Yes, I am shocked. Shocked that Jeff Long didn't ask us to first run a poll here on the website about hiring Bret Bielema before he went and did it, haha. But, hey, Jeff, if you have clicked on by, here is what the readers of this website think about your new hire from the Land of Cheese. Personally, I hope he translates well to the Land of Catfish and Fried Chicken. I want to see him succeed and have him take us back to Atlanta and beyond. And I believe he is as capable of doing that and more so than a lot of names that were thrown around before today.
But even with his success afterwards, the Rose Bowls, do any of you think that he would have been hired if he had lost to Houston Nutt in the Capital One Bowl? I don't see Jeff Long being able to hire a coach who had lost to Houston Nutt in a bowl game. If Bielema turns out to be an Ozark Moses and leads us to the promised land of a national title, then the 2007 Capital One Bowl would be the best bowl we ever lost. One of those twists of fate that makes college football such the compelling sport / drama that it is.