Saturday Down South: Let Barry Go

It’s not an easy question to answer. It’s not as simple as looking at a win-loss record or what fans are saying on social media. There’s athletic director loyalty, buyout figures and preseason expectations to take into account.

With several athletic directors facing that all-important question, it’s shaping up to be a fascinating few weeks in the SEC. It seems like there are a handful of coaches who could get fired.

So, I put on my athletic director hat and made the tough decisions for them (all buyouts are for if coaches are fired before Dec. 1, 2019 according to USA Today):

Barry Odom, Missouri
Buyout: $1,000,000

Stay or go: Go

I get the feeling that something weird is going on in Columbia. How else can you explain this second half free fall? I don’t pin it all on the loss of Cale Garrett, nor do I think Kelly Bryant being banged up for a couple of games tells the full story. The common denominator is Odom, who had a team that looked Top 25-worthy and watched it crash and burn. Few teams can lose 3 games as double-digit favorites, but that’s what Mizzou did. That’s an awful, awful sign.

Odom deserved credit for holding Mizzou together and not having players enter the transfer portal following the bizarre NCAA bowl ban. He deserved credit for bouncing back after the Wyoming win. But in Year 4, what have we seen from Odom that suggests Mizzou will ever be able to get to where it was after it joined the SEC? The Florida win last year and winning streaks against bottom-feeder teams have been the high of the Odom era so far.

Jim Sterk might not have hired Odom, but he stood by him amidst some roller coaster seasons. Consider this — Odom had the benefit of the SEC’s single-season touchdown pass leader (Drew Lock) and one of the top transfer quarterbacks (Kelly Bryant), and none of those teams came close to competing for a division title.

Some might wonder if Mizzou can do better, but at this point, I have to think big picture if I’m Mizzou. I’ve got a $98 million stadium renovation. The last thing I want is empty seats and a fan base who knows that mediocrity is the ceiling.

It’s time to start over.

(Now watch Mizzou win the last 2 games of the regular season and lose a hard-fought bowl game that earns Odom another extension.)

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