Saturday at Kyle Field is Senior Day for Texas A&M, and it may as well be Kevin Sumlin Get Lost Day, too.
The Kevin Sumlin era at Texas A&M is going to end this year, because money is of no concern.
The announcement from the maroon has not been made, and the "For Sale" sign has not been put up in Sumlin's front yard, but both are formalities.
Considering how the Aggies began the season _ blowing a 34-point third-quarter lead at UCLA to lose by one point _ their record of 5-4 is impressive. Playing and coaching when you know the staff is likely gone is miserable and lends itself to shutting it down.
On closer look, the Aggies have defeated no team of note.
The Aggies' wins have come against: Nicholls (7-2), Louisiana (4-4), Arkansas (4-5), South Carolina (6-3), and Florida (3-5). With a game remaining against LSU, a team A&M has not defeated since joining the SEC, the Aggies could finish with eight wins for a fourth consecutive season.
"You know what you signed up for," Sumlin said on the SEC coaches' conference call when I asked him if coaching/playing in these conditions is especially difficult. "It's probably more difficult on families than the coaches personally, because they are involved in it and you are working. The people who are outside of it, it probably affects them more than the coaches themselves."
Barring a football miracle, college football is apt to see a slew of firings next month that will cost public schools a small fortune, including Texas A&M.
These types of changes are costing schools millions and millions of dollars, all in the name of getting "rid of that loser." The firings are usually reactionary and, in the end, lead to another bust of a hire, and a bigger big buyout check.
The cycle is madness, and someone needs to be the adult and make a concerted effort to change the type of spending that only a government contractor would appreciate. No coach is being given enough time to make a dent.
Don't feel too badly for Sumlin. Being a part of the Buyout Bonanza is a great gig. The coaches win millions, even when they lose.
This is a small list of the coaches who are potentially out after this season, and the buyout figures that have been reported by USA Today:
