SEC: Three New Coaches

Jeremy Hillman | southeasternfootball.com

Hope is defined as “a general feeling that some desire will be fulfilled.”  This hopeful feeling was lost a year ago, for the most part, by fans of three SEC programs.  The losses mounted, no bowl invitations were attained, and no rankings had been earned.  Hope was fleeting. Doom was setting in. Change was needed at Tennessee, at Auburn, and at Mississippi State.

• Tennessee finished 2008 with a disappointing 5-7 record, no bowl game and an embarrassing late season loss to lowly Wyoming.  The Vols also lost to top SEC programs Florida, Alabama, South Carolina and Georgia by an average score of 28-8. 
• Auburn finished 2008 with a 5-7 record, no bowl game, and a 36-0 blowout loss to their rival, Alabama, to end the season on a very sour note.  The Tigers also lost 6 of their last 7 games.
• Mississippi State ended the 2008 season with a 4-8 record, no bowl game, and suffered a 45-0 blowout lost to their rival, Ole Miss, to end the painful season. The Bulldogs also opened the 08’ season with a deflating loss to underdog Louisiana Tech.

It was a time for change. Not just to change coaches, but to change directions and to try and reinstate some hope.

Each coaching change created a stir, among fans and media. Tennessee let go national championship-winning Phillip Fulmer, and replaced him with young and loose-lipped Lane Kiffin. Auburn ousted Tommy Tuberville, who had plenty of success on the Plains, for Gene Chizik, who had a less-than-stellar record in his two years as head coach at Iowa State. Mississippi State booted well-respected Sylvester Croom, for Dan McMullen who had zero head coaching experience. While change was needed, not everyone was sure these changes were for the better. 

The new kids on the block in the Southeastern Conference went to work right away. Each of them knew they had a lot of rebuilding to do. Change is never easy.  Slowly, but surely, each of these coaches put together impressive staffs. Tennessee hired NFL veteran and defensive guru Monte Kiffin (Lane’s father and father of the Tampa 2 defensive formation).  Auburn rushed out and snatched up offensive guru Gus Mahlzan (he had lead Tulsa to be one of the nation’s top offense the last two seasons). Mississippi State was able to hire long time SEC defensive coach Carl Torbush (successful stints at Alabama and Ole Miss highlight his impressive resume).  These and other hires, got the ball rolling in the off season, and then it was time to coach…

Flash Forward to Saturday October 31^st :

• Tennessee routed South Carolina 34-16. Yes, hope is alive and well in Rocky Top. The Vols are 4-4 and getting better every week, and could see 7 or more wins on the season.  A bowl game is likely and the Vol nation is excited about the future and it’s leadership.  
• Auburn upset #24 Ole Miss 31-18 and moved to 6-3 on the season. The Tigers are already qualified for a bowl and should move to an impressive 7-3 on the season with a win over Furman this Saturday. Hope is breathing again in East Alabama and Tiger fans are rallying behind the program.
• Mississippi State upset Kentucky 27-14 and tallied their 4^th win of the season. With new hope for a bowl invite, State will play meaningful games in November and that has the Bulldog nation cheering their new coach.

With visions of bowl games, winning seasons and new respect, these coaching changes are beginning to look like a success early on. It is too early to tell, as recruiting must go well for these staffs and consistent winning is what will be expected by these programs.  To keep things in perspective, it is tough as a first year coach to win in the SEC.

From 1994 through 2008, there have been 28 rookie coaches in the SEC. First year SEC coaches have gone 157-171-1 in that time span. That averages out to 5.7 wins and 6.1 losses per season, per first year coach. Works out to be almost a 6-6 record. Here are a few examples:

Bobby Petrino, Arkansas 2007: 5-7

Nick Saban, Alabama 2006: 6-6

Steve Spurrier, South Carolina 2005: 7-5

Rich Brooks, Kentucky 2003: 4-8

Mark Richt, Georgia 2001: 8-4

Lou Holtz, South Carolina 1999: 0-11

Tommy Tuberville, Auburn 1995: 6-5

Jim Donnan, Georgia 1996: 5-6

Bottom line is it is not an easy task to take over an SEC program, especially since many coaching changes leave the new coach with less to work with than some of the veteran coaches of the league have in their program. That is why Tennessee, Auburn and Mississippi State fans should feel good about this season. The Vols and Tigers will exceed the 6-6 rookie SEC coaching record average, and the Bulldogs have a shot at reaching it.

Would Tennessee, Auburn, or Mississippi State have just as many wins without a coaching change last offseason? Maybe.  Would there be as much new excitement and hope for the future?  Probably not.  Hope sells tickets, attracts media and appeals to recruits. This is a business, SEC football, and hope is the currency. After all, hope springs eternal. Just ask any Vols, Tigers or Bulldogs on their way to next week’s ballgame. They will tell you what having new hope is all about.

Send me your thoughts, questions, rants and raves to SECpigskin@gmail.com or find me on twitter at /SECpigskin

SEC Top Stadiums

Jeremy Hillman| Southeasternfootball.com

For SEC fans, their school’s home stadium is a monument. It is a cathedral. It is a place of worship for Saturday afternoons and evenings. A house that holds memories of the jubilance of victory, and the gut-wrenching pain of losing.  Memories of players, and coaches, and fans.  Good memories. This house is sacred.  Make no mistake, this house is “home”.

Each home stadium has its own feel and its own uniqueness.  Fans from Baton Rouge, Gainesville and many stops in-between, will argue that their school’s stadium is the best.  That their home, is unmatchable. But which SEC stadium really reigns supreme? 

I have traveled to every SEC Stadium at least once, and have been able to experience each football venue.  Using that experience, and some factual data, I will attempt to rank the stadiums in the conference.  I ranked the 12  football stadiums in four categories: size (ranked by stadium capacity), noise (ranked by how loud the crowds get), aesthetics (ranked by the look of the stadium), and home field advantage (ranked by home record the last 9 years, 2000-2009).  Here is how they rank in order:

1. Florida: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium

Size ranking:  5^th   (88,548 seats)

Noise ranking:  1^st

Aesthetics ranking:  2^nd

Home field advantage ranking:  2^nd   (49-9)

Overall ranking average:  2.5

2. Georgia: Sanford Stadium

Size ranking:  2^nd   (92,746)

Noise ranking:  6^th

Aesthetics ranking:  1^st  

Home field advantage ranking:   3^rd   (47-10)

Overall ranking average:  3

3. Tennessee: Neyland Stadium

Size ranking:  1^st (102,037)

Noise ranking:  3^rd

Aesthetics ranking:  5^th

Home field advantage ranking:  5^th (45-16)

Overall ranking average:  3.5

4. LSU:  Tiger Stadium

Size ranking:  3^rd (92,400)

Noise ranking:  2^nd

Aesthetics ranking:  9^th

Home field advantage ranking:  1^st (54-10)

Overall ranking average: 3.75

5. Auburn: Jordan Hare Stadium

Size ranking:  6^th (87,451)

Noise ranking:  4^th

Aesthetics ranking:  3^rd

Home field advantage ranking:  4^th (51-13)

Overall ranking average:  4.25

6. Alabama: Bryant –Denny Stadium

Size ranking:  4^th  (92,138)

Noise ranking:  5^th

Aesthetics ranking:  4^th

Home field advantage ranking:  7^th (43-21)

Overall ranking average:  5

7. South Carolina: Williams-Brice Stadium

Size ranking:  7^th (80,250)

Noise ranking:  7^th

Aesthetics ranking:  6^th

Home field advantage ranking:  8^th (39-22)

Overall ranking average:  7

8. Arkansas:  Razorback Stadium/War Memorial

Size ranking:  8^th (72,000)

Noise ranking:  9^th

Aesthetics ranking:  8^th

Home field advantage ranking:  5^th (45-20)

Overall ranking average:  7.75

9. Ole Miss: Vaught-Hemingway Stadium

Size ranking:  10^th (60,580)

Noise ranking:  8^th

Aesthetics ranking:  11^th

Home field advantage ranking:  9^th (36-24)

Overall ranking average:  9.5

10. Kentucky: Commonwealth Stadium

Size ranking:  9^th (67,942)

Noise ranking:  11^th

Aesthetics ranking:  10^th

Home field advantage ranking:  10^th (29-31)

Overall ranking average:  10

11. Vanderbilt: Vanderbilt Stadium

Size ranking:  12^th (39,773)

Noise ranking:  12^th

Aesthetics ranking:  7^th

Home field advantage ranking:  12^th (20-38)

Overall ranking average:  10.75

12. Mississippi State: Davis Wade Stadium

Size ranking:  11^th (55,082)

Noise ranking: 10^th  

Aesthetics ranking:  12^th

Home field advantage ranking:  11^th (25-31)

Overall ranking average:  11

There is clearly “no place like home”, but for some teams that is more true than others.  In just 75 days, these cathedrals of college football will be jam packed with fanatic fans, with more SEC memories, heroes and emotions to be made.  

Note: This ranking is reflective of the stadium, and not the program. But it is clear, that nice facilities, including great stadiums, are found at the top programs in the conference.  Look for this ranking to change over the next decade as teams add too, refurbish and win in their stadiums.  The race to have the biggest and best stadium won’t end anytime soon.

Let me know your thoughts below, or on the message boards!