From Adam: If Alabama wins, does Mike Locksley coach the natty? Last guy to try after accepting a job got the boot after the semis.
Not true. The next-to-last guy got the boot after the semfinals. Alabama is actually two-for-three in coordinator-takes-head-coaching-job-but-coaches-at-Alabama-in-the-playoff scenarios. Last year, coordinator Jeremy Pruitt’s defense was excellent in the playoff even though Pruitt had already accepted the Tennessee job. In the playoff after the 2015 season, Kirby Smart’s defense played great against Michigan State and not-so-great against Clemson, but the Crimson Tide also won the national title.
The season to which Adam refers is 2016, when Lane Kiffin took the Florida Atlantic job and then got canned after the semifinal win against Washington.