With the only SEC wins against two of the worst SEC teams in history, Kentucky and Ole Miss, why are people happy with him? I can't see any job offers in his future if an AD closely looks at his record. In year 3, with a veteran team of starters that he didn't recruit, dominated by juniors and seniors but sprinkled with some poor play from Mullen's OL recruits, we went 2-6 in the SEC. No youth excuses on this team or building for the future. All other wins were against horrific DI and DI-AA teams, and the one exception (La. Tech) took us to OT at home and really blew the game at the end. Recruiting wise, we've been ranked 10th or worse in the SEC for all classes that Mullen recruited (save his first one, which were Croom committments). How is that a resume for a new job?<div> As Illinois AD said when he fired Zook today, "To me, it is about how you compete in your conference." Given the talent dropoff about to happen when Croom recruits Fletcher Cox and Jonathan Banks and Charles Mitchell and others leave, I can't see why any team would hire him, but I can understand why Mullen would leave. </div><div>
</div><div> This year, we beat Memphis, La. Tech, Tenn-Martin (didn't know they had a team), UAB, KY, and Ole Miss. We finished 2-6 in the SEC conference. Mullen finished 2-6 in the SEC in his first year also.</div><div>
</div><div> Here are the teams we beat this year with their Sagarin Ratings and ratings:</div><div> Memphis, #183 2-10</div><div> Tenn Martin #179 5-6</div><div> UAB #154 3-9</div><div> Miss. # 108 2-10</div><div> Kentucky # 84 5-7</div><div> La Tech #46 8-4 (OT victory)</div><div>
</div><div> Combined record of teams we beat this year: 25-46</div><div> Two wins against top 100 competition: La. Tech and Kentucky</div><div>
</div><div> let's compare to the year that Croom got fired for - 2008:</div><div> Record 4-8</div><div> SEC record: 2-6 (same)</div><div> </div><div> Different losses:</div><div> Mississippi Sagarin #10, 9-4</div><div> Georgia Tech #36, 9-4</div><div> Kentucky # 49, 7-6</div><div> La. Tech, #87, 8-5</div><div> </div><div> Additional Wins:</div><div></div><div> Vanderbilt #39, 7-6</div><div> Arkansas #64, 5-7</div><div> Middle Tenn. #112, 5-7</div><div> SE Louisana # 181 5-7</div><div></div><div> Combined record of teams we beat in 2008: 22-27</div><div> </div><div> So, we got two more wins this year than in the year that got Croom fired - but it was against far worse competition and both of the additional wins came against teams outside the top 100 in college football. Going to a bowl this year is entirely due to easier OOC scheduling by the AD, and nothing else. Yet fans are happy about a team that is no better than the team that Croom got fired for, with worse recruiting classes the past two years? I guess you can fool most of the people most of the time by scheduling an easy OOC schedule.</div><div> By the way, that team played both Auburn and LSU closer than we did year and lost by less to each.</div><div> What matters for the future is recruiting - and if Mullen doesn't reverse the trend this year away from worse recruiting classes than Croom, we are never going to improve. Never. Nothing else matters. Further, we are going to extremely inexperienced after next year all over the team. Only 1 starters on defense - 1- did not commit to Croom in recruiting. Those guys are going to be graduating.</div>
</div><div> This year, we beat Memphis, La. Tech, Tenn-Martin (didn't know they had a team), UAB, KY, and Ole Miss. We finished 2-6 in the SEC conference. Mullen finished 2-6 in the SEC in his first year also.</div><div>
</div><div> Here are the teams we beat this year with their Sagarin Ratings and ratings:</div><div> Memphis, #183 2-10</div><div> Tenn Martin #179 5-6</div><div> UAB #154 3-9</div><div> Miss. # 108 2-10</div><div> Kentucky # 84 5-7</div><div> La Tech #46 8-4 (OT victory)</div><div>
</div><div> Combined record of teams we beat this year: 25-46</div><div> Two wins against top 100 competition: La. Tech and Kentucky</div><div>
</div><div> let's compare to the year that Croom got fired for - 2008:</div><div> Record 4-8</div><div> SEC record: 2-6 (same)</div><div> </div><div> Different losses:</div><div> Mississippi Sagarin #10, 9-4</div><div> Georgia Tech #36, 9-4</div><div> Kentucky # 49, 7-6</div><div> La. Tech, #87, 8-5</div><div> </div><div> Additional Wins:</div><div></div><div> Vanderbilt #39, 7-6</div><div> Arkansas #64, 5-7</div><div> Middle Tenn. #112, 5-7</div><div> SE Louisana # 181 5-7</div><div></div><div> Combined record of teams we beat in 2008: 22-27</div><div> </div><div> So, we got two more wins this year than in the year that got Croom fired - but it was against far worse competition and both of the additional wins came against teams outside the top 100 in college football. Going to a bowl this year is entirely due to easier OOC scheduling by the AD, and nothing else. Yet fans are happy about a team that is no better than the team that Croom got fired for, with worse recruiting classes the past two years? I guess you can fool most of the people most of the time by scheduling an easy OOC schedule.</div><div> By the way, that team played both Auburn and LSU closer than we did year and lost by less to each.</div><div> What matters for the future is recruiting - and if Mullen doesn't reverse the trend this year away from worse recruiting classes than Croom, we are never going to improve. Never. Nothing else matters. Further, we are going to extremely inexperienced after next year all over the team. Only 1 starters on defense - 1- did not commit to Croom in recruiting. Those guys are going to be graduating.</div>
