The end of the reign of The Mad Hatter?

[SpacemanSpiff]

Or, to put it another way, Les is no more?

As a fan of college FB, especially in the SEC, I've been gobsnockered since the rumor mill started up about LSU head football coach Les Miles' potential ouster. (OTOH, I was surprised to hear during the Bama-LSU game that Bama had won four straight -- this series is often a tossup in any given year, and usually no more that two-game streaks have occurred. Of course, not it's a five game streak.)

I mean, the guy's had a pretty good record, one national championship, a couple of SEC championships, and a winning record every year. However, after reading behind the lines, LSU ended up 4-4 in the SEC last year, and is currently 4-3 with one game left. They started the season with seven wins (should have been eight, but the opening weekend cupcake got left out in the rain, all the sweet cream icing flowing down, and was ultimately cancelled). They had a running back who looked to have a lock on the Heisman, and then then hit a brick wall in Tuscaloosa, and have lost three in a row.

The other surprising issue is that the cost to LSU to get rid of him would be $17 million -- $15 mill to him over eight years, $2 mill to his assistants paid over the next six months. Not something to take lightly, even with all the ESPN and CBS money going to the league. But whoever has decided that he's on the @#$) list has said "that's not a problem."

I guess the real problem is they are in a division where three schools (LSU, Auburn, and Bama) have legit aspirations for a conference or even a national championship at the start of each season, and four other teams who think they can get into the fray as well. Only one team ends up on top, and after awhile some big alum(s) get upset and want to make a change.

I know it's a business, but it amazes me how fast the worm can turn.

[BackInTex]

And he's a nice guy.

Saben on the other hand, from what I've heard, is an absolute freakin' a-hole.

[silverscreenselect]

And he's a nice guy.

And that, in the SEC, doesn't get you squat. Except maybe at Vanderbilt where they give you a couple of extra years before they can you.

[jaybee]

Coaching in a major conference is a fickle thing. Not too many years ago, UT Knoxville ousted Fulmer after just one not-so-great season. At the time I believe he was still ranked as one of the top two or three of winingest coaching records. But when the booster money says, "We want a change" then that's what happens. We are now on our third football coach since Fulmer with two of those costing major buyouts.

We have a similar record with basketball. All told there are are a lot of millions going out just to buy out lucrative contracts.

[SpacemanSpiff]

Coaching in a major conference is a fickle thing. Not too many years ago, UT Knoxville ousted Fulmer after just one not-so-great season. At the time I believe he was still ranked as one of the top two or three of winingest coaching records. But when the booster money says, "We want a change" then that's what happens. We are now on our third football coach since Fulmer with two of those costing major buyouts.

We have a similar record with basketball. All told there are are a lot of millions going out just to buy out lucrative contracts.

It wasn't just the big-end boosters that forced UT's hand on Fulmer.

His last game before being terminated (although he stayed through the season) was the "Third Saturday In October" rivalry game against Alabama, that year in Knoxville. Earlier home games had seen a lot of empty seats -- it's kind of hard to hide them in a 100k seat stadium -- but that Bama game saw a lot of away fans buying tickets at the game for a song. About 20% of the fans there were Bama fans, and still had a smattering of empty seats.

How bad was that? Let's put it this way: Captain Son-of-Spiff was driving back to central Virginia from Kansas, where he had been training for a month, and went through Knoxville about two hours before game time. He still kicks himself for not dropping in and picking up tix from a scalper. It turned out game-day StubHub prices had dropped to $25 for lower-bowl seats. I don't know what "face" value of those are, but I'm sure they are at least $100. And this is with your biggest rival?!?!?

In short, the scalpers were taking a bath on that season. And I'm sure more than a few of them are university donors. That's what I believe was the proverbial straw with Mr. Fulmer's career.

[SpacemanSpiff]

Sounding more official than not now:

http://www.nola.com/lsu/index.ssf/2015/ ... s_his.html

LSU coach Les Miles didn't come out and say it but let the Tiger Gridiron Club know Friday that Saturday's game against Texas A&M will be his last, two sources who attended the group's luncheon said.

"He didn't use those words but he made it clear that Saturday is his last game," one Gridiron club member said. Miles regularly speaks to the club at lunch on Fridays before all home games.