How hard is it to consistently win at Vanderbilt and Kentucky? According to a list put together by Paul Myerburg of USA TODAY Sports, both programs rank in the top 10 for toughest places to win at the Power 5 level.
Making matters more difficult, when those programs do find the right coaches to lead them out of the darkness, those coaches either leave for greener pastures or the schools rush to offer the coaches huge sums of money to stick around.
Case in point, Kentucky will pay Mark Stoops $4 million in 2018, which is seventh-highest in the league. Considering he has a 12-28 overall SEC record in Lexington, that’s a hefty price tag to pay for those returns. Although, to put his relative success in perspective at Kentucky, Stoops is 33 wins away from becoming the winningest coach in school history after racking up 27 wins in five seasons — Bear Bryant won 60 games in Lexington.
Meanwhile, Vanderbilt recently had the best coach in school history and failed to keep him in Nashville, as James Franklin left for Penn State after three glorious years with the Commodores. After setting the foundation for the next coach by going 24-15 in those three seasons, Derek Mason has come in and racked up an 18-31 record the following four seasons.
Vanderbilt ranked No. 2 on Myerburg’s list, while Kentucky ranked No. 8. In case you were wondering, Oregon State topped the list.
A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Michael Wayne Bratton oversees the news coverage for Saturday Down South. Michael previously worked for FOX Sports and NFL.com
