25 best coaching jobs in college football

[Landlord]

Also, I would imagine their fan base puts less pressure on them then we put on ours. That alone is probably worth its weight in gold. Dantonio has a job for life there I'd imagine.

 

 

A huge, but overlooked point. MSU fans' reaction to this dumpster fire of a season was, "Eh, I guess we had to crash down at some point. Hopefully next year we can climb back up to above .500 and a bowl and keep going from there." It's like, weirdly reasonable.

[GSG]

 

Also, I would imagine their fan base puts less pressure on them then we put on ours. That alone is probably worth its weight in gold. Dantonio has a job for life there I'd imagine.

 

 

A huge, but overlooked point. MSU fans' reaction to this dumpster fire of a season was, "Eh, I guess we had to crash down at some point. Hopefully next year we can climb back up to above .500 and a bowl and keep going from there." It's like, weirdly reasonable.

 

 

They're more concerned with their butt of a basketball team maybe not making the tourney this year

[avfan2121]

 

 

 

Also, I would imagine their fan base puts less pressure on them then we put on ours. That alone is probably worth its weight in gold. Dantonio has a job for life there I'd imagine.

 

A huge, but overlooked point. MSU fans' reaction to this dumpster fire of a season was, "Eh, I guess we had to crash down at some point. Hopefully next year we can climb back up to above .500 and a bowl and keep going from there." It's like, weirdly reasonable.

I've seen many MSU fans say Dantonio's seat is warm after going 4-8 and not making any staff changes. No job is safe when you aren't winning. Just the culture of college football these days.

[TGHusker]

 

As someone born and raised in Nebraska, who's since left and lived in Atlanta and Chicago, I definitely get the struggle/perspective of those who don't have us that highly.

 

 

I'm currently struggling to pay bills month to month, and don't have a ton of friends here, but am about to turn down a 40-50k/yr job back in Lincoln because I just really don't have any interest in being back there right now.

Just my two cents on this comment from working in the mortgage industry.

 

People always forget how good some Midwest states have it when it comes to living standards. I see so many appraisals on the coasts where people are paying $400k for a dump of a house or a tiny tiny condo in a large city. I can take half that price and get a good sized yard and a house that is 5 years old with good square footage. Now, of course those people will make more money in the big cities, but it doesn't equate to the life you can have around here. Also things like less traffic and commutes to work, lower property taxes, community support etc.

 

Agreed. Over the years, I've had many opportunities to 'move up the ladder' and move away from Tulsa and Tulsa is similar to Lincoln or Omaha in many ways - it has even less expensive housing. When I've done my cost/benefit analysis each time, it was hard to justify the pay raise (and the additional stress of the job, the commute, normally higher crime, etc) to leave Tulsa for the real big city. Cities our size have a quality of life that is difficult to reproduce in the massive city unless you get a job in the burbs and can live near that job. Recruiting somehow needs to tie that quality of life back to the football experience and living in Lincoln for that big city kid who knows nothing but big city life and the beach or some other local amenity. The typical college kid after graduation doesn't fall too far from the tree and ends up finding a job in or near the city where their college is located. While I don't think we can convince any 18 year old to look into the future (since they all think they'll be playing the NFL) it would be beneficial to sell the long term livability and benefits of the community to the recruit. We aren't asking them to move to Shreveport, La or Newark, NJ.

[Landlord]

^ good points by both of you, but generally points disagreed on by people who live in and love major urban areas.

[DrunkOffPunch]

^ good points by both of you, but generally points disagreed on by people who live in and love major urban areas.

Out of curiosity, in your opinion, what are the major advantages of huge cities like Chicago or Atlanta compared to smaller ones like Lincoln?

[junior4949]

 

Anyone surprised OU is as high as they are? I am. I realize they are next to Texas, but the state of Texas has some pretty decent teams right now. I'd put OU slightly ahead of us because they are a neighbor to Texas, but I don't know that I'd have them on my top 25 list. Notre Dame also seems a bit high to me as well when considering some of the high profile coaches that have turned them down in the last couple of decades. I'm not sure they have the recipe to ever become elite.

 

I think you underestimate the draw of going to OU with Texas kids. They pluck a ton out of the DFW area every year. Dallas is closer to Norman than it is to Austin. They may be a little high but probably 9 or 10 on the list. I do think ND is high I would say 20-25 for them.

 

 

My only point with OU is how in the heck are they higher on the list than Texas? I don't even think I'd put them higher than A&M. Texas belongs in the top 5 while OU does not.

[Landlord]

 

^ good points by both of you, but generally points disagreed on by people who live in and love major urban areas.

Out of curiosity, in your opinion, what are the major advantages of huge cities like Chicago or Atlanta compared to smaller ones like Lincoln?

 

 

 

Some of it is tangible, a lot of it isn't.

 

Any given night I can find a new dive bar, park, improv show, rock concert, museum, meetup group, skyline view, dance class, yoga studio, night club, volunteering opportunity, or whatever that I've never experienced before - even if I've experienced a dozen of the same sort of thing. All of my favorite bands are much more likely to come here, there's literally millions more fish in the sea to choose from when it comes to romance, I have my pre-conceptions constantly challenged by interacting with people that look/talk/act/think/live differently than I do, etc. It's really a never ending opportunity of discovery just placed at your fingertips. It's definitely not for everyone, but for someone who spent their entire life feeling like I was on the fringe or the outskirts of wherever I belonged in these small, mostly homogenous communities, it feels like a breath of fresh air in my lungs.

[Enhance]

 

 

 

The two reasons Nebraska isn't on the list

1. No recent national success in over 15 years. Not saying we have been terrible by any means
2. Very hard state to recruit from

I think these were huge reasons Nebraska was left off the list but, if that were true, why is Michigan St. at 17?

 

Nebraska and Michigan St. have almost the exact same four-year recruit ranking score as one another, according to SB Nation. Michigan St. has had higher highs, but they've also had some incredible lows. Nebraska has better overall facilities and they have more support for the football program than MSU does. MSU will also ALWAYS be the dinky pimply-faced little brother to Michigan.

 

I know I'm biased but when you go tit for tat I don't know how MSU is there and Nebraska isn't.

 

2010 - shared the B10 title (11-2) record

2011 - lost in the B10 championship game (11-3) record

2012 - 7-6 record

2013 - won the B10 championship (13-1 record)

2014 - (11-2 record), won the Cotton bowl

2015 - won the B10 championship game (12-2 record)

2016 - 3-9 (terrible season)

 

Overall besides last year they have a WAY better body of work than we do since 2010. I would easily trade a 9 win season for a year we had two years ago if it meant we could win the B10 and win more than 10 games 5/7 years.

I would too, no question, but does that make them the better 'job?'

 

IMO, I feel like we get into a murky area when we try to heavily base job allure on current success. I think it should play a role but Michigan St. is not a national brand like most of the teams on that list.

[BIG ERN]

 

 

 

 

The two reasons Nebraska isn't on the list

1. No recent national success in over 15 years. Not saying we have been terrible by any means
2. Very hard state to recruit from

I think these were huge reasons Nebraska was left off the list but, if that were true, why is Michigan St. at 17?

 

Nebraska and Michigan St. have almost the exact same four-year recruit ranking score as one another, according to SB Nation. Michigan St. has had higher highs, but they've also had some incredible lows. Nebraska has better overall facilities and they have more support for the football program than MSU does. MSU will also ALWAYS be the dinky pimply-faced little brother to Michigan.

 

I know I'm biased but when you go tit for tat I don't know how MSU is there and Nebraska isn't.

 

2010 - shared the B10 title (11-2) record

2011 - lost in the B10 championship game (11-3) record

2012 - 7-6 record

2013 - won the B10 championship (13-1 record)

2014 - (11-2 record), won the Cotton bowl

2015 - won the B10 championship game (12-2 record)

2016 - 3-9 (terrible season)

 

Overall besides last year they have a WAY better body of work than we do since 2010. I would easily trade a 9 win season for a year we had two years ago if it meant we could win the B10 and win more than 10 games 5/7 years.

I would too, no question, but does that make them the better 'job?'

 

IMO, I feel like we get into a murky area when we try to heavily base job allure on current success. I think it should play a role but Michigan St. is not a national brand like most of the teams on that list.

 

I don't think it makes it a better job - and it isn't. I just feel that is why they are on there and we aren't

[BIG ERN]

 

 

^ good points by both of you, but generally points disagreed on by people who live in and love major urban areas.

Out of curiosity, in your opinion, what are the major advantages of huge cities like Chicago or Atlanta compared to smaller ones like Lincoln?

 

 

 

Some of it is tangible, a lot of it isn't.

 

Any given night I can find a new dive bar, park, improv show, rock concert, museum, meetup group, skyline view, dance class, yoga studio, night club, volunteering opportunity, or whatever that I've never experienced before - even if I've experienced a dozen of the same sort of thing. All of my favorite bands are much more likely to come here, there's literally millions more fish in the sea to choose from when it comes to romance, I have my pre-conceptions constantly challenged by interacting with people that look/talk/act/think/live differently than I do, etc. It's really a never ending opportunity of discovery just placed at your fingertips. It's definitely not for everyone, but for someone who spent their entire life feeling like I was on the fringe or the outskirts of wherever I belonged in these small, mostly homogenous communities, it feels like a breath of fresh air in my lungs.

 

First off, I love Chicago. As you said there are way more things to do there than a small town/city. My point is more FAMILY oriented. Yeah, if I'm single I would for sure rather live in Chicago, Atlanta, LA etc. But to raise a family and look at the cost of living for us, no thanks. It doesn't even mean a town less than 5,000 people. I live in a suburb of Des Moines and there is plenty to do IMO.

 

At the end of the day it is all our own preference. The people that make me chuckle though is when I'm talking to someone in NJ or NY and they call me the sucker for living in Iowa and I'm looking at their $600k apartment they call a condo. Just not my style I guess

[Landlord]

First off, I love Chicago. As you said there are way more things to do there than a small town/city. My point is more FAMILY oriented. Yeah, if I'm single I would for sure rather live in Chicago, Atlanta, LA etc. But to raise a family and look at the cost of living for us, no thanks. It doesn't even mean a town less than 5,000 people. I live in a suburb of Des Moines and there is plenty to do IMO.

 

At the end of the day it is all our own preference. The people that make me chuckle though is when I'm talking to someone in NJ or NY and they call me the sucker for living in Iowa and I'm looking at their $600k apartment they call a condo. Just not my style I guess

 

 

 

For sure! And I could see myself ending up back in Lincoln or Omaha someday easily when/if I start a family. But that speaks to the struggle of recruiting - these are kids becoming adults who are more ready to ramp up than to settle down.

 

 

I definitely do miss the days of $300 or so rent, though.

[BIG ERN]

I've said several times that you don't build a team with Jucos and grad transfers, but in a state where there isn't a lot of talent you need to pick some of these kids up. They have worked in our favor several times, especially on defense.

[KC Sker]

Honestly Geography is the reason. We have the resources, we have the fan base, we have the tradition, we have the facilities, we have a recruiting-centric staff, we have the stadiun, we have the conference and we have the history.

We are just smack dab in the middle of the country which is worlds away for some kids and that also makes it a much harder to set up relationships. We have a small fenced in backyard to play in compared to the Disney Land of recruiting a school in California, Ohio, Florida or Texas has.

It's not impossible by any means. It's just a big hurdle.

I get tired of this argument...explain to me why KU basketball is a powerhouse year after year? Let me tell you that Lawrence KS is no better that Lincoln NE. The reason kids go there is because they are an elite program and they challenge for championships year in and year out. If we made ourselves elite by winning the big games and opening up the wallet for some top their coaches we would be reeling in the blue chippers on a regular basis (coaches and players), I guarantee that. I understand basketball is different than football and a kid can go 1 and done in hoops on the way to the pros, but you get the idea. I agree we have to be more aggressive and innovative in recruiting but the bottom line is, we need to start winning prime time games to get good players here.

[BIG ERN]

 

Honestly Geography is the reason. We have the resources, we have the fan base, we have the tradition, we have the facilities, we have a recruiting-centric staff, we have the stadiun, we have the conference and we have the history.

We are just smack dab in the middle of the country which is worlds away for some kids and that also makes it a much harder to set up relationships. We have a small fenced in backyard to play in compared to the Disney Land of recruiting a school in California, Ohio, Florida or Texas has.

It's not impossible by any means. It's just a big hurdle.

I get tired of this argument...explain to me why KU basketball is a powerhouse year after year? Let me tell you that Lawrence KS is no better that Lincoln NE. The reason kids go there is because they are an elite program and they challenge for championships year in and year out. If we made ourselves elite by winning the big games and opening up the wallet for some top their coaches we would be reeling in the blue chippers on a regular basis (coaches and players), I guarantee that. I understand basketball is different than football and a kid can go 1 and done in hoops on the way to the pros, but you get the idea. I agree we have to be more aggressive and innovative in recruiting but the bottom line is, we need to start winning prime time games to get good players here.

 

You have to realize the difference in basketball and football is the numbers needed to win. You can get 1-2 great players in basketball and that can get you to the Final 4 possibly. You have a lot more control with only 5 players on the floor for your team who all play both ways. I feel it is a lot easier to maintain the program's prestige in this regard.