What makes a good job opening? Money, tradition to start.
ESPN's Bruce Feldman lists the 10 biggest factors on what makes a great coaching job. Let us examine SMU and how it measures up on all 10.
1. Financial commitment: Depends. Seems like there is a financial commitment to bring in a head coach. But what about assistants? What about a recruiting budget? I think the money is there to accomplish anything; the nut just needs to be cracked open. To crack that nut, all a coach has to do is win!
2. Tradition: A Negative. You have to break the tradition into pre- and post-death penalty. pre-death penalty, the tradition is solid. Post-death penalty, tradition is effectively nonexistent. You could argue that the pre-death penalty success is a detriment to future success.
3. Conference appeal: A negative. Not BCS and that is all that matters. Conference USA is terrible. It was gutted in the most recent conference realignment. On the other hand, if not for that realignment, SMU wouldn't be in it. Also, SMU has the most bowl tie-ins of the non-BCS conferences and as good a TV deal as any.
4. Recruiting base: A positive. Sure, SMU could take better advantage, but the recruiting base in Texas and the metroplex is there.
5. Stability of the administration: A positive. Though the slow plodding leadership of Turner can drive you nuts and the coaching search could be going better, you cannot accuse SMU leadership of being rash or unstable.
6. Facilities: Depends. No practice facility and no room for one, but the on campus stadium is a gem.
7. Admissions Flexibility: A negative. That is all I am going to say.
8. Campus feel: A positive.
9. Fan sanity: A positive. The current search aside, this is a positive. SMU is desperate for a winner. The next coach that gets SMU to a bowl is going to get a statue built in his honor.
10. Climate: A positive. Short or Southern California and Florida, I am not sure where you are going to find a better climate. My cousin realized this one year when we played golf on Christmas Eve.
1 comment:
I am not sure if fan sanity is a reflection of the willingness of fans to not ride the coach, a la Houston Nutt, or apathy. It could be that the sorry teams post death penalty have killed interest in football at SMU forever. Yeah, the boulevard is great, but then you have to go into the stadium (without cocktails if you are not in a suite) and watch these guys while sober. Makes the boulevard that much better. If you are late into the stadium, all you miss is the opposing team score the first touchdown of the game.
My guess is that if Gerald Ford had not contributed the stadium, SMU would be a basketball only school.
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