Good evening, Bunker.
We’re now in the phase of the search where things get amplified, where even small deviations from “the plan“ (which is a ROUGH idea anyway) are considered a problem. This particular search is more prone to this kind of reaction/over-reaction because of the timing. Auburn made up its mind several days before Kiffin’s final regular-season game, which created a window of IMMENSE INTEREST.
So now Kiffin is under the gun, so to speak, and that makes different coaches behave in different ways.
Some coaches in this position would buckle, or perhaps simply change their view on things, with so many eyes and ears and mouths and Twitter Hands affecting things. This is a big story. It’s a big story in Alabama. It’s a big story in Mississippi.
I’ve felt for a while now that Kiffin would be Auburn’s top choice, which he is. Auburn has formulated an offer. Kiffin can be aware or unaware of those specifics. He’s wise to maintain plausible deniability.
The chatter tonight out of Mississippi is that the deal has “hit a snag,” as a couple people have told me, but I haven’t had anyone actually explain the alleged snag to me. Or even speculate thoughtfully about what it could be. My INTERPRETATION of that, and it’s only an interpretation, is that it’s a ploy to buy time until the Egg Bowl on Thursday night.
I personally don’t see this as some melodrama where Auburn is either the hero or the villain depending on which side of the situation you’re on. Is Lane Kiffin finally realizing that Ole Miss is a better job than Auburn? I don’t believe in that stuff. Kiffin is so analytical. I can see a situation where he ends up staying in Oxford, but I think that decision would surround a lack of belief in the promised autonomy more than anything else.
So that’s where we are at this hour. My confidence remains high regarding Kiffin being the next coach at Auburn, but we’re at the point of the search where strange things can happen. The pressure is maxed out. It’s damn near impossible to predict how a stranger (to me) will behave in such extreme circumstances.
We’re now in the phase of the search where things get amplified, where even small deviations from “the plan“ (which is a ROUGH idea anyway) are considered a problem. This particular search is more prone to this kind of reaction/over-reaction because of the timing. Auburn made up its mind several days before Kiffin’s final regular-season game, which created a window of IMMENSE INTEREST.
So now Kiffin is under the gun, so to speak, and that makes different coaches behave in different ways.
Some coaches in this position would buckle, or perhaps simply change their view on things, with so many eyes and ears and mouths and Twitter Hands affecting things. This is a big story. It’s a big story in Alabama. It’s a big story in Mississippi.
I’ve felt for a while now that Kiffin would be Auburn’s top choice, which he is. Auburn has formulated an offer. Kiffin can be aware or unaware of those specifics. He’s wise to maintain plausible deniability.
The chatter tonight out of Mississippi is that the deal has “hit a snag,” as a couple people have told me, but I haven’t had anyone actually explain the alleged snag to me. Or even speculate thoughtfully about what it could be. My INTERPRETATION of that, and it’s only an interpretation, is that it’s a ploy to buy time until the Egg Bowl on Thursday night.
I personally don’t see this as some melodrama where Auburn is either the hero or the villain depending on which side of the situation you’re on. Is Lane Kiffin finally realizing that Ole Miss is a better job than Auburn? I don’t believe in that stuff. Kiffin is so analytical. I can see a situation where he ends up staying in Oxford, but I think that decision would surround a lack of belief in the promised autonomy more than anything else.
So that’s where we are at this hour. My confidence remains high regarding Kiffin being the next coach at Auburn, but we’re at the point of the search where strange things can happen. The pressure is maxed out. It’s damn near impossible to predict how a stranger (to me) will behave in such extreme circumstances.
