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re: What is the Most Mismanaged Football Program in the SEC?
Posted on 8/5/25 at 1:00 pm to Che Boludo
Posted on 8/5/25 at 1:00 pm to Che Boludo
quote:
I'd argue if the accepted culture is average, and they continue to manage to be average then they are not mismanaged.
Their culture mismanages their tremendous resources advantages.
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Posted on 8/5/25 at 1:10 pm to captdalton
A&M
They are top 5 in NIL money spent, with absolutely zero to show for it.
They are top 5 in NIL money spent, with absolutely zero to show for it.
Posted on 8/5/25 at 1:16 pm to captdalton
Total football spending taken from Knight-Newhouse College Athletics Database.
Posted on 8/5/25 at 1:19 pm to captdalton
Auburn will be in much better shape on August 1st.
Oh shite. It's Auburn.
Oh shite. It's Auburn.
Posted on 8/5/25 at 1:52 pm to captdalton
This is an interesting question, and lots of folks have their opinions, but let's actually look at the facts to get ourselves to the most accurate answer.
Historical Success vs Current Reality:
- 21 ten-win seasons (3rd most in SEC history)
- 1998 National Champions
- Last SEC Championship Game: 2007 (17 years ago!)
- Only 3 ten-win seasons since 2008
Massive Resources Wasted:
- Major state university with huge fanbase
- 102,455-seat stadium
- Prime recruiting territory
- $52.5M annual SEC revenue sharing
Coaching Carousel of Disasters:
- Lane Kiffin (2009): Left after 1 year for USC
- Derek Dooley (2010-2012): 15-21 record, multiple embarrassments
- Butch Jones (2013-2017): "Champions of Life" became a punchline
- Jeremy Pruitt (2018-2020): Fired for NCAA violations
- 6 coaches in 16 years = zero stability
The Damning Evidence:
- Went from consistent top-10 program to SEC mediocrity
- Multiple coaching hires that set program back years
- NCAA violations under Pruitt
- Recruiting classes destroyed by constant turnover
- Administrative instability and booster interference
Why not Texas A&M? They're newer to SEC (2012) and still building.
Why not Arkansas? Smaller resources, more realistic expectations.
Why not South Carolina? Limited historical success to begin with.
BOTTOM LINE: Tennessee had everything - history, resources, fanbase, location - and systematically destroyed it through 15+ years of terrible decisions. No other SEC program has fallen so far from such heights.
Heupel is showing promise, but one good coach doesn't erase a decade and a half of institutional mismanagement!
So...congratulations to the Tennessee Volunteers!!!!!!!
Historical Success vs Current Reality:
- 21 ten-win seasons (3rd most in SEC history)
- 1998 National Champions
- Last SEC Championship Game: 2007 (17 years ago!)
- Only 3 ten-win seasons since 2008
Massive Resources Wasted:
- Major state university with huge fanbase
- 102,455-seat stadium
- Prime recruiting territory
- $52.5M annual SEC revenue sharing
Coaching Carousel of Disasters:
- Lane Kiffin (2009): Left after 1 year for USC
- Derek Dooley (2010-2012): 15-21 record, multiple embarrassments
- Butch Jones (2013-2017): "Champions of Life" became a punchline
- Jeremy Pruitt (2018-2020): Fired for NCAA violations
- 6 coaches in 16 years = zero stability
The Damning Evidence:
- Went from consistent top-10 program to SEC mediocrity
- Multiple coaching hires that set program back years
- NCAA violations under Pruitt
- Recruiting classes destroyed by constant turnover
- Administrative instability and booster interference
Why not Texas A&M? They're newer to SEC (2012) and still building.
Why not Arkansas? Smaller resources, more realistic expectations.
Why not South Carolina? Limited historical success to begin with.
BOTTOM LINE: Tennessee had everything - history, resources, fanbase, location - and systematically destroyed it through 15+ years of terrible decisions. No other SEC program has fallen so far from such heights.
Heupel is showing promise, but one good coach doesn't erase a decade and a half of institutional mismanagement!
So...congratulations to the Tennessee Volunteers!!!!!!!
Posted on 8/5/25 at 1:55 pm to captdalton
quote:
Who had the worst ROI?
Easily A&M, they're still paying Jimbo, and bragged about all that oil money going to recruits without any championships
Posted on 8/5/25 at 2:31 pm to anc
quote:
The answer has to be Auburn
As an outsider, I've never understood how Auburn has managed to be competitive at all.
I mean - everybody in that state is a Bama fan. And then hop over the line and everybody is a Georgia fan.
I tip my hat to Auburn for even making The Iron Bowl a thing. Shite, they're not even named after a state...!? I don't see how they even have a chance, but they've far outdone what should be first glance expectation.
Posted on 8/5/25 at 2:34 pm to captdalton
quote:Dang I had I no idea it’s been this consistently bad at Auburn lately
2021 - TAM 8-4; Auburn 6-7
2022 - TAM 5-7; Auburn 5-7
2023 - TAM 7-6; Auburn 6-7
2024 - TAM 8-5; Auburn 5-7
Reminds me of Charlie Strong, which was far and away the darkest period for Texas
Posted on 8/5/25 at 3:01 pm to menu2
quote:
Reminds me of Charlie Strong, which was far and away the darkest period for Texas
What you say is true - but I blame all that on the Steve Patterson era. Now that guy was a kunt, and is truly the poster child for the darkest days of UT Athletics.
Posted on 8/5/25 at 3:04 pm to MtVernon
It’s gotta be A&M. They’ve spent an insane amount on NIL with nothing to show for it and got completely bent over in the Jimbo contract. Elko was a pedestrian hire after all of it.
Posted on 8/5/25 at 4:07 pm to captdalton
Florida and it isn’t close
For everyone pointing to Auburn - Auburn has been a consistent program in the SEC but has never had elite success over multiple years. They have 1 championship in the last 60 years.
Florida had 3 championships in 12 years from 96-2008. Something only Miami, Bama, and Nebraska have accomplished in the last 50 years. The concept Florida cannot maintain playing for championships or even being Mark Richt at Georgia level consistent shows a colossal mismanagement.
For everyone pointing to Auburn - Auburn has been a consistent program in the SEC but has never had elite success over multiple years. They have 1 championship in the last 60 years.
Florida had 3 championships in 12 years from 96-2008. Something only Miami, Bama, and Nebraska have accomplished in the last 50 years. The concept Florida cannot maintain playing for championships or even being Mark Richt at Georgia level consistent shows a colossal mismanagement.
Posted on 8/5/25 at 4:12 pm to Granola
A&M
Florida
Florida
This post was edited on 8/5/25 at 4:13 pm
Posted on 8/5/25 at 4:35 pm to FireDanMullen
So if it's a program that has always been mismanaged then the mismanagement becomes normalized and no longer counts?
I think it's hilarious that A&M's historic lack of success is seen as beneficial in terms of their recent lack of success.
I think it's hilarious that A&M's historic lack of success is seen as beneficial in terms of their recent lack of success.
Posted on 8/5/25 at 4:37 pm to captdalton
I say A&M - with all of those resources ($) and facilities
Posted on 8/5/25 at 4:40 pm to TAMU-93
That chart answers the question.
Posted on 8/5/25 at 4:40 pm to SL Xpress
quote:
Then you add the $500 million stadium upgrade. The overall football facilities upgrade.
How is that “mismanaging a program”? Nobody really regrets upgrading the stadium or facilities.
If a donor wants to give $20 million of his hard earned money to put his name on the side of a building, you let him.
The Fisher contract was 100% mismanagement. However, everything else I would more so call “underachievement” vs. “mismanagement”.
Posted on 8/5/25 at 4:59 pm to SL Xpress
quote:
So if it's a program that has always been mismanaged then the mismanagement becomes normalized and no longer counts? I think it's hilarious that A&M's historic lack of success is seen as beneficial in terms of their recent lack of success.
Good point. One may just call it cursed. There’s about a dozen schools with realistic chances of competing for national titles with the resources available that it takes to actually win championships. A&M is one of them with the ability to have resources and whatever else you want to call it, they are just cursed lol
Posted on 8/5/25 at 5:01 pm to FireDanMullen
God hates their yell leaders.
Posted on 8/5/25 at 5:17 pm to captdalton
Arkansas
Auburn
A&M
In no order.
Auburn
A&M
In no order.
Posted on 8/5/25 at 5:54 pm to Arksulli
He's an old man that has nothing.
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