SEC! SEC! SEC! SEC! (2018 edition)

[WVRed]

So true.

It's kind of funny now that the argument from Bert's camp at the time of Arkansas arrival, which echoed a great deal of the SEC media and fanbase banter - though, not so much on this board, IIRC - was that the ceiling for Arkansas was/is higher than at Wisky. Yeah, right.

The flip side to the argument against jumping to "greener pastures" even if you are comfortable at your Alma Mater - and this may be an outlier: You may eventually be working for a delusional dolt of an AD, such as the case of Ralph Friedgen at Maryland. Canning him, which was beyond idiotic, also cost the Terps their HC in-waiting...James Franklin, which turned out to benefit the SEC, given his ensuing tenure at Vandy. Now, that isn't to say that Franklin wouldn't have opted to jump to Vandy anyway. But if he hadn't, and Friedgen had hung on at Maryland long enough to prevent Franklin from acting as Maryland's HC, the call from Penn State may never have occurred.

Anyway, contrast this with coach-in-waiting situation with Joker Phillips at UK. IIRC, the UK fans on this board were not too happy with that plan, believing that a thorough National HC search should have taken place. Turns out, the UK fans were right.

I think Texas A&M coming to the SEC doomed Arkansas. Arkansas (as well as LSU but Louisiana has produced some pretty good players) could sell recruits from Texas on playing in the SEC. Now those recruits can stay in state.

I had no problem with giving Joker a chance. He was an excellent recruiter when he was at Kentucky and Rich Brooks had set Kentucky up for success and Joker could have continued that. It’s one thing to sell kids on playing for a coach, but Joker couldn’t get the players to play for him the way Brooks did.

My issue was Kentucky axed Joker a year too late. Fan support had already eroded to where they were begging fans to come to games. Had they made the move a year earlier, Rich Rodriguez and Mike Leach were both available, and I would have loved to have seen Kentucky run a spread option in the SEC similar to WVU.

[Assembly Hall]

I think Texas A&M coming to the SEC doomed Arkansas. Arkansas (as well as LSU but Louisiana has produced some pretty good players) could sell recruits from Texas on playing in the SEC. Now those recruits can stay in state.

I don't buy that. C'mon WV. Arkansas was in the same conference with A&M for how many years together? Arky was a power house in the SWC. Sorry just don't agree.

[WVRed]

I don't buy that. C'mon WV. Arkansas was in the same conference with A&M for how many years together? Arky was a power house in the SWC. Sorry just don't agree.

Maybe doomed wasn’t the correct word but it will have an impact.

If Kentucky didn’t exist, Arkansas would have the most delusional fans in the conference as well, and that’s in both sports. That became obvious when the sportscaster there threw the top prep recruit in the state under the bus for committing to, guess where? Kentucky.

[Chip R]

I think he 63..........but I don't know his contract status.

His son is the offensive coordinator so I would suspect he's the heir apparent. Ferentz has a huge buyout. There was talk a few years ago of getting rid of him but that was mostly fan talk. I suspect he'll stay there until he retires unless something drastic happens off the field.

[bucksfan2]

His son is the offensive coordinator so I would suspect he's the heir apparent. Ferentz has a huge buyout. There was talk a few years ago of getting rid of him but that was mostly fan talk. I suspect he'll stay there until he retires unless something drastic happens off the field.

Ferentz ain't going anywhere. This has been the talk for years with Ferentz. I actually think he is one heck of a head coach who fully understands his limitations. Lets not forget that a few years ago he was one game away from making the playoff. He is a guy who will suffer some down years, but then he will have a series of 9-3 or better seasons. In today's Iowa City, that ain't bad!

[UKWhoDey]

Well halfway through the season, Kentucky looks poised to go 10-2. Cant say I can complain about that prospect at all.

As for the above comments about Joker Phillips.....laughable. Obviously youre not a UK fan.

[WVRed]

Well halfway through the season, Kentucky looks poised to go 10-2. Cant say I can complain about that prospect at all.

As for the above comments about Joker Phillips.....laughable. Obviously youre not a UK fan.

If you were referring to my post, been a fan since birth.

Curious to your logic as to why it’s “laughable”. Joker recruited a lot of Rich Brooks best players to Kentucky, including Randall Cobb. He deserved the chance to see out what Brooks had built. If you weren’t around then or your just now jumping on the bandwagon, Kentucky won three bowl games under Brooks. That’s three more than Stoops has won.

9-3 is more likely but 10-2 is possible. Missouri has a NFL ready QB projected to go in the first round and it’s on the road. And of course there’s Georgia. I’m also not discounting Louisville or Tennessee either. Kentucky hasn’t won at Neyland since 1984 and Petrino has only one loss against the Cats.

[Revering4Blue]

I think Texas A&M coming to the SEC doomed Arkansas. Arkansas (as well as LSU but Louisiana has produced some pretty good players) could sell recruits from Texas on playing in the SEC. Now those recruits can stay in state.

I had no problem with giving Joker a chance. He was an excellent recruiter when he was at Kentucky and Rich Brooks had set Kentucky up for success and Joker could have continued that. It’s one thing to sell kids on playing for a coach, but Joker couldn’t get the players to play for him the way Brooks did.

My issue was Kentucky axed Joker a year too late. Fan support had already eroded to where they were begging fans to come to games. Had they made the move a year earlier, Rich Rodriguez and Mike Leach were both available, and I would have loved to have seen Kentucky run a spread option in the SEC similar to WVU.

Looking back, it’s kind of baffling that the hire of Brooks received relatively little fanfare nationally (granted, there weren’t nearly as many sports talk outlets then) as it was home run hire. It looks like I misremembered about Joker. The fans were basically fine with giving him the opportunity, but felt as you did that they kept him too long.

Leach would have been a natural fit. People forget that he was poached from UK as a coordinator by Bob Stoops at Oklahoma.

[WVRed]

Looking back, it’s kind of baffling that the hire of Brooks received relatively little fanfare nationally (granted, there weren’t nearly as many sports talk outlets then) as it was home run hire. It looks like I misremembered about Joker. The fans were basically fine with giving him the opportunity, but felt as you did that they kept him too long.

Leach would have been a natural fit. People forget that he was poached from UK as a coordinator by Bob Stoops at Oklahoma.

I can’t speak for all fans, just my opinion about Joker. The year we played Western Kentucky in Nashville and Morgan Newton struggled the whole game was when I knew Joker was in over his head. Had Kentucky not beaten Tennessee that year, I’m sure he would have been gone.

I’m sure there’s another reason UK fans wanted Joker gone and it’s the same reason they wanted Tubby gone as well. Unfortunately, that still exists in our society.

I preferred RichRod over Leach just because I think Rodriguez could have handled being second fiddle to basketball after failing at Michigan. Leach had the familiarity but as Stoops learned at Kentucky, the air raid doesn’t work in the SEC.

[Sea Ray]

If you were referring to my post, been a fan since birth.

Curious to your logic as to why it’s “laughable”. Joker recruited a lot of Rich Brooks best players to Kentucky, including Randall Cobb. He deserved the chance to see out what Brooks had built. If you weren’t around then or your just now jumping on the bandwagon, Kentucky won three bowl games under Brooks. That’s three more than Stoops has won.

9-3 is more likely but 10-2 is possible. Missouri has a NFL ready QB projected to go in the first round and it’s on the road. And of course there’s Georgia. I’m also not discounting Louisville or Tennessee either. Kentucky hasn’t won at Neyland since 1984 and Petrino has only one loss against the Cats.

This is 2018. If this Tennessee team beats UK then all praise for the Wildcats this season gets the delete button.

[WVRed]

This is 2018. If this Tennessee team beats UK then all praise for the Wildcats this season gets the delete button.

Point stands, it’s a rivalry game and Kentucky hasn’t won at Neyland as long as I’ve been alive.

Tennessee may start to gel by then. Kentucky should beat both but they are road games and rivalries.