10 things I’m absolutely overreacting to after Week 9 in the SEC
By Chris Wright
Published:
Every week, I knew Billy Napier would do something silly to prompt an overreaction. It was comforting, knowing I could pencil him into the lineup and count on him to deliver.
Now what? They’ve taken away Option A, and I’m scrambling for answers like Texas, coaches who go for it on 4th down, athletic directors with openings/potential openings, and Desmond Howard, who delivered the most ridiculous take of the weekend.
In these trying times, I need reliable mentors like Texas A&M, Alabama, Clark Lea or Vandy-loving Nick Saban. They’ve got it all figured out.
Those are among the 10 things I’m absolutely overreacting to after a ridiculously wild Week 9 in and around the SEC.
10. You wanted A&M to prove it? The Aggies just did
You know the history. I’ve written the history (See: No. 5).
We were all sitting around Saturday night waiting for the The Big Choke at Death Valley.
Instead, we got The Big Chokehold on a Playoff Spot.
No more questions. No more worrying. Texas A&M has the most dangerous, diverse offense in the SEC. Its defense is just as terrifying.
A&M’s best running back, Le’Veon Moss, didn’t play at LSU and it didn’t matter. LSU might as well have been La. Tech.
Marcel Reed dominated with his arm (2 TDs) and legs (2 TDs), and KC Concepcion, the best transfer in college football, made plays no matter whether he caught a pass for a TD or a punt for a TD. Ashton Bethel-Roman made the most ridiculous 1-handed catch of the season.
These Aggies are explosive, confident and on the verge of erasing the ghosts of flameouts past.
I’m not saying plan the parade, but I’m not rolling my eyes if you plan a 3-day trip to Miami in late January, either.
9. Ole Miss bails out Lane Kiffin in his biggest win
First things first: Ole Miss earned a split in its 2 biggest games of the season: rebounding from last week’s loss at No. 9 Georgia by earning a gutsy road win at No. 13 Oklahoma on Saturday.
Ole Miss had to earn the split to keep its Playoff hopes intact.
The good news: It did. Emphatically.
Except for one big play, Ole Miss contained Oklahoma’s offense, and the Rebels had more than their fair share of success against Brent Venables‘ propped-up defense. Heisman hopeful Trinidad Chambliss made plays: 314 yards passing, a clutch TD throw and just enough rushing (53 yards including sacks) to extend drives and play keep-away from the Sooners.
With just a bit of help, reaching Atlanta is as realistic as it ever has been.
Still … there’s the nagging takeaway of whether chronic jokester Lane Kiffin is the guy you want making critical decisions in a Playoff-type game.
Saturday, Kiffin made an unbelievably poor/irresponsible decision that almost cost Ole Miss, well, everything.
Ole Miss led 22-10 and just forced a quick 3-and-out on Oklahoma’s opening possession of the 3rd quarter.
Ole Miss quickly found itself in a 4th-and-1 from its own 25-yard line. Forget the analytics on 4th-and-1. Embrace the situation. Have a feel for the game. Punt. The. Ball.
Kiffin decided to go for it. This isn’t a hindsight is 20/20 criticism. I (and others) tweeted in real time that this decision made zero sense.
Kiffin is a brilliant schemer and timely play-caller. Dangerously so. He’s Brett Favre with a headset. Few, if any, are able to spot and exploit certain looks better than he can. But this? Even if it worked, the decision was reckless. The risk outweighed the reward 100-1. Not only did the play not work, at all, the Rebels lost 9 yards.
Oklahoma had a chance to score a TD, gain momentum and reignite the home crowd. Kiffin is fortunate that the Rebels’ D limited the Sooners to a field goal.
Look, Ole Miss won, and it was impressive, exactly the kind of game that aspiring Playoff teams must win.
I’ve had Ole Miss as 1 of the SEC’s 4 Playoff teams most weeks, but not last week.
It’s decisions like this that make me question whether I can go all-in and fully trust Kiffin in tense times.
9b. You’re not off the hook either, Drinkwitz, Golesh …
The situations were different, but the results were even more costly.
In a tied game, 3-3 early in the 3rd quarter at Vandy, Mizzou coach Eli Drinkwitz decided to go for it on 4th-and-goal. Mizzou QB Beau Pribula was stuffed and left with an air cast on his leg. Disastrous result, but why wouldn’t a go-ahead field goal been good enough in that situation? That decision didn’t necessarily cost Mizzou in a Playoff-or-bust game, but it didn’t help, either.
USF coach Alex Golesh might have cost his Bulls a Playoff shot, when he chose going for it on 4th down over kicking a field goal to extend USF’s lead at Memphis to 27-17. The 4th-down play failed (basically a go route to a freshman that had no chance) and Memphis eventually scored 17 consecutive points in the 4th quarter to win 34-31. Crushing. USF now needs help to reach the American Conference Championship Game — the winner of which likely will be ranked high enough to secure an automatic bid to the Playoff.
8. The Manning family must really hate Mississippi State
Archie and Eli Manning starred at Ole Miss, so it makes sense that “Mississippi State” would be a phrase uttered only with disdain. Arch went 1-1-1 during his time; Eli was 3-1 in the Egg Bowl.
Peyton Manning only faced the Bulldogs once, and he hung 52 on them in a blowout win.
Texas QB Arch Manning improved to 2-0 vs. Mississippi State, throwing for 346 yards and accounting for 4 TDs as Texas rallied from an unthinkable deficit to win 45-38 in OT. (Yes, he left with an injury before the game-winning toss, status TBD. No, the win most certainly did not keep alive the Longhorns’ Playoff hopes. Those perished weeks ago.)
You don’t need a Vandy degree to realize the Mannings are now 7-2-1 against Mississippi State.
Let the rest of the world focus on why and how Texas ever found itself in a 31-14 hole entering the 4th quarter against a team mired in a 15-game SEC losing streak.
I’m focusing on the more amusing aspect: The Mannings’ mastery of Mississippi State.
7. Hugh Freeze? Win’s a win, but you didn’t exactly earn a vote of confidence …
There are some games you just have to win. Or they will find somebody else who can.
Saturday was that day for Auburn coach Hugh Freeze, whose seat already was so hot that last week he publicly pleaded for a vote of confidence from his AD.
Yeah, that’s not happening. Credit Auburn for a 17-0 4th-quarter blitz that allowed the Tigers to escape with a 33-24 win, but it’s difficult to say the Tigers were impressive. However, they did enough, behind backup QB Ashton Daniels no less, to get to 4-4 and reignite their bowl hopes. Auburn still has Kentucky and Mercer remaining, so 6 wins is all but a lock. Anything less and the conversation about Freeze’s future ends really quick.
However … will 6-6 be enough to save Freeze?
For weeks, I’ve said Freeze was 1 of the next 5 head coaches who would be fired. Last week, I said I wouldn’t fire him but still believed Auburn would. I falsely assumed that Auburn would hammer Arkansas in Week 9.
Yeah, that didn’t happen, either, despite the final 9-point margin.
Arkansas was 0-3 in the SEC, had lost 5 in a row and obviously already fired its head coach earlier this season.
There are some games that spell out the T-H-E E-N-D so simply that a 2nd-grader would get it. Auburn fans turned the page weeks ago and might not have even watched the final 15 minutes Saturday. They’re in Napier Watch mode now, just waiting for the press release.
If you were on the fence, waiting for the sign, Saturday might have been it. Certainly at the end of the 3rd quarter, you were ready to cut the buyout check for $15.437 million and move on.
If you’re an eternal optimist, maybe you saw that comeback, on the road, with the backup QB all but securing bowl eligibility and thought the worm is turning. The Iron Bowl is at Jordan-Hare, where the Tide have seen ghosts. Forget settling for 6-6, when 7-5 is possible.
I admire your optimism. But I doubt AD John Cohen shares it.
6. No, Desmond, the B1G doesn’t run college football
This is what happens when a conference wins back-to-back national championships. You get wild overreactions like this one, from Desmond Howard.
The only thing he got right was saying the Big Ten will only get 3 teams in the Playoff. I’ve been saying that for weeks, while the masses just assume it’s automatic that the B1G deserves 4.
5. Ranking the Power Conference jobs
Seven Power conference coaches have been fired this season — with more to come, possibly as soon as later today. (Dave Doeren, what was that? Brian Kelly, bet you wish you were still up North.)
Using a completely made up metric of history/athletic director/likelihood of making the Playoff with 2 years/toxicity of fan base/where you’d actually want to live, here’s how I would rank the openings:
1. Penn State: No-brainer at No. 1. This is one of the top jobs in the country — among current openings, potential openings, future openings. Just don’t ask Nick Saban. He’s not interested.
2. Florida: Please do not mistake this as me saying this is the 2nd-best gig in the country. We are 20 years removed from that honor. It’s the 2nd-best of these 7 current openings. (Overall, it’s no better than the 8th-best gig in the SEC. Before you start screaming: 1. Alabama, 2. Georgia, 3. Texas, 4. LSU, 5. Texas A&M, 6. Oklahoma, 7. Tennessee, T8. Florida/Ole Miss/Missouri/Auburn, then South Carolina, Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi State and Vanderbilt).
3. Oklahoma State: OK State should have been poised to pounce the second Texas and Oklahoma bolted for the SEC. Instead, the Cowboys tanked. The new Big 12 is there for the taking — with the right coach.
4. UCLA: The Miami of the West Coast? Sounds harsh — to both programs, actually — but there is no realistic reason that the Bruins have had just 1 top-10 finish since 1998. This should be a destination job for coaches and landing spot for recruits.
5. Virginia Tech: Blacksburg ain’t for everybody, I get it. But it’s one of the few, true college football towns in the ACC. It’s Football Country.
6. Arkansas: Put Arkansas in the ACC or Big 12, and everything about this gig sounds significantly better than the reality of having to survive in the SEC. Money won’t change that.
7. Oregon State: Nothing against the program itself, but it’s on an island. Yes, the Pac-12 is reinventing itself, but it will be years before anybody takes that league seriously. Any successful Group of 5 coach would be wise to stay put.
4. The SEC’s 4 Playoff teams are …
We are 2 weeks from the first Playoff ranking. After 9 weeks of evidence, I’m even more convinced that the SEC absolutely deserves 5 teams in the Playoff. (If we’re being completely honest, the SEC has 6 of the 12 best teams in the country, easily.) But the politics won’t allow that to happen, so we’ll stick to projecting the 4 that will make the Playoff after the wildest week in recent SEC memory:
1. Texas A&M: Among contenders, A&M had the most impressive victory in Week 9. Obviously, if A&M runs the table — borderline likely, especially given Mizzou’s QB situation in light of Beau Pribula’s injury — the Aggies are a Playoff lock. I live for chaos, though. The only problem is, any loss forces a thorough examination of the Aggies’ schedule, which is solid, but not quite as strong as other potential 11-1 contenders.
2. Alabama: I mean, if Kalen DeBoer is going to start beating unranked teams regularly, too? We already know what he does to ranked teams.
3. Georgia: Another title fight with Alabama in Atlanta? It’s possible, with help. No way DeBoer beats Kirby Smart for a 3rd consecutive time, right?
4. Vanderbilt: Major caveat — Vandy has to run the table and finish 11-1, including a resume-sealing win at ranked rival Tennessee. At 11-1, the Commodores would have defeated 5 ranked SEC teams. That’s the only way they stay in the mix. Am I caught up in the moment? I’d wear the King Pavia costume while writing this if I had one. If Nick Saban is all-in on Vandy, who am I to disagree?
First out: Ole Miss: Statement win for Kiffin and the Rebels, no matter the details. The Rebels are staring at 11-1 with a possible trip to the SEC Championship Game. They won’t see another ranked team until the postseason. Their SOS/resume isn’t as strong as other contenders, but 11-1 in the SEC with 2 wins over ranked teams is 11-1 in the SEC with 2 wins over ranked teams. It holds up against the rest of the country — but will it hold up if 5 SEC teams finish 11-1 or better? That’s entirely possible. If A&M, Vandy and Ole Miss all finish 11-1, I’d probably pick A&M and Vandy over Ole Miss, based on quality wins, but who knows what the committee will do.
Bottom line: All 5 deserve to go.
3. Oh, Jimbo …
So, another year, another dozen tributes to Jimbo Fisher, who says he still wants to coach again.
This time, Yahoo wrote the piece, spending time with Fisher in Tallahassee. Standard stuff, a nice attempt to paint Fisher as, you know, a humble, good ol’ ball coach trying to get back in the game.
“I never got into coaching for money,” he told Yahoo. “Well, I’m not going to get out of it because I’ve got money.”
That’s the rub. In real-time, as his Texas A&M saga was dragging toward its inevitable end, I wrote that Fisher needed negotiate a reduced buyout. It was the only shot he had of salvaging his sinking reputation. Negotiate, and you don’t come off as a billboard lawyer with a whistle, chasing every last penny. Consider this: Sam Pittman looked like a hero who actually loved Arkansas when he accepted a lower buyout. Fisher wouldn’t be the butt of every buyout joke had he settled for, say, $60 million instead of the record-setting $77 million he’s still being paid for not winning nearly enough at Texas A&M.
He chose to make that about himself.
“When you’re away from something, it makes you reflect,” Fisher told Yahoo. “I’m back to watching film and have those feelings. I miss the players and those relationships. I miss practice. I miss the grind. I live to coach. I love to do what I did.”
It’s nice that he wants to coach again. I’m sure he does. Maybe Arkansas, Oklahoma State or Oregon State offer to make him the lowest-paid coach in their conference. Virginia Tech makes the most sense. Until then?
There are high schools in and around Tally with openings.
2. If I’m Florida, I’m making 1 phone call …
And it’s to the active USC head coach, not the former one y’all want who was fired on the tarmac.
I’m calling Lincoln Riley, and even if it takes me 39 days instead of the 38 days Alabama needed to land Nick Saban, I’m not allowing him to say no. It’s what they should have done before hiring Napier.
Florida has been looking for the next Steve Spurrier since the HBC left. Yes, Urban Meyer won, but never with Spurrier’s personality, style or quick wit.
It’s fine to pine for and pursue Lane Kiffin. I just don’t understand why he’d want to leave what he’s building at Ole Miss, where everything that’s on the table at Florida also is available in Oxford. Minus the headaches and revolving door of coaches.
Whatever modern football history Ole Miss has, Kiffin is the one building it. He’s on the verge of a 4th 10-win season at Ole Miss. From 1963-2019, Ole Miss won 10 games 3 times. Only 1 Ole Miss coach has won 10 games 4 times — and his name is on the stadium.
He is Ole Miss’ Spurrier.
Riley is in a different situation. He has so many more reasons to leave. And, given his ties to Oklahoma, the storylines write themselves.
College football needs the Gators to be great again. Among the gettable candidates, Riley is the most likely to make that happen.
1. Don’t bother calling Nick Saban. He’s having too much fun …
As soon as GameDay announced it was coming to Nashville, I — along with many others — pleaded for SEC Shorts’ most famous character, Vandy’s “King Pavia,” to be the guest picker. That didn’t happen.
But this did … and this is even more unbelievable than anything that happened on the field Saturday.
Nick Saban, in costume?
I don’t know what y’all did with the old Nick Saban, but I love it.
Now, the only question is: Will King Saban dress up like this on his birthday, which happens to be on Halloween?
Managing Editor
A 30-time APSE award-winning editor with previous stints at the Miami Herald, The Indianapolis Star and News & Observer, Executive Editor Chris Wright oversees editorial operations for Saturday Down South.
