A New Era Begins

Welcome Coach Brian Kelly

TIME TO WAKE UP THE ECHOES

A Quick Note on Bob Davie

I like Bob Davie the announcer. I think he's pretty good in the booth and offers a lot more insight than most of the pieces of furniture that ESPN and ABC give mics to during football season. As time passed my animosity toward him and his tenure in South Bend had waned...but each of the last two Notre Dame coaching searches has reminded me why I couldn't stand him and was thrilled he got canned.

Bob Davie was a good football coach. He led us to arguably the two best years since Lou left and always had a very good and well-coached defense. In '98 we were one freak injury to Jarious Jackson away from going 10-1. Two years later he took us to the Fiesta Bowl and frankly we were thisclose to being undefeated (our first loss was to #1 Nebraska in overtime, where our QB played the entire game with a broken wrist after a late hit in the first quarter...our second loss was on a 69 yard TD late in the fourth against MSU where we had a tight end--In Godsey We Trust--starting for us at quarterback).

That being said, he was the worst clock manager in the history of athletics--his ineptitude transcended college football. It was almost as if he never figured out that teams get three timeouts PER HALF, not PER QUARTER. The other thing was every year without fail we had one game where we had our doors blown off before we even knew what hit us (in '98: down 42-3 at halftime to Michigan State, in '00: completely curb-stomped by Oregon State 41-9 in the Fiesta Bowl).

But the thing that made my blood boil most was what he did off the field: complain. If he spent half the time gameplanning, studying Sun Tzu's second book (The Art of Timeouts), and figuring out how to win that he did whining and offering as excuses as to why he COULDN'T win he may still be our coach. He's someone who never quite understood Notre Dame and never embraced the tradition, history, and fanfare.

In 2004 he got on ESPN and proclaimed he advised Urban Meyer against taking the Notre Dame job because he didn't think it was a place someone could succeed. Now he's at it again going on College Football Live suggesting that Notre Dame needs to change things around to be like other schools in order to compete. He pointed to the fact that the schedule was too hard to make a run at a title, that ND couldn't recruit every player in the country because some didn't qualify academically (note: the average SAT's of Bob's recruiting class was around 900), that players had to *GASP* live in dorms with other normal students, and finally (God forbid) the coach was required to do things outside of football like attend and speak at the pep rally Friday night and go to a Saturday luncheon.

You'll never get it Bob. That's why every Notre Dame fan wants to forget you ever coached under the Dome and why no other college football program cast its lot with you. You may know your stuff (and love to lick your hand repeatedly while on the sideline), but you spend too much time offering up excuses for your failures instead of overcoming them.

There's no crying in football Bob (that goes for you too, Tim Tebow). That's why in the end you were made for the booth, not the sidelines.

THE GLOVES ARE OFF

This entire week the talking heads on ESPN and columnists on major sports websites have gone about burying Notre Dame following the firing of Charlie Weis. Blowhards like Bob Ryan stand up and scream about how Notre Dame is totally irrelevant, the job is unappealing, and the delusional fan base needs to lower its expectation level because they’ll never be what they once were. No-names like Melissa Isaacson line up to write hatchet jobs that are either blatantly biased or factually flawed.

Enough is enough. I'm done sitting on the sidelines--it’s time to tackle this issue head-on.

Notre Dame is irrelevant and never will be again? Let’s remind everyone that:

A. Every sports news network, sports show, and website has devoted many of their main stories to ND’s coaching situation the last three days
B. ESPN has had a reporter stationed in South Bend since Sunday to give minute-by-minute updates (You’re a good man, George Smith)
C. Stanford just rushed the field when they beat the Irish…who were unranked and 6-5 coming into the contest

Some would argue that the above highlights just how relevant we still are, but let’s just put those facts aside for now. In the last two decades Notre Dame has been mired with its longest national championship drought in school history (21 years and counting), the longest bowl losing streak in NCAA history (’94-’06), and undeniable mediocrity since Lou Holtz left town in 1996. They have not even seriously been in the hunt for a title since the 1993 campaign. Does this prolonged drought mean that the well is forever dry and the Irish are doomed to go the way of former powers Army, University of Chicago, and Yale?

No, not at all. To be blunt, that stance is an ignorant snap judgment that ignores the very history of college football.

First of all, the only way a top-level program becomes irrelevant is if the school chooses to make itself irrelevant like the Ivies did in moving to I-AA and Chicago did by disbanding their program. Many cynics suggest that’s exactly what Notre Dame is doing by keeping “academic standards high” and not allowing “exceptions.” The fact is that the institution continues to give the program a wealth of resources that is on par or exceeds every other program in the country.

The football recruiting budget is so generous that it allows room for the coach to fly to Hawaii and back in the same day just to say “hello” to a recruit. The administration altered a long-standing policy and now allows high school seniors to enroll early for the football team. The school constructed a multi-million dollar athletic training complex that is one of the most impressive facilities in all of college athletics. And despite what people may think, there have been substantial exceptions made in allowing particular student athletes who wouldn’t normally qualify to come to school at Notre Dame (ex: Robert Blanton and Robert Hughes and their 810 SAT’s).

The gap between perception and reality when it comes to the academic standards of Notre Dame Football recruits is incredibly wide. The toughest part about recruiting borderline academic candidates to Notre Dame isn’t getting them past admissions, it’s the fact that there are no “joke” majors like you find at places like Michigan (anyone who wants to major in Parks, Recreation, & Fitness can go there). That means that once a recruit decides to come to South Bend he’ll actually have to work to complete his degree—something he must do, there is no option. Notre Dame fully expects each player on the team to graduate and provides them with ample resources to do so. If a player is totally uninterested in the student part of the term “student-athlete” then Notre Dame is not the place for him. I have no problem with that and no one who understands the University should.

Every program goes through rough patches, no matter how great the program’s history, resources, or talent. The reason for these “falls from grace” always boils down to one person: the head coach. Look at the greatest programs of all-time—all have gone through dry spells lasting at least ten seasons since the mid-80’s. Southern Cal’s winning pct. from ’91-’01 was .550. Texas had a winning pct. of .571 from ’87-’97 under McWilliams and Mackovic. Oklahoma’s winning pct. was .550 from ’89-’98 under Gibbs, Schnellenberger, and Blake. When Texas and USC won their championships this decade they snapped 35 and 25 year droughts.

Prolonged rough patches aren’t unheard of—in fact they’re pretty common. This is the first lengthy one Notre Dame has had to endure, which is a testament to how great it’s been through the years. To think it won’t emerge from it just like the other programs did when they got the right coach in place is ludicrous.

Alabama provides a perfect example. In fact, its situation was eerily similar to Notre Dame's over the past 15 years until Nick Saban took over. Let’s examine:

* Gene Stallings and Lou Holtz both retired after the ’96 season, both a few years removed from national title runs but still coaching at a high level (Holtz went 9-3 & 8-3 his last two years, Stallings went 8-3 & 10-3).

* Notre Dame brought in Bob Davie to replace Lou while the Tide brought in Mike Dubose. Davie lasted five years with some ups (’98, ’00) and downs (’97, ’99, ’01). Dubose only last four with one up (’98) and a horrific down (3-8 in ’00).

* Both schools hired coaches that experienced marginal success but lasted three years or less. For the Irish it was Ty Willingham (21-15 over three seasons), for the Tide it was Dennis Franchionne (17-8 over two seasons…violations on his watch landed Alabama on probation).

* Both schools also had to endure a scandal where they hired and then fired a coach before they had the opportunity to coach a game. Notre Dame had George O’Leary and his falsified resume in ’01 while Alabama had Mike Price and his stripper in ’03.

* Alabama hired Mike Shula in 2003 and he went 26-23 over four seasons before getting the axe. Notre Dame hired Charlie Weis for the 2005 season and through two years he was 19-6 with two BCS bowl berths.

Now here is where the two schools’ paths deviated. In 2007, Charlie Weis’ regime began to crumble with a 3-9 season and in the following two campaigns it became apparent he was not the coach Notre Dame needed. On the other hand, Alabama lured Nick Saban to Tuscaloosa the same season the Irish collapsed. After hiccupping during his first year, he has led them to two consecutive undefeated regular seasons and now no one debates they’re one of the top programs in the country.

So if you look back both Alabama and Notre Dame swooned immediately following the departure of national championship winning coaches in the mid-90’s. It took Alabama ten years and four fired coaches before they found their next great coach in Nick Saban. Notre Dame has now fired four coaches as well, time will tell if they can get the right man for the job like the Tide did.

This isn’t a rebuilding project like Ivan Maisel makes it out to be in his column this week. People forget that there was a perceived lack of talent at Alabama when Saban arrived just like many make that (incorrect) assumption right now at Notre Dame. There are plenty of great athletes on both sides of the ball, the problem is most haven’t been coached to reach their potential yet. That’s the reason Charlie Weis was let go—we had a very talented team that consistently underachieved.

In 2010 the Irish return 10 starters on defense—the majority of them with two years of eligibility remaining—and plenty of young, skilled talent on offense (Michael Floyd, Kyle Rudolph, Armando Allen, and Theo Riddick to name a few). If the right guy takes the reigns he’ll be set up for immediate success.

Columnists like Gene Wojciechowski write pieces like this one that say we just don’t have the talent and claims “even heralded freshman linebacker Manti Te'o lacks the speed and quickness to be a difference-maker.” Blatantly ignorant and inaccurate statements like that one make you realize 75% of the people who are sounding off about Notre Dame’s situation right now don’t watch the games and have no real idea what they’re talking about. They make uneducated assumptions based solely on perception. Anyone who has a finger on the pulse of this program—like John Walters in this great article—will confirm that while there are holes that need to be filled, this is a team that can make the leap sooner rather than later with the right leadership at the top.

Another popular topic that is supposed to confirm Notre Dame’s irrelevance is how the Notre Dame job just isn’t as appealing as it was thirty or forty years ago because big names like Saban, Brown, Tressel, and Meyer aren’t interested. I think it’s funny—they act like the top coaches were always falling over each other to come to South Bend and coach under the Golden Dome. That’s simply not been true since the 1940’s with the exception of when Frank Leahy took the job. Parseghian was a hot coach at a mid-level Big 10 school, but it wasn’t as if he was winning national championships before he came to Notre Dame. Dan Devine was hired after completely bombing in the NFL. Gerry Faust was the indeed the top coach in the country…the top high school coach. Lou Holtz had a winning percentage of just .641 and was coming off a 6-5 season at Minnesota when he took the helm.

Someone point out to me a precedent where one of the top coaches of an era left their post to come to Notre Dame. Did journalists fashion the same types of stories when Don Shula or Woody Hayes didn’t take the job when Parseghian left? How about when Joe Gibbs or Tom Osborne didn’t jump at the chance to take over when Faust was fired? In the last decade we’ve whiffed on our first choices for head coach, but the incompetence of the athletic director that oversaw those searches (Kevin White) shouldn’t be confused with the truth. Notre Dame has never attracted the biggest names in the business—if they choose the right person they MAKE them the biggest name in the business.

Notre Dame will most likely make its decision on a head coach within the next week. When the hire is announced the Irish program will once again be dissected ad naseum by the print media, TV shows, and sports talk radio. Once again there will be plenty of people that will chirp about the irrelevance of Notre Dame and how it should be a non-story.

The reality is Notre Dame is and always will be relevant in the sports world. Whether it becomes relevant in national championship hunts will be determined by how great the chosen coach turns out to be. I don’t know when it will be, but that return will happen whether it’s with this coach or another one down the road. If you think otherwise you’re either ignoring history or just parroting the knee-jerk reactions of talking heads. Neither is a particularly bright thing to do.

Consider this the latest installment of the series of Notre Dame Public Service Announcements.

Fighting for Human Dignity. Fighting Disease. Fighting Journalistic Ignorance.

WE ARE THE FIGHTING IRISH.

"You mean like...not good 1 out of 100?"

First Bob Stoops comes out and says he plans on coaching at Oklahoma next year, deflating Notre Dame Nation in the process...

...but then that little weasel Adam Schefter on ESPN reports that Bob Stoops and Notre Dame actually do have mutual interest and that an agreement is "imminent" and "all but a done deal."

So Bob, give it to me straight...what are the odds a coach like you ends up with a school like mine?

Goodbye Coach

This picture was taken almost exactly four years ago in 2005. It was right before the Fiesta Bowl when my business partner Chris and I went to the Gug to donate money from the Charlie's Army t-shirt business we started and ran that fall. Coach Weis was incredibly gracious and thankful and took time out of his day to talk about the state of the program, hint at what recruits were in town that weekend (Micah Johnson and Leonard Gordon), and sign a couple Charlie's Army shirts for us.

I would've bet every last thing I owned that he was going to be the one to bring Notre Dame back to the top. Breaks my heart that he wasn't.

Thank you for all your contributions and efforts and for conducting yourself in a way that made us proud. I wish the best of luck to a true Notre Dame man.

AbsoLOUtely?

As I watch House and try to draw parallels between House and Cuddy's relationship and the one between Urban Meyer and Notre Dame (think about it...it's scary...in a great way...I think), I thought I'd share this little nugget with you. This weekend at our tailgate we spent some time with a family friend who also happens to be close friends with Lou Holtz. He said Lou told him that if the University asked he would coach for two years at no salary while they figured out what to do long term.

Now as giddy as the thought of seeing Lou on the sidelines makes me, I realize this makes no sense right now for a couple reasons. First of all, it'd be a stopgap solution and what we need is a long-term answer. Knowing that Lou wouldn't be at the helm long would make recruiting nearly impossible. If the intention would be to transition to Skip I think I'd pass.

The bigger reason though is the fact that in his latest life as a television personality he's almost become a caricature. How can 18 to 21 year olds be expected to take the inspirational pep talks Lou is famous for seriously after seeing them as a borderline joke on ESPN the past few years? I think this move could've worked in 2001, but right now I just can't see players suddenly buying into Dr. Lou. In reality that's really all they know him for; they were barely alive the last time Holtz took the Irish to #1. Bringing him back would be like asking today's NFL players to follow John Madden into battle. The history books will show that both Lou and Madden deserve places on the pantheon of great coaches, but the generation they'd need to lead right now would have an impossible time trying to get over the coaches' television (or video game) personas.

I truly don't believe that the game has passed him by and I think he'd be incredibly effective in utilizing the immense talent that resides on our roster...but when he chose to go the route he has these past few years on ESPN it ended any chance of him finding his way back to the sidelines.

Dear ESPN...

I have come to grips with the fact that there is little to no chance we land one of the elite coaches on our wish list. It's a tough pill to swallow, but unlike during the '01 and '04 coaching searches I figured it would be better to accept it right away rather than have my heart broken at the very end.

But every time I go to your homepage you keep putting up headlines like "Bob Stoops meet Touchdown Jesus" and your current one of "Meyer to ND may hinge on his wife."

Just stop it. You're sending me back into a glass case of emotion. We'll know what happens soon enough, quit playing games with my heart.

Sincerely,

Matt

PS

If your headline is indeed true, we're prepared to give Mrs. Meyer the apartment on top of Hesburgh Library (sorry Father Ted), a lifetime spa membership, a car, and a boat. No, two boats. And a lake. You can tell her that.

Handicapping the Coaching Search

It’s time to start looking at who will be taking the reigns once the inevitable happens at the end of the season. Below I’ve constructed a list of names that have been thrown around in the media, on message boards, and all sorts of conversation I’ve had with various Notre Dame fans. The list was limited to people with head coaching experience because I really don’t believe that we will even consider anyone who has never been a head coach on the college or professional level. That eliminates some of the coordinators who have been on the rise (ex: Charlie Strong)—not that I’ve heard many even mentioned for the job any way.

One final note: this is not my list in order of who I want as coach; it is a list in order of who I think realistically will be hired. As you read along it’ll be clear where I stand on the situation. Feel free to post your candidate/wish lists below.

Without further ado, I present to you a handicapping of the 2009 Coaching Search.

1. BRIAN KELLY, University of Cincinnati

Odds: 5-2
Coaching Record: 51-22 (in D-I) at Central Michigan and Cincinnati
Worth Noting: Won 2 D-II national championships at Grand Valley State
Pros: High octane offense that’s been very successful every where he’s been…Has won everywhere he’s been…His teams have had highly rated special teams units…Has succeeded without highly-rated talent…Former player
Cons: Has never had to recruit on national level…Not a huge “name” guy and wouldn’t make a big splash…Allegedly is a very incriminating picture of him floating around the internet…Hasn’t beaten (or really even faced) elite level competition to date
One Man’s Take: Brian Kelly is this year’s “It” coach and there are plenty of people speculating that he’s going to be the man we approach first for the job. I’m not one of the people riding this bandwagon though. I’m not disputing the fact that Kelly is a good coach; I’m just not close to sold on him being a great fit at Notre Dame. Is he the next Urban Meyer or is he the next Dan Hawkins? Being the head coach of Notre Dame is a totally different animal than the small potatoes he’s dealt with to this point in his career. I don’t know if there’s been any indication that he’s equipped to handle the aspects of the job that come off the field. Can he recruit? Will he be able to handle the pressure of living under the most intense microscope in college sports? Does he “get” Notre Dame? Maybe he can and maybe he would succeed in South Bend, but I think he’s far from the sure thing many make him out to be. If I’m the man in charge I’m passing on him.

2. JON GRUDEN, Monday Night Football Announcer

Odds: 3-1
Coaching Record: 100-88 in the NFL (Oakland, Tampa Bay)
Worth Noting: Won Super Bowl 37…Reportedly almost took the ND job in 2001
Pros: He’s won on the highest level…Ridiculous work ethic is well documented…Would make a big splash and could rejuvenate the fan base…Big name that could salvage the recruiting class…Young and Charismatic…Not coaching now so he could start the job immediately…Former player…Ties to the University (Father was assistant under Devine)
Cons: Never has coached on the college level…Allegedly has a very complex offense… No experience developing talent… Apparently burned bridges in previous stops…May want to return to the pros
One Man’s Take: Jon Gruden is not a sure thing by any stretch of the imagination, but he’s a huge name that has incredible potential. He has the charisma and work ethic to come in and salvage a recruiting class that still has great potential (and maybe talk Jimmy and Golden into returning?). It’s very apparent through statements he’s made in the past that he has great affection for the University and embraces the history and traditions of the school. People say that Weis came from the pros and was a failure so we shouldn’t go “the NFL route” again. I think it’s a totally different situation because Charlie had never been a head coach before. That’s a huge difference between Jon Gruden the candidate and Charlie Weis. I don’t believe Weis’s failure provides any indication of how another NFL coach will do. There have been some pretty successful college coaches that didn’t pan out in the pros—from Pete Carroll to Dan Devine to Lou Holtz. Gruden is definitely a high-risk/high-reward prospect, but I think he’s got the personality, demeanor, and work ethic to a fantastic coach. Considering all the other realistic alternatives we’re faced with I think he’s most worth a roll of the dice.

3. JIM HARBAUGH, Stanford University

Odds: 10-1
Coaching Record: 16-18 (in D-I) at Stanford
Worth Noting: Led a perennial loser (University of San Diego) to a consecutive 11-1 records
Pros: Took over two lifeless programs and totally rejuvenated them…Confident and fiery competitor whose emotion and demeanor rubs off on his teams…Has faced Pete Carroll three times and won twice, including rubbing his nose in a 55-21 beatdown…Offense based on a power running game that opens up the play action…Extremely effective recruiter in a tough academic environment…Former Pro Bowl NFL quarterback
Cons: Can be over the top with his emotions…Allegedly does not like Notre Dame…Michigan Grad…Might have his sights set on the NFL
One Man’s Take: Jim Harbaugh would be the perfect fit if you only look in the pro column. He’s stared down the team that’s bullied us this entire decade (USC) with a far less talented team and not only beat them, but DESTROYED them. He runs a smashmouth offense and has a confidence and swagger that is undeniably infectious. Look at what he did with Stanford, a program that was all but dead in the water when he took over. He’s turned the Cardinal into a legitimate power in spite of incredibly strict academic requirements. I’d take him in a heartbeat…but the cons are pretty big ones. He gets so wound up that he’s borderline unstable at times. His alma mater is one of our fiercest rivals (although he ripped Michigan awhile back) and by all accounts really does not care for Notre Dame. It’s tough to hitch your wagon to someone who has always hated your school. It’s unfortunate because he’d be a PERFECT fit.

4. GARY PATTERSON, TCU

Odds: 15-1
Coaching Record: 83-27 at TCU
Worth Noting: 5-3 in Bowl Games…Led TCU to two Top 10 finishes (’05, ’08)
Pros: One of the best defensive minds in the game today…Has won with very low rated recruits…Develops talent extremely well especially on the defensive side of the ball…Very flexible in getting his best athletes on the field in the ways to best help the team, no matter what position…Has recruiting ties in Texas
Cons: Never recruited nationally (to say the least)…Has competed in a low-level conference…Never dealt with life under the microscope
One Man’s Take: Patterson has done a great job reaching unprecedented heights at a lower conference school—there’s even an outside chance that his Horned Frogs could be the first non-BCS team to ever make it to the BCS Championship game. He fields a ferocious, swarming defense and does a phenomenal job of putting his players in a great position to succeed. The huge catch though is he seems totally unprepared to handle the rigors of a huge job like Notre Dame. His recruiting strategy at TCU is to only go after kids from Texas, something he certainly cannot do in South Bend. This lack of experience on the national recruiting scene is a HUGE red flag, one big enough to almost immediately eliminate him from contention.

5. PAUL JOHNSON, Georgia Tech

Odds: 18-1
Coaching Record: 64-34 (in D-I) at Navy and Georgia Tech
Worth Noting: Snapped ND’s 43-game win streak vs Navy…Runs option offense
Pros: Has been successful wherever he has coached…Runs an opportunistic, ball control offense much like Lou Holtz’s…Extremely confident guy…Teams have been very smart and disciplined…Has shown he can win with less talented athletes
Cons: Would take time to transition from pro-style to option…Would not attract the top level offensive athletes we’ve been getting
One Man’s Take: This would be a huge shift in course by Jack Swarbrick, essentially scrapping what we’ve built on the offensive side of the ball and starting over. I’m a huge sucker for the option and I’d absolutely love to see Notre Dame get back to imposing our will on opponents with the rushing attack, but the timing for Paul Johnson coming to South Bend just isn’t right. We would take a big step backwards before we went forward and we’re really not in a position to do that right now. He would’ve been a much better fit in 2001 (Arnaz and Carlyle to run the option with Julius Jones and Ryan Grant) when we had personnel that would’ve made it a much easier transition.

6. PAT FITZGERALD, Northwestern University

Odds: 20-1
Current Position: Head Coach at Northwestern University
Coaching Record: 26-22 at Northwestern
Worth Noting: Member of the College Football Hall of Fame
Pros: Young and enthusiastic…Been successful at a school that doesn’t have great tradition or support…All-American player in the mid-90’s…Seems to be on the rise
Cons: Has only been a head coach for 3+ seasons…No indication he could handle a major program like Notre Dame…Still very, very young…Took jab at Notre Dame…Northwestern alum that has given no indication he wants to leave
One Man’s Take: Fitzgerald has done a great job after inheriting the head coaching position under tragic circumstances in 2006, but he’s still got a lot to prove before you can comfortably say he’s ready to take over a job like Notre Dame. The most predictable part of every Notre Dame coaching search is throwing out candidate names from schools we’ve poached coaches from before. In ’96 it was Gary Barnett (Northwestern) and Tom Coughlin (Boston College). In ‘01 and ‘04 it was Tom O’Brien (Boston College). I realize that people like to look at the past and say “we got Ara from Evansville so Fitzgerald could be the new Ara,” but that’s just not a realistic expectation. Fitzgerald may a very good coach down the road at a major program, he just doesn't have the experience at this point.

7. CHRIS PETERSEN, Boise State University

Odds: 25-1
Coaching Record: 45-4 at Boise State
Worth Noting: Won ’06 Fiesta Bowl …2 undefeated regular season in 3 years
Pros: Mind-boggling coaching record…Innovative offensive mind…Teams are extremely well-coached, disciplined, and prepared…Outcoached Bob Stoops on national stage…Has won without top level talent
Cons: Most success has come against second tier competition…Has never recruited on a national level…Reportedly his religion is Scientology
One Man’s Take: Brian Kelly is a risky proposition…Chris Petersen is beyond risky. The precedent has been set with Dan Hawkins finding success in Boise and flopping at a major college program. He has no experience with national recruiting and has limited experience facing top level programs. In my opinion Petersen needs to make a stop at a major conference school before he takes an upper echelon job like Notre Dame. Hell, how about Colorado?

8. KIRK FERENTZ, University of Iowa

Odds: 40-1
Coaching Record: 79-53 (in D-I) at Iowa
Worth Noting: Spent six years as an assistant in NFL…3 Top 10 finishes
Pros: Very respected in the coaching community…Been successful in spite of mediocre talent
Cons: Never led a truly elite team at Iowa…Not a particularly effective recruiter… No “wow” factor…Just signed an extension through 2015
One Man’s Take: Kirk Ferentz is one of the most baffling individuals in college football to me. It seems like his name pops up at least once for every job that opens in college or the NFL though I can’t really understand why. He has the highest respect of a lot of people in the business—on both the collegiate and professional levels—but he hasn’t ever assembled or led any particularly great teams in his 11 years at Iowa. His teams are usually hard-nosed and blue collar but they’re never memorable. I suppose the thought is that if he’s at a bigger program he’ll have more resources and better athletes, but it’s not like Iowa is a lower tier school. Maybe I’m missing the boat on Kirk, but I see no reason we’d want to hire him. It seems like he’s a perfect fit in Iowa City which is where we should let him stay.

9. URBAN MEYER, University of Florida

Odds: 50-1
Coaching Record: 93-17 at Bowling Green, Utah, and Florida
Worth Noting: 5-1 in bowl games…Repeatedly has stated ND is his dream job
Pros: Arguably the best coach in college football right now…Would make a HUGE splash and rejuvenate/unite a divided fan base…Great Recruiter…Young and Charismatic…Former player…Ties to the University (former assistant)
Cons: Pretty Unrealistic…How he handled the Spikes incident…Takes advice from Bob Davie
One Man’s Take: We missed our shot with Urban back in 2004. While he’s said Notre Dame is his dream job it’s hard to imagine him leaving a cushy situation like the one at Florida. People can wish for it to be true but I just don’t see it happening.

10. BOB STOOPS, Oklahoma University

Odds: 100-1
Coaching Record: 114-28 at Oklahoma
Worth Noting: Won 2000 National Title…7 BCS Bowl Appearances
Pros: .803 win pct. at a top five program…Won a national championship in 2000…Develops both players and coaches…Would create a HUGE splash…Former player
Cons: Pretty unrealistic…Hasn’t run a squeaky clean program…Never dealt with tough (read: any) academic standards
One Man’s Take: Has there ever been a precedent in college football where a coach at a top level program voluntarily leaves his job to take over another upper echelon program? There have been reports in major newspapers that Stoops would listen if Notre Dame called, but I just really can’t see any scenario where this would become a reality. Roping in “Big Game Bob” would be like dropping a bomb on the college football world…and would make our matchups with the Sooners in 2012 and 2013 even more interesting. I just don't see why he’d do it.