Brown gets nod over Stoops in land of corn
Published: 7/6/2010 10:05 PM
Last Modified: 7/6/2010 10:05 PM
As I wrote in a recent blog, four Red River victories over the past five years has Mack Brown gaining on Bob Stoops. Is it enough to put Brown ahead of his younger, brasher Big 12 Conference colleague?
I'm not sure.
But it looks as though some folks just north of us are.
Sam McKewon of the Nebraska State Paper has chosen Brown over Stoops as the league's top coach.
"Yes, UT has its share of advantages," McKewon writes, "but Brown, one of college football’s premier CEOs, manages those resources well."
McKewon credits Brown for naming defensive coordinator Will Muschamp his successor; for instructing offensive coordinator Greg Davis to get out of Vince Young's and Colt McCoy's way; and for being Mr. Cool with the media.
(My response: Oh, was that Brown's idea? And that one, too? Agreed, Brown scores major points in media relations.)
Back to McKewon: "Stoops is well-matched with Oklahoma, as well. His coaching star is still burning bright, but questionable coaching decisions in recent years - sticking with a no-huddle goal-line offense in the BCS National Championship two years ago (to disastrous results) was one of them - have brought him down one rung among league coaches.
"No Big 12 team blows out an opponent like Oklahoma can, but the Sooners are just 12-12 in games decided by ten points or less during the last five years, including three 1-point losses in 2009. OU enjoys a talent advantage over so many of its opponents, but if a foe can get Oklahoma to the fourth quarter, it has a 50/50 shot of winning.
"UT’s record in similar games over that same span? 16-5."
Brown's edge in close games is a big one. But as long as we're playing the numbers, OU might rebut with Stoops' 6-1 record in Big 12 championship games. Brown is 2-2, and one very lucky second away from being 1-3.
At any rate, Huskers Illustrated publisher Sean Callahan also ranked Brown #1 and Stoops #2 among Big 12 bosses last month.
"At one time Oklahoma's Bob Stoops was considered the top coach in college football with USC's Pete Carroll," Callahan wrote. "However, the last few seasons Stoops has seen his reign at the top slip, as Texas has surpassed the Sooners."
-- Guerin Emig
Written by
Guerin Emig
Sports Writer
