Uh, excuse me, Mr. Nutt. You have a call from Pete Boone on line 1. Pete Boone. Line 1.
As if Houston Nutt‘s seat wasn’t already scorching, an inexplicable 30-13 loss to Kentucky might have officially turned the knob underneath Nutt’s buttocks to third-degree burn temperatures. To say it’s been a disappointing year in Oxford might be the understatement of the year, as Ole Miss has now mustered six total wins since back-to-back Cotton Bowl appearances in 2008 (Nutt’s first year) and 2009.
This season has been especially frustrating. Yesterday’s loss -- to Kentucky, if you need to be reminded again -- puts the Rebels out of bowl eligibility for the second straight year. Ole Miss should be able to defeat Louisiana Tech next week (right?), but things could get ugly again with games against LSU and Mississippi State to end the season.
When asked about his job security after the game, Nutt replied “I don’t know. I don’t know. That’s not for me to decide. I’d like to be. I plan on being. But that’s not for me to decide.”
The pressure to win and win now in college football, and in the SEC no less, has spiked in recent years. And, by Nutt’s own admission, he’s not holding up his end of the deal.
“I love it here,” Nutt said Monday. “But I know this, they pay me to win. And right now, we’re not winning.”