Nick Saban and Kirby Smart are the only stable coaches in SEC football
Alabama’s Nick Saban and Georgia’s Kirby Smart prove to be the only successful and stable coaches in SEC football.
ICYMI: 5 Best Alabama vs LSU Games
The College Football Playoff committee released their first rankings on Halloween night. The rankings placed the Alabama Crimson Tide at No. 2 and the Georgia Bulldogs at No. 1. The prominent Nick Saban and the up-and-coming Kirby Smart are set to represent SEC football in the 2017 playoffs.
Nick Saban’s Alabama Crimson Tide currently sits 8-0 on the season. They have outscored their opponents by total of 344-78. The once major win against Florida State has now been ignored as Florida State sits 2-5. Nevertheless, the Crimson Tide’s dominance leaves them at No. 2 in the first rankings.
Kirby Smart’s Georgia Bulldogs are also sitting 8-0 on the season. The once mediocre win over Notre Dame now proves to be a crucial victory for the Bulldogs. A slightly stronger schedule has allowed Georgia to jump Alabama and be placed No. 1 in the first rankings.
Saban and Smart are the only two clearly secure coaches for 2018
Nick Saban has won seven SEC championships (five at Alabama) and five National Championships (four at Alabama). He has appeared in all three of the College Football playoffs, and finished the past two seasons 14-1. His dominance certainly continues to roll on.
The Georgia Bulldogs parted ways with long-time coach, Mark Richt, at the end of the 2015 season. Alabama’s former defensive coordinator, Kirby Smart, was hired to take over the position. After finishing 8-5 in 2016, Coach Smart claimed it to be a rebuilding year. This has proved to be true as Georgia is currently undefeated and No. 1 in the nation.
It’s almost certain the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Georgia Bulldogs will meet in Atlanta for the SEC Championship. Many college football analysts believe regardless of the outcome that both teams will land in the final rankings. That being true, or not, both Coach Saban and Coach Smart have proved themselves successful in the 2017 season.
As many as half of the SEC football head coaches could exit before 2018
The remainder of SEC football is caught in a frenzy. The Ole Miss Rebels’ dismissed their head coach, Hugh Freeze, during the 2016 post-season due to controversy regarding a female escort business. The program is currently searching for a replacement, and for the time being is under the leadership of interim Matt Luke.
The Arkansas Razorbacks’ head coach, Bret Bielema, continues to find himself farther down the rabbit hole. The Razorbacks finished the 2016 season 3-5 in the SEC, and currently, are 1-4 in the SEC for 2017. Bielema’s buyout seems to be an issue for the University of Arkansas and may cause problems for the future of their football program.
The Florida Gators and the Tennessee Volunteers sit in similar situations. Both schools are trying to claw their way back to the top of the SEC. The Volunteers have not been relevant since 2007 and the Gators have not been National Championship worthy since 2009. Florida fired their head coach, Jim McElwain, this past weekend, and Tennessee is expected to soon follow by firing Butch Jones.
The Missouri Tigers have definitely had some exciting past years. Gary Pinkel seemed to have the Tigers on the up-and-up with two SEC East titles. Pinkel was forced to retire at the end of the 2015 season due to non-Hodgkins lymphoma. Barry Odom took over as head coach in 2016, and since then the Tigers have went 7-13.
What about the others?
Similar to Missouri, the Vanderbilt Commodores keep finding themselves on a roller coaster ride. James Franklin left the successful Commodores in the hands of Derek Mason. Coach Mason is to yet to have a winning season as the head coach. The Commodores are currently on a five-game losing streak.
The Kentucky Wildcats’ Mark Stoops and the South Carolina Gamecocks’ Will Muschamp are having mediocre seasons. Both coaches’ teams are currently 6-2, and share victories over the Tennessee Volunteers and the Missouri Tigers.
That leaves us with the remainder of the SEC West. The coaches that fall under the “you almost had it” section. Auburn’s Gus Malzahn, Mississippi State’s Dan Mullen, Texas A&M’s Kevin Sumlin, and LSU’s Ed Orgeron keep falling short of the SEC title game. Inexcusable upsets and continuous losses to Alabama keeps these coaches from victory.
Next: The Quirky History of Alabama and LSU
It’s easy to see why Nick Saban and Kirby Smart are the only secure coaches in SEC football. Wins, losses, championships, and numbers talk greatly for these two men. For the time being, Coach Saban and Coach Smart represent the entire SEC.