Alabama the week before was the beginning of the end for him, but it's too early to tell if that was a program killing loss. Georgia could recover from last season just fine.

When I think of program killing losses, two truly come to mind:

1. 2007 Hawaii gets dose of reality in Sugar Bowl. June Jones left after that, they hired Norm Chow, and the rest is history. They've been dreadful since that game.

2. 2007 WVU blows a national title shot with a home loss to 4-7 Pitt. This was the ultimate program killer. RichRod had a good thing going there, and that team would have absolutely cornholed Ohio State in the national title game. If WVU beats Pitt, RichRod doesn't take the Michigan job while he's preparing for a national title. With LSU not in the title mix, Les Miles probably would have left for Michigan. The domino effect from that game was staggering, and WVU has never been remotely close to reaching that level since and probably won't in the near future. Also, their 2008 team would have been a NC contender with RichRod still there.

I can't ever remember one loss killing an SEC team like those losses killed Hawaii and WVU.

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Posted by cardboardboxer

Member since Apr 2012

34353 posts

Posted on 9/21/16 at 4:12 pm to VADawg

quote:
2007 Hawaii gets dose of reality in Sugar Bowl.

Amazing example. Maybe the best one yet actually. Thank you.

quote:
2007 WVU blows a national title shot with a home loss to 4-7 Pitt. This was the ultimate program killer. RichRod had a good thing going there, and that team would have absolutely cornholed Ohio State in the national title game. If WVU beats Pitt, RichRod doesn't take the Michigan job while he's preparing for a national title. With LSU not in the title mix, Les Miles probably would have left for Michigan. The domino effect from that game was staggering, and WVU has never been remotely close to reaching that level since and probably won't in the near future. Also, their 2008 team would have been a NC contender with RichRod still there.

Hmmm...that one is a little complicated. When you have a chain of events like that it is hard to say that this one thing would have turned out that way. Rich Rod obviously wanted to move to a better job no matter what, so he still could have jumped that year (maybe to LSU to fill Les's vacant spot). Still you have a good point and I like it.

I think the USC loss to the Citadel is also like that. If it really is how they say it is- that loss ran off a locked in Tom Herman- than that is the worst loss ever in the history of the SEC. That loss took USC from following up their best coach ever with the best up-and-comer coach we have seen in over a decade (since Meyer at Utah really) if they are correct. That is the kind of soul crushing loss that basically set the USC program back decades and maybe undid any chance it had to ever take back the state from Clemson, but honestly I don't believe the story.

No scratch that. I don't believe that USC fans believe the story. If they really think their AD lost the best coaching hire in a decade because his salesmanship couldn't overcome a single loss to a single team they would want to hang the guy. But they all seem melancholy about it which tells me Herman was never coming and they invented the whole story to feel better about themselves and make him look petty.

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