I really don’t buy into losing by 3 shows improvement over losing by 10, but that is just me.
What I do count is wins and losses. Consider that he and Riley started at the same time and Herman has almost 3 times as many losses during the same period. All while being paid twice as much. Were there obvious and extenuating circumstances to this disparity? Of course, the biggest being at the most important position on the field. Riley was gifted one Heisman winner, and very well could go two for two with guys he never actually recruited.
But at the end of the day a coach is tied to his record. No one will ever offer up excuses why coach X lost X amount of games. Only that they happened under his watch. It is why they have the earning potential that they all enjoy. And why I’m sure CDC thought of all this while watching ou go to the playoffs last year. And is still in the conversation this year even after Texas beat them.