Grobe No. 1, Petrino isn't
By Gene Sapakoff
Bum Phillips, the former NFL sideline sage, nailed the definition of a great head football coach: Someone who "can take his and beat yours and take yours and beat his."
All the vacancies are filled.
Most of the extensions are signed.
Chestnuts roast in the microwave.
Rating the SEC and ACC head coaches from No. 24 to No. 1 using the Bum rap and assuming a hypothetical matchup next week against State Tech U.:
24. Bobby Petrino, Arkansas. Recruits should consult the Atlanta Falcons before signing. Petrino at Louisville secretly negotiated with Auburn while Tommy Tuberville was under contract, which makes his 13-game Falcons stint seem glorious.
23. Randy Shannon, Miami. A 5-7 record and no bowl trip was not the Hurricanes forecast fans had in mind.
22. Bobby Johnson, Vanderbilt. Trying to win SEC football games at Vandy is like fighting wolves with a spoon. And yet he won at South Carolina.
21. Jeff Jagodzinski, Boston College. Splendid start with the ACC championship game appearance. But Tom O'Brien-recruited Matt Ryan and Jamie Silva are among senior stars gone after the Champs Sports Bowl.
20. David Cutcliffe, Duke. Got a raw deal when fired at Mississippi after guiding the program to four bowl berths. Meaning the Blue Devils might win an ACC game or two.
19. Sylvester Croom, Mississippi State. Hard to win in aptly named Starkville without cheating, but Croom got the Bulldogs to a bowl game the right way.
18. Al Groh, Virginia. Went from hot seat to one win away from the ACC championship game this year, and probably back to the hot seat next fall.
Bowden and Co.
17. Tom O'Brien, N.C. State. Part-time Daniel Island resident should have been ACC Coach of the Year for building the Boston College program and going 4-2 in the second half of the season at N.C. State. O'Brien is 6-1 in bowl games.
16. Paul Johnson, Georgia Tech. Always overachieved at Navy.
15. Rich Brooks, Kentucky. A couple of very nice seasons in a row and somehow got Oregon to the Rose Bowl. Let's see how he does without Andre Woodson.
14. Butch Davis, North Carolina. Rebuilt Miami and has the Tar Heels headed in the right direction.
13. Bobby Bowden/Jimbo Fisher, Florida State. A two-man show with Fisher officially named Papa Bowden's successor.
12. Ralph Friedgen, Maryland. A swell seven-season streak for the part-time Isle of Palms resident: Five bowl appearances, three straight bowl wins, 31 wins from 2001-2003, an Emerald Bowl date with Oregon State.
11. Tommy Bowden, Clemson. Oh, so star-crossed. Bowl eligible all nine of his Clemson seasons, 7-2 against South Carolina, presently dominating Florida State. But a decent chunk of Tigers faithful kind of wanted him to climb aboard that Arkansas plane when it landed in Pickens County early this month.
10. Les Miles, LSU. The man Clemson athletic director Terry Don Phillips hired to coach Oklahoma State might win a national title in a few weeks, and isn't all that beloved in Baton Rouge.
9. Nick Saban, Alabama. At least he coached out the 2006 season with the Miami Dolphins before slithering off to
Tuscaloosa. But a loss to lowly Louisiana-Monroe was the most embarrassing performance for any SEC team this season. Who do you like if Clemson and Alabama close a deal to play in the Georgia Dome early next season?
Out-foxing Urban
8. Tommy Tuberville, Auburn. Underrated and seemingly always a short losing streak away from a buyout.
7. Houston Nutt, Mississippi. Did a better job than Arkansas deserved.
6. Phil Fulmer, Tennessee. Nice SEC East title, dude. But if Ryan Succop makes his overtime field goal attempt or Blake Mitchell sees Kenny McKinley a little earlier on the corner route, a loss to South Carolina might eventually have cost Fulmer his job.
5. Steve Spurrier, South Carolina. Look at the glass half full; South Carolina very easily could have been 4-8 this year. But Spurrier's criticism Wednesday of ex-defensive coordinator Tyrone Nix doesn't jive with facts. In all but two of the Gamecocks' six losses this year (Arkansas and Florida), the defense performed much better than the Spurrier-run offense and linebacker Eric Norwood was the best ballcarrier against Kentucky.
4. Frank Beamer, Virginia Tech. Hasn't always done it the right way (lots of arrests, Marcus Vick, etc. ...) but keeps winning big games.
3. Urban Meyer, Florida. Winning a BCS game with Utah (over Pittsburgh in the Fiesta Bowl) might have been more impressive than winning a national title at Florida.
2. Mark Richt, Georgia. A 42-17 SEC record with at least a share of first place in the SEC East four times in seven years. Thoroughly out-foxed Urban Legend the last time out in Jacksonville.
1. Jim Grobe, Wake Forest. No way the Deacons should have won the 2006 ACC title, or have a 45-39 record in Grobe's seven seasons as head coach. No one else has done as well on the Bum exam.
Reach Gene Sapakoff at gsapakoff@postandcourier.com.
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aclubb (anonymous) says...
"7. Houston Nutt, Mississippi. Did a better job than Arkansas deserved."
How would someone in Charleston have a clue what Arkansas deserves? I'm sure you pay close attention to what's going on in Arkansas.
December 21, 2007 at 9:56 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
MB (anonymous) says...
Nice Gene...
I wonder where you would rank in the sports journalists top 24?
December 21, 2007 at 10:16 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
SDJones (anonymous) says...
So an average of 7 wins a season for 10 years is more than Hog fans deserve. A QB transfer every other year is more than fans deserve. Nearly 20 differents assistants in 10 years is more than fans deserve. Did you do any homework at all when preparing this article. Or did you just take the most ignorant stance possible?
December 21, 2007 at 10:27 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Yattty (anonymous) says...
So, you bash Petrino for seeking out other jobs while in a current job. Now if my memory is correct, didn't Grobe almost take the Arkansas job a couple of weeks ago? A bit of a double standard isn't it Gene?
December 21, 2007 at 11:05 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Kevin (anonymous) says...
Yet another cheap shot!
I wish I could use a major publication to to inject my personal bias and distain of current events while preaching objectivity.
It is sad when you think a fanbase doesn't "deserve anything" as you say but hey I am not lucky enough to support a program like you that has never, ever had a disgruntled fan or two.
If your honest opinion is that Coach Petrino is the worst X's & O's coach in the entire ACC/SEC then I cannot change that I am just tired of my favorite team being used as a personal grinding axe 4 days before Christmas.
Have a blessed Holiday season Mr. Sapakoff.
December 21, 2007 at 11:47 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
BlahBlahBlah (anonymous) says...
You dog the current Arkansas coach for negotiating with another team at his former job, but you don't dog the current Ole' Miss coach for negotiating with other teams (yes, thats plural) while he was at his former job.
Pot, meet kettle.
December 21, 2007 at 12:26 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Bobby (anonymous) says...
Gene -
Welcome to the party! It only took you a week to jump on the Bash Bobby Petrino Bandwagon and the Poor Picked-on Houston Nutt Bandwagon. You should be proud of yourself!
Recruits talk to the Atlanta Falcons? Houston doing a better job than Arkansas deserves?
How about this: Mississippi recruits should talk to Mustain, Williams and Malzahn regarding the direction of the Mississippi offense. How about the Nutt family members and close friends of the family sending emails to a freshman QB, and about the hazing of same QB by the seniors at the coach's request. How about asking McFadden and Jones what it's like to face a nine man defensive front because their coach refused to develop a passing game. How about asking Tarvarius Jackson how much help he received in developing his skills while at Arkansas, now that he is starting for the Vikings.
Maybe Bobby Petrino could have left the Falcons under better circumstances, but don't we all make mistakes? I personally think that the Falcons were idiots not to include a buyout in his contract.
The simple fact is that he told the Falcons when he was hired that if things did not work out, he was going back to coaching in college. They knew THAT up front. Would he still be number 24 had Atlanta fired him with 3 games left? Firing him would not have been out of the realm of psooibility, considering that the Falcon's players were ready to mutiny. Maybe you should advise recruits to stay away from the thugs that quit on Petrino. You know, the same ones that were more interested in showing off their "Free Mike Vick" T-shirts and posters than playing the Saints.
Or better yet, how about this: Do some research and get some facts rather than sitting back and watching SportsCenter and listening to THEIR uninformed opinions! Remember that Home Depot (founded by Blank) is a major player in ESPN's GameDay - no conflict of interest there at all! Hey! Maybe that would have been a better story - "Why the ESPN Talking Heads jumped on Petrino, but said nothing when the same Falcons fired Dan Reeves with three games left in the season."
December 21, 2007 at 12:47 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
MontanaBack (anonymous) says...
"7. Houston Nutt, Mississippi. Did a better job than Arkansas deserved."
Ummmm yeah Gene...... Do some research buddy. Using the "good ole boy" network, Nutt and his cronies set the Arkansas Program back 10 years. The only thing he deserves in a one-way ticket back to Murray State.
December 21, 2007 at 2:45 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
charleston_grown (anonymous) says...
if anyone watched the steelers vs rams game last nite, you may have heard the comment, "If you are an offensive coach, and your team is struggling on offense, then you aren't doing your job." so how does an offensive coach, with a pretty mundane offense, and a solid injury riddled defense become #7 on your list?? terrible article, were you drunk when you wrote this?
December 21, 2007 at 2:54 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
BeefNBeanBurrito (anonymous) says...
Outsiders don't understand that getting rid of Nutt had little to do with what happened on the field, but rather off of it. While his coaching abilities were in serious question, it was the manner in which he carried himself off the field that ultimately did him in.
What ultimately happens with Bobby Petrino at Arkansas remains to be seen, but Arkansas is unquestionably better off with Petrino than it was with Nutt. Some years from now, Petrino may leave or he may get fired, but people in Arkansas will still be happy in knowing that Nutt isn't a problem any longer.
December 21, 2007 at 4:41 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
razorbrass (anonymous) says...
I'm not a regular reader of the Post and Courier so forgive me for asking this question - Are you a regular on the sports beat or on loan from the social page? Jim Grobe #1? Really? He is a good coach and has done a fantastic job at Wake but get real. There is no way he beats Richt or Spurrier. Nutt at 7. If he is that good why didn't LSU hire him instead of Les Miles who you have at #10. Bobby Johnson at #22. Give him any other program on your list except Duke and he would have them in the top 25 on a regular basis. Petrino at 24 has to be a joke. The guy has an 82% college winning percentage. If he is #24 why did the president and athletic director of the school of your #8 coach try to lure him away from Louisville? Consult with Atlanta. The same Atlanta front office that neglected to tell Petrino about possible issues with Vick. The Atlanta players who are more interested in supporting a convicted felon than winning ball games. Atlanta has reaped what it has sewn. Build your ball club and put your trust in a felon and this is what you get. I'm sure once you get back to your regular beat of writing about weddings and anniversaries your columns will seem more informed. Good luck until then.
December 21, 2007 at 5:46 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
NaturalState (anonymous) says...
Well, after reading this drivel I was all primed to point out your obvious mental deficiencies, but my fellow posters seem to have taken care of that. Sadly, you're probably sitting in your chair, reading these posts and rocking back and forth with laughter.
You may be confused as to what your job is. If you want to entertain people, apply for a job with Comedy Central; I hear they're having problems since their writers are on strike, and no way the WGA would admit you - they only allow professionals.
If, however, you want to write about sports, you might want to bone up on a term: "sports".
December 21, 2007 at 9:54 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
snoblind (anonymous) says...
Another let's bash Petrino bandwagon? I have yet to see a single person on this bandwagon point out what is apparent to anybody with a clue - which you obviously don't - by leaving when he did, Petrino had the opportunity to contact AR recruits and keep them on board before the dead period. so for every comment about how he did he did Atlanta wrong there should be the other side - what he did helped the team he was going to. I'm sure we will lose a few commits, but what we gain maybe far better.
Anybody who defends Nutt in this situation doesn't know the whole story about him at Arkansas. Call me whatever, but I doubt HDN lasts more than a few seasons at Ole Miss. Without his Arkansas connections they will tire of his game long before our fans did.
December 21, 2007 at 10:06 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
hobo (anonymous) says...
I normally do not read Sapakoff's column, they are always an insult to any knowledgeable sports fan. Thank God for the P&C Gene. You couldn't cover the Little League beat for any reputable paper. BTW, if there were a ranking system for sports columninsts, you would be dead last...just beating out your cohort Berger. The P&C should have long ago be ashamed of their sorry sports department.
Hobo
December 22, 2007 at 10:14 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
radioman (anonymous) says...
Your comments about the University of Arkansas, Nutt, and Petrino show that you know little about what actually led to the coaching change for the Razorbacks. Why are Arkansas fans less deserving of a great program? Is it because they own SC, even though we are a decent program and not a great one?
December 22, 2007 at 11:15 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Traveshamockery (anonymous) says...
Is this for real? I thought the "Fool's holiday" wasn't until April. Houston Nutt better than Tubberville or Miles??? Surely you are kidding? How many SEC championships has he won compared to those two? Since you obviously don't have a clue let me educate you. The answer is ZERO.
You also have Sylvester Croom about 10 spots too low. It is crystal clear Mr. Sapakoff you don't know a thing about college football except for what the agenda driven espn producers feed you. How about some original material next time?
December 24, 2007 at 10:44 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
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