golfballs
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Can the SEC East return to power? - ESPN
I haven't thought much about it, but considering the potential flux of a new coach at UF, one looming at USC, and Missouri regressing to expectations, Tennessee is well positioned to take advantage. Hopefully Butch is the guy to do it.
Back to Florida and Foleys next hire: The other six schools might not want to hear this - and especially Georgia - but because of its past success and location in recruiting heaven, its the flagship in the SEC East. Or at least it should be.
I asked 10 coaches this week -- some in the SEC, some outside -- to rate the quality of the Florida job on a 1-10 scale.
The average score was a 9.
We go to Florida to get a player or two, sometimes more, one coach said, but were not Florida. Were not the University of Florida. Thats a huge advantage.
...
The division is at a crossroads, and no school finds itself there more than the flagship in Gainesville. With the right hire, the balance could shift rather quickly back toward the East.
Wheres everyone else?
Georgia: Same ol, same ol -- which is enough to frustrate ardent Bulldogs. Theyre going to win 8-11 games every season, but they dwell somewhere on the fringe of the Promised Land. It isnt impossible, but its difficult imagining Mark Richts program suddenly becoming more.
Kentucky: Mark Stoops is certainly on the right track when it comes to recruiting and results. But if what Michigan or someone else came calling?
Missouri: This is the hardest program to peg in the entire league. Its still an odd fit -- and that means most in recruiting, where its geographically and culturally marginalized -- but its proved to be an overachiever. Hand it to Mizzou for a competitive start, and then some.
South Carolina: Steve Spurrier will coach as long as its fun. Well, 2014 has not been fun. Another year like this, and he might tell his wife its time to head to Crescent Beach. What an intriguing next hire for the Gamecocks and relatively new AD Ray Tanner, previously the schools longtime baseball coach. How do you replace the Ball Coach? (Foley didnt do so well.)
Tennessee: Very similar story to Kentucky, although recruiting at a higher level plus a richer history of winning. Its positioned to take advantage of some of the turnover. But would Butch Jones consider Michigan?
Vanderbilt: How long can it go before admitting Derek Mason, a very nice guy and a hell of a defensive coordinator, wasnt ready for this?
I haven't thought much about it, but considering the potential flux of a new coach at UF, one looming at USC, and Missouri regressing to expectations, Tennessee is well positioned to take advantage. Hopefully Butch is the guy to do it.