Believe It or Not, Bielema Could Still Survive

[NaturalStateReb]

It could happen, seriously.

Yes, Alabama and Auburn will almost certainly boat race the Hogs. After that though, every game is winnable. The toughest thing will be somehow not losing the locker room through two bad losses. After that its games against teams that range from bad to mediocre at best--Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Coastal Carolina, LSU, Missouri. Those are gettable games. Even if he just wins 4 of them, they'll get bowl eligible with a chance at 7 wins.

The game at Oxford will be pivotal. If Arkansas finds a way to win that game, then Bielema saving his job becomes a real possibility IMO. They're not going to fire him midseason.

Likely?  Perhaps not, but not impossible. I think if he somehow navigates to bowl eligibility the chances that he leaves on his own go way up.

[Lanny]

Would boosters and fans be happy if Bielema returns with a 6-6 season, ofer while trailing at the half.  Zero adjustments at half, embarrassing losses to conference opponents.

[factchecker]

Bowl game or not Bielema is gone.

The only thing that saves him is winning out..... which means beating Bama and Auburn.  That is not going to happen.

Also, the game at Oxford is only pivotal for fans (like me) who still want to go to a bowl game.  It has no impact on his job.  I'll even venture to say that if we found a way to go 6-6 that Bielema would be gone before the bowl game.

Beyond that, beating Ole Miss is not impressive.  Bielema owned Freeze and Ole Miss despite their amazing recruiting, so winning or losing to them now won't do much for the fans.

[NaturalStateReb]

Would boosters and fans be happy if Bielema returns with a 6-6 season, ofer while trailing at the half.  Zero adjustments at half, embarrassing losses to conference opponents.

I agree we've seen all he's ever going to do here, and that he won't be here a lot longer, but a bowl is not inconceivable.  It'll be harder to let him go on a winning streak.

[hoghearted]

I'm not a power broker, only a fan, so my 'wants' are inconsequential. but if left up to me the answer would be no. I think we've seen his ceiling, and I'm ready for a new coach.

[PorkSoda]

I agree we've seen all he's ever going to do here, and that he won't be here a lot longer, but a bowl is not inconceivable.  It'll be harder to let him go on a winning streak.

HDN won 8 games the year he was fired and 10 games the year before that.

[farmhawg]

Would boosters and fans be happy if Bielema returns with a 6-6 season, ofer while trailing at the half.  Zero adjustments at half, embarrassing losses to conference opponents.

Hell no.

[Ironhawg]

Booger McFarland just said on Mattingly's show that he thinks Arkansas should keep Bielema, so I guess we should keep him.  (Sarcasm off)

[HardCore]

South Carolina was winnable too.

[grayhawg]

I agree we've seen all he's ever going to do here, and that he won't be here a lot longer, but a bowl is not inconceivable.  It'll be harder to let him go on a winning streak.

Not if I was doing it.

[hogcard1964]

It could happen, seriously.

Yes, Alabama and Auburn will almost certainly boat race the Hogs. After that though, every game is winnable. The toughest thing will be somehow not losing the locker room through two bad losses.

He already lost the locker room during the Auburn game last year. They're 4-7 since then.

[ur]

The worm has turned for both of them. If he makes a bowl game, he should use that to find a job and not get fired. Sadly for the players, we aren't making a bowl game. It's not their fault at all. Coaching and player development is everything in football.

[Tusks]

He's not going to get to 6 wins so no point in considering.

It would be interesting to get to 5 wins and get a bowl offer because of GPA and the new coach, coaches the bowl game.

That would be true Arkansas.

[MuskogeeHogFan]

It could happen, seriously.

Yes, Alabama and Auburn will almost certainly boat race the Hogs. After that though, every game is winnable. The toughest thing will be somehow not losing the locker room through two bad losses. After that its games against teams that range from bad to mediocre at best--Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Coastal Carolina, LSU, Missouri. Those are gettable games. Even if he just wins 4 of them, they'll get bowl eligible with a chance at 7 wins.

The game at Oxford will be pivotal. If Arkansas finds a way to win that game, then Bielema saving his job becomes a real possibility IMO. They're not going to fire him midseason.

Likely?  Perhaps not, but not impossible. I think if he somehow navigates to bowl eligibility the chances that he leaves on his own go way up.

The next two games will probably determine whether he is gone after this season or stays for 1 more season. If we get dominated and lose by 50 to Alabama and 40 to Auburn, his exit may be hastened.

[hogcard1964]

The next two games will probably determine whether he is gone after this season or stays for 1 more season. If we get dominated and lose by 50 to Alabama and 40 to Auburn, his exit may be hastened.

Why does everyone believe Arkansas can't possibly beat Auburn at home?

[grayhawg]

Why does everyone believe Arkansas can't possibly beat Auburn at home?

I've seen both teams play this season.

[MuskogeeHogFan]

Why does everyone believe Arkansas can't possibly beat Auburn at home?

Note the, "IF". Funny to see you posting this.

[hogcard1964]

Note the, "IF". Funny to see you posting this.

The "IF"?

[12247]

We have not played a game so far this season that wasn't winnable against the team that we played the day we played them.  BB couldn't take an unprepared, mental midget, no dependable scheme, pitiful play calling, obviously unhappy team out there and do it but if we had a coach, most of that would not have been there on game day. 

TCU was OK but not close to good the day we played them.  A&M was trying but no where near decent the day we played them.  We allowed SC to just raise up and bitchslap us everywhere.  With the proper preparation which would have started at least this past Spring, good coaching, conditioning and mental preparedness we could and likely should be 5-0 right now. 

Bret Bielema may still be the coach 3 years from now, but he is a pitiful example of a HC.  He has single handed, run the program even further down that it was after Smile had it for a year. 

This could have been one of those rare years where an Arkansas type team could have ended up 2nd or 3rd in the West and 8th or better nationally at seasons end.  Our schedule favors it, the other SEC teams were onboard to do their share and be bad, no one would have held it against us for losing to BAMA and Auburn.

Bret Bielema will never get even close to the potential from an Arkansas team that it has.  But has bad as we do selecting football HCs, we got what we deserve and likely will hang onto him just like we did Nutt.

[jkstock04]

He will have to win 1 of the next 2 games and then basically win out. That would probably do it.

[hassettsportsman]

Holy Toledo..if he comes out flat against Coastal Carolina..and makes no halftime adjusments...flatter..and loses! That will not be flattering!  He won't be able to pack his cheese whiz fast enough!

[PorkSoda]

The next two games will probably determine whether he is gone after this season or stays for 1 more season. If we get dominated and lose by 50 to Alabama and 40 to Auburn, his exit may be hastened.

the next 2 games are beside the point.  a bowl game and he might be able to save his job since that would show he is getting things turned around. 

my whole thing isn't so much about wins and losses but whether he can lead the team to achieve their potential.  right now it seems like he has lost his team.  its almost as bad as the JLS days

[damgoodestuffyhog]

If he wins the last four games, mostly in a convincing fashion, lucks in to a good bowl draw and wins the game, has a top 25 recruiting class, IMO he would be kept and probably for good reason. He would have made the change we are all convinced he isn't going to make.

His back is against the wall for each and every one of those games. He has indirectly been issued a notice of termination. If he passes five straight gut checks, I'll consider him reformed! (At least for another year)

[sylamore]

If he can in fact pull it off and do it now, then by implication, he could also and should also have done it before. And i hope people ask why he did not. He needs to go. It is not OK sometimes to care and other times not to, not with his big buck salary.

[hoghearted]

If he can in fact pull it off and do it now, then by implication, he could also and should also have done it before. And i hope people ask why he did not. He needs to go. It is not OK sometimes to care and other times not to, not with his big buck salary.

exactly

The question will then be, 'where was this at when we played USCe, A&M, and TCU?'

[damgoodestuffyhog]

If he can in fact pull it off and do it now, then by implication, he could also and should also have done it before. And i hope people ask why he did not. He needs to go. It is not OK sometimes to care and other times not to, not with his big buck salary.

I halfway disagree. To me, it would indicate that he (potentially) learned a new skill set when necessity was the mother of invention.

[go hogues]

I wouldn't be the least bit surprised to see some kind of move after the Auburn game because of what comes the next week.

I remember back when we had Smiles the Clown, it was often said of the other team's coaches; "Don't be the guy who loses to the interim". If CBB loses to Ole Miss' interim coach in the middle of their scandalous season, that will look worse than getting blown out by Bama and Auburn.

[MuskogeeHogFan]

the next 2 games are beside the point.  a bowl game and he might be able to save his job since that would show he is getting things turned around. 

my whole thing isn't so much about wins and losses but whether he can lead the team to achieve their potential.  right now it seems like he has lost his team.  its almost as bad as the JLS days

I just don't agree. There isn't anything that indicates continuity. One year they improve towards the end of the season, the next they blow up. This may be the worst beginning (given the teams we have played) that he has been able to put up and it is the 5th year. I don't care at this point if he wins every game after Alabama and Auburn...just not headed in the direction that we should be going by this point in his tenure.

[MemphisBossHog]

Would boosters and fans be happy if Bielema returns with a 6-6 season, ofer while trailing at the half.  Zero adjustments at half, embarrassing losses to conference opponents.

I dont think the boosters or fans would be happy with that outcome after 5 years of BB, BUT I dont see the powers that be parting with $15.4M.  Even if they have it, which they probably do, I just dont see it them paying BB his monthy amount until he's paid off and then possibly having to buy out the next coach from his present school and then finally having to come up with a package that would attract a top notch coach to Fayetteville.  That could escalate into a nice chunk of change. 

I saw where the University's endowment exceeded $1B for the first time in history just recently.  The Waltons gave $120M plus interest on investments pushed it over the top, but dont think any of that scratch would go to a football coach.

[code red]

It could happen, seriously.

Yes, Alabama and Auburn will almost certainly boat race the Hogs. After that though, every game is winnable. The toughest thing will be somehow not losing the locker room through two bad losses. After that its games against teams that range from bad to mediocre at best--Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Coastal Carolina, LSU, Missouri. Those are gettable games. Even if he just wins 4 of them, they'll get bowl eligible with a chance at 7 wins.

The game at Oxford will be pivotal. If Arkansas finds a way to win that game, then Bielema saving his job becomes a real possibility IMO. They're not going to fire him midseason.

Likely?  Perhaps not, but not impossible. I think if he somehow navigates to bowl eligibility the chances that he leaves on his own go way up.

This team is mentally fractured.  After 2 more arse kicking...you think they are gonna be better?

[PorkSoda]

I just don't agree. There isn't anything that indicates continuity. One year they improve towards the end of the season, the next they blow up. This may be the worst beginning (given the teams we have played) that he has been able to put up and it is the 5th year. I don't care at this point if he wins every game after Alabama and Auburn...just not headed in the direction that we should be going by this point in his tenure.

my guess is that we wont have to worry about getting a bowl.  a few more games and it will be a mathematical impossibility.

[MemphisBossHog]

If he wins the last four games, mostly in a convincing fashion, lucks in to a good bowl draw and wins the game, has a top 25 recruiting class, IMO he would be kept and probably for good reason. He would have made the change we are all convinced he isn't going to make.

His back is against the wall for each and every one of those games. He has indirectly been issued a notice of termination. If he passes five straight gut checks, I'll consider him reformed! (At least for another year)

well you lost it right there with the Top 25 recruiting class.  I just dont think he can get that at Ark after a year like this one.  The only way he could possibly do that would be if the state of Arkansas had a great crop of seniors and they all wanted to be Hogs cause they had grown up Hog fans.  Honestly, why would an elite recruit who could go anywhere want to go to Ark in the middle of all this uncertainty?

[MemphisBossHog]

This team is mentally fractured.  After 2 more arse kicking...you think they are gonna be better?

thats really a good point that I hadnt considered.  If/when Bama and Auburn lay their whippins on us out behind the woodshed, what will the mental state of the team be?  After the USCe debacle, you know their psyche has to be fragile.  A couple of 52-3 losses in consecutive weeks could really push it over the edge.

[presidenthog]

The games after auburn do not matter. He has to win one of the next 2 and then the rest to prove he can stay.

Winning against the weakest teams in the division will not save him now after losing to A&M and SC.

It's basically over for him.

[damgoodestuffyhog]

well you lost it right there with the Top 25 recruiting class.  I just dont think he can get that at Ark after a year like this one.  The only way he could possibly do that would be if the state of Arkansas had a great crop of seniors and they all wanted to be Hogs cause they had grown up Hog fans.  Honestly, why would an elite recruit who could go anywhere want to go to Ark in the middle of all this uncertainty?

I am totally ok with it being a near impossible scenario!

I will say that recruiting can be unpredictable and if the narrative changes after a big bowl win, we could gain momentum. Don't think it will happen, but fun to think about the possibility.

[Bacons Rebellion]

Well, after the two upcoming debacles, I'll be hoping for a six game winning streak to end the season.

If somehow that doesn't happen, then maybe I'll have some hope for the future with a new coach.

[GoHogs1091]

Why does everyone believe Arkansas can't possibly beat Auburn at home?

Malzahn may still be ticked off about us winning that overtime game season-before-last.

Malzahn proved a point last season, and he still may want to continue proving a point this season.

Look for Malzahn to leave his starters in for the entire game in Fayetteville even if Auburn has a big lead.

[East Clintwood]

I don't understand this whole idea that if he wins X number of games this season that he should keep his job.

We've had 4-1/2 seasons to see his performance as a coach.  He just doesn't have it, and this late in the game isn't likely to find it.  His success at Wisconsin was apparently a product of Alvarez's "system" and had little to do with Bielemas abilities.

Going all the way back to his Wisconsin days he has trouble keeping assistants and lately has a difficult time even attracting top level guys.

We' seen that he can't develop players, doesn't even know what a halftime adjustment is much less how to implement one, and doesn't place any importance on special teams, even to the point of not assigning a coach to them.  On top of that, he doesn't seem to have any ability to get his players up for a game or to sustain their efforts into the 2nd half.

We've all seen on multiple occasion, him standing alone on the sidelines starring off into the distance with that dumbfounded expression on his face like he doesn't have a clue what's going on.  I don't think he does.

Cut our losses.  Send this guy packing no matter what happens for the rest of the season.

[BallHog1]

We have not played a game so far this season that wasn't winnable against the team that we played the day we played them.  BB couldn't take an unprepared, mental midget, no dependable scheme, pitiful play calling, obviously unhappy team out there and do it but if we had a coach, most of that would not have been there on game day. 

TCU was OK but not close to good the day we played them.  A&M was trying but no where near decent the day we played them.  We allowed SC to just raise up and bitchslap us everywhere.  With the proper preparation which would have started at least this past Spring, good coaching, conditioning and mental preparedness we could and likely should be 5-0 right now. 

Bret Bielema may still be the coach 3 years from now, but he is a pitiful example of a HC.  He has single handed, run the program even further down that it was after Smile had it for a year. 

This could have been one of those rare years where an Arkansas type team could have ended up 2nd or 3rd in the West and 8th or better nationally at seasons end.  Our schedule favors it, the other SEC teams were onboard to do their share and be bad, no one would have held it against us for losing to BAMA and Auburn.

Bret Bielema will never get even close to the potential from an Arkansas team that it has.  But has bad as we do selecting football HCs, we got what we deserve and likely will hang onto him just like we did Nutt.

I'll disagree on one point.
We played a good tcu team close up until the last 6-8 minutes of the game and then fell apart. That tcu team is 5-0 and #6 in the country now. They weren't a likely win from the get go.

[thebignasty]

I dont think he survives.

[870hogfan]

Malzahn may still be ticked off about us winning that overtime game season-before-last.

Malzahn proved a point last season, and he still may want to continue proving a point this season.

Look for Malzahn to leave his starters in for the entire game in Fayetteville even if Auburn has a big lead.

Than I would hope he gets his starters hurt.

[Steef]

I'll disagree on one point.
We played a good tcu team close up until the last 6-8 minutes of the game and then fell apart. That tcu team is 5-0 and #6 in the country now. They weren't a likely win from the get go.

The score was close. The game was not.

[fullfan]

Why does everyone believe Arkansas can't possibly beat Auburn at home?

Hogs offense is broken.  Aubbie Defense is top 10 statistically and more likely top 5 in the country.  Hogs will have a difficult time scoring.   Aubbie offense nothing to write home about but will continue running same handful of plays and over 4 qtrs will put up enough points.

I just do not believe the offense is going to get fixed this season.

[Athog]

It could happen, seriously.

Yes, Alabama and Auburn will almost certainly boat race the Hogs. After that though, every game is winnable. The toughest thing will be somehow not losing the locker room through two bad losses. After that its games against teams that range from bad to mediocre at best--Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Coastal Carolina, LSU, Missouri. Those are gettable games. Even if he just wins 4 of them, they'll get bowl eligible with a chance at 7 wins.

The game at Oxford will be pivotal. If Arkansas finds a way to win that game, then Bielema saving his job becomes a real possibility IMO. They're not going to fire him midseason.

Likely?  Perhaps not, but not impossible. I think if he somehow navigates to bowl eligibility the chances that he leaves on his own go way up.

You make valid points. Nothing is a done deal. A lot hinges on the results.

[TeufelHog]

After the next 2 "arse-kickings" that our Hogs are going to take, beating Ole Miss will be considered "UNOBTAINIUM."  Think about it, not only will they be physically exhausted they will also be mentally depleted.  I hate to say it, but I do not think this team wins more than 1 game (Coastal Carolina) for the remainder of the season.  Keep in mind I predicted a 6-6 regular season based on the installment of a new defensive scheme, questionable O-Line, depleted WR corps, unknown kicking game, and loss of Rawleigh Williams.

[BallHog1]

The score was close. The game was not.

Is that like a moral loss?
Close still gives you a chance to win.
If they'd have won  Would you discount it because you think they got outplayed?

[bphi11ips]

It's pretty silly to beg for disaster with 7 games left.  We aren't going to win Saturday. We probably aren't going to win the next Saturday.  But a 7-6 season would be much better for these seniors than the alternative.  If you're a fan hope for the best and support the players who bust their ass to win.

Maybe Bielema deserves a chance at one year with a QB not named Allen. 

[DeltaBoy]

I don't think so Tim.

Maybe Bielema deserves a chance at one year with a QB not named Allen. 

[farmhawg]

Malzahn may still be ticked off about us winning that overtime game season-before-last.

Malzahn proved a point last season, and he still may want to continue proving a point this season.

Look for Malzahn to leave his starters in for the entire game in Fayetteville even if Auburn has a big lead.

Sounds like the pos that he is.

[Biggus Piggus]

I expect Bielema to keep expanding until, one day, he catches a wind and rolls out of town.