Baylor basketball was awful and in a massive scandal before Drew took over
Biggest Swings in a University’s Athletic Reputation
- Thread starter Dgilbertson
- Start date
Friendly reminder we declined to hire Coach K given the opportunity before he took the Duke job.
I think I recall seeing something where Louisiana produces more NFL players per capita than anywhere else. It might’ve been a few years ago, so not sure how accurate that is currently.
All 6 losses were by 7 points or less in Saban's first year at Alabama in 2007 with a full cupboard of Shula recruits (some were really good). They still had a chance to win the SEC West heading into the LSU game (which I attended). They took a brief 34-27 lead in the 4th on a punt return for TD but lost the game late to the eventual SEC and National Champion Tigers 34-41 after two late LSU TDs.
Then they lost to Miss. State, ULM and Auburn by 7 each. The ULM game was the low point and was much like when you get totally broken down in Basic Training to get built back up. They rebounded and played really hard @ Auburn and were fantastic in the first half against Coloardo in the I-Bowl - which they held on to win and finish 7-6.
THEN, he recruited Julio Jones, Mark Ingram and Company who were both huge in 2008 with the Shula players like John Parker Wilson at QB who bought into the Saban system, and they opened 2008 with an Upset of Clemson (Mark Ingram had a huge game in his first game) and went 12-0 before being Tebowed in the SEC CCG. They never looked back after that. fyi: Mark Ingram went to Alabama, because his dad played for Saban at Mich. State, and Mark's mom wanted him to be coached by Saban TOO.
It's hard taking over a program and getting the players who were recruited by another guy to buy into the new guy. Sometimes, it happens right away, sometimes it takes a season and sometimes it just doesn't mesh at all. The jury is still out on Deboer.
So, to the point at hand about Deboer at Alabama. He inherited better palyers than Saban inherited, but they didn't totally buy into his way in year one. Hence the up and down, looking great in the first half against Georgia and the whole game @ LSU, looking like a turd sandwich @ Oklahoma and vs. Michigan in the Bowl Game. Meanwhile, most of the year was just a more talented team beating a less talented team but not in spectacular fashion. I went to the game @ Wisconsin which Alabama won because Milroe and Williams had a big game, but they were not truly dominant in the game like they would have been with the same players and Saban as coach.
Personally, I think he is a good coach, and he will win more games than he loses. However, he is much more laid back, does not play to a standard each play, each series, each game regardless of opponent like Saban did. Perhaps, when he has his own recruits in there, he will do better with his style, but the players he inherited went from expectations at a different level than Deboer demands, and it showed in the results.
They'll be fine, but I think he is Bill Curry Like and not Gene Stallings like.
Apologies for the ramble. The sky is not falling in Tuscaloosa, but I do not think he will an SEC or National Title at Alabama. If he does not win one or the other, he will not last more than four years. When he goes, I think he will simply take another job like Ray Perkins (Tampa Bay Bucs), Bill Curry (Kentucky) and Dennis Franchione (Texas A&M) did instead of being fired like Dubose and Shula were for multiple losing seasons. It's a subtle difference, but I think he will win enough to not get fired but not win enough and be under so much pressure that he just voluntarily takes another job to get out of the nutcracker. Personally, I'm not expecting anything of significance from him. @ Vanderbilt and @ Tennessee happen (like in Saban's first year), but @ Oklahoma and Michigan in the Bowl Game were turd sandwiches.
In the mean-time, I love the State of Iowa State Football!
On the road to 2025 Big XII Championship
Let's Go State!
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One I’d like to throw out there though it’s no fault of their own is HBCU football teams.
Before the 70s there were so many southern football giants that hadn’t integrated or certainly didn’t do it for anyone other than a star player. So many great pros came out of the HBCUs and that tradition carried on for some time even after integration.
I believe Michigan St was one of the first programs who took advantage of this in the 60s and that is their best football period ever.
Before the 70s there were so many southern football giants that hadn’t integrated or certainly didn’t do it for anyone other than a star player. So many great pros came out of the HBCUs and that tradition carried on for some time even after integration.
I believe Michigan St was one of the first programs who took advantage of this in the 60s and that is their best football period ever.
I don’t know what happened to Louisville MBB but they are dog **** bad now. Maybe they crawl out of this with the right hire but they have to be the most recent blue blood to take a plunge.
I think he's a good coach, but I'm not sure T-town folks will give him a chance. I guess with Milroe declaring for the draft he will have a chance to have one of his guys play in a key position.
I'm just glad Alabama and Georgia lost and we won. Makes living in the Ham a little easier this off season.
He is definitely a competent coach. I have him in the Perkins, Curry, Fran mode. Perkins did his job and moved back to the NFL, but Curry and Fran both had thin skin and bolted. Ironically, all three left after a 10 win season.
I liked Milroe, but something was not clicking with him and Deboer this year. I would have liked to have seen Simpson in the Bowl Game. He couldn't have had a worse game than Milroe?
Do you ever go down to Tusacaloosa for games or go to any UAB games?
My neighbor has season tickets, we went to the LSU game last year (another neighbor is an LSU grad).
Been to a few USB games, both at Legion Field (man, that stadium is in rough shape now) and at the new stadium. Trent Dilfer was not the guy to take over from Bill Clark. Clark had that team winning games, Dilfer made it so I only go if I get free tickets.
