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Is Ole Miss 08 Clemson?
Are Houston Nutt and the Ole Miss Rebels Ready For the Big Stage?
Is Ole Miss the New Clemson?
7.13.09
For years and years those of us that wear orange and spend thousands of dollars a year following the Clemson Tigers from town to town to support our tigers were told about how talented the team was. We were told that "This is the year of the tigers!!!" Some would even suggest that Clemson could challenge for a national championship. Of course with Tommy Bowden as head coach we consistantly fell short of such goals. The tigers never seemed to live up to expectations.
After ten years of failing to meet expectations and a new coach walking the sidelines in tigertown, the southern and national media needed to find a new team to pump up. That team is the Ole Miss Rebels. The Rebels ironically have a coach that is very similar to Bowden in terms of winning and reaching expectations.
Between 1999 and 2007 both Bowden and Houston Nutt walked the sidelines of their respective schools and both were bragged about regionally as up-and-coming coaches. They were ready to turn the corner and lead their teams to the promise land. Both, FELL SHORT!!!
His first trip to the SEC title game was with Danny Ford's recruits. After a few seasons of piggy-backing off of Ford's players Nutt had back-to-back losing years. He then receieved a committment from Darrin McFadden and Felix Jones. Despite having arguably the to most talented running backs in the nation Nutt never could get Arkansas the SEC Championship their fans had come to expect. Sounds like Clemson to me. Davis and Spiller and a couple of decent Peach and Gator Bowls was all Bowden could muster.
After a falling out with a great quarterback that is now competing for a starting job at USC, Nutt hightailed it to Ole Miss. Just as he did at Arkansas, he piggy-backed off of the talent that Ed Orgeron left him in Oxford, including an All-American quarterback. Nutt's team won the Cotton Bowl over an uninspired Texas Tech team.
Now, once again the media is falling for this coach hook-line-and-sinker. After winning the Cotton Bowl over Texas Tech the Rebels are considered to be a Top 10 team that some have even said will be competing for a National Championship. Man I felt the same way after Clemson spanked a top 10 Tennessee team in the 2003 Peach Bowl. Clemson had a top notch quarterback, and great skilled people. They lacked a "Great Coach".
Houston Nutt is a good coach. Good coaches will consistantly get you 7 wins a season in major college football. Tommy Bowden was a Good Coach and he won 7 games a season. What makes Ole Miss people and the media think it will be any different this year for the Rebs than it was in year's past?
What has Ole Miss done to deserve such a ranking? They had ONE decent season that included a huge win over Florida, but that is what GOOD coaches do. They get their kids up for Florida and lose a game the very next week at home against a below average South Carolina team. Expect the same in 2009.
Ole Miss is not ready for the bigtime and it has been proven that neither is Nutt. His teams are too inconsistant with wins over teams that are great and losses to teams they should beat. I would not be at all suprised if Ole Miss loses to South Carolina and Auburn this year and upsets a bigtime team as well. They will be a good team, but there is no way you can call them GREAT!!!
Unfortunatly Ole Miss fans are falling into the same trap that Clemson fans did during the Bowden era. They are now EXPECTING to be a BIGBOY. They are nowhere near that level of play and such expectations are going to start Rebel fans down the same path Clemson fans went through over the past ten years.
Guest Columnist
Jeff Browder
Jbrowderclan@aol.com
