Published December 8, 2010 - 4:53pm
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Well, it’s December, so it’s time for the annual Urban Meyer retirement. Meyer joins Brett Favre and Jay-Z as the most frequent retirees in America. This only fuels the rumors that Meyer actually died after the Alabama game last year and has been replaced by a laid-back lookalike. It’s the exact plot from the movie Dave starring Kevin Kline and Sigourney Weaver.
Once again, the most attractive head coaching job in America is available. The new Head Coach at Florida will walk into $4 million a year, the most feared stadium in football, and recruiting backyard more fertile than Kate Gosselin loaded up on pregnancy hormones.
University of Florida Athletic Director Jeremy Foley will have no shortage of willing replacements. Here is the short list as I see it…
#1 – Chip Kelly
Kelly is the head coach of Oregon. The offensive genius has made Oregon the top program in the Pac-10 after only 2 seasons. His record as a head coach is 22-3. He’s currently prepping the Ducks for the BCS National Championship game.
Why he should: He’ll get to leave Oregon, which will always have built in difficulties when it comes to recruiting. He’ll get a chance to run his offense with the best athletes in the best conference in college football.
Why he won’t: Timing is a big hurdle. Will Florida be willing to wait mid-January for Kelly? Will the other names on Florida’s list be willing to wait?
#2 – Jon Gruden
This guy has won a Super Bowl in the state of Florida. He has been close with Urban Meyer and the University of Florida since he left Bucs. His name was floated after Meyer’s initial retirement. He brings a large variety of scowls and a surfer’s haircut from 1993. It was rumored that he accepted the Head Coach position at The U, and the other state school immediately got really nervous. He’d be deadly on the recruiting trail.
Why he should: He wouldn’t have to kill himself like he would in the NFL. There is plenty of stress at the college level, ask Meyer, but it’s not like NFL stress. Gruden would do very well at the college level and Florida would be the perfect fit.
Why he won’t: The Dallas Cowboys, San Diego Chargers, and Carolina Panthers will likely all be interested in Gruden. The NFL might be where his heart is and he’d have his pick of some nice jobs.
#3 – Chris Petersen
Chris Petersen has been winning games at Boise St, which I think is in Narnia. No coach has done so much with so little since… Urban Meyer. Peterson feels like Urban Meyer, and the rumor is Meyer himself recommended Peterson to Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley.
Why he should: Like Kelly, it’s a chance to play with the big boys. He’s proven not to be a fluke by consistently beating more talented teams in bowl games. The idea of Peterson with Florida’s caliber of talent is exciting. It’s also a chance to escape the mythical land of Boise.
Why he won’t: He hasn’t left Boise yet, despite being targeted for other great jobs. Maybe he’s comfortable being the guy on the outside?
#4 – Dan Mullen
Mullen is the current head coach at Mississippi State and the former offensive coordinator at Florida under Meyer. He’s done a great job at arguably the worst job in the SEC including beating Meyer at the Swamp on October 16th. Even if he doesn’t get the Florida job, he won’t be at Mississippi State for long.
Why he should: He’d take the job if offered. He would be the fastest and smoothest transition.
Why he won’t: Somebody higher on the list accepts the job. Mullen would swim across the Gulf of Mexico for this job.
#5 – Bob Stoops
Stoops is the current head coach at Oklahoma and was the defensive coordinator for Florida’s first national championship team in 1996. He’s 128-31 as a head coach including the 2000 National Championship.
Why he should: He was at the top of Florida’s list in 2001 after Steve Spurrier went to the Washington Redskins and again after Ron Zook was fired, so Florida has shown plenty interest in the past. Each time Stoops got a raise from Oklahoma.
Why he won’t: He’s past his prime. I don’t think he’s still the top name on the Florida list.
Others Possible Candidates
Former Florida Head Coach Steve Spurrier, Stanford Head Coach Jim Harbaugh, New York Jets Offensive Coordinator and former Florida QB Brian Shottenheimer, Former Defensive Coordinator Charlie Strong, Jacksonville Head Coach and former Florida QB Kerwin Bell and absolute disaster Ron Zook (I’m totally kidding).
What do you think Gator fans? Who do you want to replace Meyer?
I think Chris Peterson or Chip Kelly would do great at Florida, giving the speedsters there some more trick plays and more of a spread option setup. Either of those would be a perfect fit, Charlie Strong is a long shot, and Steve Spurrier isn’t going to leave SC
Chip Kelly’s buyout is $4 million… does Flordia have that deep of pockets?
Yeah, we’ve got that much. I don’t think Kelly is Choice #1 or #2, though.
The Gators practically have deeper pockets more than 99% of all athletic programs in the country. We built our stadium renovations and additions totally with booster contributions….not state money like FSU did….and our stadium is paid for! Name me the programs that have deeper pockets around? Money is not an issue to get the right coach. Just ask the Ben Hill Griffin family!
“We” have deeper pockets.
No mention of Gus Malzahn… strange…
Id say Alabama, Auburn and maybe Tennessee are on the same grounds as Florida with money.
Chips not going anywhere, likes Oregon, parents moved out here this year. Oh and recruiting, he’s not only pilfering Texas he’s coming after Florida now.
Talk to me when you crack a top3 recruiting class. As of now you are 19th. Meyer never had a recruiting class finish outside top3 in 5 years. A few were consistently #1 including last years which most say is the best class ever put together. This is the reason Chip will leave. He can never recruit like that in Oregon. Never! Keep dreaming. If CK doesn’t leave this year he will most def leave in the next few years.
How’s that working out for Florida this year?
I agree Will, I think either Chis Petersen or Chip Kelly would be a great choice to be Florida’s next head coach along with Gary Patterson of TCU.
Chip Kelly will not leave Nike University.
I tend to agree. Whatever Florida offers, Phil Knight will match it. Even $5mil+ per year. Urban Meyers resignation might result in a massive pay raise for Chip Kelly.
Exactly right.
Chip Kelly built his own home on land outside Eugene. He moved his parents to Florence, OR before the season. And we have Phil Knight giving us this “toys” (facilities) like this: http://www.oregongridiron.com/facilities_pages/cas_expansion.html
He’s not going anywhere before 2015… or beyond.
Besides, the Coach is beginning to recruit in Florida. Tacoi Sumler – the FASTEST recruit for 2011 (Laser Timed 4.24 40yd dash), as well as Jerrard Randall, are likely to be joining Eric Dungy here at Oregon.
Yea, if Spurrier leaves USC, it will be for the golf course and retirement. How about Gus Malzone? Or Mike Shula! HAHHAHA!!! Kidding on the last one!!
Wow, Gus Malzahn…didn’t consider that option. He might a good under-the-radar candidate.
There’s going to be a lot of D1 coaches reassuring their schools tonight and tomorrow that they are committed to staying put…and they will have dark circles under their eyes from staying up into the wee hours to update their resumes.
THE MOST ATTRACTIVE head coaching job in AMERICA? Maybe one of em..
THE MOST FEARED stadium in football? I can name 2-3 stadiums ahead of this one and 1 is in the SEC..
WiLL… Come On Man !.. What are you smokin Homie ?
Charlie Strong, with Kerwin Bell as offensive coordinator
How come Turner Gill is not at the top of the list?
Ask Charles Barkley
You have got to be kidding ~!!!!!
Les Miles may be a candidate
if not the ole ball coach… then Charlie Strong
Normally I would say that a coach needs to do better than 6-6 in the Big East to be considered for a job like UF, but the Chizik hire pretty much broke all the rules. Chizik hire may have been a fluke though. If Chizik had not hired Malzahn and brought in Newton to run the offense The Chiz would be looking at another 7 or 8 win season and Auburn fans would be calling it another rebuilding year.
6-6 in the Big Easy though is not real impressive and a 3-4 conference record in a bad conference is not encouraging. Nobody expects him to be Bobby Petrino, but at least have a winning conference record. TCU is going to abuse the Big East for the next few years and with conference powerhouse UCONN (hard to type that without laughing) on the schedule every year it looks like Charlie is going to have a hard time winning in da’ville.
A logical choice from the coach’s perspective? Chizik. Cam will be a Bill or a Bengal next year, and it’s always better to move while you’re hot, not in the hot seat. Hiring Chizik makes at least short-term sense for Florida, as it would signal recruits that “we replaced Meyer with the hottest product available.” The question is, would Florida think he could win without some of the more, er, enthusiastic recruiting tactics employed on the Plains?
Chizik and Malzahn are not best hires in my opinion. How much of their success is due to Cam Newton? We’ll know in 2011 i think.
You should not be writing for this site if you think that Auburn’s success is based on Cam Newton.
Auburn has the most SEC player of the week’s this season, they have the number 9 overall NFL prospect on the board based on Scouts INC in Nick Fairley. Auburn had the number 4 overall recruiting class in the nation last season, they had the #1 rated offensive line recruiting class in the nation last season. Auburn landed Michael Dyer the number 1 rated running back in the nation or number 2 depending on your source.
As for the coaches themselves… how many big wins has Iowa state had over the last 2 years? They have beaten both Texas and Nebraska with Chiziks recruits (judging off this comment I am replying to you may not even know that he was the coach of the Cyclones)
As for Malzahn, he is not only the inventor of the modern day wildcat offense which is now used by nearly every single D1 football team, and every single NFL team, but he also was a first year college coach straight out of high school when using that offense.
Malzahn was also the O Cordinator at a school called Tulsa (again judging from your terrible comments you probably did not know that.) While at Tulsa the Golden Hurricane managed to do quite well.
During the 2007 season Malzahn emerged as one of the premier offensive coordinators in the nation, as Tulsa ranked 1st in the nation in total yards per game, ahead of Texas Tech and Hawaiʻi, and with a more balanced attack than both teams. The Golden Hurricane also ranked 3rd in the nation in passing and led their conference in scoring. Tulsa became the first team in NCAA history to have a 5,000-yard passer, a 1,000-yard rusher and three 1,000-yard receivers in a single season.
In 2008, Tulsa was again the nation’s most prolific attack, leading with nearly 7,980 total yards of offense averaging 570 yards per game. The Golden Hurricane were ranked 2nd in the nation in scoring behind Oklahoma, scoring over 47 points per game. The offense was also the nation’s most balanced attack, ranking 5th in the nation in rushing[11] and 9th in passing. The Tulsa quarterbacks finished 3rd in the nation in passing efficiency, behind only Oklahoma and Texas.
So with that said Chiziks recruiting speaks for itself as does his coaching (Texas national championship as D coordinator and undefeated 2004 season at Auburn as D coordinator)
and Malzahns offense speaks for itself with or without Cam Newton.
I shook my head when you said they would be bad selections, besides Chip Kelly and Mullen they should be the top choices for the Gators.
Quinn: Quite a passionate response. I like Malzahn and Chizik alot. I still don’t think they are the best hires. I think Florida is a top 5 program in the country and can get a bigger name. Yes Malzahn and Chizik are arguably the one of the hottest coaching pairs in the country right now, but you’re kidding yourself if you think Cam Newton has nothing to do with it. Again this is nothing against Malzahn and Chizik, but if I’m the Florida AD i don’t stake the future of the program on Malzahn even if he is a great up and coming coach – just my opinion.
You are entitled to your opinion and I was a little to harsh with my response, but Barrett Trotter has been quite successful in mop up duty as a back up QB. I am just getting quite upset over the general consensus being that Auburn is 13-0 because of Cam Newton.
Last season Cam was in Blinn Texas, and Auburn still set offensive records left and right with a Quarter back that I played against in high school and know fairly well from my home state Chris Todd. Todd had a weak arm from multiple shoulder surgeries and still was able to break records. With that said the entire offense was bound to improve with a second year running the same offensive system. Would we be 13-0 without Cam? Probably not but would Alabama have been 13-0 last season without Ingram? Would Florida have won national championships without Tebow? Nope they would not have, fact of the matter is every program that wins has a star player (LaMichael James) but even without these star players coaches shine, and thats why Malzahn was putting up numbers at every school he has been at, and while Chizik’s recruiting has been off the charts.
Sorry for the harsh comments last time.
No need to apologize. I appreciate the enthusiasm, and I think we don’t disagree as much as you think.
Hate to burst your bubble, but without Scam, Auburn loses to Mississippi State, Clemson, South Carolina, Alabama, more than likely LSU and maybe Kentucky for the second year in a row.
Scam was a really good investment. Cha Ching!
Vic:
You are also forgetting Arkansas. Fourteen of Auburn’s points were courtesy of SEC officiating.
PubliusIX, do you really want to go there? A fan of a team on 3 years NCAA probation for major rules infractions, just two years removed from coming off of 5 years of NCAA probation for major rules infractions, accusing other teams of NCAA infractions is just so hypocritical.
Johnny Smith I don’t recall him coming out and saying anywhere in his comment that rules were broken. You would be a fool to believe that there are only one or two schools who use recruiting tactics that are “questionable”. Every comment you make you sound more like a typical football fan who believes that the team they pull for is perfect and without a single rule broken ever. Always excuses though right?
Tucker, I am familiar with PubliusIX comments from other message boards. Exactly how would you interpret his phrase… “The question is, would Florida think he could win without some of the more, er, enthusiastic recruiting tactics employed on the Plains?”
Exactly what ARE these “enthusiastic recruiting tactics employed on the Plains” that Chizik and Malzahn wouldn’t be able use at Florida, and why couldn’t they use them there? You’re right. He didn’t come right out and accuse Auburn of cheating. He merely used code words to imply as much.
Oregon is a better job than Florida. Hands down. The best facilities in the land. Incredible fan and donor support. AND you don’t have to deal with SEC trash who will call for your job the first year you don’t get to the title game.
you must be smoking those weird Oregon mushrooms : )
and you are just a wee bit high on yourself and your program…which couldn’t even beat Florida State this season….Chip Kelly isn’t going to leave for Florida that I can guarantee.
How many titles does Oregon have? Congrats on beating 4 bowl eligible teams. UF may be down this year but so what? To think Oregon could even hold Florida’s jock in fan support, donors, recruiting, or stadium is a joke. You have Phil Knight…thats it. Our donors together could buy and sell his ass. We have the most powerful booster program in the country and if we want your coach we will have him. You can’t keep him bc you are Orgeon lol. The only thing you have that is better than UF is track so go suck on Pre’s nuts. Oh yeah he’s dead! Dumb Oregon hippies.
I hate Florida, but to say Oregon is anywhere near them in anything is ridiculous. Play one year in the SEC.
Chip Kelly? Not a chance.
Chip Kelly is loyal. He has a brand new contract, with incentives, I think he will get around 4 Million this year. Chris Peterson and half his staff are Ducks. IF you can pry them away from Boise, You’d have a good recruiting staff and wonderful X & O men. I don’t think they will leave. Stoops, you can have him! Jim Harbaugh, I don’t think he’d leave Stanford when he’s about to get a newly restructured contract, and can bang heads with Chip Kelly every other year oin the expanded Pac 12 beginning next year. The Pac 10 (12) is one H— of a conference, playing 9 league games without loading up with “Our Lady of the Valley” every other Saturday! Hint: Pick someone from the East Coast, someone used to your humidity!
With the expansion, do you think the PAC 12 will continue to try and play every conference opponent, and only have one non-conference game a year for each school? It’s not that hard to play against all of your league opponents when you only have ten teams, but it’s difficult when you have twelve teams. With the new divisions in the PAC 12, I would assume they set up a conference schedule similar to the SEC and Big XII, or whatever they’ll be called next season. Ironic, huh? The Big Ten will now have twelve teams, and the Big XII will have ten teams.
Don’t count out kerwin bell. He has been a successful head coach and he is former gator.
Dan MULLEN has the worst job in the SEC??? Then why would he be there? Someone who is at the top of the list for, according to you, the most attractive head coaching job in America?? Don’t be dissing an SEC program dufus!!!
Mullen has already shown UF what we’ve missed since he left, too. Agreed, MSU is most certainly not the worst job in the SEC. What about Vandy?
But I really hope we make a move for Mullen…
You guys are crazy… Chip would never leave Oregon. The best athletes, yeah right . We are going to Glendale, not Florida… I guess we need athletes from florida to be in the championship??? You guys are pathetic and your team sucks !!! Your teams problem is your over inflated egos and self entitlement… Go Ducks…
your ducks are going to get a good taste of real football on january 10. florida has 2 nc in 6 years.
go gators
Lol. By “real football” you must mean “Schedule Chattanooga midseason so we don’t have to play a full conference schedule but we will still play more games, have a better winning percentage, and overall fewer losses per team.”
48-13
31-17
Ooo that’s some real football.
By that score, Oregon is a measly 3 touchdowns better than florida. Meh. Better than some have been.
This is the only year you could beat UF. Congrats. No other Oregon team in history could play with us year to year. UF is the better program. Are you really comparing schedules?? Oregon is in the National Title after beating 4 bowl teams lol. UF played 11 bowl teams the year they beat Ohio State. That is something you could never do at Oregon bc you play in such a weak conference. Your schedule will never be as tough as UF’s so drop that argument right now. This season you are the better team, but we will be back and loaded next year. Let’s see how you do. Enjoy your time in the limelight. Next season football will be back to reality. This is the last time a Pac team will play for the BCS unless a playoff happens. You dont have the strength of schedule in your crap conference.
Just so you know moron….
Auburn’s strength of schedule – 4th
Oregon’s strength of schedule – 76th
Even TCU had a tougher strength of schedule than Oregon. They came in at 75th.
Try playing in the SEC instead of playing one ranked team all season, and see if you don’t schedule an easy game or two. But then again, I forgot that Portland State and New Mexico were such powerhouses in college football haha. You are all up on your high horse and think you are invincible, but wait until January 10th. I can’t wait to see your dream season come crashing down and leave Oregon with still no football championship in their history. War Eagle!
A game Florida certainly wouldn’t be able to handle…
So you can beat us this year? Puff out that chest bc there is no other Oregon team in history that can play on the same field as UF. Congrats on your one year bc we dont have a QB or OC. Do it consistently and then you can be mentioned as a top school. Otherwise just realize your program isnt as good.
You guys have one decent season and you think you are god’s gift to football? You will never be a better program than UF. Get real?! You are Oregon! You run track and smoke weed. That is what you do. Leave the football to the south. We have 3 National Titles and you have none. We have 3 Heisman candidates and you have none. We have one down year and all of a sudden you are better? Get real lol. UF will bounce back and your coach will be gone whether he comes here or not. No good coach will stay in your pathetic state. They will come to the south where the weather is better, the women are hotter, and the football is far more superior. Stick you track you pansies.
What are you guys smoking? You sound like Florida is at the pinnacle of the football world. Bob Stoops would see Florida as a step UP? Chip Kelly? Stoops has built a program that has won more consistently than Florida has over the last decade. Kelly ditto for his three years in the program. Get over yourselves.
DHLA. There is one other college football program mentioned in the same breath as Texas….Florida.
Well, lets think about that Jon. Texas lost seven games this year and is not bowl eligible, and Florida lost five games and is playing in the Outback bowl. Not sure any other teams would want to be mentioned in the same breath with those two programs.
Way to look at it year to year. UF won 2 National Titles in the past 4 years and finished 2nd last year. If Oregon ever does that then feel free to mention them in the same breath. So far your team hasnt won anything.
How many national titles has Oregon won??
Hey Kev. How many players per year do you have to have arrested to coach at Florida?
I guess you can win lots of national titles when you pay your players to get them to your school. Isn’t that how it’s done in the SEC.
That is how it is done everywhere dude. How do you think you get any decent players to want to go to Eugene? The cold, rainy, woods?? Sign me up right outta the ghetto. Just like home! Yeah right! To think money hasnt changed hands at EVERY team in a major conference is absurd! The SEC is just richer and we can pay more. hence why we get the better athletes.
Well said DHLA. These SEC hacks drive me crazy. If they’re the best conference with the best athletes, and best coaches why are the looking to the lowly pac-10 or big-12 for coaches? According to them nobody else in the country even knows how to play football.
How many titles has OK won in the past 5 years? Yeah they are consistently better lol. When he did face UF is a Title game he got owned. Do your homework.
Come to think of it, why not Nick Saban? Or Mike Tomlin? Or Barack Obama?
Desmond Tutu?
Must be some job there at Florida.
“He’ll get to leave Oregon, which will always have built in difficulties when it comes to recruiting. He’ll get a chance to run his offense with the best athletes in the best conference in college football.”
What are you smoking?! Why would Chip leave Oregon for a place that their head coach just quit – think about it – not fired – quit! That should tell you every thing about what type of a program Florida is and how little you know about Chip and Oregon and the family that we are up here.
Go Ducks!
Urban Meyer also quit last year, after finishing second in the nation. Meyer is a good coach but doesn’t have the intestinal fortitude to continue battling the pressures of being an SEC coach. Whether you agree or not, the SEC is the toughest conference in the nation. Since the inception of the BCS in 1998, the SEC has won six of the BCS titles, and the past four in a row, with all of those four wins being by double digits. Auburn’s appearance in the Bowl will be the league’s fifth appearance in a row. The SEC could have won seven of the first twelve BCS titles, but Auburn, at 13-0, was snubbed by the NCAA committee in 2004. The PAC 10 has had only two appearances in the BCS title game, both by USC, and has only one win.
looks like Dan Mullen will get this job because the candidates “ahead of him” won’t leave there current posts or have better offers…dbr
If we want CK he is ours. Your shit program can’t even compete. Congrats on your one good season, but let’s be honest you are still a middle of the road PAC team. When USC is back you guys are back to the likes of Arizona and the Beavers. Stanford has more to offer than you guys. The only reason Mullen is the leading candidate is bc of the smooth transition. We have our pick and at UF we get we want bc we are winners. Our school is better, our girls are hotter, and we have great beach weather year round. You live in the cold, rainy woods. Great selling point. I’m sure you will attract all the big recruits with that one. Go to hell Oregon! Wait, you are already there.
I’m sure you’ve visited Oregon plenty of times, right? You sound like a typical southern dumb ass who doesn’t leave his front porch much – except to get another 6 pack at the 7-11.
Yes, Florida has a better “football tradition” than Oregon. Congratulations. Mark my words – CK is looking to build something great at Oregon. Florida can watch from the sidelines.
Yeah….recruiting in Oregon has ALWAYS been extremely tough. With Nike right around the corner and a National Championship birth this year, recruiting is horrible. I sure hope Chip Kelly can keep up with Florida at Oregon…
Kelly won’t be leaving. It would be the other way around…if Phil Knight and Oregon really wanted Urban Meyer, Oregon would have Urban Meyer. There isn’t a better place to coach or live in the nation, and with the best facilities in the nation/maybe world, Kelly has all he needs right here.
You play in the pac 10 it took Tennessee beating Kentucky, and Washington beating Washington state the final game of the season just for Oregon to play 4 teams that are bowl eligible. Auburn has played more top 25 teams then Oregon has played bowl eligible.
If Oregon went calling Meyer, he would not even answer. With that said Kelly would be stupid to leave for Florida, he plays no competition so he looks like a God. Problem is no one cares about college football on the west coast.
War Eagle. See you in Glendale I already booked my flight.
You have never cracked the top 5 in recruiting. Even after this “magical” year you are currently 19th lol. yeah you are tearing up recruiting. Noone wants to play in the shithole you call Eugene. Even after our 5 losses and a coaching change we will absolutely finish ahead of you in recruiting. That is the reason your coach won’t stay. If we dont get him someone will soon. And btw our boosters can buy and sell Uncle Phil with cash money. There are no deeper pockets than the UF booster program. Do your friggin homework before posting this crap.
Dan Mullen would be the best candidate ,I would hate to see him leave MSU
Best athletes? Most feared stadium? Seems like LSU, Mississippi State and South Carolina were alright in Gainesville…
One year and you think that’s how it is? Typical Oregon D-bag! You guys know nothing about football. Football programs aren’t built on one year. We have more titles and trophies in 5 years than your program will ever have. You ran a perfect season against a terrible schedule. 4 Bowl eligible teams? So what if we have one down year. We are loaded with talent and will rebound. You guys are about to blow your load and still wont beat Auburn. I cant wait to hear you guys cry when your beloved CK leaves for greener pastures. If it doesnt happen this year it will most certainly happen soon. Keep telling yourself…”we are Oregon! We are only good at running. Even with one rich booster our coach wont stay bc he cant recruit in the rainy woods. The South is just better than us in football and the sooner we realize it the better off we will be!”
feel free to s my d on january 11
How about some Mike Bellotti action?
Pretty presumptuous article/fan base. I actually like the Florida football program, but to assume it’s the best place in the country for coaches/players/fans is to ignore the current trend in college football; and it’s not in Gainesville.
Because of one down year due to the worst OC ever? I guess winning 2 Titles in 4 years and finishing 2nd last year means nothing? Give me a freaking break. Did you Oregon idiots even watch football before this year? We are loaded with talent and the next coach will absolutely compete for a Title again. Do your homework. Did you even see our recruiting class last year? The best ever assembled according to most analysts. We will still finish with a top 5 this year during a coach replacement. Oh yeah UF is done by a long shot. lol
Mr Wallace, you certainly have a high opinion of the Gators. What bowl are they playing in this year with 5 losses? Best athletes? most feared stadium? I think you’d better slow down there big fella. Oregon has if not the best, certainly the top two or three athletic facilities in the country. Most would argue that Autzen stadium is one of the most feared stadiums in the country. Uncle Phil is dumping money into the program by the bucket loads. Oregon recruits nationally. In fact we’re already pulling some of the best players in Florida out to the Pac-10 (Tacoi Sumler for example). Chips got it going on at Oregon which I would argue is one of the most attractive coaching jobs in the country. So you boys just poach one of your big time SEC coaches down there and leave us hicks out here on the west coast alone. Go Ducks!!!
Are you crazy? UF brings in more booster money than your Uncle Phil every year. We have what most argue is the richest booster program in the country. Autzen is better than the Swamp? Yeah keep trying but you will never win that argument lol. We are right there with you on athletic facilities. You cant win an argument that you are a better program. Maybe in long distance running. That’s it. So we lose 5 games and you are automatically better? Your coach will be gone in a few years whether we get him or not. There is no way you can recruit in the woods of Oregon. You might land a top 10 class once in a while, but you cant match recruiting with the big boys of the SEC. We have had a top 2 or 3 class for 5 years. We will reload because we are UF and people want to play in the Sunshine State. Beaches, babes, and money. That’s how we roll and thats what these athletes want. Congrats on your season where you beat 4 bowl teams. When UF beat Ohio State for the Title we played 11 BOWL TEAMS. That is real football. You guys are a joke.
DS, name one booster in the history of any SEC team to drop $100 million in one donation…name just one.
If UF is willing to pay enough, they should be able to find someone to take the job. Maybe even someone toward the bottom of your dream list.
Florida Sucks… They are a has been… That’s why their coach is gone…
A has been that finished last season higher than any Oregon team ever has. A has been that has won 2 National Titles in the last 4 years. One down season and we are has been? You clowns need to study up on your football. It is a little diff than track which all Oregon is known for. Has been?! Oregon is a never will be!
holla at my homeboy josh who hit the nail on the mf’in head. florida is a has been if i’ve ever seen one. this duckssuck dude needs to slow.his.roll.
Had to laugh at “most feared stadium” quip – in case you haven’t checked UT, Bama, Ga, LSU all have higher attendance. You’re at next level with AU & SC. Have you been to a SEC game on the road? All are big and loud (except Vandy).
You obviously have never been to a game in the Swamp. It is listed in everyone’s top 3 of LOUDEST and feared stadiums. 90,000+ sounds like 125,000 the way it is designed. Sound doesnt leave the stadium. It is consistently louder than a jet engine on the field when the defense is on the field. Do your homework. Stadium capacity mean s**t. It is all in the design.
And so is Autzen Stadium – do YOUR homework.
LSU can get louder but not consistently. Only in night games and only when they are winning a close game. Tenn holds more but the design isnt condusive to keeping sound in…gradual slope up but still damn loud. UF is like a salad bowl. The sound resinates! Bama can get loud but isnt in the top 3. GA isnt even in the argument. It is between UF and LSU. UF is consistently louder. Ive been to them all. Big games, shit games, day games, night games. UF is the toughest and loudest day in and day out.
LSU fans are the drunkest, loudest, most passionate fan-base in college football, if not in all American sports. They bleed purple and piss grain alcohol, despite the time of day. Night games just equals more alcohol and more craziness. To my knowledge, the swamp has never registered on the Richter Scale.
You rednecks are both ugly and stupid. After listening to all of your twangy drivel for the past few days about how Auburn is going to destroy Oregon and how the SEC is all that you think it is, I’m here to give you something you lack in your part of the country, knowledge and insight.
Oregon is the most beautiful state in this union (and God knows how/why we’re the same country with what you knuckleheads did in the 1800′s) so any notion of a coach or anyone else in their right mind leaving it for your backwards ass part of the country is a joke. “Built in recruiting hurdles?” – Where does this nonsense come from? Have you ever left your own town, county, or state to even have the slightest idea of what you’re talking about?
I’ve been to where you are and certainly don’t intend to go back, unless it’s for charity.
Have you seen the facilities at the University of Oregon? Do you have even the slightest sense of the term “Quality of Life”? We have the mountains, the ocean, high desert, beautiful trees and forests and not only that, we also are the keepers of such natural wonders. Most of the tards running around your region are why so many people move to this part of the country. We’re still what makes this country beautiful and what foreigners love and appreciate about this great country of ours. You on the other hand are exactly what they all despise.
With all of that, which is 500 more words than most of your kind can/will read, I will rest my case and go back to being the mellow, kind, loving person that I am. In the meantime, let’s see some of that Southern charm I keep hearing about and try to see beyond your own noses to know that leaving Oregon for a job at Florida is not a step up by any means.
Oregon 51 – Auburn 27
Go Ducks!
GO Ducks…….
Come back when you play some decent competition. You played 4 bowl eligible teams 2 of which only got bowl eligible the final game of the season.
You post was in bad taste and shows true ignorance on your part.
War Eagle.
We don’t need to “come back” Quinn – we’ll see you in Glendale and we’ll see then what’s what. Auburn doesn’t have an SEC defense, just an Auburn defense. Tennessee did just fine the past two years defensively but not against our Ducks. Try and read something other than SEC Rules Magazine and the Drudge Report, maybe you’ll do some ‘learnin’ then.
We’ll just let the Ducks teach Auburn what’s up.
Go Ducks! Sit Eagle, sit.
My friend, i think it will be the other way around. Auburn will be the teacher, and your ducks will be the students….
Oregon won’t stand a chance against an SEC defense. It doesn’t matter if you have mountains, deserts or what not, you’re still an idiot that goes on stereotypes and liberal agendas. I’m not an Auburn fan at all, but they are gonna hold you guys back..you’ll be lucky to break over 10 points and they’re gonna run that pigskin down your ugly Yankee throats.
Funny and a bit moronic to say I’m stereotyping in the same sentence as saying we’re Liberal. You’re ability to put a sentence together still impresses me.
Would that be the same SEC defense we scored 48 points on at Tennessee? Could have scored 60 if we’d wanted to. Sure hope that SEC defense doesn’t show up.
Kwack. Great post!!! My wife and I were rolling on the floor. That post is absolutely spot on. You have to realize though that most of those tards down south can’t read so they’ll never get to appreciate it. I guess if we see them in Glendale we could draw them some pictures. Although someone will have to draw them a picture so they know which direction to go to get to Glendale.
Go Ducks!!!!
Yeah, you’re right. I’m just hitting all these little buttons and somehow making sentences…but alas I can’t read.
Just showing your ignorance over and over. The SEC is, without doubt, the toughest conference in the country. And… Southerners are neither ignorant or fools. Guess what? We can read, write and here in MS, we have produced more musicians, authors and philanthropists than ANY OTHER state in the union. I’ve been to Oregon and I can assure you that “ain’t nobody” gonna pass up the sunny South for that dismal place. My mama taught me manners – something I’m guessing you lack – but despite that, you’re so stupid. We laugh at people like you down here. “Bless your heart!” Those Auburn boys will charm you while they’re kickin’ your ducky butt? Ducks, really? Is that the most fearsome mascot you could come up with? lol
to kwak and kmill59….you are typical west coast d bags that think everything is entitled to them
the south is the the greatest region in the united states. states like tennessee, alabama, georgia, florida, south carolina, virginia, louisiana, texas, mississippi, north carolina…the south has HISTORY, CHARACTER, and LOVE. i have always been a fan of oregon football. not anymore. war damn eagle. auburn is gonna show oregon and its fanbase the the hype is true; the sec truly is THE best conference in college football. after the duck beatdown, oregon’s fanbase will always have the magical season that ended tragically with a raping from a bunch of “rednecks”, which is the way anyone with any football knowledge expected it to
sounds like a Freudian slip Daniel. Does your parole officer know you’re back on the web again? Run children Run!
to kwak and kmill59….you are typical west coast d bags that think everything is entitled to them
the south is the the greatest region in the united states. states like tennessee, alabama, georgia, florida, south carolina, virginia, louisiana, texas, mississippi, north carolina…the south has HISTORY, CHARACTER, and LOVE. i have always been a fan of oregon football. not anymore. war damn eagle. auburn is gonna show oregon and its fanbase the the hype is true; the sec truly is THE best conference in college football. after the duck beatdown, oregon’s fanbase will always have the magical season that ended tragically with a beat down from a bunch of “rednecks”, which is the way anyone with any football knowledge expected it to
You liked that post so much you thought you’d post it twice. Only from the south would you have a post with the words Character, Love, and then Redneck, and Rape. Pretty classy down there in the SEC.
war damn eagle
cam newton……..heisman, allegations of pay for play but cannot be proved, father was at fault (poor kid)
legarret(?) blount(?) whats his name……. 2nd place, GUILTY of strangling his girlfriend (what a dick)
auburn university…..SEC Champs, National Champs, 14-0
oregon…….2nd place, you will be forgotten in 6 years.
i used the word redneck (in quotations) in reference to your post, and yes i used the word rape. there is no other word to describe what auburn is going to do to your pathetic team. you are an ignorant yankee. you are a little douche too, with the Freudian reference. nice try, but no, you arent funny. there was nothing in my post that was Freudian in the least bit. but by you bringing it up, i can tell you are probably the type of person who speaks of Freud very often, which leads me to believe that you are the one with the complex…………
anyways………oregon: the fat step-sister of southern cal. have your fun while it lasts, soon usc will be pummeling you on an annual basis again.
if you think the pansy quack attack can match up to the stingy auburn run defense, you are sadly mistaken. LOL at oregon
that is all…..rebuttle? or, here’s an idea: why dont you go hang out on a website dedicated to your oh so precious north, instead of on called SATURDAY DOWN SOUTH
It is a recruiting hurdle bc the “urban” black athlete doesnt want to play football in Eugene, Oregon. It isnt hard to understand. You will get some talented athletes here and there but u can never land a top class. That is the recruiting hurdle.
truth. war damn
I know you just did not compare Florida to Oregon in terms of Money and Tourism. Holy shit! Florida has a higher GSP and is Number 2 on the top 5 states for Tourism. And then you list the ocean as part of what makes Oregon better? Have you looked at a map of Florida recently? pssst. its surrounded by water. Florida also has a lower cost of living compared to …. every state on the west coast.
If you want to compare schools:
UF has a higher graduation rate (by 20%)
UF is in the top 10 list of schools with the largest athletic department revenue.
UF Athletic department has an operating expense of $102mil. Oregon … $60mil
UF Athletic department contributions for last year, almost $41mil. Oregon $18mil
I don’t even live in Florida, but if you want to talk about people having insight, you should probably do some research before blasting a response with only personal opinion and not fact.
That being said, every area of the country has something different it can offer people. It is not always worse or better than another part, it is all in what an individual likes. Example, you apparently live in Oregon and you like it up there. That is great, but you are telling me that if some company offered double what you are currently making, to move to a southern state, that you would not take it? You must be a kwack! Cost of living is cheaper down here. That means you get more for your money.
Very well said, sir!
On any given day a team can lose. football is like that. you may think oregon is gods gift to the world (state and team) but the southerners feel the same way. I really don’t see oregon beating auburn in glendale. they will score, but i don’t se you breaking 28. SEC defenses are rough and tough and they’ll eat you up. Oregon has not played a team that will shut down they run! Auburn will do that! you air it out, you’ll burn them a few times but then nick fairley is going to eat the QB’s lunch many times! This post was about coaches for florida’s head coach. not who you feel has a better team or tougher schedule. if you honestly think chip kelly will not leave oregon you are a fool! if the money is right, he will not even go to glendale with them! florida has deep pockets and can buy out his contract. when a man is offered the right paycheck they take it. whether you believe it or not, oregon is a stepping stone to a better job.
Since you guys from the land of rain want to bring Tennessee into the discussion on SEC defense, let me remind you of two things. One, that game was tied at the half I believe (10-10 0r 13-13) with the Ducks scoring right before the half. Two, UT defense was not what it has been the last several years – too much youth and inexperience. Oregon wasn’t the only game where we competed for a half but then were crushed 2nd half (i.e. Bama). No, I haven’t seen your facilities but the Duck fans I talked to in Knoxville this year (nice folks) were wowed being in Neyland Stadium. I will have to say that I have never seen a group of offensive lineman get back to the line of scrimmage ready for the next play as fast as Oregon’s did. Our D was gassed and the O couldn’t move the ball consistently (wish Bray was playing back then). Bottom line: Oregon has a great team. Auburn has a great team. Similar squads with quick strike offenses. Should be an exciting contest. I can’t wait.
Jim, good post. I don’t have anything against Tennessee. I think they had a tough year, and will probably be a lot better next year with a year of experience on those young players. I just get tired of all those blow hare SEC fans talking about how any SEC Defense or offense would dominate any other team in the nation. Every conference has good teams and weak teams, and every team has good days and bad days. I’m just looking forward to playing the game. Wish we didn’t have to wait 34 more days.
you cant wait to the play the game can you? what position do you play? oh wait, you dont play any position, you just assume one and get raped by the auburn university tigers, the pride of dixie.
ORE”Gone”
c ya
every conference has weak teams…the pac 10 just has more weak teams than most other conferences….fact
sec dominates, history proves it. the future will too.
yankees go back to your boring boards stay off this one of you arent educated
I’m an Auburn fan who lives in “southern” florida. Florida has some ridiculously nice facilities all around. Yes Oregon does as well (due to some very fortunate financial backing), and those two might be two of the tops in the nation in that aspect.
Regarding level of talent, ask anyone who keeps up with recruiting what school cleans up the most regularly on the hottest recruits. If U of FL isn’t #1 it’s probably considered top 3 in that regard. And as an Auburn fan this is to my chagrin. My goodness, if Auburn has done this well this year with the overall talent/depth they actually have (a NOT exceptional one)…I can’t imagine what it would have been like if they had the kind of speed/athleticism that FL/Bama regularly have.
You Ducks should take your green and yellow glasses off for a few minutes if you’re really trying to discuss these aspects of the conversation. And REALLY!?!? You actually think the SEC is the only place player compensation goes on? Don’t kid yourself. It’s gone on since times when people in Oregon didn’t even know what football was. I think the Auburn/Georgia rivalry is older than your state.
It is like they haven’t watched football before this year. Every team has a down year and you can chalk it up to poor QB play and a terrible OC. But to compare stadium, boosters, facilities, and recruiting with UF is a losing argument. We are the better program. Deal with it. We have won 2 Titles out of the last 4, finishing 2nd last year. We are magically going to be terrible bc of one bad year I guess? Get real. Take a peek at how recruiting is going this year. I will guarantee we will be above Oregon. War Eagle! War SEC!
DucksSuck, you seem to be a very angry fellow. We’ll have to talk about your toilet training sometime. Take it easy dude and maybe stop living in in the past. Florida and the SEC have some great accomplishments in the past, but we have to play the game this year. Bottom line is both Oregon and Auburn are 12-0 and are playing for the “Natty” on Jan. 10th. So why the hell are we even talking about a five loss below average Florida team? Florida has a lot going for it no doubt. Great history, great facilities, great alums/donors, great climate, hot girls, etc… The fact is Chips not coming to Florida, the Ducks are playing for the Natty and there is nothing you can do or say to change that. No matter what all the other stuff is…recruiting,facilities, history etc… you still have to compete on the field and Oregon and Auburn did that better than anyone else this year, so rather than tear those programs and young men down why don’t you just give them their due and enjoy the game?
Agree with you KMill – 34 days is a long time. Get your rest because I have a feeling you guys are going to be talking smack for awhile – lol. Pac 10 is a good conference, no doubt, and you guys should be proud of the program that’s been built there. I do have to tell you one other thing that has endeared the Ducks to Vol Nation and that was the Oregon band playing “Rocky Top” at the end of your victory against SC – priceless! We’re still not too crazy about Lane and the repercussions he left while exiting in the middle of the night. Dooley’s getting it turned around and the pups are growing up. Wish you guys well in the big game, but one thing we do down here is to pull for our conference brethren. I know, this is where you come in with “that’s because all of you down there are related”. Maybe so :-) Getting late here so I’m gonna sign off and get some sleep. Good luck!
Well Oregon and Auburn have had fantastic seasons. The Iron Bowl looked like Dana White fixed it. I mean seriously I have never in my life seen a team just lay up like dogs like Alabama did. Fact is every team needed a bit of Luck (no not Andrew). Auburn vs Clemson and Bama and Oregon against Cal. Boise State was on the wrong end of some TERRIBE kicking (Brotzman) and yeah they lost to Nevada who smoked Cal who should’ve beat Oregon. Other than that I think Boise State would’ve been deserving for a National title. If you’re talking football over the last couple years BSU beat Oregon in your beloved and feared Autzen Stadium and we did so with a redshirt freshman quarterback named Kellen Moore. Who mind you played at the 3A level in Prosser Washington. In all honesty I can see our beloved ‘Coach Pete’ leave for Florida. And man you guys would be soooo lucky to have such an amazing person and coach. And you can see he looks good in Blue & Orange! In all honesty I am rooting for the Ducks in the Ship cause I am loyal to my PNW roots. Just don’t go around acting ignorant like that running back who suits up for the Bucs now haha.
Oregon fans crack me up lol Its funny lol that you think that OREGON FOOTBALL is better then Florida football. Then to sit there and down grade the SEC??? HAHAHAHAHA all I have to say is where did the last 4 National Championships come home to?? If Oregon played in the SEC this year they def have atleast 2 or 3 loses. Dont get me wrong tho Oregon is a very good team and program. But you have along way to go before you put yourself in the same sentence as FLORIDA or ALABAMA. On another note Florida is not going after Chip Kelly like you Oregon fans said He is very loyal to his program and why would he leave. Rumor is in Florida the front runner for the job is Dan Mullen and the Florida plane plans to leave at 6am. so we will be finding out shortly where that plane lands. Florida has very deep pockets Urban Meyer was the sec highest paid coach this. Us true Florida fans respect Urban Meyer and what he has done and respect his decision.
Jon Gruden: What job does Gruden’s name not come up for? A color analyst on “Monday Night Football,” Gruden was linked to the Miami job last week, before taking his name out of consideration by affirming his commitment to ESPN. He won a Super Bowl as the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and has strong ties throughout the state of Florida.
Dan Mullen: Could be one of the first calls Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley will make (or probably has already made). Mullen has done a terrific job in two seasons as Mississippi State’s head coach, and the Gators’ offense hasn’t been the same since he left as their offensive coordinator.
Chris Petersen: Foley had great success the last time he went out West and brought in an innovative coach with an exciting brand of offense. Meyer came to Florida from Utah. Petersen has built a powerhouse at Boise State. He’s had chances to go elsewhere in recent years, but hasn’t budged. This may be the job that changes that.
Bobby Petrino: In his third season at Arkansas, he has the Hogs in a BCS bowl game for the first time in school history. He’s one of the top offensive minds in the game and was on Foley’s radar when Meyer was hired back in 2005. Giving Petrino the keys to Florida’s recruiting machine could be scary for the rest of the SEC. He does have a sizeable buyout, more than $3 million if he leaves before the end of this year.
Bob Stoops: Maybe he’s settled in at Oklahoma for good. Maybe not. Like Petrino, Stoops was another one of the names you heard prominently when Meyer got the job. He makes a lot of sense. Stoops definitely knows his way around the Florida program, having been Steve Spurrier’s defensive coordinator in the 1990s, and he also has a good relationship with Foley.
Charlie Strong: Like Mullen, Strong is another former Meyer assistant who has done well in his first head-coaching gig. He has Louisville in a bowl game in his first season. Strong consistently put out dominant defenses at Florida and is also a fabulous recruiter. Bringing him back would make for a very smooth transition.
Kyle Whittingham: The Gators had success with one coach from Utah. Why not take a shot on the guy who replaced Meyer at Utah and has continued that success? The only difference with Whittingham is that he has a defensive background.
We’ve been invaded by the Oregon fans!
Quite a cocky bunch.
How many Oregon players were taken in the NFL draft last year? 3 and 1 in the first two rounds.
How many Florida players were taken in the NFL draft last year? 9 and six in the first two rounds.
I think the Ducks might get humbled come Jan 10th. They get all riled up one season coz they get in the big dance, but most of these guys commenting probably won’t even watch football in 2011. Gotta love that west coast passion for the game!
Go for Stoops and then Mullen. Stoops might jump this time. Then cast off you leftovers to the [_] .
Stoops could actually maybe leave OU this time since the Big 12 is somewhat crumbling. Big 12 won’t have a championship game next year. Could be interesting.
Oh.. here is another….. if you want to piss off UGA fans even more…. hire Petrino from Arkansas. We still hate that prick from when he left the Falcons. Turned out better for us but still think he is a prick.
Petrino has a clause in his contract that says he can’t go coach at another SEC school if he leaves Arkansas. They didn’t want Auburn getting him.
So this has turned into an Oregon v. UF argument? Kelly won’t come to UF. Unfortunately, the timing is all wrong and with a national championship game on the horizon, I doubt Kelly would even entertain the distraction. I’d be seriously impressed if UF could pull it off.
Mullen is probably the most logical choice. If UF wants to stick with Urban’s offensive scheme, then Mullen is the guy who ensures the most continuity. He’s also a hell of a recruiter. The most intriguing thing about Mullen is that he is young. I believe he is 38 or 39 and would probably stick around for a period of time if he were successful. It could turn into a really stable situation for UF if things work out with Mullen.
At the same time, Mullen is not a home run. Yes, he went 8-4 and being able to do that in the SEC West in a year when that was clearly the stronger division is damn impressive. Still, Mullen wasn’t exactly loved at UF until after the Ole Miss loss in 2008. Things just clicked after that game and all was forgiven, but there was a time when the UF fanbase was nearly as against Mullen as they were Addazio.
My choice? Petrino. Dude can build an offense and he’s proven he can do it in the SEC. No disrespect to Arkansas, but I think the Florida job would be viewed as a step up and he would have a much easier time recruiting the best.
Crazy times to be a Gator fan…here’s hoping we still land Driskel.
Gruden is a horrible choice for any college job. He would constantly be rumored to be going back to the NFL unless of course his teams lost.
It’ll either be Dan Mullen or Jim Harbaugh.
No way Spurrier goes back to Florida. USC will be the last place he ever coaches, you can count on that.
wave some more money at that snake Lane Kiffin; I’m sure he’d love to run away from that situation in USC.
I love how all Gator fans refer to the team as “We”. You think because you have a low end diploma from a state university that you actually are on the football team. Unless you are a coach or lettered in football for UF, you are not part of the team. When you refer to the Tampa Bay Bucs, you never say we, so why is the Gator football team yours? Harvard of the South? I think a degree from UF may be lower end than UCF (tv classes, web, sub-par student housingm, etc. starting to be run more and more like U of Phoenix, have fun looking for a job with that garbage degree)…At least you still have YOUR football team.
Um. WTF.
UF is the best state university in Florida, shortly followed by FSU. That might not be saying much, but it’s a bit more than nothing. It’s also one of 2 schools in the SEC that has accreditation by the AAU (the other being Vanderbilt) and is one of 2 SEC schools considered a “public ivy” by Greene’s Guide. I didn’t see UCF anywhere on there. I’m also pretty sure that the administration is just fine with “we” since they push the concept of “the Gator Nation” at every opportunity.
Sounds like someone is bitter that they didn’t get in…
Uhmmm no. If you do a little research in college rankings, you will find that UF is significantly higher than UCF. The only college in the south that has a higher ranking is University of Miami.
Statistics based on: Student population, cost of enrollment, Average GPA of school, as well as percentage of students who find a job in their field of study after graduation, and salary differences.
God, why am I defending Florida… War Eagle! haha
The average SAT score to get into UF is 1450… that’s higher than UCF’s, ding dong. UF was is no joke. I am proud of my degree. They have some spectacularly hard programs and degrees. Yes, if you major in psych or bus management anywhere you are gonna get some computer classes for undergrad. Did you go to college?!?
What isn’t addressed in the above column or in most of the discussion, from a Florida Alum and fan:
1) Being able to build something in the future at Florida vs. staying somewhere were you actually have built something Now. Simply put, I don’t believe that any coach at a comparable program (Stanford, Oregon, Oklahoma) that pays nearly as well as Florida is going to leave for Florida in its current condition. Most of the coaches mentioned thus far who are actually at programs they have shepherded to national prominence have done so over years of patience and hard work. Who wants to start all over with the giant spotlight on them from day one? With someone else’s recruits?
2) Money isn’t the only issue. When you make 2 million+ dollars as a college football coach, does it really matter if you get offered 2.5? I mean, does anyone think that an additional 500k is a huge incentive at that level? Would you rather have a job making 1.2 million per year and be all but guaranteed that income for a decade if you want it, or 3-4 million per year with a near certainty that you will be fired in 2-4 seasons if you don’t win the SEC championship?
I think that Coach Strong wouldn’t leave a substantially lower-paid job at Louisville because of the way Florida treated him in the final years of his time there. Florida would have been wise after last year (hindsight being 20-20) to push Meyer out after his resignation-unresignation nonsense and offered the job to Strong then. I think it’s pretty clear that Strong is resentful of the SEC in general at this point, he’s pointedly commented that he felt like the fact that his wife was white kept him from getting job offers in the conference, and would loose out on several million dollars just to prove the point when he wins the Big East outright next year and gets to write his own ticket at Louisville or anywhere else.
3. Does anyone think that an inter-SEC transition will be without consequences? Mullen is probably the most likely of these candidates, followed by Petrino (who, after Mallet leaves, is probably going to have declining fortunes at Arkansas), but even when you take into account that these schools are in the west, I can’t think of a single instance of a direct inter-SEC move like that. Saban went from LSU to Miami to ‘Bama; Spurrier did his time at Washington before going to South Carolina, and there were still a fair amount of resentment-fueled news cycles about how awful they were for doing so. I don’t care who you are, unless you are Lane Kiffin, you don’t take it as a badge of honor to be dragged through the mud in the press for the entire off season for your “betrayal.”
4. Anyone who takes over the helm at Florida is going to be compared to Meyer’s impossible record. Impossible expectations are impossible to fulfill, and I give the next coach the same chances as Zook had. Having winning seasons isn’t enough for Florida. Total domination is a requirement of the job. It’s a job for someone who is willing to take the gamble, not for someone who has a pretty amazing deal as things are now.
I’m wondering why no one considers Mike Leach as a possible option. He’s got nothing to loose…
Any way you slice this, whoever takes over is going to have a hard time. Hopefully my fellow Florida fans and the athletic department are patient enough to wait it out for 3 years before
Allow me to comment on a few points that you make. Bobby Petrino has a very good backup QB in Tyler Wilson. he played about three quarters against Auburn and did better against us than anyone else in the league had before, or did after. Bobby Petrino was a QB coach/offensive coordinator at Auburn, and as long as he can sign a quality QB out of high school, Arkansas won’t be hurting at the position. Petrino is as good a QB coach as anyone in the country.
Ther have been issues with a coach leaving one school for another. I remember there was also a lot of bad blood between Tommy Tuberville and the Ole Miss fans when he took the Auburn job. I would assume you’d have the same issues if Florida hired Petrino. I’m not so sure there would be the same issues if Dan Mullen left for Florida, since everyone knows their program is the premiere program in the SEC, and he left Florida to take the head position at Mississippi State. I don’t think anyone would be upset at him for returning to the Gators.
I don’t think the Gators have to take a coach that has nothing to lose. I think they can make their pick of almost anyone coach in the country. Even if Florida was coming off of a losing season, they still have more upside than any program in the nation, except possibly Texas and USC.
Petrino has the clause that says he can’t leave to coach another SEC team! the put that in their when he took the Job because they didn’t want auburn to steal him.
bellotti.
I would go with Pat Fitzgerald from Northwestern