Ifs and Buts

[Yosefus]

In my humble opinion football needs a new head coach. I don't see progress or improvement. I believe the program has gone way backwards over his tenure.
With that said I do not believe the powers that be replace him and we look at more if the same or worse next season.

[BallantyneApp]

Yes in this scenario. IMO 7 wins should be the floor but who knows maybe 6 is. If Clark is extended with a 4 win season that would be incredibly disappointing.

[311neers]

8 wins was the absolute floor to start the season. Still should be that way. Maybe 7 since we missed a game.

[appgrad95&97]

Honestly, I don't understand what has changed with so many of you. There were legitimate questions about Clark when he was hired. This isn't a one year thing. THIS is Clark football. We'll win 7 to 9 games a year. We'll win the East every so often and the conference a couple times a decade. What I don't understand is why y'all are piling on now.

[T-Dog]

For the record, Clark's contract goes through the end of 2026, so he will have two years left after this season.

Buyout is $1 mil until Dec 2, which is the Monday after GaSo. Then it drops to $500k.

[Saint3333]

For the record, Clark's contract goes through the end of 2026, so he will have two years left after this season.

Buyout is $1 mil until Dec 2, which is the Monday after GaSo. Then it drops to $500k.

I guess I heard 2025 was his last year on here enough times to believe it.

Bowl game and he’s back in 2025.

[GoBoone]

Stating he should be retained if he loses the last three and goes 4-7 is more “nuts”.

Would love to hear how he’s earned a 6th year if he goes 4-7.

Glad you didn’t cann Jerry Moore after his 1993 4-7 season.

[Saint3333]

I’m glad Jerry won a conference title a couple of years before in 1991 giving him an opportunity to do it again.

[appgrad95&97]

The bottom like, at least for me, is we "don't" have the money to do better. If Clark were a good coach, it seems like Satt would have taken him to Louisville. But now were talking about a season 31 years ago. That's where we are now.

[GoBoone]

Sheesh. You clowns are grasping for straws.

[Saint3333]

Sheesh. You clowns are grasping for straws.

Your straws from 1993?

[BallantyneApp]

Stating he should be retained if he loses the last three and goes 4-7 is more “nuts”.

Would love to hear how he’s earned a 6th year if he goes 4-7.

Glad you didn’t cann Jerry Moore after his 1993 4-7 season.

Jerry Moore wasn’t making $1MM and we weren’t coming off a 6 year period where we averaged 2 losses a year either. In 1993 we also averaged about 11000 for home games or 33% what we do now


Expectations are different today than they were 30 years ago. A lot of that thanks to Jerry’s job being on the line in ‘04

[JTApps1]

You can’t have a lame duck coach on the last year of their contract. They can’t recruit or hire staff effectively. It’s either extend this year to buy out the last year. There is no In between

He's under contract through the 2026 season so not a lame duck going into next year. I think Clark is back if we make a bowl given everything that's gone on this year.

[AppGrad78]

You can’t have a lame duck coach on the last year of their contract. They can’t recruit or hire staff effectively. It’s either extend this year to buy out the last year. There is no In between

He's under contract through the 2026 season so not a lame duck going into next year. I think Clark is back if we make a bowl given everything that's gone on this year.

JTApps1 is 100 percent correct.

[MrCraig]

I thought about this a good bit while I was doing yard work this afternoon.
Hypothetically, if App wins out AND wins a bowl game, it would look terrible to fire Clark. However, this would be the second year in a row that the team started pretty terribly and turned it around in the second half of the season. Clark has been the head guy 5 years now. This is the third year in a row that App has looked pretty bad the first half of the season. Personally, I'd rather move on from Clark and gamble that we can find an up-and-coming coach that can really make some noise. However, I think there are some people in charge who are fine with winning 6-9 games a season with a bowl game most years.
To me, after the way App exploded into FBS and simply dominated for the first 8-ish years made me want to see App become the next Boise State, Cincinnati, or Memphis, not the next Toledo or Ohio.

[ASUTodd]

I thought about this a good bit while I was doing yard work this afternoon.
Hypothetically, if App wins out AND wins a bowl game, it would look terrible to fire Clark. However, this would be the second year in a row that the team started pretty terribly and turned it around in the second half of the season. Clark has been the head guy 5 years now. This is the third year in a row that App has looked pretty bad the first half of the season. Personally, I'd rather move on from Clark and gamble that we can find an up-and-coming coach that can really make some noise. However, I think there are some people in charge who are fine with winning 6-9 games a season with a bowl game most years.
To me, after the way App exploded into FBS and simply dominated for the first 8-ish years made me want to see App become the next Boise State, Cincinnati, or Memphis, not the next Toledo or Ohio.

People have shifted their baseline. They are now ok with 6,7,8 win seasons. They are ok with going to the MR Clean Backwoods bowl in Timbuktu, Nowhere. They are ok with losing winnable games against peer teams. They are now ok with not being known as giant killers. They are ok with horrible clock management. The are ok with undisciplined players giving away yardage from penalties. They are ok with vanilla and unimaginative play calling. They are ok with the defense of a wet paper bag. They are ok with losing 3,4,5 games in a row. It's just mediocre ball and now people are ok with it. People fear the unknown and I think a lot are worried about who takes over and how the team will fair. People would rather be mediocre than to take the chance of a losing season in order to find greatness.

[appgrad95&97]

I'll ask again, this time as directly as I know how: why would you expect the AD that hired Clark and then extend him, to do any better?

[KentHogan]

Clark has had 5 years, and he’s been paid well.

The program has regressed, no conference titles, embarrassing losses this year, awful defense two years in a row, etc.

It’s just not been good enough.

Clark is a good man and may have enough support to keep his job no matter the final results this year.

However, at some point App has to decide how committed they are to moving the program forward.

In my opinion, Clark isn’t the guy, he’s had ample time.

It’s time for a change.

[Bigdaddyg1]

First I can’t (yes I actually can) believe there is yet another thread devoted to the SAME worn out topic. To the people who constantly say that some here are “ok” with the program or are “ok” with 6 wins (or whatever the number is) why is that constantly mentioned and directed to many that are not on board with making a change? Why can’t fans be unhappy with resent results but still support the coach? Some of you seem to think both are mutually exclusive.

[Saint3333]

I can’t believe anyone is surprised that a message board is discussing the state of the program each week.

After each game this board will discuss players that made play, players that didn’t, expectations, make predictions for the rest of the season, what we need to do to improve.

It’s therapy in a way.