SEC Coordinator Battles: Smart V Kiffin

Rivalries are a part of what makes sports great.  Broncos-Raiders.  Bengals-Browns.  Cleveland-Championships.  49ers-Seahawks.  Already I have offended people by not including their favorite rivalry.  As posted in the first article in this series, however, each post will contain some new rivalries in the introduction, so feel free to make a suggestion in the comments or tweet @southbounddown or @jcrichardson12 (still not great with “the twitter”) with your suggestions.

Recommended Musial Accompaniment:  Survivor-Eye of the Tiger 

If you have been following along with this series, you can skip to the voting portion.  I have continued to include the following for first-time readers of this series.  It is especially important to fans of programs that have not yet been mentioned or are being mentioned for the first time.

Originally I intended for this to be strictly SEC Football rivalries and coaches.   Fortunately I realized my folly.  If I were to limit this series to only SEC games, some great rivalries would get left out.  Additionally, the SEC East would be done a huge disservice.

Many SEC West teams have the (dis)advantage of having one of their biggest rivals be not only in the same division, but also in-state (Alabama-Auburn, Ole Miss-Mississippi State).  Many teams in the SEC East, however, have one of their biggest rivalries with an in-state team that is not a part of the SEC (Georgia-Georgia Tech, Florida-Florida State, South Carolina-Clemson, Kentucky-Louisville…it counts).

More from Alabama Crimson Tide

• Alabama vs. Ole Miss: Line, Prediction, TV Channel & Live Stream for SEC Football
• Alabama vs. Ole Miss: SEC Football Week 4 Preview, Prediction
• Alabama Football’s 2023 Problem: Bill O’Brien
• Texas at Alabama: 2023 SEC football Week 2 game preview, prediction
• Alabama vs. Texas: Line, Prediction, TV Channel & Live Stream for SEC Football

I also thought the wording of the questions was key.  “Who would you rather have take over your program right now” eliminates coaches who may not be in the game very much longer.   “Who would you rather have for one season” negates recruiting expertise to an extent.  So it was settled that the question would be “Who would you rather have for the next 4 years?”  That encompasses coaching and recruiting.  It implies that the coach cannot retire after one season.

If you have a preference, you already know which way you are going to vote.  The introductions and overview here will be kept at a minimum.

So without further ado, let us introduce our new coordinators for our ‘Rivalry Coaches’ series . . . instead of limiting the coordinators to rivalries, we changed the rules a bit.  Instead, the rivalry will be for coordinator supremacy rather than a rivalry between the two schools being a requirement.  This battle will key-in on two coaches from the same school…that is just how stacked the coaching staff in Tuscaloosa is.

The Venue:  Tuscaloosa, Alabama

Kirby Smart:  

*cue announcer voice* Fighting out of the Crimson and White corner  and riding to the ring on the shoulders of the defenders he has sent to the NFL…he’s been under the tutelage of Nick Saban as the defensive coordinator at Alabama since 2007 … Their history even goes back to their days in the NFL, however…he has coached some of the most dominant defenses in college football history…recently his defenses have had a tendency to get lit-up like the 4^th of July against spread attacks, however …..his supporters say he is the next John Chavis…his haters say it is really Nick Saban’s defense…and that his hair makes him look 12….KIIIIIRRRRRRRRRRBBBYYYYYYY  “THHHHEEE BOOOYYYYYY  WOOOONNNNDDDDDDEEEERRRRR” SMMMMAAAARRRRRRTTTTTT

Lane Kiffin:

*throat clear, cue announcer voice* Fighting out of the Orange and White Red and Gold Crimson and White corner and being escorted by Blake Sims and Amari Cooper…he has been around the country in his coaching career but looks like he might have found his calling as an offensive coordinator…but he’s sure to leave if he gets the chance…he took a rugged Alabama offense and added some curb appeal…his supporters say he made the Alabama offense a record-setter…his haters say anybody could do it with the talent Alabama recruits…and that he has the history of acting like a 12 year old…. LLLLLLLLAAAAAAANNNNNNNEEEEE “THHHEEEE JJJOOOOOBBBBB HOOOOOOPPPPPPPEEERRRR” KIIIIIIFFFFFFFFIIIIINNNNNNNNNN

Take your pick.  Share with friends.  Make sure your coach comes out on top.  Results for round 2 purposes will be taken a week after the publish date (8/30/2015).   The poll will remain open and like LL Cool J said, “Don’t Call it a Comeback”

For more on SEC Rivalries, check out Barrett Sallee’s article: ‘SEC Football:  Ranking the Conference’s Best Rivalries’