Comparing our current state to other SEC powers that fell

[BanditVol]

First, there is LSU.  Under Charlie McClendon Paul Dietzel they were routinely good from the 50s to the late 80s.  There was a bump when Jerry Stovall took over, but Bill Arnsberger brought them back.  From the mid 50s to mid 80s, LSU was a perpetual SEC power, kind of like Tennessee from the mid 80s to mid 00s.

Then in 1987, Mike Archer took over as the youngest HC in the country (kind of like Kiffin).  The record went downhill and he finished with back to back losing seasons in 1989-90.  He was replaced by Curley Hallman, who had 4 straight losing seasons (kind of like Dooley).  Then Gary DiNardo came in from Vandy, had a couple good seasons followed by a losing one in 1998.  I'm not sure why he was let go..they tied for first in the East two years running, but in any case, he is kind of like Butch.  Came from a smaller program, came close to going to the SECC two years in a row, then fell off and was fired.

In 2000 Satan came to town, and the rest is history.   We can only hope we do as well with our next hire, but I think right now LSU is a good example for us.  There down phase lasted a bit longer than our current one, but it seems the main difference is that Kiffin bolted after one year.

The records are below.

Mike Archer
1987      10   1   1   
1988             8   4   0
1989             4   7   0   
1990             5   6   0
Curley Hallman      
1991           5   6   0   
1992             2   9   0   
1993        5   6   0   
1994        4   7   0   
Gerry DiNardo
1995      7   4   1   
1996    10   2   0   
1997            9   3   0   
1998            4   7   0   
1999            3   8   0  (Hal Hunter was interim part of season)
      

[BanditVol]

The next analogy is Ole Miss.  Ole Miss wasn't any good until a coach named Mehre had a good run in the late 30s.  Prior to that they were basically 0.500.  Then in 1947 their legend coach Johnny Vaught took over, and between then and 1971 they won several SEC titles and an MNC.  I think that at this point Ole Miss integrated, the last school in the SEC to do so, and Vaught quit. I don't know if he quit because of integration, but unlike his rival at bammer, he was probably just too old and quit.  Ole Miss, with their Rebels brand and confederate flags, was probably not the best place to recruit to for the next few decades.

At any rate, what happened is that Vaught's successors Kinard and Cooper were very mediocre in the 70s and got fired. 

Steve Sloan then took over and was just awful.  Kind of their Dooley coach. 

Then Billy Brewer took over in 1983 and was very mediocre, but they kept him around 10 years.  His two best seasons were 9 wins, kind of like Butch.

Then Tubberville took over for four years and pretty much did about like Brewer.

Then Cut for 6 years including Eli and peaked with 10 wins, and was fired after losing season year after that  (first 10 win season for Rebs since 1971)

Then Orgeron who went 10-21 (worst coaching change in history?  )

Then Nutt with two 9-win seasons over four years and fired

And finally there is the Hugh Freeze era.  Although he beat bammer two years in a row and achieved a No. 1 ranking, his best years were 9-4/10-3 in 2014-15, followed by 5-7 in 2016 and a disgraceful firing over the summer.  Beating bammer two years running is quite impressive, but his record is actually not much better than Butch.

I am not gong to C&P records. They are here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Ole_Miss_Rebels_football_seasons


Bottom line...they were a power from the late 30s to early 70s, were terrible in the 70s and came back only to a mediocre level.   As a historic SEC Top 6 power, they have been replaced by Florida.

So which are we?  I would say Ole Miss is roughly comparable to us in recruiting potential while LSU is definitely better off.  Does that matter?   I don't know.  I hope not.

But I much prefer the LSU model to Ole Miss.  Either could happen.  The next hire better be a good one.

[Tnphil]

Good info.....I was on the staff at OM for a while in the 70's under Cooper. Nice person and a better coach than his record. 77 season we had some Butch Jones close losses. Beat Notre Dame giving them their only loss...they finished 11-1 that year. Beat UT like a drum...Be hard to say which UT team...the 1977 or the 2017 team would beat the other.

[BanditVol]

Good info.....I was on the staff at OM for a while in the 70's under Cooper. Nice person and a better coach than his record. 77 season we had some Butch Jones close losses. Beat Notre Dame giving them their only loss...they finished 11-1 that year. Beat UT like a drum...Be hard to say which UT team...the 1977 or the 2017 team would beat the other.

Interesting.  Yeah from the record the 77 UT team was pretty bad.  You mention beating Notre Dame that year.  That could be due to Montana being on the bench.  Notre Dame lost to Ole Miss and in the next game trailed Purdue by 3 TDs late 3rd quarter.   Montana came off the bench and led them to the first of his great comebacks.  Notre Dame then proceeded to destroy everyone else on their schedule, including a 49-14 beatdown of a very good SoCal squad and a 35-7 drubbing of an undefeated and no. 1 Earl-Campbell-led  Texas in the Cotton Bowl. 

As for Ole Miss, I have an indirect connection to the Steve Sloan era.  I moved to Tennessee in 1982 about the time he got fired and one of my teachers in HS had played HS ball with him, so I heard all about him.  Nice guy, bad coach.

Very interesting that you were on the Ole Miss staff.   I am sure beating the Irish in the 70s was a high point for Cooper.