‘Pressure is mounting’ for Barry Odom, according to CBS rating

In a post written two weeks ago, I presented my thought on the status of Missouri football head coach Barry Odom’s future. I stand by my original thoughts on the matter.

It’s the slow time of year for some sports writers, especially writers covering a specific team or topic. So in the natural course of events, we will see these sort of…filler pieces cropping up. This seems no different.

According to his annual rankings, Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports ranked every NCAA coach on a scale of 0 (untouchable) to 5 (win or be fired). Two coaches fall into the “win or be fired” group, while 12 coaches are considered “untouchable.” The 116 remaining coaches fall somewhere between.

Breaking down into the major conferences, the SEC fared pretty well. Only two coaches fell on either extreme of the spectrum – Nick Saban (Alabama) rated a zero, while Kevin Sumlin (Texas A&M) rated a five.

Missouri Tigers Football

For Missouri, Odom rated in the middle, with a three. Considering he has led the team for one full season, I’d be more inclined to rate him in the neighborhood of one-to-two, all things considered.

Overall, there seem to be two camps for Coach Odom: “Give him time” and “Get rid of him.” If you’re somewhere between, then maybe you should trend toward giving him time.

Giving a coach time isn’t an open-ended ticket to having multiple losing seasons without consequence. That’s something Kansas might do.

Speaking of Kansas, how does David Beatty, in his second season with the Jayhawks, and an overall 2-22 record, rate safer than Odom, with a one?

I digress. While a recent interview with Athletic Director Jim Sterk might suggest that Odom is entering the “hot seat zone,” or in this case, “pressure is mounting,” it isn’t fair to say that Odom is nearing his exit from Missouri.

I understand that life isn’t fair, and 99.9% of the time, I’m accepting of that. So instead, perhaps the rating is slightly premature at this point, especially compared to other coaches with more dire records receiving a more favorable rating.

While it’s a middle-of-the-road rating, Odom wasn’t the only SEC coach to receive a three. Also joining Missouri’s head coach is Gus Malzahn (Auburn), Mark Stoops (Kentucky), and Derek Mason (Vanderbilt).

When breaking down the coaches with the same rating as Odom, what’s interesting is the wild variety in overall records and several years at the position. Malzahn has led Auburn for four years, and attained a record of 35-18.

In stark contrast, Stoops (19-30 over four years) and Mason (13-24 over three years), have  earned their ratings of three. Odom’s single year at the helm and overall record of 4-8 seems hardly worthy of a three.

Meanwhile, there are a number of coaches who completed their first year with the same 4-8 record as Odom, but rated a two. Perhaps the biggest difference from those coaches to Odom, is they aren’t coaching in the SEC.

I would still give Odom a second year to improve on Missouri’s win total, and get the Tigers back into a bowl game. If Missouri slides back into its 2016 form this season, then it could be time to start looking for his replacement. But for now, Odom should be considered a “2” – “all good, for now.”