[uncafan]

I'm not saying it's happening this year but that's been one of the bigger rumors out of Chapel Hill for a few years, especially with the AD getting closer to retirement.

Speaking of Chapel hill there's a rumor that Butch Davis might be interested in the ND job. But would they be interested in him? He can't even beat NCSU right now...

Urban Meyer would be interested in the ND job....but will he leave? Who knows. His contract does have a ND clause in it, and he has been on record saying it was always a dream job for him.... But, seems to me he is pretty well entrenched at UF.

I think there are some other guys out there that are at successful programs that might at least be willing to talk -- Les Miles for one. Obviously Brian Kelly is a hot name right now.... If I'm Notre Dame though, i'm looking for a Les Miles, a Mike D'Antonio someone that has proven at MULTIPLE schools they can build a winning program and also has experience at a major college football program.

No matter what you think of Notre Dame and how far its fallen...The tradition, the money, the schedule, the noteriety, and really the *opportunity* to succeed are still unmatched. I can only name maybe a handful of guys that you say "no way" they'd be interested. Jim Tressel, Mack Brown, Bob Stoops, Nick Saban, Pete Carrol...outside of those guys who are at programs with similar pedigree and history what relatively young coach wouldn't listen if Notre Dame called?

[SuperJon]

I think Butch is too old to go to Notre Dame. Plus, why would they want him? He'd occasionally win a big game but would lose to the rivals every year.

[Sly Fox]

I've been bumping around the Marshall boards and Coach Rocco's name has come up a few times but is not that prevalent. Hopefully their search committee has similar thoughts because that is one place where I could really see him succeeding.

Obviously FSU will have to go with Jimbo to avoid the $5M penalty when Bobby retires. And it doesn't appear that Fridge will be shown the door in College Park due to his $5M buyout. SCincy will likely promote from within when Kelly moves on. There really aren't that many great jobs out there right now or in the near future barring a shocking turn of events.

[LUconn]

Miami was ridiculous when Butch was there. Have you ever gone back and checked out the 2000 (Davis' last year) and 2001 depth chart (year after Davis left)? It is silly. They had so many NFL superstars being backed up by even more NFL superstars. If he never left for the Browns, that program would make USC look like USC

[Bigsouthking]

ND job isn't that great, academic standards, no tradition since the early 90's.... south bend is a dump.... kids want to play in warm weather... the big ten sucks just like ND... bad weather = slow big guys --- can't beat the SEC or Big 12/PAC 10

Clemson and GT get smacked by avg SEC teams.... and CU and GT are better than half of the Big 10 teams.

[ToTheLeft]

Heard someone say they're going to take a run at Gruden and Dungy. One team's trash, as they say.

Dungy?? Trash?? Maybe you've be in a coma the past few years TTL but I'm not sure Dungy's name deserves to be in any post with the word "trash".. Worst season at INdy was 10-6 and went to the playoffs all 7 seasons.. Only one season ever below .500 in TB his 1st season..

Gruden def made his bed in TB by winning a Super Bowl his first season (expectations stuck even if that was Dungy's team) still went 9-7 in his last 2 years- even in his 2 worst years the following year TB won the NFC South... even still trash??

I'm a fan of Dungy (not the Colts per se as a Steeler guy)- Gruden isn't the best analyst I've ever listened to on MNF-- Not sure I'd say trash to either, but I certainly don't know why Dungy is referred as such in your post..

One could argue that ND couldn't do much worse record wise- but either of these guys have the potential to turn that program around.. I think they need a young guy like Boise State coach Chris Peterson who obviously knows how to coach at the college level in terms of preparation/recruiting/game schemes, etc.. If Peterson can get results on the Blue Turf- imagine what he could do at Notre Dame.. Just my $0.02..

To king and to posty...

I was being sarcastic. I would much rather have either of those coaches right now instead of Raheem. I hate Gruden but one more year of him would have been better than Raheem right now, this is just brutal. It is just weird that the two very successful former coaches of my favorite team are being talked about as ND HC candidates. Neither is "trash", though Gruden is pretty good at trashing a team. I was referring, as LUconn said, to the Bucs tendency to get rid of Super Bowl winning coaches, QB's, etc...

[uncafan]

ND job isn't that great, academic standards, no tradition since the early 90's.... south bend is a dump.... kids want to play in warm weather... the big ten sucks just like ND... bad weather = slow big guys --- can't beat the SEC or Big 12/PAC 10

Clemson and GT get smacked by avg SEC teams.... and CU and GT are better than half of the Big 10 teams.

So why are there more NFL players from the Big Ten than both the Pac-10 and Big 12?? As of the 2008 (last) season the ACC, and Big Ten both had between 230-240 NFL players, The SEC has around 260. Pac-10 and Big 12 had 183 and 176 respectively. Big East has 80 something. On any given year the conferences move up and down -- the past 4-5 years the SEC has been trending up, but things do change. At the beginning of the Decade the ACC was arguably the 'top' conference with the Big Ten arguably being the deepest...So, its all fluid.

Miami has the most NFL players currently active (46) followed by Ohio State (44) and FSU, and then I think Tennessee... its always laughable to me when Ohio State, Michigan and other big ten teams have 6 or 7 guys drafted and then some southern honk tries to tell me that Clemson, GT, and NC State play a 'faster brand of football'. Come on...The NFL is all about speed. If it was about weather Ohio State wouldn't be recruiting so well (top 3 class EVERY year), Oregon wouldn't be getting the freak athletes they do, neither would Virginia Tech. Furthermore if bad weather=slow guys why does Ohio High School football produce more NFL players than any state except Florida, Texas and California? Last time I checked Ohio isn't in the south.

"No tradition since the early 90s" come on, tradition isn't built in a decade... Its still one of the greatest college football programs ever. And if the tradition is gone, why have they had top 10 recruiting classes the last few years? They have more money than any other program in the nation -- they have their own NETWORK for goodness sake, and its still a really big deal to go play at Notre Dame. Yeah the academic issues hurt them (as it hurts the Big Ten and some Pac-10 schools) because they don't have the same standards most SEC schools do, but they have proven they can still recruit talent.

[Liberty4Life]

Clearly, the answer is former Fighting Irish QB Ken Karcher. As the offensive coordinator, he successfully guided Eastern Michigan to an 0-12 record... But imagine how bad they'd be without Karcher!

[Sly Fox]

Well played, L4L. Well played.

[ALUmnus]

ND job isn't that great, academic standards, no tradition since the early 90's.... south bend is a dump.... kids want to play in warm weather... the big ten sucks just like ND... bad weather = slow big guys --- can't beat the SEC or Big 12/PAC 10

Wow, someone gets all their talking points from a certain espn radio talk show host.

[uncafan]

Heard someone say they're going to take a run at Gruden and Dungy. One team's trash, as they say.

haha did you see what Dungy said last night when asked about the odds he's interested in the job?

Something to the effect of, "Is there something less than a zero % chance?" Well played Tony...

Actually I don't think he would ever take the job in a million years, but he WOULD be an awesome fit both as a coach and in terms of his faith, morals, and the type of program he would run, the fit makes sense. However, someone can correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think he ever coached in college (first job was an assistant under Chuck Knoll for the Steelers) and I really believe him when he says he's not interested....

And one quick comment on the apparent end of the Bowden era. Amazing the difference between how HD treated Weis and FSU treated Bowden. Who should deserve a better exit? Who should be shown the door with more class? Yet reportedly FSU offered Bowden the option 'to stay on' so that when he turned it down they could claim that they 'gave him the chance to stay and it was Bowden that wanted to leave.'

In contrast its been confirmed that ND waited to contact any other potential candidates until after they met with Weis. And they are also allowing Weis to meet with underclassmen players to discuss the possibility of going to the NFL vs. returning. Also heard a report this morning that Weis and the AD have continued to talk even Weis calling to check up on the AD and 'how things are going.' True Weis has a lot of money coming his way, no reason to be mad about that... But its amazing how much classier the process seems in South Bend. I get that Weis was resigned to his fate, and Bowden apparently wanted to stay. But if I'm FSU -- you owe it to that guy -- if it looks bad for the school to 'fire' him than you bite the bullet and take the criticism for a while because that guy deserves to go out with class.

[Schfourteenteen]

But if I'm FSU -- you owe it to that guy --

That's the difference between the two. The Bowden situation was a sticky one, and I'm not sure how much better FSU could have handled it.

[SumItUp]

The option for Bowden to stay on was an invitation to leave the room as quickly as he could get out. I'm not sure, but they might have asked him to clean the helmets and lay out the uniforms in the locker room before gameday.

[olldflame]

But if I'm FSU -- you owe it to that guy --

That's the difference between the two. The Bowden situation was a sticky one, and I'm not sure how much better FSU could have handled it.

They could have handled it a LOT better by never getting into this silly "coach in waiting" nonsense. Jimbo Fisher is as much responsible as anyone for the current state of FSU football, and I really don't think many people think he is the man they need to fix it. They need to bite the bullet, take the 5 million dollar hit and go after the man they really want for the job. Who that is, I have no Idea.

[Hold My Own]

No kidding! BB doesnt even wear head phones...he doesnt call plays...he's been a figure head for a few years now and JF is the head coach...clean house and start over


Joe Pa is the same way...he hasnt been a coach in years

[TDDance234]

But if I'm FSU -- you owe it to that guy --

That's the difference between the two. The Bowden situation was a sticky one, and I'm not sure how much better FSU could have handled it.

They could have handled it a LOT better by never getting into this silly "coach in waiting" nonsense. Jimbo Fisher is as much responsible as anyone for the current state of FSU football, and I really don't think many people think he is the man they need to fix it. They need to bite the bullet, take the 5 million dollar hit and go after the man they really want for the job. Who that is, I have no Idea.

I understand the need to have a sense of stability in a program but to put a $5 million dollar poison pill in that contract is one of the dumbest moves I've ever seen.

[uncafan]

No kidding! BB doesnt even wear head phones...he doesnt call plays...he's been a figure head for a few years now and JF is the head coach...clean house and start over


Joe Pa is the same way...he hasnt been a coach in years

I'm not sure about Bowden... But I do know Joe Pa still makes calls. No he's not involved in play calling but if its 4th and 2 from the 45yd line its still HIS call whether they go for it or not, and in watching FSU games it seems to me it was the same way with Bowden.
Joe Pa is possibly more involved in the day-to-day operations than Bowden was, i really have no clue...Can only speak for PSU on that one.

I know its a stick situation and its tough but I don't see how they could have handled it any worse. News leaked about him leaving BEFORE (allegedly) he was told. They offered him a joke position they knew he'd never (publicly) accept to ensure he wasn't hanging around.

I guess my feeling is why not offer him the chance to Retire/Resign and then if he says no man up and say OK Bobby its time to go. And when the heat comes down for 'firing' him take the heat. If its the right move, stand up and do it...Rather than slinking around and hiding behing the 'we gave him the chance to stay but he didn't want to' excuse. I mean its not like they have to pay Jimbo that $5 million next year year, that bonus kicks in if he's not the head coach for the 2011 season, not 2010. There was no gun to their head. They want him out, but they are clearly scared of the backlash and needed a cop-out in case things turn south with boosters etc. And I think this ends up being much worse because they are trying to be cute and everyone can see right through it.

[Sly Fox]

FootballCoachScoop.com is reporting tonight that gary Patterson is pulling himself out of the carousel line with a contract extension at TCU. They also report UVa's Littlepage has reached out to Air Force head coach Troy Calhoun. And believe it or not, Terry Bowden is interviewing at Murray State. Harbaugh appears to be the hottest property out there with Notre Dame & Kansas very interested.

[JK37]

I understand the need to have a sense of stability in a program but to put a $5 million dollar poison pill in that contract is one of the dumbest moves I've ever seen.

Or one of the smartest, depending from whose perspective you choose to view it. Such a clause makes Jimbo and his agents now look like geniuses!

[ToTheLeft]

FootballCoachScoop.com is reporting tonight that gary Patterson is pulling himself out of the carousel line with a contract extension at TCU. They also report UVa's Littlepage has reached out to Air Force head coach Troy Calhoun. And believe it or not, Terry Bowden is interviewing at Murray State. Harbaugh appears to be the hottest property out there with Notre Dame & Kansas very interested.

UVA would run the triple option? Or he'd coach a different style?

[ALUmnus]

Harbaugh's got a somewhat decent gig right now, and if he thinks he can win next year, I think he stays. He's a Michigan man, that doesn't mix well with the Irish school with the French name.

[LUconn]

Kansas is interested in Harbaugh? I didn't know they fired their coach. Seems like he's the only guy that's had success there in decades if not ever.

[uncafan]

Kansas is interested in Harbaugh? I didn't know they fired their coach. Seems like he's the only guy that's had success there in decades if not ever.

Ever hear of Ty Willingham? He went 44-36-1 with 4 bowl appearances in his 7 years at Stanford (1995-2001). Harbaugh is 24-23 right now and I'd say if he stays he has a shot at matching Willingham's mark, considering the young players he has coming back. But you never know. What Willingham did was extremely impressive, i think he also won an outright Pac-10 title one year? Although not 100% on that.

They also have a pretty storied history from back in the day -- a couple National championships earlier in the century and a regular Pac-10 champion in the 70s and 80s. I guess John Elway might have been a reason during the 80. Still, gotta be even tougher to recruit there now with academics, makes Notre Dame look like a cake walk.

[Sly Fox]

Don't feel sorry for Stanford. They have great resources and now Harbaugh has bigtime bragging rights on Carroll. He's bringing in some great talent in February.

I don't think Harbaugh would pass on ND even if Michigan is probably his dream job. Remember that 3 years ago he was coaching a non-scholarship team. His rise is nothing short of meteoric. And his ego seems tailor-made for the position.

[ALUmnus]

Kansas is interested in Harbaugh? I didn't know they fired their coach. Seems like he's the only guy that's had success there in decades if not ever.

Ever hear of Ty Willingham? He went 44-36-1 with 4 bowl appearances in his 7 years at Stanford (1995-2001). Harbaugh is 24-23 right now and I'd say if he stays he has a shot at matching Willingham's mark, considering the young players he has coming back. But you never know. What Willingham did was extremely impressive, i think he also won an outright Pac-10 title one year? Although not 100% on that.

They also have a pretty storied history from back in the day -- a couple National championships earlier in the century and a regular Pac-10 champion in the 70s and 80s. I guess John Elway might have been a reason during the 80. Still, gotta be even tougher to recruit there now with academics, makes Notre Dame look like a cake walk.

Read: Kansas