Best and worst SEC jobs By TONY BARNHART The Atlanta Journal-Constitution 12/13/06 Rich Rodriguez decided to stay at West Virginia. Steve Spurrier took a pass. And Nick Saban wanted no part of trying on Bear Bryant's famous houndstooth hat. As Alabama enters the third week of what's been a humbling search for a new football coach, critics have suggested the job, once considered a plum, isn't so attractive any more. That got us to thinking: In today's climate, where coaches can make more than $2 million annually (Tennessee's Phil Fulmer) but be fired a year after a 10-win season ('Bama's Mike Shula), what constitutes a good job? The Journal-Constitution reached out to 10 former SEC head coaches and asked them to break down the best — and worst — jobs in the conference, taking into account fan support, recruiting base, financial resources, athletic facilities, expectations and backing from the administration when things get tough — as they inevitably will. Read the rest . . .
I'd say that list is pretty much on the money. I think you could argue a point here or there, but no school seems like it is more than one spot away from where it should be. Florida is clearly one and Vandy is clearly last and the rest of the list also seems about right. My first reaction would probably have been to put y'all at two, but then the article addresses that and makes note of Katrina. How much is that still affecting life/recruiting/etc. down there? I think if we didn't have the reputaton for sometimes meddling BOT (cough*BobbyLowder*cough), we would swap places with Tennessee b/c of our better recruiting base. Might also swap Miss St. and Kentucky, but I have no problem w/ the order it is in. For those of you unable or too lazy to go read the whole article, here is the ranking: 1. Florida 2. Georgia 3. LSU 4. Tenn 5. Auburn 6. Bama 7. Arkansas 8. South Carolina 9. Ole Miss 10. Kentucky 11. Miss State 12. Vandy
I think there is a little Georgia home-cooking to get them up to two. Georgia isn't really all that fertile a ground for recruiting. Katrina displacement didn't hurt LSU recruiting last year and doesn't appear to be hurting it this year.
My first reaction would probably have been to put y'all at two, but then the article addresses that and makes note of Katrina. How much is that still affecting life/recruiting/etc. down there? Based on the last two years recruiting, I would say the Katrina effect is non existant. What people don't realize is that Katrina really only affected the area from NOLA and south and east of it, which isn't much area. (In Louisiana) Rita had a big effect on the other side of the state, but for the most part, the central 80% of the state was OK, and anything north of I-10, which is most of the state, was also OK. Yeah, there was damage, but not a lot of people displaced. Then, take into account that most of the displaced residents wound up in Baton Rouge or Houston, and you realize that it's not that big of a deal, at least concerning LSU recruiting. In fact, displaced high schoolers may look at it as a way to get closer to home. So I wouldn't put much stock in that argument. They may have us ranked properly in that poll, but it has nothing to do with Katrina.
Obviously you are speaking about football but in basketball we may have missed one who looked pretty good against us the other night. His family said "Re-locating didn't affect the decision" but I still have to wonder.
Well, you're more trusting than me because I don't believe that statement at all. I think DJ Augustin was ours until he left. We could really use a pg too. damn!!!
Not trusting just didn't want to call her a liar then. That was nice of you. I guess I am less diplomatic.
The point is, the so called Katrina effect has nothing to do with whether we should be ranked #2 or #3 in this article, or on this thread, which is about the SEC Football coaching jobs. Just take a look at the recruiting since Katrina and Rita hit. I knew when I submitted that post that people would bring up Augustin, but he doesn't apply here, nor does basketball, and who knows why he went to Texas? The LSU basketball program, even coming off of a final four year, isn't nearly as high profile as the football program. Nothing against Brady's boys, but they're not an elite team, whereas the football Tigers are. It's alot easier for us to compete with other high profile football programs when it comes to recruiting than it is other high profile basketball programs based on how the respective programs are viewed on a national level.
