What’s the better job?
Sounds more and more like three big-time college football jobs could be open after this season.
If not sooner.
Bill Callahan at Nebraska and Dennis Franchione at Texas A&M are almost certainly gone. Houston Nutt and Arkansas could be parting ways, too. That would leave the Cornhuskers, Aggies and Razorbacks without a coach.
Those are three of the more storied programs in college football.
But if you’re a hot-shot coaching prospect, which one do you go after? Who do you call and tell you’re interested? Who do you avoid like the plague?
Nebraska used to be a great gig. The Cornhuskers are not only the only show in town but also the only one within about a six-state region. With that comes all sorts of support, both financial and otherwise.
But Nebraska built its powerhouse on option football. The Cornhuskers of Bob Devaney and Tom Osborne would’ve rather done the chicken dance down Main Street in Lincoln than throw the ball. That worked then. But now, one-dimensional offenses are hard-pressed to win championships, whether just running or just passing. Defenses are too good now.
Can Nebraska win passing the ball?
It sure hasn’t looked that way under Callahan.
Plus, all the long-standing expectations of Cornhusker fans remain. They still want to win even though the days of dominant powerhouses are over.
So, what about Texas A&M and Arkansas?
The Aggies have a much bigger recruiting pool from which to draw. The state of Texas is ready pickings for college football recruiters. Trouble is, Texas A&M is always going to play second-fiddle to Texas. The Longhorns have more fans, more tradition, more luster.
Plus, trying to win in the Big 12 South is no picnic.
Then again, neither is winning in the SEC. That’s the biggest hurdle that the Arkansas job presents. But in a way, playing in the SEC might make it the most attractive of those three jobs.
Let me explain.
Like Nebraska, Arkansas is the only show in town. The Razorbacks have the entire state behind them. That is evident in the palace of a football stadium that they have built. And like Texas A&M, the Razorbacks are close to fertile recruiting ground. The state of Arkansas may not have an abundance of talent, but it borders Texas, Louisiana, and is only a hop, skip and jump from those abundant southern states. You can recruit big-time talent to Arkansas.
Because the SEC is so tough, titles will be difficult to come by. And frankly, I think every administrator, booster and fan of an SEC school understands that. Great teams will still have difficulty in the SEC. That’s just the way it goes in the meat-grinder that the conference has become.
So, if a coach wins nine or 10 games a year, keeps the program clean and stays on the good side of boosters, he can keep his job without winning a bunch of titles.
Look at Mark Richt. The Georgia coach hasn’t won a national title in his first seven years in Athens, but no one is asking for his head. He’s kept himself out of hot water and won a bunch of games every year. That’s been enough to appease folks at Georgia.
The same could happen at Arkansas.
Heck, Houston Nutt wouldn’t be in jeopardy if he’d stayed on the good side of Razorback fans. He’s on the hot seat because of what’s happened off the field more so than what’s happened on it.
Nebraska and Texas A&M would be good gigs for a coach, but when the coaching carousel starts turning, I say Arkansas is just a little bit better.
If you enjoyed this post, please consider to leave a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.
Comments
You are crazy. Texas A&M could accidentally raise more money at a church BBQ than Arkansas could raise across the entire state on purpose. The A&M people are part of a cult. They just have not had a winner and when one shows up, they have far more resources to support that guy than Nebraska and Arkansas combined. I am a transplanted OSU grad and have lived in Dallas 20 years. If A&M ever hires a Mack Brown or Bob Stoops, they will dominate for a generation.
I beg to differ that t.u. has more tradition than A&M. Do a little more research and I believe you will find that is true.
Great article… I’m a hog fan looking for a good coach. We want a championship, yes… but at least be competitive. Bring a decent QB and a kicker and let’s get after it. We love a good fight then leave it on the field and move on to the next battle. We know it is going to be tough, that just makes each victory sweeter.
Thanks for the article.