It’s weird.

We’re living in a world in which not a single SEC coach was fired at season’s end. It’s a strange time to be alive, but here we are.

Hence, a lot of these grades are actually not that bad. I mean, we’re talking about potentially 8 SEC teams winning at least 9 games this year. It was a good year for the SEC.

So keep that in mind as you read these final grades for SEC coaches:

Alabama, Nick Saban: A+

Arguably the best regular season in college football history was followed up by an SEC Championship victory in which Saban again out-coached one of his disciples and made the perfect adjustments down the stretch. Unlike 2016, Saban also handled his quarterback situation flawlessly, and it paid off last Saturday. If Alabama wins it all, this will go down as the G.O.A.T.’s most impressive coaching job yet.

Arkansas, Chad Morris: D-

I’m not sure that a first-year coach can totally fail. We knew this was going to be a rough Year 1 for Morris, especially in that division. But he never found his quarterback and his team was easily the SEC’s worst. In a year in which the Hogs didn’t have a nonconference game against a Power 5 team, they still only managed 2 wins. And even worse, they missed out on the Kelly Bryant Sweepstakes. I still like the odds of Morris making Arkansas somewhat relevant down the road, but man, anything better than a D- is putting lipstick on a pig. Pun intended.

Auburn, Gus Malzahn: D

Look. Some might say that Malzahn deserves an ‘F.’ I’m not going to say 2018 was a complete failure because Auburn could still finish with 8 wins against what Malzahn dubbed “the toughest schedule in America” before the season. There are a ton of teams who would love it if 8 wins was their floor. But it’s hard to pat Malzahn on the back after his preseason Heisman Trophy candidate quarterback never performed to expectations in an offense that was predictable and maddening. The 1,000-yard rusher streak will likely come to an end, and Chip Lindsey left Malzahn for Les Miles. Woof. It’s never a good sign when there are serious talks about a $32 million buyout.

Florida, Dan Mullen: A-

I said in the preseason that I thought Florida had an 8-win ceiling. Now, they’re playing in a New Year’s 6 Bowl with a chance for a 10th win. Impressive. Mullen managed the quarterback situation about as well as one could have hoped for. Feleipe Franks’ inconsistency didn’t derail Florida’s season. Quite the opposite; Mullen got more out of Franks (23 TDs, just 6 INTs) than any Florida coach has gotten out of a QB since Tim Tebow left. The fact that only Alabama and Georgia are ranked ahead of the Gators heading into the postseason is a testament to the reclamation project Mullen did. And yeah, he had a lot of starters back, but very few people go from 4 wins to 9 just like that.

Georgia, Kirby Smart: B+

If not for some of the decisions made in the SEC Championship Game, Smart would have an ‘A.’ The knock might come off as a bit petty considering only 2 SEC teams got a chance to play in the conference title game, and getting out-coached by Saban is hardly a demerit. Still, I think the way Smart prevented that team from a 2nd-and-26 hangover was impressive, as was the post-LSU loss response. The Dawgs can still win 12 games for the second consecutive year. That’s not too shabby.

Kentucky, Mark Stoops: A

The SEC Coach of the Year deserves a ton of credit for the job he did in delivering Kentucky’s best regular season since 1984. His Cats ended the losing streak to Florida, as well as the 4-decade long stretch of no winning seasons in conference play. That’s absolutely Coach of the Year stuff. On top of that, Stoops’ area of expertise was elite. Kentucky’s defense, led by SEC Defensive Player of the Year Josh Allen, was historically good. Few people — if any — did more to rise above preseason expectations than Stoops.

LSU, Ed Orgeron: A-

Speaking of SEC Coach of the Year candidates, Orgeron was on everyone’s hot seat in the preseason. The oddsmakers had LSU pegged to finish short of 8 wins for the first time in the 21st century. Instead, the Tigers are playing in their first New Year’s 6 Bowl of the Playoff era and looking for their 10th win of the season. Orgeron made the right call to go out and land Joe Burrow, and the ability to get LSU fired up to play on a weekly basis was evident. A raise and an extension is inevitable for Coach O.

Mississippi State, Joe Moorhead: B-

OK, so MSU actually didn’t meet my preseason expectations. I had the Bulldogs going 10-2 with losses to Kansas State and Alabama. Obviously, that didn’t happen. The offense was a work in progress for much of the season and losses to Florida and Kentucky squashed the early buzz Moorhead had. But consider this. The Bulldogs can still win 9 games and finish as a top-15 team. That’s only happened 3 times since the John F. Kennedy administration. And hey, Nick Fitzgerald did look better down the stretch en route to wins in 4 of 5 games to close the regular season (the lone loss was at Alabama). I’m still all in on Moorhead.

Mizzou, Barry Odom: B+

Man, how many coaches can start off SEC play 0-4 and earn a grade that high? I bet not many. Once again, Odom’s team was dominant down the stretch, though this time it was against some quality opponents. His controversial hire of Derek Dooley paid dividends for Drew Lock, and it even helped the Tigers get a commitment from Lock’s replacement in Kelly Bryant. It was the defense that was most impressive about Odom’s 2018 season. After finishing no better than 90th in scoring in his first 2 seasons, the Tigers finished the regular season No. 44. Goodbye, hot seat. Hello, extension.

Ole Miss, Matt Luke: C-

There are 2 sides to the coin with Luke. On one hand, his team won 5 games and just 1 in conference play. He had to fire defensive coordinator Wesley McGriff at season’s end. That’s usually worthy of a failing grade. But let’s not forget that an offensive-minded coach led the nation’s No. 4 passer. Nobody thought Luke was in Oxford to lead a top-20 defense. Given the limitations with scholarships and the postseason sanctions, nobody should have expected an 8-win season, no matter how talented the offense was.

South Carolina, Will Muschamp: C-

I, for one, was not a believer that the Gamecocks were going to surprise everyone and win the SEC East. I thought that Muschamp’s team overachieved a bit in 2017 because of how many close games they won. And while his hire of Bryan McClendon and Dan Werner has helped Jake Bentley, Muschamp’s defense was underwhelming in 2018. They allowed 33 points against Power 5 competition. Muschamp had a young group this year, and I’d bet on him turning that round. But a 7-win season was closer to mediocre than anything else.

Tennessee, Jeremy Pruitt: B-

It’s not often we talk about a coach missing a bowl game and earning a good grade. Pruitt, I’d argue, was worthy. Despite those struggles down the stretch, the Vols still beat a top-15 Kentucky team (badly) and they went into Jordan-Hare and took care of Auburn. The consistency still isn’t there. Tennessee wasn’t a complete and total embarrassment like it was in Butch Jones’ final season in Knoxville. If they could have solved their offensive line issues, they’d be playing in the postseason.

Texas A&M, Jimbo Fisher: A-

Some might look at a +1 win total improvement and question why Fisher is worthy of such high marks. The guy makes $7.5 million. That’s what he should do. But two key things stood out in Fisher’s first year in College Station. His team held its own in the toughest division in college football by not collapsing in November and beating LSU — the Aggies finished second in the West to Alabama — and Fisher found his quarterback. The job he did developing Kellen Mond can’t be understated. Fisher set the stage for big things ahead at A&M.

https://twitter.com/tengland150/status/1066724274290008064

Vanderbilt, Derek Mason: B+

Any coach who doubles my preseason projected win total is worthy of a solid mark. Mason’s team did just that. By winning their final 2 games to end the season, the Commodores got a much-needed bowl berth. And shoot, even some of the losses were moral victories. They lost 4 games to current ranked opponents by 10 points or fewer. That, on top of a bowl berth, is certainly a positive season in Nashville. Mason’s decision to hire Jason Tarver as his defensive coordinator yielded a significant improvement on that side of the ball. Mason should be dancing his way to another raise.