COLUMN: If the polls are correct, will it be just to fire Guy?
If the preseason football polls are the ultimate source on how things really should be, USU head football coach Brent Guy should be able to let out a sigh of relief.
What’s to worry about when you’re picked by the Western Athletic Conference’s coaches and media to finish in ninth (last) place in the league? Anybody can finish in last place—all you have to do is nothing.
But that’s not the end of it. Sports Illustrated gave the Aggies a 119th (last) place ranking and an 0-12 2008 record (the only team they think won’t win a game in Divison I-A football).
Ouch.
Therefore, Guy, who has only six wins in his three seasons at USU, could end the year with a 3-9 record (or 2-10, or 1-11, or 0-12) and still be assured he will have his job for at least the final year of his contract.
Why not? The polls said so.
Consider the following: since the WAC began in 1962, no team finishing last has ever had more than three victories. UNLV, Idaho and New Mexico State are the likeliest opportunities for the Aggies to get into the win column. Oregon, Utah, BYU, Fresno State, Hawaii, Boise State and Nevada are not games the Aggies should win. San Jose State and Louisiana Tech are possibilities.
However, Guy will not be judged by the preseason polls. His judgment will be the same judgment coaches in all sports have had to face from the beginning: how many wins the team has.
USU Director of Athletics Scott Barnes has said there is no magic number of wins Guy needs to stay aboard at USU.
But, if Guy’s Aggies replicate the performance of the past three seasons, the grumbling and murmuring of fans and boosters will intensify beyond what has already been seen and heard. This will put pressure on Barnes to let Guy go and hire the next victim—one who will find success and leave after three years (see Charlie Weatherbie and John L. Smith) or continue the losing tradition that has been present for the majority of the past 20 years.
There’s no question Guy is on the coaching hot seat. Rivals.com lists him at No. 9 on their list, “The Hottest Seats in America.” Sitting in their No. 4 spot is University of Nevada-Las Vegas head coach Mike Sanford. Sanford was hired at the same time as Guy, and has also accumulated a 6-29 record. Right above Guy on the list is New Mexico State head coach Hal Mumme. Mumme is 8-29 in four years at NMSU.
“People are drawing comparisons because Mike and I got hired at the same time,” Guy said Monday. “We inherited pretty similar situations in personnel and lack of scholarships. They had a little bit better facility situation and a little bit better recruiting advantage than we have because they have an airport two miles from their campus.”
Considering this, the need to suspend players for breaking rules and players like Riley Nelson and Jase McCormick jumping ship without warning, Guy has been given one of the worst head coaching draws in all of college football.
My magic number is four. A stretch? Yes. But expect this Aggie team to put out more wins than any other USU squad under Guy. The defensive depth and experience, along with a healthy Sean Setzer—recently given the nickname “gunslinger” by Guy—and a speedy Diondre Borel will be crucial.
Sammy Hislop is a senior majoring in public relations. He can be reached at samuel.hislop@aggiemail.usu.edu