Houston...We Don't Have a Problem!

Arkansas fans needs to get the facts straight. We (Ole Miss) didn't get their sloppy seconds. He chose Ole Miss instead of the talent-depleted Arkansas Razorbacks, which would make Arkansas the sloppy seconds.

After the upset over the No. 1 team in the nation, LSU, Frank Broyles and Arkansas offered Nutt a two-year extension for $2.4 million a year. He declined the offer.

Houston Nutt resigned from the Arkansas Razorbacks, and then hours later, was in negotiations with Ole Miss for their head-coaching job.

On Nov. 26, 2007, Houston Nutt agreed to a four-year contract worth around $1.7 million per year.

Let's do the math here: $2.4 million dollar extension or $1.7 million dollar contract?

Houston Nutt basically took a salary cut, but does he take a hit in talent?

The best running-back duo in the country, Darren McFadden and Felix Jones, both declared for the NFL Draft. Also gone are WR Marcus Monk and FB Peyton Hillis. 

So, can you do it? Can you name me a current Arkansas Razorback player? Wait, there's "All-Star" Casey Dick, a QB the Arkansas faithful once hated in 2006 when he took the starting job away from Mitch Mustain (much to the disapproval of Mustain's mommy). 

So, we've basically declared that Ole Miss has more talent than Arkansas. Disagree? Be sure to check out my past article:

The Battle Upfront: Three Ole Miss Players named to Early NFL Mock Draft

Okay, now that we have that settled. 

So, I hear this all the time: "Nutt really didn't impress me as a head coach at Arkansas." Let's just go ahead and prove that wrong as well.

Houston Nutt basically rebuilt the Arkansas program. The football program at Arkansas was 38-51-2 from 1990-1997. On Dec. 10, 1997, Houston Nutt was named head coach. Over the past decade, Houston Nutt has compiled a 75-48 record as head coach for Arkansas, while going 42-38 in the SEC.

In his first season, he earned a 9-3 record and an SEC West title with a team that had decent talent. He was also named the National Coach of the Year that year. 

Now, let's take a look at the Ole Miss past and present. Does Ole Miss have what it takes to get over the hump and be an elite SEC program? Of course they do! 

Ole Miss, in case you haven't visited, has one of the most beautiful campuses in the country, some of the nicest facilities, and they are upgrading by the year. An above-average stadium (holds over 60,000), historic gameday traditions, and state-of-the-art indoor football practice facility are just a few of the selling points. It is possible to recruit with success at Ole Miss.

David Cutcliffe, former coach for Ole Miss before Ed Orgeron, had great success on the field, but was criticized for recruiting efforts (particularly after Eli was signed). After a disappointing four-win season, coming off a 10-win season (yep, you guessed it, the year after Eli left), the administration demanded changes in staff and detailed recruiting plans and Cutcliffe refused. He was fired.

The Ole Miss administration then thought their problems had been solved as they went after a coach who could recruit: former recruiter of the year by Rivals.com, Ed Orgeron. 

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