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Gator Fan
Remember all those preseason lists, the ones that said the SEC was the greatest collection of coaches ever? Since that time, we've begun 3 coaching changes (and completed one). Tommy Tuberville resigned yesterday, meaning Les Miles is the longest tenured head coach in the SEC West (at one school). Yes, Les Miles... the crazy guy with the hat. This got me thinking about the general state of head coaching positions around the league...
Now, I am on the record of liking Tommy Tuberville and Sly Croom very much- I think they are both worthy, and should probably still have their jobs. And the entire argument of the coaching accomplishments takes a hit as the collective number of SEC and National Titles goes down by subtracting Fulmer and Tuberville. And it's an issue for a separate article, but Croom's disappearance means the SEC has lost it's only minority head coach (until Joker Philips takes over at UK, or the other two slots are filled). I also don't think that Auburn can do better than Tuberville, but they seemed intent on running him out of town (memo to Bobby Petrino: that Auburn job you interviewed for 5 years ago... it's available now). So at least in the delusional Auburn fans' minds, they are due for an upgrade at coach. Mississippi State seems to have been rebuilt and not as big of a mess as it used to be, and with the right hire they could be looking at an upgrade. And as good as Phil Fulmer had been in the past, I think in the modern college football world, he was left behind (I'm also worried about this happening to the HBC. Forgive me!). Lane Kiffin doesn't worry me so much, but several Gator fans I've talked to are worried about the Kiffin duo teamed with Ed Orgeron, if only for the fact that you now have to consider the program ready to improve (no matter what you think of UT, you have to admit lately it seemed they were trending down). So what do 3 coaching 'improvements' mean to a league that was already stacked with coaching talent?
Earlier this season, there were rumors that coaches were 'ducking' the SEC, specifically hot candidates like Butch Davis, as the league was seen to be too tough, and lacking in the job security available in other leagues. This perception has to be enhanced now, as the last 2 SEC Coaches of the Year (Croom, Houston Nutt) both resigned for negative reasons (i.e. not to take a 'better job' or jump to the NFL. Wait, does Nutt have a better job now?). So how strong is the league? If undefeated Auburn was given a shot at a title in 2004, and you figure an SEC gets a shot this year, we could be looking at the SEC claiming titles in 03,04,06,07, and 08. 5 out of 6 years, and potentially 4 different schools. I can't think of another conference that has even had 4 different national champions in the last... 30? Anyways, Auburn did not win in 04, and it remains to be seen if an SEC team will claim the naitonal crown in 08, but just having this many teams with a shot is frightening to coaches with jobs in more lax environs. The SEC should be attracting only the most competitive, confident, and driven coaches, as coaches looking for an easy 8 wins and a bowl game are routinely run out of town. Coaches with 50 wins in the last 5 years are run out of town for a 5-7 year! And Charlie Weis still has a job. So yeah, I think the SEC is strong, and insanely tough to coach in. That being said, the 3 recent BCS titles actually captured as of today by SEC schools were won by Florida and LSU. Florida is in position for another. This kind of sustained success is increasingly tough in today's SEC. I've always defended the SEC from the Spurrier (at UF) era, saying it gets a bad rap as being 'down', but the 4 sec titles in a row won by Florida in the early-to-mid 90s will most likely never happen again. And with so many good teams, someone is going to have a losing record in the conference (this year, LSU became the first team in like 60 years to win a national title and finish the next year with a losing conference record). Auburn and Tennessee- teams that got 'national title sleeper' status, or at least some hype for being able to make it to Atlanta- had extremely disappointing seasons and are now going through coaching changes. Expectations are going to change at some of these schools (it's impossible for every team to have a winning record) or the coaching revolving door will continue. Will UT expect to be a regular top 5 or 10 team? Will Auburn expect to be a 10 win team every season? Will Ole Miss run off Houston Nutt for the same sort of success that David Cutcliffe enjoyed (10 wins and the Cotton Bowl)- or will be exceed that standard? Mississippi State made the climb back to a bowl victory last season, but one season of regression has them looking for another coach. Georgia was flying high at the end of last year, and began this season as the nation's #1 team, then finished with 3 losses and has its fans severly disappointed (the previous season that had them very excited was a 2 loss season). These are impossibly tough standards, but the rewards are also greater than ever before.
SEC Coaching salaries rival those of NFL head coaches. The average salary, in 2008, for SEC coaches was somewhere around $2.4 million. The SEC has finally been getting pumped up by national media, as more and more people are watching more and more games, its easier to see who the best teams are. The last two BCS blowouts and the NFL credentials of its alumni also have helped the perception of the league as a whole. Sure, SEC coaches are under the most scrutiny of any group of coaches, probably in any sport. But they are also the most beloved... just ask any Alabama follower about Nick Saban. Ask any Florida fan their reaction the day Steve Spurrier retired- and then ask this same fan 'how will you feel about Urban Meyer if the Gators roll through 2 more games'? Ask an LSU fan about Nick Saban circa 2003- or Les Miles before this season went south. If you know any Vanderbilt fans, ask them about Bobby Johnson. These guys are bigger than rock stars in many cases, and probably navigate through tougher scrutiny. There is no lip-syncing your way through an SEC schedule. Coaching in the SEC should not be taken lightly.
Please feel free to respond here at GatorEnvy, or where the original article was posted.
Now, I am on the record of liking Tommy Tuberville and Sly Croom very much- I think they are both worthy, and should probably still have their jobs. And the entire argument of the coaching accomplishments takes a hit as the collective number of SEC and National Titles goes down by subtracting Fulmer and Tuberville. And it's an issue for a separate article, but Croom's disappearance means the SEC has lost it's only minority head coach (until Joker Philips takes over at UK, or the other two slots are filled). I also don't think that Auburn can do better than Tuberville, but they seemed intent on running him out of town (memo to Bobby Petrino: that Auburn job you interviewed for 5 years ago... it's available now). So at least in the delusional Auburn fans' minds, they are due for an upgrade at coach. Mississippi State seems to have been rebuilt and not as big of a mess as it used to be, and with the right hire they could be looking at an upgrade. And as good as Phil Fulmer had been in the past, I think in the modern college football world, he was left behind (I'm also worried about this happening to the HBC. Forgive me!). Lane Kiffin doesn't worry me so much, but several Gator fans I've talked to are worried about the Kiffin duo teamed with Ed Orgeron, if only for the fact that you now have to consider the program ready to improve (no matter what you think of UT, you have to admit lately it seemed they were trending down). So what do 3 coaching 'improvements' mean to a league that was already stacked with coaching talent?
Earlier this season, there were rumors that coaches were 'ducking' the SEC, specifically hot candidates like Butch Davis, as the league was seen to be too tough, and lacking in the job security available in other leagues. This perception has to be enhanced now, as the last 2 SEC Coaches of the Year (Croom, Houston Nutt) both resigned for negative reasons (i.e. not to take a 'better job' or jump to the NFL. Wait, does Nutt have a better job now?). So how strong is the league? If undefeated Auburn was given a shot at a title in 2004, and you figure an SEC gets a shot this year, we could be looking at the SEC claiming titles in 03,04,06,07, and 08. 5 out of 6 years, and potentially 4 different schools. I can't think of another conference that has even had 4 different national champions in the last... 30? Anyways, Auburn did not win in 04, and it remains to be seen if an SEC team will claim the naitonal crown in 08, but just having this many teams with a shot is frightening to coaches with jobs in more lax environs. The SEC should be attracting only the most competitive, confident, and driven coaches, as coaches looking for an easy 8 wins and a bowl game are routinely run out of town. Coaches with 50 wins in the last 5 years are run out of town for a 5-7 year! And Charlie Weis still has a job. So yeah, I think the SEC is strong, and insanely tough to coach in. That being said, the 3 recent BCS titles actually captured as of today by SEC schools were won by Florida and LSU. Florida is in position for another. This kind of sustained success is increasingly tough in today's SEC. I've always defended the SEC from the Spurrier (at UF) era, saying it gets a bad rap as being 'down', but the 4 sec titles in a row won by Florida in the early-to-mid 90s will most likely never happen again. And with so many good teams, someone is going to have a losing record in the conference (this year, LSU became the first team in like 60 years to win a national title and finish the next year with a losing conference record). Auburn and Tennessee- teams that got 'national title sleeper' status, or at least some hype for being able to make it to Atlanta- had extremely disappointing seasons and are now going through coaching changes. Expectations are going to change at some of these schools (it's impossible for every team to have a winning record) or the coaching revolving door will continue. Will UT expect to be a regular top 5 or 10 team? Will Auburn expect to be a 10 win team every season? Will Ole Miss run off Houston Nutt for the same sort of success that David Cutcliffe enjoyed (10 wins and the Cotton Bowl)- or will be exceed that standard? Mississippi State made the climb back to a bowl victory last season, but one season of regression has them looking for another coach. Georgia was flying high at the end of last year, and began this season as the nation's #1 team, then finished with 3 losses and has its fans severly disappointed (the previous season that had them very excited was a 2 loss season). These are impossibly tough standards, but the rewards are also greater than ever before.
SEC Coaching salaries rival those of NFL head coaches. The average salary, in 2008, for SEC coaches was somewhere around $2.4 million. The SEC has finally been getting pumped up by national media, as more and more people are watching more and more games, its easier to see who the best teams are. The last two BCS blowouts and the NFL credentials of its alumni also have helped the perception of the league as a whole. Sure, SEC coaches are under the most scrutiny of any group of coaches, probably in any sport. But they are also the most beloved... just ask any Alabama follower about Nick Saban. Ask any Florida fan their reaction the day Steve Spurrier retired- and then ask this same fan 'how will you feel about Urban Meyer if the Gators roll through 2 more games'? Ask an LSU fan about Nick Saban circa 2003- or Les Miles before this season went south. If you know any Vanderbilt fans, ask them about Bobby Johnson. These guys are bigger than rock stars in many cases, and probably navigate through tougher scrutiny. There is no lip-syncing your way through an SEC schedule. Coaching in the SEC should not be taken lightly.
Please feel free to respond here at GatorEnvy, or where the original article was posted.
