[Cactus Jack]

Short of a scandal or two win season, I don't think terminating Stoops is the right way to go.

Stoops was gone until A&M fans and boosters threw an absolute fit.

Stoops leaving Kentucky and performing well at Texas A&M likely would have left most Kentucky fans missing him once the reality of finding a replacement set in.

Funny to think about, but if Stoops leaves for A&M and the Aggies pay his buyout, what are the chances that money goes back into the football program versus going toward Cal's buyout?

I hate the mindset that we have to stick with our (grossly overpaid and underperforming) coach because no one who might do a better job would ever actually take the job. Always turns out to be false. Plenty of very good and/or soon to be great coaches out there who would jump at the chance (and $$$). Other programs find them year in and year out. Not saying it's time to fire Stoops, it's not. But his seat might start getting warm...

I'm just as worried about the economics. The elephant in the room is that Kentucky basketball publicly swung and missed on names that they had ahead of Mark Pope. Jay Wright was never coming out of retirement, and Donovan not wanting to leave the NBA was understandable, but whiffing on a Scott Drew and having to move on to the next tier of candidates really stings and should be a warning.

The possibility that we have to buyout Pope and make a big offer for someone to replace him knowing that you can't miss the basketball hire twice in a row has to be in the back of administrator's minds.

If we fire Stoops, then we have to deal with all of the above, plus his buyout (which I'm sure was upped during the A&M play), attracting a new coach, and the reality that we'd be in a terrible, terrible spot financially if both Pope and the next FB coach were both misses.

It's at least easier to swallow if Stoops does so well that he makes an upward move to an A&M and we get his buyout and have some additional funds to attract the next hire.

Will post more in a bit on Stoops himself and why I think he's at least done enough for the program to dictate the way he exits (barring a scandal), but the financial reality of actually firing him (without cause) a season or two from now is probably tied to the performance of Mark Pope.