'Tis The Season For Coaching Craziness

   It's the time of year when most SEC news is generated by the old guys wearing headphones on the sidelines.

   --Auburn's insistence that its head coach resigned -- and was not fired -- was denied by Tuberville. Not Tommy, but Olive -- his mother. 

   She claims to have it on good authority that her son was forced out. Tommy has not commented, a wise move given his intent to continue working for the university. Still, somebody needs to clear this up.

   Which account do you believe?

   This just in: Georgia assistant Rodney Garner interviewed Monday for the Auburn gig. 

   --It's par for the course that colleges will try to cherry-pick the coaching staff of a BCS finalist, which is happening at Florida. Mississippi State has shown interest in offensive coordinator Dan Mullen. Another Dan, assistant head coach McCarney, was linked to New Mexico, but it filled the position Monday with someone else.

   Shouldn't defensive coordinator Charlie Strong be generating interest? Not only does he have an impressive resume, but colleges inspired to do the right thing would get bonus points by hiring Strong and reversing the decline in black head coaches, now at three nationwide.

   Is Strong ready to serve as head coach?

   --Two former Gators coaches kept Florida from a No. 1 ranking in the USA Today coaches poll. Steve Spurrier and Ron Zook listed UF second behind Oklahoma. Had either reversed his vote, the Gators would have wound up on top.

   Spurrier's affection for Florida is well-established. Should he have helped out the ol' alma mater?

  --Phil Fulmer will answer the next two months to Tennessee's university president as a special assistant. His salary: $12,500 per month, plus benefits.

   His duties will include assisting the college planning for $48 million in budget cuts. Fulmer may be the right guy, but is anybody cringing at a guy getting paid $6 million not to coach by the school's athletics department advising them on saving money?

   Anyone bothered by this?   

Nuttin' But Net: Houston Scores At Ole Miss

  One year after getting chased away from Arkansas, Houston Nutt has already earned a contract extension at Ole Miss. His 8-4 rookie season with the Rebels persuaded the school to lock him up through 2012, the maximum allowed by state law.

   The SEC is an unusual conference in that coaches routinely go from one school to another, sometimes with stops in between. So when jobs open up, rumors swirl about who in the family is getting hired. With Auburn, several SEC coaches have been mentioned, Nutt included. (Also, Bobby Petrino and Steve Spurrier, both unlikely transfers.)

   Mike Leach appears to be staying at Texas Tech, so the Tigers' wish list is being whittled by outside forces.

   Who do you think gets the Auburn gig?

   Of course, Tommy Tuberville is being linked to Mississippi State. Whoever winds up there will bring new coordinators, with both of the Bulldogs' headed for Clemson.

   Should Missy State look at Tuberville? If not, who? 

Wearing Out Your Welcome: Another Veteran Coach Is Out

   Tommy Tuberville, ousted at Auburn, is the latest SEC coach victimized by the what-have-you-done-for-me-lately? trend.

   A year ago, the Tigers went 9-4, nothing to be ashamed of in this league. Tennessee won the East and played in the championship game.

   Both coaches are gone, the two most tenured in the SEC. Tuberville logged 10 seasons, seven fewer than the Volunteers' Philip Fulmer.

   Sylvester Croom of Mississippi State, with the sixth most seasons (five), also resigned with considerable coaxing. That's a 25 percent turnover before the season is even over.

   Is any other coach in trouble?

   Tuberville was doomed by his worthwhile attempt to keep up with the football Joneses and adopt the spread offense. He misjudged having the talent onboard to make the conversion, at least to the degree that deposed offensive coordinator Tony Franklin desired. Tuberville's forcing Franklin to walk the plank at midseason paid no immediate dividends.

   Should Tuberville have been granted another year to fix his mess?

   Are SEC schools too hasty in demanding resignations?

Will Iron Deficiency End Tuberville's Reign?

   Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville did not hear the good ol' vote of confidence from Tigers brass after the 36-0 drubbing from Alabama in the Iron Bowl. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it leaves his fate murky.

   Tuberville made no bones Saturday about his desire to remain on the Plains. The season was a disaster and, given that he was nearly run off a few years ago, it's clear the Auburn administration is not wedded to him.

   But, unlike at Tennessee and Mississippi State, which ran off Phil Fulmer and Sylvester Croom, Auburn has not been in a steady decline. This season was an aberration, so the guess here is that Tommy will be back in the same saddle.

   Do you think Tuberville will return?

   Does he deserve to?

   

   Regarding the competition for the biggest bust this season, the leader in the schlub-house is . . . . Tennessee. In fact, this bust now rivals Pamela Anderson's.

    Phil Fulmer and staff evidently checked out Monday when the coach's forced resignation was announced. The Vols were favored over Wyoming by nearly four touchdowns; in a normal year, it would have been 40-plus. But all of the players who hailed Fulmer last week did nothing but validate the decision made by UT brass.

   The silver lining: Relatively few Orange backers saw it. The building was two-thirds full -- for homecoming.

   Auburn gave Tennessee a run for the biggest-bust money at its own homecoming. The Tigers found themselves in a third-quarter tie before drawing away. The grumbling faithful reminded themselves that, hey, their team had not won since September.

   Tommy Tuberville, nearly sacked by the school a few years back, has to wonder if he will be joining Fulmer in the unemployment line.

   Which team gets your Biggest Bust award (presented by Pamela Sue)?

   This news flash, courtesy of the Knoxville Sun: Butch Davis of North Carolina is No. 1 on the Vols' wish list.

 

   

Coaching Carousel Swinging By Nashville?

   Bobby Johnson has a substantial head start as SEC Coach of the Year. He is a South Carolina native and a Clemson alum who once coached there. It's only natural that his name would bubble up in speculation about the Tigers replacing Tommy Bowden.

   Vanderbilt is the po' boy of big-time southern football, with resources limited by the Ivy League-ish school and the nature of eclectic Nashville. Johnson might be the sort of coach who welcomes the low-pressure atmosphere, where a bid to any bowl is cause for celebration. 

  Still, if Clemson knocks, wouldn't he have to open the door for a listen?

   At Auburn, Tommy Tuberville is battening down the hatches to keep incoming recruits from backing out. If possible, he should name an offensive coordinator (beyond an interim tag) to signal the high schoolers on whether he intends to stick with the spread offense. Words to that effect don't mean much; only action will.

   Should Auburn be concerned about holding onto its recruiting class?

   And aren't you looking forward to the next gathering of the Bowden boys? Former Auburn coach Terry wrote that brother Tommy deserved to be fired at Clemson. Hey, Bobby, you better sit them at the opposite ends of the table. 

   

Bowden History Repeats Itself (Sort Of)

   Tommy Bowden's resignation-under-fire at Clemson reminded me that it was 10 years ago when brother Terry was sacked by Auburn. Bridging these events was Tommy Tuberville deflecting the heat on him by dismissing offensive coordinator Tony Franklin last week.

   Tommy's situation is remindful of what may keep Phil Fulmer safe at Tennessee. Clemson will pay its Bowden $3,5 million to walk out the door, a frightening sum in a so-called amateur sport. The Vols, it has been reported, would have to cough up $6 million to ease out Fulmer.

   Are you outraged by these sums?

   And why don't the athletic directors catch any guff for poor decisions?

   The ADs at Clemson and Tennessee extended their coach's contracts after last season. Suddenly, in Clemson's case, a guy forgot how to coach in such a short span?

   An extension like this is almost an incentive for Tommy to take off. Why put up with the pressure and the criticism from fans when you can pocket a fortune and not work?

   In this area, college football needs a Mr. Fix-It.

What We Learned, No. 4: Hey, Phil, Make Room For Tommy

   It may be unfair to rip on Tommy Tuberville for Auburn's anemic offense (193 yards, one offensive touchdown) while playing a few days after he jettisoned coordinator Tony Franklin.

   I'm going to, anyway. Why not wait, T.T., until the bye next Saturday, which would allow you more time to tweak the sorry-so-far spread? The mid-week staff switcheroo was a disruption that might have titled the scales toward Arkansas.

   There isn't much room on any seat when the rotund Phil Fulmer occupies it, but he'll have to slide over so Tuberville can plop down on the coaching hot seat.

   Does he deserve to be there?

   As for Tennessee, the 24-12 score against Georgia hides the fact that the Volunteers were dominated. (One rushing yard? Oh, my.) As Larry Munson would say, the Bulldogs crushed them with a hobnail boot. Barring a turn-around this year, if The Big Orange Pumpkin is back next season, the only plausible explanation is his costly $6 million buyout.

   Would you contribute to it, Vols fans?  

Starting The Real SEC Season

    "Whoa, Nellie," as announcer and Georgia native Keith Jackson might exclaim. The temperature will be turned up in the SEC on Saturday with a delicious doubleheader that launches the division races.

   In the East, it's Florida at Tennessee (3:30 p.m., CBS). The fourth-ranked Gators had a week off to tune up for the Volunteers, spent mainly on cranking up the offense after an uninspiring performance against Miami. Coach Urban Meyer is 3-0 against UT.

   Tennessee, for its part, rebounded against UAB after handing over a gift-wrapped win to UCLA. Some Vols players bitched about Florida running up the score last year in a 59-20 rout, a charge renewed recently after his game by UM coach Randy Shannon. But UT coach Phil Fulmer dismissed any ill intent by the Gators. He is more concerned about his quarterback, Jonathan Crompton, still less than comfortable behind center.

   On the West side, it's LSU at Auburn (7:45 p.m., ESPN). The No. 6 Tigers from the bayou must cope without standout linebacker Darry Beckwith, declared out with a sore knee. In their favor, the spread offense by No. 7 Tigers from the plains won't be unfamiliar, seeing as how the Tigers have faced a similar attack in their two prior games.

   Auburn's offense coordinator, the refreshing Tony Franklin, is the willing target of criticism after three shaky outings, the latest which produced only a field goal against Mississippi State. "The first finger that needs to be pointed is at me," said the coach, who presumably meant an index finger and not the one next to it.

   Franklin says he will shrink the playbook and call plays based on more instinct rather than with a confining script. Meantime, his boss, Tommy Tuberville -- a former defensive coordinator --  is one of few who found beauty in the Tigers' 3-2 victory.

   Who do you like in these games? Florida or Tennessee? LSU or Auburn?

   Let the games begin.