Coach Comparison: Legendary Saban to face up-and-coming Freeze

In anticipation of Saturday’s top 15 SEC West showdowns between Ole Miss-Alabama and Texas A&M-Mississippi State, Saturday Down South’s Ethan Levine compares the teams’ head coaches: Hugh Freeze vs. Nick Saban and Kevin Sumlin vs. Dan Mullen.

Nick Saban

• Record as FBS head coach: 169-57-1 (78-15 at Alabama; 48-16 at LSU; 34-24-1 at Michigan State; 9-2 at Toledo).
• Previous coaching stops: Miami Dolphins (head coach), LSU (head coach), Michigan State (head coach, defensive coordinator, defensive backs coach), Cleveland Browns (defensive coordinator), University of Toledo (head coach), Houston Oilers (defensive backs coach), Navy (defensive assistant), Ohio State (defensive backs coach), West Virginia University (defensive assistant), Syracuse University (defensive assistant), Kent State (defensive assistant, graduate assistant).
• Achievements as coach: Four national championships (2003, 2009, 2011, 2012), four SEC championships (2001, 2003, 2009, 2012), seven SEC West titles, one MAC championship (1990), two-time Associated Press National Coach of the Year, two-time Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year, three-time SEC Coach of the Year, 2003 Paul “Bear” Bryant Award winner.

Breakdown: Saban is no stranger to big games, having won four national championships and four SEC championships during his illustrious career. He’s forgotten about more wins over highly ranked opponents than most coaches could ever dream of recording, and he is unfazed by the magnitude of this weekend’s game. Regardless of the outcome, Saban’s group will be prepared for the challenged and will remain mentally focused no matter what happens on Saturday. Even when Alabama committed a string of turnovers in the first half against Florida Saban never blinked, and his team managed to mount a huge rally to rout the Gators in Tuscaloosa. In a big game on the road in the daunting SEC West, Saban is the perfect man to lead the Tide to victory.

Hugh Freeze

• Record as FBS head coach: 29-13 (19-11 at Ole Miss, 10-2 at Arkansas State)
• Record as NAIA coach: 20-5 (Lambuth College)
• Previous coaching stops: Arkansas State (head coach and offensive coordinator), Lambuth (head coach), Ole Miss (tight ends coach, recruiting coordinator), Briarcrest High School (head coach, offensive coordinator, defensive backs coach).
• Achievements as coach: Sun Belt Conference championship, two Tennessee high school state championships, four-time Associated Press high school coach of the year.

Breakdown: Freeze’s Ole Miss teams have gotten better every year since his arrival following the 2011 season, and it all culminates with Saturday’s epic showdown against Alabama. Freeze had some success against ranked foes last year, topping a tough LSU team and falling just short of upsetting Johnny Manziel and the Texas A&M Aggies. The Rebels’ head coach has had success everywhere he’s been, and he could be in the early stages of a legendary career. A win over Alabama would certainly be his biggest as a coach, and has already proven he is up to the challenge with his consistent success at every level.

Who has the edge: Freeze’s team is good enough to win this game, and Freeze himself is a good enough to coach to lead a team in this high-profile matchup, but he will need to win a game like his over a top 5 team with the entire nation watching before he’s awarded the edge over a guy like Nick Saban. Saban has had unmatched success at Alabama, and is the undisputed most successful coach in all of college football. It’s not a knock on Freeze to pick Saban, just a testament to what Saban has been able to do in his years at Alabama and LSU since 2000. Until proven otherwise, Saban holds the edge in this matchup as the longtime legend facing the up-and-coming coach with a feisty program looking to shake its reputation as a mediocre football school. It’ll be closer than people think, but experience gets the nod in this coaching comparison.

Kevin Sumlin

• Record as FBS head coach: 60-23 (25-6 at Texas A&M, 35-17 at Houston)
• Previous coaching stops: University of Houston (head coach), Oklahoma University (co-offensive coordinator, wide receivers coach, special teams coordinator, tight ends coach), Texas A&M (offensive coordinator, assistant head coach), Purdue University (wide receivers coach), University of Minnesota (wide receivers coach, quarterbacks coach), University of Wyoming (wide receivers coach), Washington State (graduate assistant).
• Achievements as coach: SEC Coach of the Year, two-time Conference USA Coach of the Year.

Breakdown: Sumlin has proven he can achieve great success in the SEC even without Johnny Football, as the Aggies have gotten off to an impressive 5-0 start including statement victories in the conference over South Carolina and Arkansas. If his quarterbacks are indeed system quarterbacks, then Sumlin must be running a pretty darn good system considering the video game-like numbers his quarterbacks have posted over the years, including his time at Houston. He has never appeared intimidated in critical SEC showdowns, and his win two years ago over Alabama continues to carry significance as evidence Sumlin can coach a team to victory over even the toughest of opponents. His team appeared resilient in last week’s comeback against the Razorbacks, and he’ll keep his foot on the gas pedal for 60 minutes in a huge SEC West showdown with Mississippi State on Saturday.

Dan Mullen

• Record as FBS head coach: 40-28 (all at Mississippi State)
• Previous coaching stops: University of Florida (offensive coordinator, quarterbacks coach), University of Utah (quarterbacks coach), Bowling Green State (quarterbacks coach), Notre Dame (graduate assistant), Syracuse University (graduate assistant), Columbia University (wide receivers coach), Wagner College (wide receivers coach).
• Achievements as coach: N/A

Breakdown: Mullen enters this game coming off his biggest victory as a head coach in the Bulldogs’ win over LSU in Death Valley two weeks ago. He’s had two weeks to prepare for this matchup, and his team has as much momentum heading into this game as any team in the SEC entering the weekend. His current Mississippi State team appears to be his most talented and most experienced team since arriving in Starkville in 2009, and Mullen seems to have better control over this team than in years past. He’s pushed all the right buttons to this point, and a win Saturday would win bring him and his program a tremendous amount of national attention. Saturday’s game could be a turning point in Mullen’s career, as a victory would raise his stock as a coach a great deal, while a loss would convince a number of SEC fans that nothing has changed about Mississippi State’s historically inconsistent program.

Who has the edge: The edge goes to Sumlin in this matchup on the basis of his success against ranked teams compared to Mullen. Prior to the win over LSU, Mullen had lost 15 games in a row to ranked opponents. Meanwhile, in just three years in College Station, Sumlin has already posted six wins over ranked opponents, including a blowout win over then-No. 9 South Carolina in Columbia to open the college football season. Mullen may be in the midst of his best season as a head coach, but until he proves he can beat ranked SEC foes on a consistent basis, he doesn’t deserve the edge in any SEC showdown against another ranked team. Mississippi State is favored in this game, and if the Bulldogs win it will do wonders for Mullen’s national perception. However, Sumlin has already done the work to prove he is one of the best coaches in the nation, thus earning the nod in this high profile showdown in Starkville.

Ethan Levine

A former newspaper reporter who has roamed the southeastern United States for years covering football and eating way too many barbecue ribs, if there is such a thing.