quote:
I think all anybody is saying is why don't you wait and see what happens before declaring Kirby the greatest of all time. Every team you are putting down has won a more recent championship than UGA.

I think this is fair.

My personal belief is that Kirby is and will be a more successful coach than Gus. Part of that is the fact that he has an easier path being in the East rather than the West. But if I had to pick which one I'd prefer to coach my team, obviously I'd choose Kirby.

With that said, assuming Auburn gets past UCF, Gus is looking at a Top 10.... possibly even Top 5 finish in Year 5. Very few coaches in this day and age even make it to Year 5, let alone are able to produce a Top 10 team.

Guys like Chizik (2010), Muschamp (2012), Sumlin (2012), Freeze (2015), etc. all managed Top 10 teams in their first few years mainly because they were working off new energy. But its very tough to maintain that energy and still produce Top 10 teams after 5 years or more.

Over the past 30+ years, its mostly only the "Greats" that have accomplished this: Saban, Meyer, Spurrier, Fulmer, Richt, etc. A few other like Tuberville and Pinkel also managed this. But its not common.

Until Kirby can accomplish major success after the newness wares off, I think we all need to pump our breaks. But its hard not to get excited when you see the type of talent he's bringing in. This time it truly does feel different.