SEC Football (Rivalry Coaches): Hugh Freeze V Dan Mullen

Rivalries are a part of what makes sports great. Harvard-Yale. Army-Navy. Mayweather-Pacquiao. Giants-Dodgers. 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: Lynyrd Skynyrd- Gimme Three Steps

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).

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.

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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 third contestants for our ‘Rivalry Coaches’ series . . .

The Venue: The Egg Bowl

Dan Mullen:

*cue announcer voice* Fighting out of the Maroon and White corner wearing maroon trunks with golden trim and holding a comb in one hand, gel in the other…he has an Egg Bowl record of 4-2 and helped in the ousting of Houston Nutt…he’s brash, a yankee transplant, and refuses to acknowledge the name of the school up north…he’ll spread it out and pound it up the middle with his quarterback…if that doesn’t work he’ll throw his trainer (defensive coordinator) under the bus …he develops underrated potential…his haters call him “Cousin Eddie”…DDAAANNNNNNN “THE MMMMMMAAANNNNNNN” MULLLLLLLLLLLLLLEEEENNNNNNNN

Hugh Freeze:

*throat clear, cue announcer voice* Fighting out of the Red and Blue corner wearing a Rebel Black Bear mascot head to further distance himself from Colonel Reb…he has an Egg Bowl record of 2-1 with his loss coming as a result of “wallacing”…in this game he wins big or loses close…he is a fiery motivator who delivers his own pre-fight speech…he’s known for his aggressive offense yet it is his defense that always steals the show…he’s the top recruiter in the state….his haters call him “Freezus”… HUUUUUUUUUGGGHHH “IIIIIIICCEEEEEEE MAAAAANNNNNNNNNN” FREEEEEEEEEEEEZZZZEEEEEEEE

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 (8/24/2015). 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’

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