big daddy russ
11-28-2007, 02:44 PM
His most prestigous coaching positions.
12. SMU
Prestige Factor: Stepping-stone job
Ideal Candidate Would Have … success at the D-I level as a top-notch offensive coordinator or with an exciting offense that could work anywhere. Previous success at some level in Texas is a must.
They Should Think About … Rice head coach David Bailiff
The Skinny: The program has never been able to overcome the 1987 death penalty brought on by the sins of the heyday, but the team is in good enough shape for someone to step in right away and succeed in Conference USA play. Former head man Phil Bennett didn’t have much success, but this was supposed to be a big year with the building blocks he put in place.
11. Northern Illinois
Prestige Factor: A destination for an older head coach, a stepping-stone for a younger one
Ideal Candidate Would Have … a media-savvy older coach with name recognition and good energy. Being able to own the greater Chicago area is a must.
They Should Think About … Big Ten Network analyst Gerry DiNardo
The Skinny: The stability of Joe Novak for 12 seasons turned the program into a bit of a MAC power that couldn’t get over the hump. The potential is there to make this the MAC’s premier program by getting the huge Chicago alumni base fired up and generating a buzz with a coach who’s not afraid to work the media 24/7. While the Huskies will likely go young, they should take a cue from the immediate success Ohio had with Frank Solich and get a bit of a proven commodity. Injuries killed the team this season; the team can win it all next year.
10. Southern Miss
Prestige Factor: Decent. The chance is there for a young head coach to up his stock in a hurry.
Ideal Candidate Would Have … fresh ideas. After 14 extremely successful seasons under Jeff Bower, the tradition of great defense isn’t going anywhere. Someone who can upgrade the offensive profile would be nice.
They Should Think About … Tulsa offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn
The Skinny: With a reputation for wanting to play anyone, anywhere and any time, USM wasn’t afraid to take on the big boys under Bower, and that’s a tradition that must continue. It’s not like the program went into the tank under Bower; it’s still more than good enough to win the Conference USA title right now. However, for all the success, a little bit of new blood won’t be a bad thing.
9. Duke
Prestige Factor: None. It’s considered one of the toughest jobs in America.
Ideal Candidate Would Have … a quirk. Duke will never be able to get the talents to win the ACC title on skill, but an offensive wizard who can run the spread to near-perfection would throw a scare into the rest of the league. Remember, the program was good back when Steve Spurrier’s offense was rolling.
They Should Think About … Appalachian State head coach Jerry Moore
The Skinny: If Wake Forest can win an ACC title and if Northwestern can be a consistent competitor in the Big Ten, then Duke can follow the same blueprint. This isn’t an ideal job for a young coach looking to make some noise right away, but getting an established D-IAA star or a decent coordinator (think Al Golden moving from Virginia to Temple) could change things around in a year or two.
8. Baylor
Prestige Factor: None. A coach can make a big name for himself with the slightest bit of success.
Ideal Candidate Would Have … in-roads in Texas. Baylor is a different type of Big 12 school because of its private status. The coach has to come up with a big-time offensive idea, like Guy Morriss tried to do with the Texas Tech passing attack, only with more success.
They Should Think About … North Texas head coach Todd Dodge
The Skinny: As far as the tough job openings go, this is far more difficult than Duke because the rest of the South is so nasty. Oklahoma and Texas will be in the national title discussion every year, Oklahoma State/T. Boone U. is improving, and Texas Tech and Texas A&M will always be bowl bound. Forget about the defense. Some alumni might like the idea of Mike Singletary, but the Bears need an effective offense that can outbomb teams on the right day. Trying to get in defensive struggles against Oklahoma and Texas won’t work. Houston’s Art Briles will likely get the gig.
7. Washington State
Prestige Factor: Medium to low. Only Stanford is a tougher Pac 10 situation.
Ideal Candidate Would Have … the offensive wizard tag. You have to be able to put up consistent points on the board in the Pac 10, and Wazzu has been successful when it’s been able to crank up the offense on everyone. Defense, schmefense; this is the Pac 10.
They Should Think About … Boise State head coach Chris Petersen
The Skinny: The early talk is about Mike Price coming back to his old stomping grounds, but take a look at how his UTEP teams went into the tank in crunch time during his reign. The program doesn’t have the fan base or the overall cache of the other Pac 10 teams, but the right coach can win there right away. Bill Doba wasn’t bad, but he managed to be on the wrong side of seemingly every close game.
6. Ole Miss
Prestige Factor: Not as much as Ole Miss thinks it has.
Ideal Candidate Would Have Had … the ability to win right now, but with a realistic eye on building for the future. Even though the program needs time to turn things around, forget about any sort of a five-year building plan under Houston Nutt. As the administration has shown with David Cutcliffe and Ed Orgeron, win now or die.
They Should’ve Thought About … Baltimore Ravens assistant coach Rick Neuheisel
The Skinny: Orgeron actually had the right idea and the right plan in place building from the lines out, and now it'll be up to Nutt to provide some stability and some instant pop after his tumultuous stint at Arkansas. Despite going winless in SEC play, there were enough close losses and enough competitive performances to hope for a relatively quick turnaround under the former Arkansas head man, but it this simply a case of going through someone else's trash? Getting to a bowl in the next two years is a must, as is beating Mississippi State.
5. Georgia Tech
Prestige Factor: Better than you might think. It’s a solid job that opening that’ll attract its share of big names. In a big city with an administration that wants to crank things up to another level right now, Tech should be able to have its pick of several big-time names.
Ideal Candidate Would Have … the media savvy to win over Atlanta. Georgia is the top dog in the state, even in Atlanta, so it’ll require a charismatic head man who can sell the program as more than just a second-fiddle.
They Should Think About … UCF head coach George O’Leary
The Skinny: No, Tech isn’t going to go rehire O’Leary. Florida State offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher and Auburn defensive coordinator Will Muschamp are the likely front-runners, but don’t rule out a shocker of a name being thrown into the mix before all is said and done. Going the pro route actually worked a bit with Gailey, and Tech might at least consider throwing a feeler phone call to Oakland Raider head man Lane Kiffin or Atlanta head coach Bobby Petrino.
4. Texas A&M
Prestige Factor: Not remotely close to as high as Aggie fans think it is.
Ideal Candidate Would Have Had … more of a “wow’ factor. Mike Sherman has a nice résumé and should certainly be able to step in and get the Aggies to bowl games every year, but he’s not going to force Oklahoma or Texas to close up shop.
They Should’ve Thought About … North Carolina head coach Butch Davis
The Skinny: Sherman certainly knows the program and is part of the Aggie family, but is he really the guy to take the program to that next level it’s been dying to get to for several years? As disappointing and embarrassing as the Dennis Franchione era became, he beat Texas over the last two years. Sherman can be great right away, but he has to come up with wins over the Longhorns right away.
3. Arkansas
Prestige Factor: Relatively high. Depending on who you believe, this is a powder keg of a program ready to blow up, or Houston Nutt basically maxed it out in a nasty SEC West. The next head coach will be walking into an extremely interesting situation.
Ideal Candidate Would Have … a mega-name. In a conference full of heavyweight head men, the Hogs need someone who won’t blink at the idea of game-planning against Nick Saban and Urban Meyer.
They Should Think About … North Carolina head coach Butch Davis
The Skinny: Watch out for this to be Alabama-lite. Arkansas will make a run after several monster names, including a few from the NFL, only to be rebuffed like Bama was last year, although on a much less public scale, before getting a high-powered coordinator like Florida State offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher.
12. SMU
Prestige Factor: Stepping-stone job
Ideal Candidate Would Have … success at the D-I level as a top-notch offensive coordinator or with an exciting offense that could work anywhere. Previous success at some level in Texas is a must.
They Should Think About … Rice head coach David Bailiff
The Skinny: The program has never been able to overcome the 1987 death penalty brought on by the sins of the heyday, but the team is in good enough shape for someone to step in right away and succeed in Conference USA play. Former head man Phil Bennett didn’t have much success, but this was supposed to be a big year with the building blocks he put in place.
11. Northern Illinois
Prestige Factor: A destination for an older head coach, a stepping-stone for a younger one
Ideal Candidate Would Have … a media-savvy older coach with name recognition and good energy. Being able to own the greater Chicago area is a must.
They Should Think About … Big Ten Network analyst Gerry DiNardo
The Skinny: The stability of Joe Novak for 12 seasons turned the program into a bit of a MAC power that couldn’t get over the hump. The potential is there to make this the MAC’s premier program by getting the huge Chicago alumni base fired up and generating a buzz with a coach who’s not afraid to work the media 24/7. While the Huskies will likely go young, they should take a cue from the immediate success Ohio had with Frank Solich and get a bit of a proven commodity. Injuries killed the team this season; the team can win it all next year.
10. Southern Miss
Prestige Factor: Decent. The chance is there for a young head coach to up his stock in a hurry.
Ideal Candidate Would Have … fresh ideas. After 14 extremely successful seasons under Jeff Bower, the tradition of great defense isn’t going anywhere. Someone who can upgrade the offensive profile would be nice.
They Should Think About … Tulsa offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn
The Skinny: With a reputation for wanting to play anyone, anywhere and any time, USM wasn’t afraid to take on the big boys under Bower, and that’s a tradition that must continue. It’s not like the program went into the tank under Bower; it’s still more than good enough to win the Conference USA title right now. However, for all the success, a little bit of new blood won’t be a bad thing.
9. Duke
Prestige Factor: None. It’s considered one of the toughest jobs in America.
Ideal Candidate Would Have … a quirk. Duke will never be able to get the talents to win the ACC title on skill, but an offensive wizard who can run the spread to near-perfection would throw a scare into the rest of the league. Remember, the program was good back when Steve Spurrier’s offense was rolling.
They Should Think About … Appalachian State head coach Jerry Moore
The Skinny: If Wake Forest can win an ACC title and if Northwestern can be a consistent competitor in the Big Ten, then Duke can follow the same blueprint. This isn’t an ideal job for a young coach looking to make some noise right away, but getting an established D-IAA star or a decent coordinator (think Al Golden moving from Virginia to Temple) could change things around in a year or two.
8. Baylor
Prestige Factor: None. A coach can make a big name for himself with the slightest bit of success.
Ideal Candidate Would Have … in-roads in Texas. Baylor is a different type of Big 12 school because of its private status. The coach has to come up with a big-time offensive idea, like Guy Morriss tried to do with the Texas Tech passing attack, only with more success.
They Should Think About … North Texas head coach Todd Dodge
The Skinny: As far as the tough job openings go, this is far more difficult than Duke because the rest of the South is so nasty. Oklahoma and Texas will be in the national title discussion every year, Oklahoma State/T. Boone U. is improving, and Texas Tech and Texas A&M will always be bowl bound. Forget about the defense. Some alumni might like the idea of Mike Singletary, but the Bears need an effective offense that can outbomb teams on the right day. Trying to get in defensive struggles against Oklahoma and Texas won’t work. Houston’s Art Briles will likely get the gig.
7. Washington State
Prestige Factor: Medium to low. Only Stanford is a tougher Pac 10 situation.
Ideal Candidate Would Have … the offensive wizard tag. You have to be able to put up consistent points on the board in the Pac 10, and Wazzu has been successful when it’s been able to crank up the offense on everyone. Defense, schmefense; this is the Pac 10.
They Should Think About … Boise State head coach Chris Petersen
The Skinny: The early talk is about Mike Price coming back to his old stomping grounds, but take a look at how his UTEP teams went into the tank in crunch time during his reign. The program doesn’t have the fan base or the overall cache of the other Pac 10 teams, but the right coach can win there right away. Bill Doba wasn’t bad, but he managed to be on the wrong side of seemingly every close game.
6. Ole Miss
Prestige Factor: Not as much as Ole Miss thinks it has.
Ideal Candidate Would Have Had … the ability to win right now, but with a realistic eye on building for the future. Even though the program needs time to turn things around, forget about any sort of a five-year building plan under Houston Nutt. As the administration has shown with David Cutcliffe and Ed Orgeron, win now or die.
They Should’ve Thought About … Baltimore Ravens assistant coach Rick Neuheisel
The Skinny: Orgeron actually had the right idea and the right plan in place building from the lines out, and now it'll be up to Nutt to provide some stability and some instant pop after his tumultuous stint at Arkansas. Despite going winless in SEC play, there were enough close losses and enough competitive performances to hope for a relatively quick turnaround under the former Arkansas head man, but it this simply a case of going through someone else's trash? Getting to a bowl in the next two years is a must, as is beating Mississippi State.
5. Georgia Tech
Prestige Factor: Better than you might think. It’s a solid job that opening that’ll attract its share of big names. In a big city with an administration that wants to crank things up to another level right now, Tech should be able to have its pick of several big-time names.
Ideal Candidate Would Have … the media savvy to win over Atlanta. Georgia is the top dog in the state, even in Atlanta, so it’ll require a charismatic head man who can sell the program as more than just a second-fiddle.
They Should Think About … UCF head coach George O’Leary
The Skinny: No, Tech isn’t going to go rehire O’Leary. Florida State offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher and Auburn defensive coordinator Will Muschamp are the likely front-runners, but don’t rule out a shocker of a name being thrown into the mix before all is said and done. Going the pro route actually worked a bit with Gailey, and Tech might at least consider throwing a feeler phone call to Oakland Raider head man Lane Kiffin or Atlanta head coach Bobby Petrino.
4. Texas A&M
Prestige Factor: Not remotely close to as high as Aggie fans think it is.
Ideal Candidate Would Have Had … more of a “wow’ factor. Mike Sherman has a nice résumé and should certainly be able to step in and get the Aggies to bowl games every year, but he’s not going to force Oklahoma or Texas to close up shop.
They Should’ve Thought About … North Carolina head coach Butch Davis
The Skinny: Sherman certainly knows the program and is part of the Aggie family, but is he really the guy to take the program to that next level it’s been dying to get to for several years? As disappointing and embarrassing as the Dennis Franchione era became, he beat Texas over the last two years. Sherman can be great right away, but he has to come up with wins over the Longhorns right away.
3. Arkansas
Prestige Factor: Relatively high. Depending on who you believe, this is a powder keg of a program ready to blow up, or Houston Nutt basically maxed it out in a nasty SEC West. The next head coach will be walking into an extremely interesting situation.
Ideal Candidate Would Have … a mega-name. In a conference full of heavyweight head men, the Hogs need someone who won’t blink at the idea of game-planning against Nick Saban and Urban Meyer.
They Should Think About … North Carolina head coach Butch Davis
The Skinny: Watch out for this to be Alabama-lite. Arkansas will make a run after several monster names, including a few from the NFL, only to be rebuffed like Bama was last year, although on a much less public scale, before getting a high-powered coordinator like Florida State offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher.