Today, we look at two more SEC coaches on the hot seat. Hopefully by now you have read our part one analysis that can be found here.
The coaches on the hot seat, as we see it, are:
Derek Dooley. Dooley is in his third year and had notched exactly four SEC wins. The Vols looked good against NC State and Georgia Southern before the wheels fell off against Florida mid-way through the 3rd quarter. A game the Vols were set to break wide open following a failed Gator fake punt, turned on a Tyler Bray grounding call and an 80 yard Trey Burton touchdown. The Vols didn’t get off the mat. Bray clearly lost his composure and the Vols watched a 7 point lead evaporate into a 17 point loss. Tennessee gets some breathing room against Akron before taking on Mississippi State, Georgia, Alabama and South Carolina. Dooleys fate will be known by the end of October. The question for Vol fans is who can Tennessee get? Gruden is a pipe dream. Dooley was pretty far down on the list last year and inherited a huge mess. Bray and wide receivers Justin Hunter and Cordarrelle Patterson may leave early for NFL fortunes, making the job a lot less attractive. Short of Tennessee quitting, the best option for Tennessee may be to ride out the storm one more year.
Gene Chizik. So, how much is a BCS title worth as far as job security goes? If Auburn fails to make a bowl, we might find out. Chizik, an unpopular hire in 2009, somehow signed Cam Newton in 2010 and the rest is SEC history. Newton had perhaps the finest single season in SEC history leading Auburn to a BCS title. However, that one miracle season was book ended by 8-5 campaigns, and Chizik’s highly rated classes keep hemorrhaging players. Some say, how much did Chizik have to do with the title? If Dan Mullen landed Newton (as many thought) could he have led the Bulldogs to similar success? This humble scribe thinks that two new coordinators will buy Chizik at least another year, but if things get ugly on the Plains, Auburn may be forced to make a move.
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Bryant Roberts is a life long SEC fan, has 2 autographed pictures of Steve Spurrier, is addicted to BBQ, and a graduate of Presbyterian College. Follow him on twitter here.
