Underneath Mack Brown’s undeniable charisma and down-to-earth persona lies a shrewd individual with a considerable ego.

This isn’t meant to criticize, but rather to highlight his exceptional talent. To achieve what Brown has over a 40-year career takes a unique blend of skills, both as a coach and as a person—winning the national championship in 2005 is just one aspect.

At 73, well past the age when most of his peers have retired or been dismissed, Brown still believes he is the best choice to lead the North Carolina football team.

This belief is misguided. The evidence is clear, especially following Saturday’s 41-21 defeat against Boston College.

Surprisingly, Brown seems set on repeating the same mistakes he made over a decade ago when it was evident to everyone else that his tenure at Texas needed to end. Rather than stepping down gracefully, he appears determined to be pushed out by North Carolina.

Will North Carolina act? It’s uncertain. However, a CBS Sports report details that Brown is reportedly planning to return in 2025. In a Sirius XM interview, he spoke of his role as helping the younger members of his team.

“When I see a player down or one who is happy about something unrelated, that’s my motivation,” Brown stated. “My goal is to support him and guide him towards a better path.”

He further mentioned, “There will come a day when I’ll wake up and realize, ‘Someone else should take over.’ But that day hasn’t arrived yet.”

It’s an interesting narrative, yet it rings false. If Brown genuinely believes that his life’s mission is to teach life skills rather than win games, there are many avenues for him to explore that wouldn’t involve finishing near the bottom of the ACC or earning a hefty salary.

This may sound harsh, but it’s true. Given his significant achievements and wealth from coaching, Brown ought to recognize it’s time to retire. A brief moment of self-reflection would reveal the state of his life and the stagnation of North Carolina’s football program during his tenure since returning from broadcasting in 2019.

The tendency of older individuals to cling to power, even when all signs suggest it’s time to step aside, is an age-old story. Unfortunately, Brown is living out that narrative.

Currently, North Carolina holds a 6-5 record, and since Brown’s return, the program hasn’t made substantial progress. His second term with the Tar Heels hasn’t been a failure, but it’s not been a triumph either. The data indicates that it might be best for both parties to part ways.

However, the challenge lies in Brown’s clear reluctance to leave his position. North Carolina’s administration faces a tough choice: to initiate an unpleasant process now or let Brown extend his tenure by another year.

What will happen next? It’s difficult to say. With one week remaining in the season, it’s possible that something could change before the Tar Heels conclude their season against North Carolina State.

Change is necessary at North Carolina, but convincing their head coach to agree to a succession plan appears to be a monumental task at this stage. This is why the Tar Heels rank first in the Misery Index, reflecting the programs currently experiencing the most turmoil.

Four More in Misery

Alabama: It’s odd to turn on the TV every Saturday and see Nick Saban joking around, as though he were just any other sports commentator. The greatest coach in history is now a bystander. Meanwhile, the program he led for 17 years must continue the demanding work of high-stakes football while dealing with the fallout from its shortcomings.

The fallout from Saturday’s surprising 24-3 defeat to Oklahoma leaves the Crimson Tide’s hopes of making the College Football Playoff hanging by a thread. With an 8-3 record, having lost to the Sooners, Vanderbilt, and Tennessee, this has become the worst season for Alabama since 2007 when Saban took over from Mike Shula and finished 7-6. The only glimmer of hope for Crimson Tide fans is the slim chance that victories against Georgia, South Carolina, LSU, and Missouri could sneak them into playoff contention if there’s chaos in the upcoming weeks.

It’s clear, however, that Kalen DeBoer’s debut illustrates just how significant the gap is between Saban and others in the coaching field. DeBoer is a talented coach—he proved that last year by taking Washington to the national championship—but he remains just another coach in the pack.

The SEC is a league where the outcome can swing dramatically from one day to the next. However, it’s not like Alabama lacks talent. When looking at Alabama’s roster, it’s likely ranked third, trailing only Georgia and Texas in the SEC. If DeBoer fails to lead the team to the playoff this year, he might find himself in a precarious position by 2025. Alabama supporters are unlikely to tolerate missing out on a 12-team playoff regularly, if at all. Their expectations are neither unreasonable nor unjustified.

Rutgers: The concept of icing the kicker is often viewed as one of the more foolish tactics in sports, yet many coaches continue to fall victim to it, including Greg Schiano. With just 12 seconds remaining and leading Illinois 31-30, Schiano decided to call a timeout right before Illini kicker Ethan Moczulski was set to attempt a challenging 58-yarder, which he missed badly. Given a second chance, Illinois coach Bret Bielema opted to send his offense back on the field and they quickly scored a game-winning touchdown on the following play.

Was it just a fluke? Likely. But can we criticize Schiano for a miscalculation that directly led to a downfall? Definitely. These small, often overlooked moments can significantly impact a season, and unfortunately, Rutgers has been on the losing end too frequently. Since Schiano’s return to Piscataway in 2020, his record in Big Ten play stands at 12-32. If a team is losing mostly to conference powerhouses while competing well against others, it might still be considered respectable for a program like Rutgers. However, a 20-game deficit in a competitive league like the Big Ten suggests that they’re dropping many winnable matches.

No one claims Rutgers is an easy coaching job, but the reason Schiano was brought back was his deep understanding of how to deal with the obstacles there. From 2005 to 2011, he managed to exceed expectations by consistently achieving eight to nine wins a season under tough conditions. Now, however, he seems to be merely maintaining the status quo while losing too many games to teams with comparable resources.

Virginia: After Clemson secured national championships in 2016 and 2018, its coaching staff became a prime target for struggling programs looking to hire. Yet, Dabo Swinney’s coaching tree has mostly withered, with its branches hanging by a thread. Chad Morris, who was key in recruiting and developing Deshaun Watson, ended his tenure as a head coach with a dismal 18-40 record at SMU and Arkansas. Jeff Scott arrived at South Florida only to finish with a record of 4-26. Brent Venables, historically one of the best defensive coordinators, is currently facing scrutiny at Oklahoma. Meanwhile, Tony Elliott, who had numerous opportunities before taking the job at Virginia, has so far disappointed with a record of 11-22.

While dissecting why former Clemson assistants have struggled as head coaches might be futile, it is essential to note that Elliott took over from Bronco Mendenhall, who had a record of 8-5, 9-5, 5-5, and 6-6 in his last four seasons before resigning. If Elliott fails to upset Virginia Tech next week, it will mark three straight seasons of losing records, lacking any signs of improvement. What can Virginia fans cling to at this point? Certainly not the basketball program, which is facing its challenges after Tony Bennett’s retirement. At least swimming and tennis are still strong.

Ole Miss: If you were to ask an Ole Miss fan what makes this team successful, they’d point to several factors: a seasoned quarterback in Jaxson Dart, a robust defensive line, and offensive talent spread throughout the roster. This combination is typically effective in college football, and Ole Miss has invested significantly in deals focused on student-athlete name, image, and likeness. However, despite these advantages, the year has not unfolded as expected, following a 24-17 defeat to Florida. This Rebels squad should undoubtedly be in the College Football Playoff if it weren’t for disappointing losses against Kentucky (20-17), LSU (29-26 in overtime), and Florida, which have all derailed their chances.

These setbacks are a significant blow to Lane Kiffin’s legacy, especially considering the expectations surrounding this Ole Miss team. Kiffin has led the team to considerable success, including an outstanding 10-3 record in 2021 and an impressive 11-2 last year. The new College Football Playoff format was expected to pave the way for Ole Miss’s breakthrough on a national level, but that hasn’t materialized. For fans, the lingering question is whether that moment will ever arrive.

Struggling but not hopeless

Pittsburgh: This situation is a complete failure across the board. Pitt started the season 7-0 and seemed poised to contend for the ACC title. Now, they find themselves at 7-4 after a heavy 37-9 loss to Louisville. Looking back at the season, none of Pitt’s initial victories were noteworthy. They simply managed to handle weaker opponents, which perhaps inflated their record. Nonetheless, collapsing like this is unacceptable.

Stanford: Although we’ve been lenient with West Coast teams adapting to the ACC, we can’t overlook how Stanford performed against its biggest local rival. Leading Cal 21-7 deep into the third quarter, Stanford ultimately lost the Big Game 24-21 in Troy Taylor’s second season. This marks Cal’s fifth victory over Stanford in the last six encounters and serves as a reminder of the school’s current struggles. A decade ago, they were consistently a top-10 program. Now, the 3-8 Cardinal are set to conclude their season below .500 for the fifth time in the last six years, leaving Taylor with an overall record of 6-17.

Oklahoma State: Unless the Cowboys secure an upset against Colorado next week, they will finish the season winless within the Big 12. It’s hard to believe when considering that Mike Gundy, after a similar difficult spell in 2005, has historically kept the team at or above .500 in the league since then. This year has been particularly disheartening for Oklahoma State fans after losing 56-48 to Texas Tech, dragging their overall record to 3-8 in a season where they were predicted to finish third in the Big 12. Despite this, Gundy remains steadfast, stating, “There’s no way the old lady’s letting me retire. I have as much energy now as I did when I took this job.” Only time will tell if this attitude will pay off.

Purdue: This dreadful season in West Lafayette is reminiscent of Jim Colletto’s 1-10 record in 1993 and Darrell Hazell’s 1-11 in 2013. The similarity between those coaches is that neither had long tenures. We will see how much patience Purdue shows Ryan Walters, the 38-year-old coach who now holds a 5-18 record in two seasons and is currently winless in the Big Ten this year. As Boilermaker fans watch in-state rival Indiana surge to a 10-1 record and a likely playoff appearance only one year after hiring Curt Cignetti, the urgency in Purdue’s situation becomes all the more apparent. If Purdue can achieve an upset over the …
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Next week against the Hoosiers could be a turning point for Purdue, but if they falter again, it may be time to reconsider their coaching choices to restore their image.

Arizona: If you had told an Arizona Wildcats supporter during the preseason that their team would only have 4 wins and 7 losses, while Arizona State is in the running for a College Football Playoff spot, they would have thought you were joking. Yet, that’s the current situation as the season comes to a close. The Sun Devils are working hard to secure a place in the Big 12 championship, while Arizona’s first season under Brent Brennan has taken a nosedive after a 49-28 defeat against TCU. Arizona has a chance to be the spoiler next week when they host Arizona State for the Territorial Cup. However, this is not how things were expected to unfold, especially with Arizona beginning the season ranked in the Top 25 and the Sun Devils off the grid following the Herm Edwards era.