not to work?
That's an interesting question. What is the decision process like when you decide your team is better off paying a coach six million to eat Fruit Loops on the couch all day?? But that's not the question that needs to be asked. The real question is... why? The answer is brutally simple -- SEC teams are dumping coaches faster than mortgage backed securities because Nick Saban has turned around Alabama in two years time. Bozich nails it.
That deal Nick Saban signed at Alabama two years ago might have been great for Bama football, but it was terrible for SEC football because five coaches have now lost their jobs in the last two years.
Five coaches have been fired since Saban came back to the SEC. Why? Because Saban is winning and EVEN SUCCESSFUL SEC COACHES are being held to the insane standard of winning a national championship this year or next. No margin for error - win a championship next season or your fired. Does anyone believe that Tuberville has forgotten how to coach? Has Tubs forgotten how to recruit? Are the booster donations dropping like the Dow? The answer to all three is a resounding no. So if Tuberville hasn't lost "it"... what has changed? Quite simply, the expectations of Auburn fans have changed. Forget winning six in a row against 'Bama. All that matters to Tigers fans is that he lost the last one. If anything, Tuberville is guilty of "chasing it". He's tweaked his staff year upon year - rolling through coordinator after coordinator in search of SEC championships. And, for the most part, he's managed to make it work. Tubs finished his career at Auburn with an 85-40 record (0.640) -- the eleventh best winning record in the country -- that will have dozens of schools licking their chops to get him on their sidelines. And with good reason, Tommy Tuberville is a damn good coach. But, in this win-or-bust SEC, being a damn good coach isn't enough. I get it. Everyone wants to win a national championship. Hell, I want *my* team to win a championship every year, but the fact of the matter is there will only be one champ. Statistically speaking, there's a pretty good chance it's not going to be you. The Florida Gators have the best record in college football since 1990. And what do the Gators have to show for it? Two national championships in seventeen years. My point? Even the most dominant teams don't win championships every year. It's an unrealistic expectation. Even Nick Saban thinks it's getting absurd.
In the wake of Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville's resignation, a shaken Nick Saban paused for 10 seconds while pondering the reality in the coaching profession. "I guess we're 5-7 away from the same thing ... I really question some of the judgment relative to how it is for our game that people with those kind of relationships and done that kind of job and affected so many people in a positive way and have had a reasonable amount of success relative to their circumstances would not be given more respect and consideration than what these guys have been given." When pressed further, Saban didn't duck. After being asked if his success at Alabama had contributed to Tuberville's demise, Saban raised his eyebrows in disbelief during his answer, and he paused once for a few seconds to search for the right words. "When you see a program start to lose toughness or discipline, that's one thing," Saban said. "That;s not the case. It wasn't the case at Tennessee, and it wasn't the case at Mississippi State. It wasn't the case anywhere."
As we've said before... be careful what you wish for, SEC fans. For every Urban Renewal and St. Nick... there's Mike DuBose... and Dennis Franchione... and Mike Shula... and Joe Kines.... Without a doubt - Auburn, Tennessee, Mississippi State et al are going to get change. The only question now is... change to what?