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Why history says Art Briles won't be the next head coach at Auburn
The Louisville Cardinals are college football's hottest team and after a couple years out of the spotlight, Bobby Petrino is again the sport's hottest coach. That's right, the man who walked out on the Atlanta Falcons and then had an unceremonious exit from Arkansas is the toast of college football. Some world we live in, huh?
As Petrino's stock has risen over the past couple weeks, it's led many to wonder whether this is a good sign for former Baylor coach Art Briles. Petrino's redemption has led many to believe that Briles could take a similar path, especially with so many potential job openings this winter. CBS Sports' Rick Neuheisel went so far as to say that he actually believes Briles will be the next head coach at Auburn when the season is over.
While that is exciting to think about, one of the most prominent voices -- and well-connected media members in the South -- doesn't believe it will happen. That man? Paul Finebaum.
The noted radio host joined "The Audible" podcast with Bruce Feldman and Stewart Mandel, and was asked point blank: Do you believe Briles will be Auburn's next head coach.
OK, fair enough. But then, it got more interesting. Finebaum explained why he felt that way.
As it turns out, he had some pretty good insight into Auburn and its last coaching hire. The school hired Gus Malzahn, but there was a push for someone else: Bobby Petrino.
However, the school nixed it, a bad sign if there ever was one for Briles.
This is absolutely fascinating stuff. In an era when message board conjecture and Twitter rumors run wild, it's also nice to have some concrete information to work with as we begin to look at Briles' future in coaching. Plenty of jobs will open up, including many we aren't expecting right now. But if history is any indication, it appears that Auburn wouldn't touch Briles with a 10-foot pole.
As a matter of fact, the whole SEC might not.
In the same interview with Bruce and Stew, Finebaum explained that in the past, the SEC league offices have gotten involved in certain controversial hires.
Hello! As Mandel said on the podcast, we thank Finebaum for dropping so many never-before-known nuggets during the show. But while the Kiffin news is interesting, it probably isn't all that surprising. Remember, Kiffin didn't make many friends in his one season as head coach at Tennessee, to the point that Slive actually had some not-so-nice parting shots when he left the Vols to coach USC.
While both those nuggets are juicy, it leads to one simple conclusion: It's hard to see Briles coaching at Auburn in 2017.
Frankly, the entire SEC might be out of the picture for now.
