We continue our college football discussion today by talking about the coaching carousel. This spring and summer, the cast of writers here at the Student Section will discuss what’s going to happen on the gridiron this season.
Last week, Baylor parted with Art Briles. After his success on the field, his demise was shocking. Will another coach see the same thing happen to him this season (either based on off-field or on field performance)?
Question: Which coach will be shockingly fired in 2016?
Terry Johnson:
On Twitter @SectionTPJ
I’ll go with Les Miles at LSU.
That’s not to say that I would agree with such a move if it were to happen. Miles has done an outstanding job throughout his tenure in Baton Rouge, winning over 77% of his games and posting an impressive 61-27 mark in SEC play. You don’t compile a record like that in the SEC West – traditionally one of the toughest divisions in college football – unless you’re a great coach.
So, why do I think LSU would get rid of Miles at the end of the season? Simple: the Tigers won’t live up to the preseason hype. Sure, the Bayou Bengals return the most experienced team in the country, welcoming back 18 starters – including the nation’s top running back in Leonard Fournette – from last year’s 9-3 squad. With Alabama, Ole Miss, and Arkansas losing some key players this fall, many experts think that the door is open for the Tigers to win the SEC West.
With all due respect, that’s not going to happen. While I expect the defense to be even better than it was a year ago under the leadership of new coordinator Dave Aranda, the lack of a passing game is going to hold the team back this season. Since opposing defenses don’t have to worry about LSU stretching the field vertically, they’ll be able to load the box to take away Fournette. And, as we saw in November last year, if the Tigers can’t establish the run, they’re not going to find the end zone very often (15.7 ppg in three losses).
Why is that last sentence a big deal? The Bayou Bengals will face five teams that finished in the top 25 in rushing defense last season.
Considering the daunting docket that LSU will face this fall – which includes a “neutral” game against Wisconsin at Lambeau Field – it’s not a stretch to think that it could lose three or four games in 2016. With the Tigers failing to live up to the lofty expectations they had coming into the season, I think the school would make a leadership change at the end of the year.
Would I agree with it? Of course not. But whether we like it or not, college football is more about “what have you done for me lately” rather than overall wins and losses. Just ask Mark Richt.
Kevin Causey
On Twitter @CFBZ
Hugh Freeze is just sitting there for the picking. But….I think Ole Miss is going to do everything that they can to hold on to him and will make somebody else the scapegoat for that situation.
My pick is Gus Malzahn.
Auburn won a National Championship in 2010 under Gene Chizik and then fired him two years later. Malzahn had a fantastic debut season going 12-2 in 2013. Since then, he’s been decidedly mediocre finishing 8-5 and 7-6, including a 2-6 mark in conference play last season. They’ve also lost to Alabama two straight years. Another loss to Alabama this year coupled with another lukewarm season and Malzahn will likely be shown the door.
Maybe it’s not “shocking” but for that part we will say he will be fired the Monday after Auburn fails to beat Alabama.
Joe Dexter
On Twitter @BuckeyeRadio
As good of a coach as Charlie Strong has proven to be in the past, there are so many things working behind the scenes at Texas that could lead to him losing his job after the 2016 season.
Plain and simple — the Big 12’s top entity cannot keep it’s power stature with another 5-7 season. Especially with the recent divide in the college football landscape.
Even with one of the highest profit margins in college football, losing to the likes of Iowa State, Kansas State and Texas Tech isn’t going to help hold of Big 12 officials who are pushing for expansion and the destruction of the Longhorn Network.
For Charlie Strong, this season is imperative when it comes to growing the popularity of the program in recruiting and in the national spotlight. As it stands, Texas finds itself in a prime position to return some standing as the best college football program in the Lone Star State.
The problem is the head coach is just 4-4 against teams from Texas. Three of those wins have come against Rice, North Texas, and Texas Tech.
Overall, the Longhorns are 11-14 over the last two seasons and have lost to Gary Patterson TCU twice by combined score of 98-17.
Year three is a pivotal one for Charlie Strong and the University of Texas athletic administration. Not only does the football product need to improve, but there is a lot riding on the prestige and standing of the football program.
Hook ’em can’t be held down for very long.
Especially with a man named Tom Herman down the road, taking college football by storm, and waiting for one of the top ten positions in college football to open.
Phil Harrison
On Twitter @PhilHarrisonCFB
Kevin already touched on it and fell shy of calling the shot, but I will. The most likely domino to fall is indeed Hugh Freeze at Ole Miss.
The days of finding a scapegoat are gone in the college football ranks, and in sports in general. In a society where everyone is the judge and jury and with all of the knee-jerk reactions of being politically correct before all the facts are there, the chair is more than often pulled out from the man that’s the most visible. In Oxford, that’s Hugh Freeze.
There is clearly some bellowing smoke at Ole Miss, and generally any self-imposed sanctions are just the start of a chain of events that could come to light.
I’m not putting the cart before the proverbial horse because there’s still due diligence that needs to be done into all that might be going on, but if I’m looking at one place where there’s a potential of an extremely successful guy who has elevated the program quickly, it’s got to be Freeze.
And really, with what all we’ve seen in programs trying to distance themselves from dirty laundry, it may not even be that much of a shocker over the next calendar year if he’s on the golf course with Steve Spurrier more than on the sidelines wearing the headset.
