Paul Finebaum rates the SEC coaches (1 Viewer)

[MLU]

How silly of me, I had forgotten that college football was going to be cancelled that year and LSU awarded the title. I may need to start making promises I cant keep to get a ticket to the game in Athens that year. I always find it easier to get tickets to the games in B.R. as opposed to GA. I guess growing up and living in LA helps with that.

I thought I had read an article that LSU was going out on top and not playing football anymore though. I guess they changed their mind.

No problem. It's easy for those who are not LSU fans to fall into those kinds of traps and make those mental mistakes. Thankfully us LSU fans are an empathetic bunch; We just don't show it very well.

As for not playing football anymore: Silly Bulldog. That's just wishful thinking. We're just taking a year off from the BCS CG game because we feel that every SEC should have a shot every once in a while. It's the Crash Davis Theory of Bowl Games: "Throw more ground balls. It's more Democratic."

Make 2008 count! Beat the snot out of your opponent from an inferior conference and then call me so we can talk about how our trophies look like huge friggin' diamonds.

 

[JimEverett]

Tennessee will win it all this year - take it to the bank

 

[Sandman]

Tennessee will win it all this year - take it to the bank

I just took that to the bank, and they now say I am overdrawn...:dunno:

 

[UGASaintsUGA]

Ga Tech tough? Really? Didn't they just fire their coach?

No, I definitely agree with you about Tech. Still, when your "easiest" games include teams like Tech, Kentucky, Vandy, and Georgia Southern, you're looking at a tough schedule.

 

[MLU]

UGA playing GaTech is like LSU playing Ole Miss. The game is usually a tough one despite the large gap between the two schools.

 

[scormi5]

Ga Tech vs. UGA is always a good game. I liken it to what LSU vs. Tulane USED to be back in the old days.

 

[UGASaintsFan]

GA Tech would beat Ole Miss 8 out of 10 times given recent history.

 

[ROUSTER]

C'mon MLU, did you really just compare Ga Tech to Ole Miss. Save the one year with Eli, Ole miss has been horrible. Ga Tech has at least been a bottom 25 type of team. I truly miss having a OOC team such as when we played TA&M a few years. That was fun.

I think Saban has gotten way too much mileage from the 1 NC year they had. But, people forget about some of the wasted years he had as well. They sure are quick to forget that LSU followed up the NC year with a 4 loss team.
And Ga and Fla almost always have just as much talent as LSU. This year was no exception. So to say Richt or Meyer could have done more is a huge assumption. I think a huge key this year was Miles bringing in Crowton. No way, IMO, LSU wins the NC this year with Fisher at OC.
While I, like others, may question Miles' decisions sometimes. You have to give it too him for what he's done here since coming in.

 

[LSSpam]

C'mon MLU, did you really just compare Ga Tech to Ole Miss. Save the one year with Eli, Ole miss has been horrible.

2003 10 3
2002 7 6
2001 7 4
2000 7 5
1999 8 4
1998 7 5
1997 8 4

Won every single one of those bowl games too. So kiss my butt.


Course, we all know why LSU fans have a memory span of only a handful of years long

1999 3 8
1998 4 7
1997 9 3
1996 10 2
1995 7 4 1
1994 4 7
1993 5 6
1992 2 9
1991 5 6
1990 5 6
1989 4 7


Yeah, news flash LSU, Ole Miss outperformed you the entire decade of the 90's

Ole Miss has been down for 4 years but it's not a bad school. Get over it

 

[ROUSTER]

Records Ole Miss Ga Tech
2003 10-3 7-6
2004 4-7 7-5
2005 3-8 7-5
2006 4-8 9-5
2007 3-9 7-6

Again, save the one year in 03 Ole Miss has suxed, while Ga Tech has been a bottom 25 type team for the most part. So over the last 5 years Ga Tech has been a very touch OOC for Ga. I was just messing with MLU. I know what his point was. Ole Miss typically plays LSU tough over the past few years, the same way Ga Tech plays Ga tough, even though LSU and Ga have the more talented teams recently.
And you can hang on to the 90's, 50's, or whatever else years you want with regards to Ole Miss.
The present is that LSU is a National power and Ole Miss is an SEC bottom feeder, RIGHT NOW.
This isn't a shot at Ole Miss, it's more of a testiment to LSU at present.

Now if you want to hammer me, you can talk about the current state of the 2 Basketball teams. OUCH.

 

[MLU]

I can't recite schedules here, but I'm willing to bet that Ole Miss' records is worse than Ga Tech's simply because of the caliber of schools they play. Ole Miss is playing in a division where any of the team except for them (and MSU) have had a shot at the division and any team could have won it. Besides, my point isn't the caliber of the team or level of the talent. My point is that despite the gaps, the games are close. You can take any rivalry game.

UF vs. FSU vs. Miami with FSU/Miami/UF in a down year. The rivalry brings players to another level...

 

[JimEverett]

And Ga and Fla almost always have just as much talent as LSU. This year was no exception. So to say Richt or Meyer could have done more is a huge assumption.

I don;t think that that is true.
I mean talent can be evaluated so many ways, so I am sure someone can come up with a very good argument that it is true - BUT, you look at Florida this year and consider how young they were. Taking Zook's last class and Meyer's first class less than 15 of them were on the roster this past year. That is pretty incredible.
I doubt Georgia or Tennessee are nearly as bad, but I know both have had some trouble with some earlier recruiting classes in terms of matriculating players.
LSU has not had that prblem - at least compared with Florida (I think it is true compared to a lot of teams, but that is a different point).

I am not trying to take away anything from Les Miles - as in trying to say he sucks as a coach or something . . anyone who read my posts before this year knows that I thought Miles was a very good coach and that he was taking some undue criticism - BUT, everyone (or almost everyone) knew that LSU was far out in front in terms of talent this past year. I mean they were head and shoulders above every other team. You can go back and look at the preseason posts - I , and others talked about this. The big dogs in the East (Florida, Georgia, Tennessee) were down because of so much youth in key positions. Auburn was down, Bama is still a few years away, etc.
In fact, its a compliment to Les Miles that LSU was so out in front in talent this past year. however, I still think it falls below expectations to lose to Arkansas and Kentucky - even while beating Florida and winning the SEC Championship. LSU was too talented to lose those two games.

 

[MLU]

LSU had more experienced talent, however next year we will see just how much talent that LSU really has...

 

[ROUSTER]

LSU had more experienced talent, however next year we will see just how much talent that LSU really has...

Bingo MLU. Talent is talent. It's the experience factor that plays a part though. It's just that so many people throw out that LSU has more "talent" than any other school and I just don't buy it. Talentwise, schools such as Ga and Fla almost always have as much talent as anyone in the country.
It really is a combination of Talent, Coaching, injuries, and just a little luck that comes into a great season. Considering some of the major injuries that LSU had this year, it was amazing that they were able to win the NC. They lost Doucet, Dorsey, Beckwith, Flynn, C.Alexander and RJFrancios(academics) for times this year. Most of which were late in the season.
I'd say Les did a great job this year.

 

[SaintJ]

On what basis is Petrino not last?

He's never won in a major conference as a head coach. He won at Louisville primarily on recruiting ability outpointing other middlin' schools on talent.

He's developed a real track record for selfishness and unreliability, with seven jobs in the last 10 years.

Whether it's track record, "would you hire this guy", or whatever, why is he better than Johnson, who was a consistent winner for years (also at a lower caliber of play) but has managed to make Vanderbilt consistently at least reasonably competitive for the balance of seasons for the first time in the school's history?

Or, for that matter, Croom or Nutt?