re: Saban considered to be a risk when he was hired @ LSU

That's a really good point. I was very excited about Saban because I thought, "hey this guy will make us a winner again" meaning we'll average 8 wins or better a year and go to bowls consistently and possibly win the SEC. That's a much lower bar than what most people want now. I was confident that Saban would clear that bar. In 1999, it would have been laughable for someone to rule out solid coaches because he had never won a championship.