It's Christmas 2011...this possible (or likely) scenario has unfolded....

[bleedorange0037]

good luck with that. you'll never bring 5150 over to our side.

 

[rockydoc]

Extend his contract.

 

[VolsZealot]

I would be disappointed. I wouldnt expect to win all the florida and bama games but I would expect to be competitive in the games.

 

[hmanvolfan]

I don't know. I flunked clairvoyance 101... :cray:

 

[Volfan_TrappedN_KY]

Sec Title in 3 years. If Berry stays his senior year as do most of the players from that Class we will be in a BCS bowl.

 

[sMi.Spite]

Kiffin has just finished year 3 at UT. Outback Bowl preparations are underway. He has a .700 winning pctg, showing gradual improvement in both years 2 and 3, with a chance at a 10-win season with a W over Michigan.

However, he is 0-3 vs. Fla and Bama, and 1-2 vs. UGA. Finished 3rd in the East each year. Gap b/t Fla and Bama continues to look wide going forward.

What say you? Where is this program, and where are YOU as a UT fan in this scenario?

I think, considering the amount of time that Fulmer got to "turn the ship around" since about...oh say 2001, that Kiffin should get more than 3 years. At least give him 4, which is a full recruiting cycle.

You also have to remember that he is coaching against much better coaches than Fulmer was in his era. The fact that he is competitive with them when Fulmer was getting blown out, and he is still using Fulmer's players is a bit different.

I say you give him 4 full years, after that you evaluate. Anything less, and you are in a revolving door of coaches every year, looking for someone who can miraculously turn your program around in 2 years, and this is competing AGAINST Meyer and Saban (and richt, nutt, miles, etc). The reason Meyer and Saban were able to do it is because the other coaches were down at the time. Fulmer has been basically a free win for those coaches since they have been here, Auburn has not been the same (although they dreamcrushed Florida twice), and LSU was kind of down this year. The only way the "2-3 years or you are toast" revolving door strategy works is if we pull an Alabama and do it for 10-12 years until Meyer, Saban, and Richt are all gone, and hope that their replacements are incompetent like Fulmer, Croom, etc.

I think I'll stick with the 4 year, full recruiting cycle approach.