It's always funny to see a bunch of yahoos claiming they know how to run the AD better than the AD. Nevermind you've never worked in one or played a collegiate sport. You just know better though, right? :birgits_giggle:
Do you really have to have worked in an athletic department or played a college sport to recognize that 5-7, 7-6, 6-7, and 5-7 is less than satisfactory?
I don't disagree with you at all...UT should be able to compete for the SEC title...BUT, I would point out:
1. It took Spurrier 6 years to win a NC at Florida in that talent rich State...How many NC did Fla win before that?
2. Meyer took over a program that was in very good shape after Zook left...Zook may not be an elite coach, but he is an elite recruiter...and TEBOW, TEBOW, TEBOW was the KEY to those two NC...without TEBOW they do not win either of their NCs!!! Heck, without TEBOW Fla doesn't beat UT in 2006!!! And Urban Cryer left town as quick as possible when he knew the show was over!!!
NOW--compare that to the situation CDD took over at UT and you will have a good place to start making some OBJECTIVE observations.
POINT: Expecting CDD to be better than 8-4 this year is just plain STUPID! NO decision even needs to be made until this year has been played out. I, like most, do feel like a win is a must this weekend against Miss. State. to be on track. :salute:
1. It
ONLY took Spurrier 6 years to win a NC at a school that had not only never won one before, but hadn't even won an SEC title (they could claim) before his arrival. That's amazing.
2. Zook left Meyer a train wreck in such turmoil and chaos that Meyer and staff spent most of their first few months deciding who to run out of the program. It was the patients running the asylum.
Ironically, Meyer would leave the program exactly how he found it. Only 60 scholarship players (many of whom were just walk-ons who'd earned their schollies through hard work and sacrifice, but who never saw the field except in practice).
Muschamp and his staff would spend their first few months the same way Meyer had; getting rid of the malcontents and entitled players who were ruining the locker room and program... which of course left us with even fewer players with any experience.
Foley has been pretty good about not putting up with nonsense very long; and exhibits the patience necessary when looking at what new coaches have to overcome to right the ship in a given sport.
I doubt that UT is any different in knowing and conveying what is expected. Part of UT's problem has been multiple poor decisions in close succession that crippled the department financially. Top athletic departments have a lot of money, but it's not an inexhaustible amount... no school can keep paying out severance or buyouts and also pay the huge salaries demanded by the best coaching staffs. That article about the UT athletic department operating at $4 million in the red was very telling. Even more alarming was the knowledge that the reserve fund had consequently shrunk to $2 million. That's a disaster, especially when you consider your primary rival (Bama) has an $80 million reserve fund.
UF's reserve fund is about $75 million. Ironically, Florida state law would not even allow UF to operate with a reserve fund as low as UT's. It requires schools to carry at least 5% of total operating costs at all times that would enable the school to run for 2 weeks all by itself, in the event of a major catastrophe, like a devastating weather event. That amount is $40 million; and that is what UF must keep in reserve cash at all times.