2013 College Football coaching carousel

UCLA should probably be on there, for talent base alone.

 

I would add Va. Tech, Clemson, Michigan State and Washington for starters.

 

I hope you're not using that list as rankings. Texas is the best job in the country, even if Mack Brown is fucking up.

I don't think Wisconsin is on the list, though. Clemson would be higher, to me.

 

I love the Bruins, but I would like one piece of evidence that would make it a top 10 job.

They're not known for spending money. USC is widely viewed as the better program. When was the last time they contended for a national title? When was the last time they played in a BCS bowl? I kind of feel the same way about Washington. It can be a great job. UCLA and Washington both seem like programs heading upward, but they're clearly not top 10 jobs right now.

Clemson and Michigan State would be in the second ten. My question about Virginia Tech is where will that program be without Beamer?

 

IMO, the top four jobs in college football are, in no particular order:

USC
Florida
Texas
Ohio State

All four have the four things you need to succeed on a regular basis:

Resources
Facilities
Tradition
Local Recruiting Base

A lot of other jobs have the first three - Alabama, Oklahoma, Notre Dame, Nebraska for example - and several others have the first two - Oregon being the best example - but if you have the first three components and you own one of one of the country's most fertile recruiting grounds, you're going to have the chance to be very good on a more consistent basis than other programs.

That said, there is a natural ebb and flow to college football. All four of the schools I've listed have experienced valleys competitively but its much easier to climb out of those valleys at those schools.

And before the flame war starts, I'm not saying Alabama or Notre Dame are bad jobs. They're not. But the four schools I listed have everything they need right at their respective doorsteps.

To put it another way, Texas can contend for national titles with a roster made up solely of kids from Texas. Alabama can't contend for national titles with a roster solely made up of Alabama kids.

 

Always confused by the Texas fascination of some.

The Longhorns have had very few really good years of football, especially since leaving the SWC. Oklahoma has mostly owned Texas since the Big 12 has begun.

The state of Texas might have the players, if the state's very best always signed with the Longhorns, but they haven't and never really have.

 

Depends on the criteria. Factoring in pay, facilities, job security, how easy it is to win, how easy it is to recruit to the school, how forgiving of a fan base/AD you have to weather the occasional 6-6 season, are you fighting for attention with an NFL team and/or other major college teams in your backyard, are the fans there win or lose, or are you going to be playing in front of thousands of empty seats even if you are 8-0 in November?

I think (speaking in generalities and not focusing on the last year or so) that Penn State should be on there.

 

You can definitely make a good argument for Texas. You can also make a good argument for Ohio State, Oregon and Notre Dame.

I think the only things keeping Oregon from being arguably the top (non-SEC) job in the country is lack of visibility from being on the west coast and a lack of championship history.

 

If you're including the SEC, I would probably agree that Florida has consistently been the best job in the country since 1990. Two coaches have won titles and three have contended for them. That's amazing...

 

The athletics department brought in something like 20 percent more revenue than any other ... before The Longhorn Network was created. Texas is the best high school football state in the country.

And your "very few really good years of football, especially since leaving the SWC" makes no sense at all. They won at least 10 games in nine consecutive seasons from 2001 through 2009. They finished in the top five in five of those seasons, the top 10 in two more. They've only been out of the SWC for 17 years and have finished ranked in 14.

 

Speaking of Oregon ... this carousel has been moving and everyone's hopping chairs and we haven't heard a peep about that one. Hasn't it become conventional wisdom that Chip Kelly is off to the NFL? I'd put Petersen in line for that if it happens, and that's why he floated his name out there briefly for Cal.

 

Oregon's other issues are its resources are solely dependent on one guy and it has to rely almost entirely on out-of-state kids to be successful.

It's a lot like Washington in the 1980s but with much better facilities.