SEC Football (Rivalry Coaches): The Border War

Rivalries are a part of what makes sports great. Chamberlain-Russell. Maple Leafs-Canadiens. Michigan-Ohio State. Redskins-Cowboys. 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: AC/DC- Thunderstruck

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).

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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 contestants for our ‘Rivalry Coaches’ series . . .

The Venue: Border War

Gary Pinkel:

*cue announcer voice* Fighting out of the Black and Gold corner and being accompanied by back-to-back SEC East championship banners and what seems like the 100^th Tiger mascot since we started this series….Pinkel has a 7-4 record in the Border War with longest winning streak being 3…he has an inconsistent offensive attack that usually finds a way of landing when it matters most….defensively he is suspect against big shots but usually finds a way of getting in quick hits before those shots are delivered …Pinkel has been involved in several championship matches but has yet to successfully pull one out …his haters are say he competes against lesser competition…his supporters say they said before he moved divisions too …GGGGGGGAAARRRYYYYY “THE GATEKEEEEEPPEEERRRRRR” PIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNKKEEELLLLLLLLLL

David Beaty:

*throat clear, cue announcer voice* Fighting out of the Crimson and Blue corner and being escorted by a Jayhawk and a man stuffing his face…wait…that’s MARK MANGINO!… Beaty has never served as a head coach in the Border War, though he has experience having served on staff with Kansas from 2008-09 and 2011…many assume Beaty’s attack will focus on the passing game…no one really knows what to expect in this battle, however ….His supporters say he is here to rejuvenate the Jayhawk football tradition…his haters say Kansas must have been desperate to bring him in…. DDAAAAAAVIIIIIDDDDDD “THE YOUNNNNGGGG GGGGGUUUUUNNNN” BEEEEEEEEEAATTYYYYYYYYY

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 (8/28/2015). 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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