Texas Longhorns fans... it is time you ask yourself a question. It is time you take all emotion out of your would be answer and ask a question that no successful college football program likes to ask when times get a little tougher than they used to be.
Should Texas fire Mack Brown? Or at the very least should Texas remove Brown from his head coaching position and give him a nice cushy administrative job while some new blood is injected into the Texas Longhorns football program?
I say take all emotion out of it. That is not solely directed at those who would by default oppose removing Brown. It is also directed at those fans who just watched Texas go down in flames (63-21) for a 3rd consecutive year to the Oklahoma Sooners in the Red River Shootout.
Let me preface this with the old adage of "be careful what you wish for." It took Nebraska years after firing Frank Solich, the heir apparent to the the great Tom Osborne to get the program back on track. Solich wasn't awful. He was winning 10 games a year. In fact Solich won 58 games in his first 6 seasons at Nebraska. More than any Nebraska head coach before him (Including Osborne) But, things went sour in his last couple of seasons and he was gone. It took years for Nebraska to somewhat recover.
Texas A&M fired RC Slocum after averaging 10 wins a year. He could not beat the Longhorns enough and he was gone after 13 years. The Aggies looked to greener pastures and hired Dennis Franchione from TCU. That hire set their program back for nearly 8 years.
There are many more examples of teams firing coaches for not being able to get them over the hump or not winning the "big one" That is why I want to cautiously explore the question of firing a head football coach who has been one of the most successful coaches ever at the University of Texas.
So after saying all of that, let me say this. Do you, the fans of Texas, want Mack Brown to become Bobby Bowden? Do you want to hang onto a coach who is known for what he did in the past while the program slips into mediocrity...or worse?
If you are any kind of Texas fan I can see your thoughts right now. You are saying there is no way Texas ever slips into mediocrity. "We have the highest grossing football program in the nation in terms of dollars and profit." "We are the flagship university of Texas, there is no way we stay down for long" "DeLoss Dodds will not allow us to fail" "We recruit too well" I agree with all of those perceived thoughts. But, the trend at UT right now is troubling. Ever since the BCS title game against Alabama in January of 2010, the Horns are 17-14 overall, 7-13 in the Big 12 and 1-10 against Top 25 opponents. These are hardly results of a team that is on the rebound from a couple of sub par years. Not to mention From 2010 to now the Horns have started 3-0, 4-0, and 4-0 only to finish for a combined 6-13 for the rest of the way. Another troubling stat is that Mack Brown and Texas are 0-9 versus the last 9 Top 25 opponents and 1-11 against Top 25 opponents since Jan. 1st, 2010.
Other factors (Both good and bad) that should be explored when questioning the possibility of replacing Mack Brown are:
-Mack Brown has a coaching record at Texas of 141-39. That is unbelievably solid. The man has taken Texas from the doldrums of John Mackovic to one of the top 5 premier football programs year in and year out.
-His bowl record is 12-7 with a BCS National Title, and a BCS Title Runner-up.
-He has 2 Big-12 Championships.
-9 straight 10+ win seasons at Texas from 01-09
-He won the Bear Bryant Coaching award in 2005 and Big-12 Coach of the Year in 2005 and 2009.
After looking at those credentials I feel foolish even questioning this man's employment. But, when I dig a little deeper and do some comparing I find out a few things that raise red flags. Texas will always be compared to the best of the best in college football. The same goes for the Big-12. Now that Texas A&M is gone, Texas has one main rival in the Big-12 and that is Oklahoma. The Mack Brown/Bob Stoops rivalry has been going strong since Stoops first walked onto OU's campus a year after Brown was hired by UT. Texas and Oklahoma recruit the same kids, play the same opponents and are each other's worst enemy on the gridiron. So it is only natural I compare Mack to Stoops.
-Since 1999 Mack Brown is 5-8 in the Red River Shootout against Bob Stoops. Not terrible. But, you look at the streaks Stoops has against Mack and it is sobering. Stoops beat the Mack led Horns 5 straight times and now 3 straight times. Mack's longest streak against Stoops is 2.
-Bob Stoops has been the head coach at OU since 1999 and his record is 143-35 at OU. Very similar to Mack's at UT. Mack has coached 1 year longer.
-Stoops has 1 BCS National Championship, and 3 BCS Title Runner-ups.
-Stoops has 7 Big-12 Titles in his time at Oklahoma compared to Mack Brown's 2.
So is it unfair to compare Mack Brown to Bob Stoops? I don't think so. These two programs are the measuring sticks for the Big-12 and it is clear that Stoops has the better track record than Brown by virtue of BCS title game appearances and Big 12 Championships alone.
But even if you throw out the comparisons to Stoops, I am sure 95% of the programs out there would love to say they are in Texas' shoes right now. Again, I think Mack Brown has done a tremendous job at Texas. I am just looking at the latest trend of the past 2 1/2 years versus his overall body of work and it is troubling.
One of the most troubling things is that Texas still recruits with the best of them. The talent is at Texas, there is no question about that. But, shouldn't a coach that is the caliber of Brown be able to do more than 1 BCS title and only 2 Big-12 Titles in his tenure as head coach while the guy up North in Norman is doubling Brown up in terms of title prestige over the past 13 years?
Texas also pays Mack $5.2 million a year (one of the highest salaries among college coaches) The Longhorn network has also raised the stakes of making the Horns a consistent BCS title contender. From 2010 until now they are not even in the conversation.
Mack Brown has already completely retooled his staff after the debacle of 2010. All new coordinators gave some hope to the 2012 version of the Horns but, after 2 straight losses and giving up a combined 147 points in the last 3 weeks I am sure there will be rumbling about the Defensive Coordinator. When does that start to fall on Mack Brown?
So please excuse me Horns fans while I simply ask the question: Has the game started to pass Mack by? Is it time for new blood to be injected to the program? Does a new message need to be preached at UT? Many will say Mack has earned many more years with his BCS title in 2005 and his many other successes on and off the field. It is hard to argue that. But, again I will bring up Bobby Bowden the at one time All-time college football wins leader. Florida State lived off of his past successes for a decade until they finally came to the realization that Coach Bowden was no longer helping the program move forward. Instead they were clinging to past achievements while desperately hoping to rekindle some of that old magic one last time to see old Bobby ride off into the sunset with a BCS title in tow. Sadly that never happened. Jimbo Fisher was hired as Offensive Coordinator and Bobby was in his own words "Forced out" of the program he put on the map.
Does Texas need to make that same mistake? Or should they be proactive and get Mack's replacement on the staff right now? Or better yet, at the end of the season tell Mack "Job well done!" Have a parade, celebrate that 2005 BCS title one more time and move Mack into the administrative wing of the Athletic Dept. where he can be the heir apparent to DeLoss Dodds. There is no easy way to approach this but, Longhorns fans have to face reality. The man who did so much for the program now needs a little nudge out of the door. The current trend does not seem to bode well for the program. Brown has big plans and the talent is there. But, again I can't help but wonder if the game that Mack once knew so well, might be passing him by like it does so many great old ball coaches.
So Texas fans, I ask you...should he stay or should he go. His lofty achievements seem light years away and holding out hope for one more BCS title ride may be futile. Then again Mack may prove me and many naysayers wrong. But, with what Texas is...are you the fans willing to take a chance on finding out with the risk of Texas sliding further under Mack's watch. And yes I agree it is a tricky proposal. "Be careful what you ask for" There is no guarantee the next guy will take the torch and take the Longhorns to the heights the want to go. The next guy could be another Mackovich. But, that is the chance you take. Do you want to live in the past...or progress towards the future? Can Mack rekindle that old magic? I sometimes wonder if he even believes he can any more.
The Longhorns are at a crossroads. I do not believe it is just a mere bump in the road but, a very important time. The stakes are too high and the money is too big for this program to be mediocre. That is why I think a change may very well need to be made.
And, before I wrap this up I am sure the question will be asked "Who do you replace him with?" I think I have a few candidates that would fit the description of the guy who can take the torch from Mack and make Longhorns fans proud.
-Gary Patterson. Head Coach TCU.
He knows Texas and is one of the best pure "coaches" in the nation. He loves TCU but, I am sure the allure of Texas would get his attention.
-Will Muschamp. Head Coach Florida.
We all know Will was already Mack's heir apparent before he became head coach for the Gators. Will knows Texas football. He knows the personnel and he is loved by the fan base for what he did as defensive coordinator for the Horns in his time in Austin. Will was thrilled to become the head coach of the Gators and moving to Austin would sort of be like trading a blue corvette for a burnt orange corvette. Austin is more than likely a better place to be but, would Will do it?
-Kirby Smart. Defensive Coordinator Alabama.
Smart is the right hand man to Nick Saban and Texas is trying to mold itself into an Alabama type program that plays smash mouth football. Defense would be Smart's number one priority and I think he would fit nicely in Austin while being very successful.
-Art Briles. Head Coach Baylor.
I like Briles as a coach but, I just don't think he would work in Austin.
-Dan Mullen. Head Coach Mississippi State.
If you have been paying attention to Miss. St. then you know how good of a coach Mullen is. He has made them a Top 25 program after they were the laughing stock of college football. He was the offensive coordinator for Florida under Urban Myer during their dynasty years of the 2000's. Mullen would be a solid hire for the Longhorns.
-Charlie Strong. Head Coach Louisville.
A stout defensive minded coach who has made Louisville into a nice program again. He is more than likely going to be the next head coach of Arkansas though.
-Chris Peterson. Head Coach Boise State.
No doubt a great track record. I believe he would soar to new heights in Austin but, I doubt he ever leaves Boise.
-Mike Riley. Head Coach Oregon State.
Very well respected among coaches. Just not the splash the Horns need.
-Chip Kelly. Head Coach Oregon.
Nobody but the NFL will pry him away from Nike Land.
Coaches that would be mentioned but I believe have no shot or Texas has no shot:
-Bobby Petrino. Texas won't touch his baggage.
-Nick Saban. Don't even try to think about it. He will die in Alabama or in the NFL.
-Kevin Sumlin. Aggies have him for good.
-Major Applewhite. Just don't.
Mike Leach. Haha. I just had to throw that in there in hopes that somebody just spit their drink out. Sorry.
And before anybody says that Texas has to hire a guy that can recruit... Mack was and is a great recruiter. Almost unparalleled. But, while good recruiting head coaches are nice, in today's modern era, Texas recruits with its name alone.
All of this that I have just written is solely based on observations and opinion. Mack Brown may be the head coach at Texas for the next 10 years and they may win 5 BCS titles. If so, hoo-ray! He proved me wrong. But, before you vehemently disagree with me just look at the trend of the past 2 1/2 seasons, then look at other great head coaches last few years after they held on a little too long. I think I have a point.
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