Crimes of Emotion and Perception

(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Life is not fair. At a young age we learn this. However, we are also taught that you will be rewarded for your achievements. Simply put, get the job done and you will be compensated.

And then there is college football.

It seems in the landscape of college football, no one is happy. If you win seven games this year, you want eight next year, and nine the after that. Of course 10 wins and the National title follow this pattern. 

If the team fails to meet these expectations, attainable or not, the coach then is placed on the "hot seat."  Which simply means, it's only a matter of time before the next coach comes in with promises of a National title and Conference title.

We will take a look at four programs who elected to dismiss their coaches. As we examine these programs and coaches, we will focus on the data. Simply put, we will look at games won and lost. 

I am sure there are "reasons" or fan and administration "perceptions" about the direction of each of these programs under the dismissed coach. I also concede that these perceptions drive ticket sales and booster income that can not be ignored. But if one can remove the emotional factor from the equation; you will see the winning percentages will justify our "lucky" four coaches keeping their job.

Miami

Larry Coker went 60-15 while at Miami. He won a National title and also had three Conference Championships to boot.  He won 71 percent of the time when he coached against Bobby Bowden and FSU. He also beat the Gators every time he went up against them. Yet in the end this was not enough. He had "lost control of his team" and the direction in which the team was headed in was not acceptable by the standards of Miami. 

The 'Canes saw fit to hire up and coming Randy Shannon. An "emotional" fix to the problems of player control and morale. After all, Shannon would never allow a 'Canes team to drop to a seven win season. Shannon inked a four-year deal that would earn him slightly more than $1 million per season. After two years, Shannon has an overall record of 12-13 and sports a 37.5 winning percentage in conference play. The preseason magazines have coach Shannon on that "hot" seat.

Tennessee

Phillip Fulmer was Volunteer football. A loss clearly hurt him and you could see that in his eyes. His teams were prepared and most of the time they won their games on Saturday. He posted an incredible 152-52 record that included one National title, two Conference titles, and seven Divisional titles. He became the poster boy for "what have you done for me lately," when dismissed at the end of the year. 

In 2007, Tennessee won the Divisional title. The Volunteers played LSU in the SEC Championship Game and lost by just seven points. LSU went on to win the National title. Tennessee followed that game up with a win over a good Wisconsin team in a Bowl.  However the short term memory memory of fans and the administration seemed to be the reason for Fulmer's dismissal in 2008. 

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