The Wally Code: Petrino coach of the year?

Thursday's Wally Hall column offers more comedy and cheerleading for Bobby Petrino as Wally attempts to build him up to a Nick Saban level. As Wally draws out the comparisons between the two, it's funny that one thing he fails to mention is that Saban won a national championship. Petrino? A Big East championship.

Wally calls out to his colleagues in the biz for Petrino to be named the "Associated Press National Coach of the Year" if the Razorbacks win a bowl game. Let me get this straight. Wally thinks a coach who depended on fourth-quarter comebacks against Div. I-AA Western Illinois and Sun Belt rent-a-win Louisana-Monroe should be considered for coach of the year?

Somehow I just don't see the voting members of the AP selecting the winner of the PapaJohns.com bowl as national coach of the year. But not to worry because that's not going to happen -- neither is another win for the Razorbacks this season.

Then Wally throws out this gem: "Atlanta fans moved on immediately after Petrino, and Louisville fans understood Petrino had to get the NFL out of his system."

Atlanta fans moved on immediately after Petrino? Say what??? He is still the most-hated sports figure in that city, and that's probably topping Michael Vick. And Louisville fans understood he had to get the NFL out of his system? They didn't understand then, and they are still complaining about his annual flirtations with other jobs that far outnumbered Houston Nutt's two job interests and are blaming him for the downfall of Louisville football because of all the off-the-field issues the new coach inherited.

And don't forget how much Auburn fans still love Petrino after only one year as offensive coordinator in the Plains. They are counting down the days to his return to Jordan-Hare.

Wally starts off his column by saying Saban and Petrino are kind of like lemonade versus limeade. Except no one drinks limeade. And no one at the AP is going to vote Petrino coach of the year either.

The AP writer who supplies the weekly college football preview in the same issue as Wally's column makes a much better comparison between the two coaches in his game summary...

"Bobby Petrino vs. Nick Saban. The loser MUST honor his current contract."