CFB AM: Firing Stoops would be a Harbaugh-level mistake for OU

Published Dec. 30, 2014 9:35 a.m. ET

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Teddy Mitrosilis

So, it’s that time of year again for Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops.

After his Sooners were embarrassed by Clemson in the Russell Athletic Bowl on Monday, 40-6, the FIRE STOOPS engines roared to life.

It was mostly disgruntled fans yelling that they want Stoops out of Norman, but before we get to them, here’s Tulsa columnist John E. Hoover:

“It’s not a popular topic but it needs to be said,” Hoover begins. “It’s time for Bob Stoops to go. It’s time for Joe Castiglione to find that Little Black Book that he tucked away years ago in some drawer, the one with all the compelling names of men he thinks might be good candidates to take over as head football coach at Oklahoma, and start formulating a plan.

“…It’s a hard thing to say, but it is time for [AD Joe] Castiglione to find Stoops a cushy job on campus. Clearly he’s done all he can do as head football coach at Oklahoma.”

Apparently it doesn’t matter Oklahoma went 11-2 last season and beat Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. Nor does it matter in three seasons before that (2010-12), the Sooners went 32-8 with two bowl wins (one in the Fiesta).

What angry Oklahoma fans see today is a preseason top-five team that finished 8-4 by getting stomped in the Russell Athletic Bowl. And that’s how we end up here, with this just a sampling of Oklahoma fans on Twitter after the Clemson loss:

This isn’t a surprising reaction and it’s almost expected when a coach has spent 16 seasons with a school. That’s an eternity in the current coaching environment. But firing Stoops would be an incredible mistake for Oklahoma. There are few coaches in the country who could accomplish what he’s accomplished at Oklahoma, where he’s won 10 or more games in 12 seasons and a national title (yes, in 2000, but still -- it's one more title than most).

What, because it’s Oklahoma, it’s guaranteed to produce a winner? Have Sooner fans forgotten the 11 straight seasons before Stoops arrived where they didn’t win 10 games even once? A lot of people would be interested in the OU job, of course, because it’s a historically good one. But those calling for Stoops to be fired are massively underappreciating what he’s done at OU.

It would be very unlikely the Sooners could hire a better coach than Stoops, and firing him would be the same kind of mistake the San Francisco 49ers made by letting Jim Harbaugh – one of the 3-5 best coaches in the NFL – simply walk out of his deal and go to Michigan because there were some bruised egos and feelings around the front office. Elite coaching talent is a rare commodity; you can’t just let it go because the process doesn’t bear the best fruit every year.

Asked after the Clemson game if he’s still the right guy to lead the Sooners, he said, “I’ve always been that guy.” Oklahoma fans, after they get over the disappointment, should hope that remains the case.

THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

1. Michigan is set to introduce Jim Harbaugh as its new coach  today at a noon ET press conference, Bruce Feldman reported Monday. (You can watch the live presser from FOX Sports Detroit here.) Harbaugh exited the Detroit airport yesterday wearing a Michigan hat and a smile, and told the Michigan student newspaper, “I think we’ll have some comments tomorrow.” So what does this hire mean? It’s a complete game-changer for the Big Ten, writes Stewart Mandel, as it’s a powerhouse conference once again. Everything went right for Michigan to get the opportunity to hire Harbaugh, writes Mark Snyder. Michigan students are planning a “khaki out” to welcome their new coach.

2. Texas A&M beat West Virginia, 45-37, in the Liberty Bowl behind five total touchdowns from freshman QB Kyle Allen. What got people talking on social media, though, were incidents in the first half where A&M student assistant Mike Richardson took swings at two WVU players on the sideline after they ran out of bounds. Here’s one of the incidents:

Head coach Kevin Sumlin was made aware of the incidents at halftime and told Richardson to stay in the locker room for the second half. After the game, Sumlin said, "He did not return to the field, and he's already been sent home. That's nothing that we condone. There's nothing about that whole situation that's a part of who we are and what we believe in."

West Virginia had its poor moments, too. Marquis Lucas was seen throwing a blatant punch in front of an official but wasn’t ejected for it.

And then Kevin White had a kind gesture for the crowd after fumbling:

Hey, it was actually a fun game, too.

3. In the day’s other bowls: Clemson senior QB Cole Stoudt went 26-of-36 for 319 yards with four TDs in place of injured freshman DeShaun Watson against Oklahoma. In the Texas Bowl, Arkansas ran over Texas, 31-7, and the Longhorns finished Charlie Strong’s first season in Austin at 6-7.

"You don't ever expect to go get hammered 31-7 in a bowl game when you had a month to prepare," Strong said after the game. "You look at the TCU game and you look at this game and it's not an indication of what this football team is and what this football team is all about. For that to happen, it's an embarrassment to the program that should never, ever happen within this program. We've got work to do and just have to do it."

THREE THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW

1. Today’s bowl schedule and viewing info: Music City Bowl – Notre Dame vs. No. 23 LSU (3 p.m. ET, ESPN); Belk Bowl – No. 13 Georgia vs. No. 21 Louisville (6:30 p.m. ET, ESPN); Foster Farms Bowl – Maryland vs. Stanford (10 p.m. ET, ESPN).

2. Alabama offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin spoke to the media in New Orleans on Monday. Mandel was there and has a roundup of what Kiffin said. And, in case you Tide fans were wondering how long you’ll have Kiffin as your OC, he said he is staying at Alabama in 2015. My guess is another productive season like the Tide offense has had so far in 2014, and Kiffin will get some head coaching interest if that’s what he wants to do. Today is Media Day at the Sugar Bowl, at which the head coaches and players will speak.

3. Auburn coach Gus Malzahn suspended leading receiver Duke Williams for the Outback Bowl against Wisconsin for breaking team rules. The only good news for the Tigers is Malzahn said Williams plans to return to Auburn for his senior season rather than enter the 2015 NFL Draft; we’ll see if that turns out to be true.

Another note on the draft front: Art Briles and Baylor got a big lift when defensive end Shawn Oakman, projected to be a high first-round pick, announced he will return to school for his senior year.

THREE THINGS YOU MAY WANT TO KNOW

1. This is really cool: A Raleigh community came together to give a 14-year-old cancer patient a fully renovated NC State man cave for Christmas. The finished product is incredible, as is this neighborhood’s grace and generosity.

2. This Texas fan might just win bowl season (FYI: Charlie Strong preaches five core values that he builds his program around – honesty, treat women with respect, no guns, no drugs, no stealing).

3. Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby said the league is fine with 10 members and isn’t actively looking to expand. Here’s the (literally) money quote: “Ten is what we are and I think the status quo with all 10 schools committed and with grants of rights for all our media, we're distributing the largest amount of money per school of any of the leagues right now and I don't think any of our members want to change that.”

LASTLY

* Bill Connelly recaps the Big 12’s awful Monday.

* Did you know Muhammad Ali’s grandson is a stud high school running back? It’s true.

Have a great Tuesday, everybody.

Teddy Mitrosilis is an editor and writer for FOXSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @TMitrosilis and email him at tmitrosilis@gmail.com.

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