More Coaching Craziness

   Let's put it in perspective at Auburn. The school selected a coach (Gene Chizik of Iowa State) with a career record of 5-19. He replaces Tommy Tuberville -- 85-40 with the Tigers, including a perfect season just four years ago -- who (a.) was fired (2.) was forced out, or (3.) resigned.

   Chizik, a former Auburn coordinator, may be qualified, but this has to be a tough sell, especially to the Tuberville supporters, some of whom organized a march directed at the school president.

   What do you think of the hire?

   Tuberville owes it to the Auburn family to clarify the circumstances under which he departed. The university maintains he quit. He has stayed silent on the matter. Time to open up, Tub.

   Which of the three possibilities listed above do you buy regarding Tuberville?

   A rare moment of sanity regarding SEC coaches touched Tennessee when the school decided not to pay Phil Fulmer a salary as an assistant to the president. The earnings would have been pocket change to Fulmer, who will receive a $6 million buyout. Better late than never, somebody noted that the appearance of further fattening Phil's bank account looked awful.

   Do you agree with the decision?

   He will now serve voluntary duty.

 

Plenty Of Gator Goings-On

   Sounds as if Mississippi State got their man. New coach Dan Mullen is young (36), energetic and an eight-year protege of Urban Meyer. Florida's offense, under coordinator Mullen, is the nation's best outside the Big 12.

   Good for Mullen, maybe bad for the Gators. While no decision has been made on whether he will work the BCS Championship game, most assistants hired elsewhere as head coaches bow out before a bowl. If he stays, you have to wonder how focused Mullen will be.

   Should Mullen leave now or stay through the bowl?

   You also have to wonder if Tim Tebow is tight with Mullen, whose departure could prompt the quarterback to turn pro before his senior year.

   Tebow can weigh his decision on flights to and from New York this weekend. He is one of three finalists for the Heisman Trophy, the others being Colt McKoy and Sam Bradford.

   Surprised that Graham Harrell did not get an invite? The short list indicates that Tebow placed in the top three, ahead of Harrell, who was considered the favorite at one point in the season.

  OK, with the number of candidates whittled down, who gets your vote? 

   

'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?   

Oddsmakers Go With The Gators

    Early betting lines have posted Florida as a three-point favorite over Oklahoma in the BCS Championship game. No surprise there, given how the Big 12 has a reputation as an offense-only league. With the game in Miami, the Gators get a slight home-field edge.

   Alabama is a whopping 10 1/2-point pick over Utah in the Sugar Bowl. How the gambling tables have turned. The Crimson Tide was undefeated entering the SEC title bout and was a 9 1/2-point underdog to Florida. Now they're a heavy fave over the unbeaten Utes.

   As I write this on Sunday night, point spreads have been established only for the BCS bowls.

  

Be Careful What You Wish For? Nah

   Florida quarterback Tim Tebow, in what amounts to trash talk for this model of modesty, said some weeks ago that he would relish the opportunity to attack a Big 12 defense, where basketball-type scores became common this season.

   Wish granted. The Gators draw Oklahoma for the BCS marbles. Who knows? Maybe the super-charged offenses will produce a defensive-minded NBA game count.

   The Sooners have eclipsed 60 points in five straight games. Not to be outdone, Florida has averaged 49 points over the last nine games in the nation's best defensive league, by far.

   Thank goodness we have more than a month to decompress from the compelling game at the Georgia Dome. Sure, the other one-loss defeats can gripe, but this match-up would be the people's choice.

   Florida wound up No. 2 in the BCS ratings, No. 1 in the Associated Press. Oklahoma was the opposite. So both coaches can use the lack-of-respect angle to pump up their teams.

   We'll analyze this later -- after our decompression is done. 

No. 1 vs. No. 2, Part II: Title Game Featuring Top Heisman Candidates?

   Tim Tebow did nothing to hurt his Heisman Trophy redux chances at the Georgia Dome. Without Percy Harvin, he shouldered a larger burden than normal and generated 31 points for Florida against a mighty defense. He completed three third-down passes for touchdowns and scored the other himself.

   I suspect he moved up in the Heisman race . . . to No. 2. I think it still goes to Oklahoma's Sam Bradford, who completed a masterful season himself with a 61-point avalanche against Missouri, all with a broken non-throwing hand that was operated on Sunday.

   Which one would get your vote? Or do you like Graham Harrell or Colt McKoy?

   Too bad the ballots are due before the BCS championship. Otherwise, the Heisman could be settled on the field, head-to-head, same as the national team title.

   Still, Tebow vs. Bradford provides a juicy angle to the game that is chock-ful of them.

   Should bowl games be played before Heisman votes are due?