How Do You Rate The Coaches Of The SEC

3)Tommy T....They have to deal with freakin' Bama every year yet Tommy T. has kept Auburn a contender most years even on the national level. He has very few lulls.

4)Mark Richt...I'm puzzled by Richt. I mean on one hand...Georgia is always pretty good...which is to his credit. Yet...it's freakin' Georgia and you would think he would have a plethora of BCS and title games with his talent pool. If the other boys can make it at LSU and Florida...and even Tenn to the Big Dance...then shouldn't Richt be able to do it too with Georgia? I don't know.

weegdog905,

I have no problem with your rankings.  In fact it probably is pretty much along the lines that I would have gone.

I just don't get this part that he would "have a plethora of BCS and title games with his talent pool" piece. 

Fact, USC beats UCLA in the last game like they were heavily favored to do, they, and not Florida goes to the 2006 BCS game.  Now, what mystical powers did Urban Meyer use to make this happen?  UGA in 2002 and Auburn in 2004 had equal or better record than the Gators.  In 2002, there were 2 unbeaten teams.  In 2004 there were 4.

Fact EITHER Missouri or West Virginia go to the BCS game if they win their last game.  WVU was heavily favored.  Did Les Miles scare the Mountaineers into submitting?  Did the Tigers put their best players on a plane to Morgantown after the SEC title game?

Was Pete Caroll and his Trojans somehow a failure in 2003 because a bunch of computers picked a 35-7 Big XII Championship game loser ahead of his team? 

Tuberville goes unbeaten....THE ONLY UNBEATEN SEC team since 98.  He doesn't get there.  His fault?  Forget the OOC.  He didn't because the two teams that started the season ranked 1 & 2 didn't lose.

Conference Championships, contrary to the current BCS are won on the field.  Since 2001 when Richt arrived in Athens he has 2 of those.  Only LSU has more.  Check the preseason ratings for UGA in those 7 years.  He has finished below excpectations twice and above 5 times.

Again, this is not about Richt and your ranking.  It is more about this perception that somehow the only way you can be considered successful is to have won it.  They said that about Tom Osborne for about 20 years before he won.  LOL

pc,

Not sure I can fully agree with you on the Spurrier thang.  It does seem that perhaps he has lost a bit of the fire.  But he has a hell of a recruiting challenge there. 

First, his in-state rival has a far greater football tradition than the Gamecocks.  Right off the bat it is a strike against him especially considering the relative lack of talent in the state.  And before some South Carolina folks get upset, this is more due to population than lack of talent.

To his south, Mark Richt has essentially cut off Georgia's talent except for the occasional kid that is going somewhere else because of parents or a school with a great deal of tradition...ie. LSU, Alabama, Florida, Notre Dame, Clemson and Michigan.  Auburn and Georgia Tech get their fair share too.  But basically, Georgia gets who they want in the Peach State. 

That means to me that Spurrier either has to get players from North Carolina or maybe his Florida base.  It just doesn't seem to be happening.  I have no idea how hard he is working at it.  Carolina has very good football facilities.  And I still believe they have the most loyal and dillusional fans in the South.  These folks support that program like crazy through all the good and bad times and as you know there have been a lot more of the latter.

I have to say that I'm just really impressed with all the people that posted their opinions on the SEC coaches and I wouldn't argue with a single one.  Everyone is entitled to their own opinions and there were some great responses.

I just wonder if we did this with another conference if it would get the same results and bring up the same amount of debate.  My guess is "Nope".

KNUT

Your right. I don't think that very bad looking back at those teams FSU was fielding @ the time. I've personally never seen a program go on a stretch run like what the Noles did during that period. 17 years straight of top 4 finishes? Incredible.

FSU had alot more talent according to recruiting classes (Florida had some good ones too, not great like Meyer's). Overrall coaching staff= FSU in a landslide.

1. Spurrier     143-43-1     76%
2. Meyer     31-8     80%
3. Richt     72-19     79%
4. Saban     55-22     71%
5. Miles     34-6     85%
6. Fulmer     147-45     77%
7. Tuberville     105-53     67%
8. Petrino     0-0
9. Brooks     25-35     42%
10. Croom     17-30     36%
11. Nutt     75-48     61%
12. Johnson    20-50     29%

So here are the records in no particular order with winning %.  Also keep in mind the Spurrier had a better record at Florida than at SC, Saban had a better record at LSU than at Bama, and Tuberville has a better record at Auburn than at Ole Miss.  If you look at current record at where these three coaches are at now, Spurrier is 21-16 (57%), Saban is 7-6 (54%), and Tuberville is 80-33 (71%).

Now I ask the question does your ranking change any?

Spurrier while @ UF....................

•  12 years=122-27-1.........Thank God FSU beat them 8 times OOC.
• Finished in the top 15 everyyear
• 9 top 10 finishes...........9/12 in the top 10.
• 5 top 5 finishes 5/12 in the top 5.
• Averaged over 10 wins a game during a 11 game season.

Its not Spurrier...........Its South Carolina.........or maybe its just the SEC.

1. Steve Spurrier AKA Ole Ball Coach

2. Nick Saban

3. Urban Meyer

4. Les Miles

5. Mark Richt

6. Tommy Tubberville

7. Bobby Petrino

8. Rich Brooks

9. Phil Fulmer

10. Sly Croom

11. Houston Nutt

12. Bobby Johnson

What a deep group of Coaches!

No I get ya BigDawgs....and this wasn't a very good statement by me in the first place. I mean Richt has led Georgia to 3 BCS games and won 2 of them...albeit one against Hawaii but still.

I don't know what it is about Georgia. I mean I think they are one of the best programs in the country right now. But it has been the LSU's and Florida's that have caught the spotlight mostly and made the NC runs. Even Tenn won a BCS title game.

And I know a lot of getting to the title game can be "Luck" or good timing...but you still have to win the key games to get in. It's just hard to imagine for me that Georgia has been that good with Richt but not had a serious run at the NC. Maybe it's just bad timing as well with having to put up with some others that had to have spectacular years at the same time.

And as far as the ranking....Richt should probably be ahead of TT just because he's had more success in making BCS bowls (3 to TT's 1) and has better conference and overall winning % at Georgia than TT has at Auburn.

I would be swayed tremendously if and when Richt makes that title run...and if he wins it there would have to be strong consideration of him being 1st afterward...don't you think?

Anyway....Georgia is a fantastic program and on line with Florida and LSU right now as far as I'm concerned.

Absolutely true BigDawgs....and this "perception" probably skewed my initial ranking for Richt.

For some freakin' reason Georgia and Richt just fly under my radar most years...even though they keep putting up impressive seasons. Of course, again, this has a lot to do with the recent success of LSU and Florida that overshadows this success by Georgia and Richt...but it just adds to this "perception".

Don't worry...others and I will probably get over this "perception" problem real soon...like at the end of this upcoming season after the NC game I imagine.