The CheckerBoard

Well, none of this bunch particularly excites me, and certainly none is a "home run" hire, which I define as either a Super Bowl or NC ring, with only a couple exceptions (we'd never get Chip Kelly, but he's the hottest guy on the planet now and would never come, regardless of $).

While I know that normally, a school doesn't want to be turned down publicly, if I were Hart I'd at least ask Gruden and Stoops to please turn me down publicly so that my fan base would at least know for certain we took a shot, and I'd strategically leak to the media the enormity of our offer. I want to know the admin. took a shot, at least, of hiring a real superstar guy who can get a top 10 recruiting class on his name and respect with recruits alone, before we even start winning. I want to know they pursued that one in a million shot with money as no object, even if they're shot down in flames.

Of the "meh" bunch, Mullen would be my first choice if not for the NCAA baggage. Too soon after Kiffin and Pearl, IMO.

Golden has a losing record as a head coach.

Fisher has grossly underachieved with the talent he has this year, IMO, and in the SEC, he'd have lost 3 or 4 more games.

Smart is like taking a run at a "super-Sunseri" or "mini-Saban," take your pick. Either way, both he and Fisher are Saban disciples, and after Dooley, I don't want to go back to the same well yet again.

Strong was horribly outcoached on Sat. by the staff of a horribly untalented Syracuse team. A couple weeks ago he cursed and screamed like a child at the refs over a call he didn't even understand the rule on, and got a 15 yard penalty for his efforts. I was shocked (and so was Rod Gilmore, the analyst) at both his lack of self-control and by the fact he was too dumb to know the rule book on muffed punts. Sorry, but despite the early success at Louisville, and his past DC success in the SEC, that display of his took him off my "A" list, b/c it convinced me that just like Dooley apparently has been, he'd be over his head in the SEC as anything other than a coord. Viable candidate? Sure. Homerun hire? Not IMO, but I know I'm probably in the minority on this one.

That leaves us with MAN-ly coach of over FORTY years, Gundy. I think T. Boone Pickens would match any offer and try to keep him there, but of those listed above, he's my top choice, despite looking like a moron in a press conference 5 or so years ago.

I'll admit to being disgusted that we fired Fulmer in '08, and we still haven't climbed back up the mountain, and I don't see any names we have a legit. shot at that I think can win the East within 3 years.

If we do our dead level best to get a star, and no one will come, I just have a gut feeling, but I'd like to take a shot at Jack Del Rio. Somehow, I just think he could recruit and that his intensity would translate to college kids.

Only then, if no star, no Del Rio, and no Gundy, then maybe Strong, but heck, at that point, I'm back to thinking we've not really improved ourselves any more than marginally with the new hire and praying I was wrong. Maybe Strong's biggest selling point as a defensive mind (like Del Rio) is that if everyone bails to the League on offense, we may actually have more talent there than offense next year, depending on how things shake out, and he'd likely have the defense playing much better.

If we have to start scraping the bottom of our list (yet-a-frikkin'-gain! Arrrrrgh!), then at that point the tie-breaker becomes the staff the coaches could assemble. Anyone who could get Kliff Kingsbury to come as OC would get a plus, in my book.

Despite everything above, everyone on the list above but Mullen would still be my choice before either Tressel or Petrino. I think either would win quicker than anyone on that list, but I don't care. Some things are more important than winning.

Why would Richt be done by choice? That's surprising to me. He's young and there's not many places to move up from there. Personal reasons?

Lowe thinks Richt will go into the ministry soon.