Oklahoma’s looming coaching search comes with an uncomfortable reality

In the midst of a nine-game losing streak and at the bottom of SEC standings, Oklahoma will inevitably, hopefully soon, begin a coaching search to find a replacement for Porter Moser. However, as OU fans are already dreaming of candidates, a reality check could be coming.

The Field of 68's Jeff Goodman this week released a ranking of every men's basketball coaching job in the SEC that he claimed was created by anonymously polling head coaches and assistants from around the conference. OU was near the bottom of the rankings at No. 14 out of 16 programs, which is a bad sign if it's an accurate perception of how candidates could view a potential opening in Norman.

The only schools below the Sooners were Mississippi State and South Carolina, respectively.

National outlet labels OU among worst coaching jobs in the SEC

Goodman didn't give details on why coaches might have viewed the OU coaching job so poorly, but any level-headed fan in Oklahoma can realize why.

Although the product on the court deserves some blame, OU currently ranks last in the SEC in average attendance at 4,933. The next lowest is Vanderbilt at 6,503, almost 2,000 more than what's usually at Lloyd Noble Center. OU was also at the bottom last season in attendance with 4,814. That team made the NCAA Tournament and had a future NBA Draft lottery pick in Jeremiah Fears.

The argument about low attendance is that success will fill seats, and that's even true today in Norman and proven by how full Lloyd Noble Center is when the women's team plays. The arena was also crowded during the Lon Kruger era right before Moser.

However, it takes talent to win games, and in today's NCAA, that takes money that the Sooners don't put toward men's basketball. With that, though, Moser assembled his most talented roster yet for this season, but is still having the worst results, so it's evident what the biggest flaw is in that situation.

Even if these rankings are an accurate reflection of an OU vacancy, finding a new coach, even if not their top choice, is the Sooners' best start to fixing any of the issues that have eroded a once heralded position.