What will the record have to be for Stoops to be fired?

[WildcatofNati]

• 2-10 and he is fired the day or two after the UL game. Mitch will have no choice in the matter and the $18 million buyout will be raised fairly quickly. If you think he would be retained after a 2-10 season when the team was predicted to be bowling just because of an insane buyout then you're crazy. The school stands to lose way more than that buyout if they retain him after a season like that.

• 3-9 would be almost assured that Mitch will have to seriously explore other coaching options. There is absolutely NO EXCUSE for this team to lose 9 games in Stoops 4th season with how he has recruited, especially when the schedule had winnable home games against Southern Miss, New Mexico State, Austin Peay, and Vanderbilt and favorable matchups (talent-wise) against Mississippi State, South Carolina, and Missouri. The talent and the schedule is set up for this team to win at least 6 games.

• 4-8 would leave it as a possibility depending on how bad/embarrassing the losses were, but it is 60/40 that he will be back.

• 5-7 or better and Stoops is 100% retained for his 5th season, but will be forced to fire D.J. Eliot. Someone will have to be the sacrificial lamb here.

Either way, with how bad the defense has been, there is no way we win more than 4 games. I can't see us winning against USC, Mizzou, and MSU with how bad we've played. Even if we beat Vandy and Austin Peay, that still only puts us at 3 wins and there is no way we are beating Bama, UT, UGa, and UL.

Very good analysis. I think that pretty much sums it up. I think we'll end up lucking into 4 wins, so it will be a close call, but I think that will save him for one more year. With a sacrificial lamb or two, of course.

 

[true55]

• 2-10 and he is fired the day or two after the UL game. Mitch will have no choice in the matter and the $18 million buyout will be raised fairly quickly. If you think he would be retained after a 2-10 season when the team was predicted to be bowling just because of an insane buyout then you're crazy. The school stands to lose way more than that buyout if they retain him after a season like that.

• 3-9 would be almost assured that Mitch will have to seriously explore other coaching options. There is absolutely NO EXCUSE for this team to lose 9 games in Stoops 4th season with how he has recruited, especially when the schedule had winnable home games against Southern Miss, New Mexico State, Austin Peay, and Vanderbilt and favorable matchups (talent-wise) against Mississippi State, South Carolina, and Missouri. The talent and the schedule is set up for this team to win at least 6 games.

• 4-8 would leave it as a possibility depending on how bad/embarrassing the losses were, but it is 60/40 that he will be back.

• 5-7 or better and Stoops is 100% retained for his 5th season, but will be forced to fire D.J. Eliot. Someone will have to be the sacrificial lamb here.

Either way, with how bad the defense has been, there is no way we win more than 4 games. I can't see us winning against USC, Mizzou, and MSU with how bad we've played. Even if we beat Vandy and Austin Peay, that still only puts us at 3 wins and there is no way we are beating Bama, UT, UGa, and UL.

5 wins? We would be lucky to win 5 against a weak high school schedule ! There is not 4 more teams left on this schedule to beat.

 

[buckkiller]

He needs to be gone if he misses bowl game. So 5 or less cause 5 W's this year is unacceptable

 

[MANAFOLD]

I think 3-9 or worse he is gone myself.

seriously, if you fired Stoops, who would want the KY job? For what ever reason, you can't win at UK.

 

[Los Gatos]

Short of ncaa violations I don't see any scenario where stoops is not back...definitely will be back next year probably will be back the year after.

Would not surprise me to see barnhart extend him another year as a show of support.

Its not just stoops, you can't let barnhart make another fb hire. Period, end of story.

stupified

Here a scenario for you. An average of about 20K actual attendance for several home games. If that occurs, the projected loss of football related revenue in the following years will exceed the buyout.

I agree with you that UK can not allow Barney to hire another fb coach. However, seems like there are ways around this short of firing him.

 

[catfando]

He's not? Gillispie gone in 2 years, Joker in 3 - that's pretty quick by any standard...

There were other circumstances to BCG getting canned. He was rumored to have had 2 co-eds living with him and hitting the bottle hard. To the point of having to send people out to pick him up at bars and drive him home. Plus, and I know people don't wanna hear it, but it was the basketball program. It is, has been, always will be what we are known for. Only way stoops is gone at the end of this year is if some kind of deal is worked out or he's caught in an unethical situation.

 

[catfando]

“There is no magic number. No ifs, ands or buts,” Barnhart said. “Mark has a really great heart for his kids and he’s trying really hard to find a way to get past the 4-1 and 5-1 starts and get to the finish line. We all want that and he wants it as bad as anybody. You just have to keep battling. The schedule is a hard one again, but guess what? We’re in the Southeastern Conference. It didn’t change in the offseason.”

Hope Mitch won't mind the empty stadium if Stoops doesn't turn this mess around. I hope Dr. Cap is hired elsewhere and he takes Mitch with him.

 

[truebluewildcat_rivals34254]

I'd say the CMS era hinges heavily on the SC and Vandy games.

Win those two and this team is 3-3 heading into the second half of the season, and 5 wins is likely with Missouri and AP, and 6 wins not out of the realm of possibility.

Lose one of those games things start to get real murky. Drop both of them, then the CMS era is over because the stadium won't see 25,000 asses for the remaining games and BBN unrest will be at a boiling point.

MB era could be over as well.

UK decision makers will have to do something. Every body thinks a 17 million buyout for the entire staff is something, the AD has hundreds of millions in new facilities and renovations they need to pay off, and they can't pay it off if no one is buying tickets or corporate suites.

 

[Poetax]

seriously, if you fired Stoops, who would want the KY job? For what ever reason, you can't win at UK.

Why don't you run home to mama dumb nuts.

 

[greginky1957]

I don't think that this year's record alone will get him fired but next year combined with this year may. As I see it, no matter how well Stoops recruits this year, our defense will be terrible again next year. Unless of course many of the current d-line get 'coached up' during the off season, which I don't see happening.

 

[allabouttheUK]

2-10

Problem is who comes? Briles is not the guy. Sorry. Brohm? Maybe until Petrino leaves. Houston guy isn't coming

Considering a UK savior just isn't out there, we may need to only win 1 game. I just don't see changes being made, and I hope we are all laughing at these assertions together at year end while celebrating our 7th

PJ Fleck
Butch Davis
Navy Coach
App St Coach

I think Stoops is gone if either of these two things happen or in between...2-10 gets him canned no matter how "close" he comes in any other games. 4-10 with all conference losses being in humiliating fashion would sure do the job too.

 

[rabidcatfan]

I wonder how we'll put together that $18 million that we dont have to put together.

It's not going to be as hard as you think. UK doesn't have to pay Stoops that money in a lump sum, not to mention that there are several boosters who are willing to raise the funds if necessary. UK could stretch that money out over 3 or 4 years if they want which would basically be the money they would pay him over that span of time anyway. Why pay the man AND risk losing tons of revenue from lost ticket sales, missing bowl games, etc.?

Also, these things are contingent on Stoops being fired without cause. If he's fired for being an bad coach, then that is "cause" as far as I'm concerned and his buyout could be negotiated much the same way they did for BCG. The school may even be able to negotiate it down to a lump sum of $5 or $6 million which could be raised fairly quickly I think. There are ways to handle this that people aren't thinking about.

 

[Big John Stud]

It's not going to be as hard as you think. UK doesn't have to pay Stoops that money in a lump sum, not to mention that there are several boosters who are willing to raise the funds if necessary. UK could stretch that money out over 3 or 4 years if they want which would basically be the money they would pay him over that span of time anyway. Why pay the man AND risk losing tons of revenue from lost ticket sales, missing bowl games, etc.?

Also, these things are contingent on Stoops being fired without cause. If he's fired for being an bad coach, then that is "cause" as far as I'm concerned and his buyout could be negotiated much the same way they did for BCG. The school may even be able to negotiate it down to a lump sum of $5 or $6 million which could be raised fairly quickly I think. There are ways to handle this that people aren't thinking about.

Cause is spelled out in his contract. Being a bad coach isn't 1 of the reasons.