Old Tiger
12-17-2009, 02:44 PM
Kelly: Maybe no ND if Huskers beat UT
ESPNChicago.com
Brian Kelly envisioned a scenario Monday that could have prevented him from being Notre Dame's football coach, and it revolved around Texas' 13-12 win over Nebraska on Dec. 5.
That victory for the Big 12 championship came down to a video review that put one second back on the clock and allowed the Longhorns to kick the winning field goal. The win put Texas (13-0) in the BCS title game opposite Alabama (13-0).
A Nebraska win might have put Kelly's Cincinnati (12-0) team in the Jan. 7 championship game.
"Who knows what would have happened if Nebraska wins that game," Kelly said on "The Afternoon Saloon" on ESPN 1000. "I might not be here at Notre Dame because we don't know if they would have waited for me, because I was going to play in the national championship game."
Instead, Cincinnati will play Florida (12-1) in the Sugar Bowl without Kelly at the helm.
Kelly will continue to recruit and firm up commitments made to former Irish coach Charlie Weis, who was fired on Dec. 1.
"The reality is the timing was lousy," Kelly said. "I was not looking for a job. I was coaching my football team. We were working hard at developing our kids and trying to win football games.
"But the timing of this is one you can't help."
Some Cincinnati players weren't thrilled with the circumstances of Kelly's departure. Kelly said the egging of his house was probably done by "a couple of kids who didn't like the color of our house."
Looking forward, Kelly mentioned the Longhorns as a possible future opponent for the Irish.
"When you look at the teams that carry the same mission [as Notre Dame], Texas does that obviously," he said. "Those kinds of schools really are attractive to me.
"[Athletic director] Jack Swarbrick and I will sit down and look at our schedule as we move forward. I want to be around the best, because we're asked to be the best. And that's the kind of schedule I want."
http://sports.espn.go.com/chicago/ncf/news/story?id=4743719
ESPNChicago.com
Brian Kelly envisioned a scenario Monday that could have prevented him from being Notre Dame's football coach, and it revolved around Texas' 13-12 win over Nebraska on Dec. 5.
That victory for the Big 12 championship came down to a video review that put one second back on the clock and allowed the Longhorns to kick the winning field goal. The win put Texas (13-0) in the BCS title game opposite Alabama (13-0).
A Nebraska win might have put Kelly's Cincinnati (12-0) team in the Jan. 7 championship game.
"Who knows what would have happened if Nebraska wins that game," Kelly said on "The Afternoon Saloon" on ESPN 1000. "I might not be here at Notre Dame because we don't know if they would have waited for me, because I was going to play in the national championship game."
Instead, Cincinnati will play Florida (12-1) in the Sugar Bowl without Kelly at the helm.
Kelly will continue to recruit and firm up commitments made to former Irish coach Charlie Weis, who was fired on Dec. 1.
"The reality is the timing was lousy," Kelly said. "I was not looking for a job. I was coaching my football team. We were working hard at developing our kids and trying to win football games.
"But the timing of this is one you can't help."
Some Cincinnati players weren't thrilled with the circumstances of Kelly's departure. Kelly said the egging of his house was probably done by "a couple of kids who didn't like the color of our house."
Looking forward, Kelly mentioned the Longhorns as a possible future opponent for the Irish.
"When you look at the teams that carry the same mission [as Notre Dame], Texas does that obviously," he said. "Those kinds of schools really are attractive to me.
"[Athletic director] Jack Swarbrick and I will sit down and look at our schedule as we move forward. I want to be around the best, because we're asked to be the best. And that's the kind of schedule I want."
http://sports.espn.go.com/chicago/ncf/news/story?id=4743719