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At present in school soccer information, I ready to jot down this text the identical approach Ralph Ineson ready to play Galactus within the new “Implausible 4”: by “ruminating” in excessive locations.
2025 Countdown: SEC coach-firing days return?
For years, the SEC was the teaching chaos convention, with seemingly each non-Nick Saban head coach on the new seat always. However for the previous couple years, issues have principally been quiet. Too quiet.
This season, solely Alabama, Mississippi State and Texas A&M could have second-year coaches (and people first two had been as a consequence of Saban’s retirement and the fallout of Mike Leach’s passing), and solely Auburn could have a third-year coach. Everybody else is sort of established.
Examine that to the frenzies of Saban’s 2007-2023 tenure, when many of the groups that had been within the 12-team SEC — Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Vanderbilt — had 5 or 6 totally different head coaches every, typically due to failures to measure as much as Saban (additionally see: Richt, Mark), and typically due to scandals performed within the identify of attempting to measure as much as Saban.
Has the Bama emperor’s post-2023 abdication barely eased the stress on all people else? Or is the present calm only a coincidence? On Seth Emerson’s SEC hot-seat record, 9 of the league’s 16 head coaches advantage at the least a temp verify, with Arkansas’ Sam Pittman and Kentucky’s Mark Stoops wanting bona fide toasty. A number of extra problems for Southeastern polo shirts:
Probably the most endangered of those guys occur to have drawn about half of the nation’s 15 hardest schedules.
That is going to be the scenario yearly, but it surely bears emphasizing: One thing like 12 of 16 SEC fan bases have fairly sensible School Soccer Playoff hopes this season, however as many as three-fourths of them shall be disillusioned.
The draw back of virtually each SEC coach being in at the least their fourth 12 months: no extra excuses. And this 12 months, excuses shall be particularly scant, as a result of this convention is unusually loaded at quarterback.
Moreover, at the least a few these coaches are getting up there in years (Stoops has been at UK since 2013, whereas Pittman and LSU’s Brian Kelly will quickly be 64), so it’s potential we see a technically amicable parting or two along with potential firings. I requested Seth to set the variety of anticipated HC adjustments within the SEC this season:
“4 is the quantity I preserve touchdown on. There are 5 coaches on pretty heat seats (Pittman, Stoops, Mississippi State’s Jeff Lebby, Oklahoma’s Brent Venables, Auburn’s Hugh Freeze) and two extra on lukewarm seats (Florida’s Billy Napier and Kelly). However the hole between the primary 5 and the subsequent two, and anyone else, is pretty large, to the purpose the place if one or two of the primary few save their jobs, it could nicely come on the expense of another person. The league will beat up on one another.”
So possibly extra of a Joker Snapping The Pool Cue scenario than a complete purge. Nonetheless, that’s simply based mostly on what can moderately be predicted proper now, earlier than scoreboards gentle up. A September stoop may boost nearly anyone’s association.
Extra SEC:
South Carolina QB LaNorris Sellers leads the convention’s 25 finest gamers this season.
The story behind “It Simply Means Extra,” together with why SEC leaders really benefit from the motto being mocked every time their groups faceplant.
Freeze explains the SEC: “You want size and girth on this league up entrance.” I don’t know which emojis I’m allowed to incorporate right here.
Fast Snaps
🌀 How typically do prime recruits switch? The Class of 2021 was the primary in historical past with free switch guidelines, and now that these gamers are (principally) virtually performed enjoying school ball, David Ubben examined the numbers. The factor that the majority struck me: There appears to be one thing to the old-school adage that it’s typically higher to remain put and wait your flip, at the least with regards to QBs.
💰 At present is without doubt one of the most important days in recruiting historical past: Colleges can formally start telling prospects precisely how a lot cash’s on the desk. As a result of that is school soccer, there are many bizarre particulars.
📰 Information:
Fast to MAC Down: Right here’s an web factor
This week, one laptop consumer discovered an amazing touch upon a YouTube video referred to as “1 hour of MAC HIGHLIGHTS” (how are you going to not watch that?), and I’ll let that remark converse for itself:
“Congrats in your 5-star recruits and $100M services, SEC followers. In the meantime, the MAC is out right here enjoying actual soccer in entrance of 14 individuals and a raccoon on a Tuesday night time throughout a blizzard. You ever seen a punter throw a landing to an extended snapper whereas the scoreboard’s on hearth? Didn’t assume so.
“Whereas y’all are busy arguing over which frat-funded dynasty is barely much less fraudulent, Toledo’s cooking up a triple-reverse flea flicker in a sport that ends 43–42 after six missed PATs and a goalpost will get stolen. That’s not soccer. That’s MACtion. You wouldn’t survive one quarter in Ypsilanti.
“Lengthy stay the MAC.”
Anyway, learn Austin Meek on the state of the beloved MAC upset within the post-Home period, then I’ll see you subsequent week. E mail me at untilsaturday@theathletic.com with no matter is in your thoughts. Thanks to reader Kenneth for suggesting LSU play a house sport in France and to Carson for the cursed phrase “Rio de Janeiro Egg Bowl.”
Mandel’s Mailbag
A enjoyable sport: Who shall be this season’s first staff to achieve bowl eligibility? — Eric Hazard
I strongly thought-about Jalon Daniels and the Kansas Jayhawks, who’re going to bounce again in an enormous approach this season and get a head begin in Week 0, in order that they do play their sixth sport on Oct. 4. 5 of these video games are Fresno State, Wagner, West Virginia, Cincinnati and at UCF. However the sixth is at Missouri. Can’t pull the set off.
That brings me to 2 candidates enjoying on Oct. 11: Navy needs to be superb, and it opens with VMI, UAB, at Tulsa, Rice, Air Pressure and at Temple. Then there’s Pitt, which I think about one of many prime shock contenders. The Panthers’ first six are Duquesne, Central Michigan, at West Virginia, Louisville, Boston School and at Florida State.
If Pitt is absolutely 5-0 heading to Florida State, which, let’s say, is 3-2, that’ll be the highest ACC TV sport that week. Final 12 months, the No. 1 ACC sport often aired at midday on both ABC (although often that was an SEC sport) or ESPN. Whereas Navy’s convention video games had been break up both at midday on ESPN/ESPN2 or 3:30 p.m. on CBS Sports activities Community. No thought which one would get the Temple sport.
Given Pitt is extra prone to be earlier, I give the nod to Pat Narduzzi’s staff, which might be its second straight 6-0 begin. Hopefully, this one doesn’t end 7-6.
Extra Mandel on the Huge Ten’s politicking, a top-10 uncertainty and extra.
(High picture: Stacy Revere/Getty Photos)
