If you believe rumors, then Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops would be interested in coaching Notre Dame should the Irish send Charlie Weis packing after five seasons.The initial thought: Yeah right.
"That's ridiculous," Stoops said of the reports on Monday.
According to a story appearing in the Chicago Sun-Times, Stoops is said to have expressed interest in the Fighting Irish to a confidant who then betrayed Stoops confidence. Makes sense?
"Some confidant, huh?" Stoops said to reporters following Monday's practice. "I have no idea what you're talking about. Notre Dame doesn't have a job [open]. And I haven't spoken to any confidants about anything. Outside of trying to beat Texas Tech."
Logically, it doesn't make sense for several reasons, beginning with Stoops' enormous salary and tough-to-swallow buyout clause in excess of $3 million. Stoops is also revered in the state of Oklahoma and the Notre Dame job is nowhere close to what it use to be. Restrictive academic standards and the unwillingness of the Irish faithful to recognize the changing landscape have diminished Notre Dame's status among elite programs.
Notre Dame, meanwhile, may or may not be looking for a replacement for Weis. We likely won't know for sure until a day or two following the Irish's Nov. 28 regular-season finale at Stanford. That's just how Notre Dame works.
The problem with firing Weis is the cost of buying him out. A few years ago, reacting to false rumors Weis was being pursued by NFL teams, Notre Dame signed its then hot-shot head coach to a 10-year extension that is paying him somewhere between $4 to $5 million annually. The buyout is also said to be around $4 million to get rid of Weis before the contract ends.
So we are talking more than $7 million in buyout money and a contract for Stoops in the neighborhood of $5 million annually to even make sense. Even for a school being paid exclusively by NBC, that's steep.
But just for fun of it, let's look at five reasons it would make sense for Stoops to leave OU for Notre Dame and five reasons why this is crazy.
Five Reasons For:
1. Stoops' reputation of rebuilding once proud programs.
2. The lure of coaching the most national college football program in the land.
3. The money.
4. The chance to prove himself as a national recruiter.
5. Escaping the feeling of being taken for granted by some in Sooner-land.
5 Reasons Why Not:
1. While Stoops has a national championship to his credit, he still hasn't escaped the reputation of failing in big games and especially in bowl games.
2. His contract and buyout combined with buying out Weis would be extremely costly.
3. Florida coach Urban Meyer and Cincinnati's Brian Kelly seem more of a Notre Dame fit.
4. Stoops would find it impossible to get the same caliber of athlete -- in the same great numbers -- he has at OU admitted into Notre Dame.
5. Stoops, while criticized by some, is revered by the majority around the state of Oklahoma and in Norman, Okla.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
11-17-2009 @ 12:02AM
fgs1010 said...
Stoops will go to Notre Dame after when the job comes open. Maybe he can win a bowl game there with a fresh start. He is performing at less than market value at Oklahoma with 5 straight BCS losses.
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11-17-2009 @ 7:14AM
Murph said...
" Restrictive academic standards and the unwillingness of the Irish faithful to recognize the changing landscape have diminished Notre Dame's status among elite programs" Translation: he would have to recruit real students who attend and can pass real classes !
The media has to either get off ND for not getting the best football players in the country because of our academic standards or get off this quest to replace Weis. Or you could just get the rest of the country to up theirs? Should I say actually institute academic standards for their football team?
Win or loose we are the élite .. We are Notre Dame
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11-17-2009 @ 7:41AM
DP said...
You're either an Ivy League type school, that just happens to play football OR you're a football school like everyone else. You can't be both.
Nobody cares about ND anymore. Ask any high school kid about ND's football program and they will all say "it's history."
Join a conference. You don't deserve any special credit/consideration for bowl games. NBC could better spend their money showing a "real" football game on Saturday's.
11-17-2009 @ 9:56AM
crperry13 said...
Hey, Mr. Elite. You would be more convincing if you spelled "Lose" correctly.
11-20-2009 @ 10:31AM
sxtminman said...
Correction......You WERE the elite, and that goes back longer than I'd care to remember. IMO, Notre Dame should be made to join the Big 10
11-17-2009 @ 7:45AM
zugi1 said...
Only a notre dame student or alumn feels that way about nd. Your not the Cowboys or American Pie.......
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11-17-2009 @ 8:36AM
Strunkandwhite said...
You're obviously not a Notre Dame student or alumnus judging by your (lack of) grammar skills.
11-17-2009 @ 10:12AM
tlcepl said...
a few things about this article and the research that was done prior to writing it.
"The problem with firing Weis is the cost of buying him out. A few years ago, reacting to false rumors Weis was being pursued by NFL teams, Notre Dame signed its then hot-shot head coach to a 10-year extension that is paying him somewhere between $4 to $5 million annually. The buyout is also said to be around $4 million to get rid of Weis before the contract ends."
uh... go here. http://irish.nbcsports.com/2009/11/swarbrick-talks-buyout-and-coaching-status.html.php
" Restrictive academic standards and the unwillingness of the Irish faithful to recognize the changing landscape have diminished Notre Dame's status among elite programs."
So following this logic stupid people play football well. Colleges are not supposed to have high academic standards and educate while having good sports to play. Hmm... Stanford, for one, could disagree with that.
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11-17-2009 @ 11:45AM
Mike said...
It's not that "stupid people" are better at football. It's that people with the physical talent to be bigtime football players tend to concentrate more on sports than on academics. It takes a lot of time to get yourself in that kind of shape, time that everyone else gets to spend on schoolwork. When you do get players who are both top level athletes and high-quality students, they've got plenty of opportunities at schools with better football AND academic reputations.
There was an article recently on SI about how the only notworthy difference between ND, Standford and Northwestern is that ND seems to think they should be amazing every year. You want good criticism of ND? Read that one.
11-17-2009 @ 10:59AM
RockneLeahyParseghianDevineHoltz said...
Three words: College Football Immortality
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11-17-2009 @ 12:31PM
tlcepl said...
mike - i am not sure that notre dame thinks they should be amazing every year, as much as the media does. as we speak they are being criticized by the media and some fans for a 6-4 season so far. they are being told they are mediocre and are having fault found in that. If notre dame was all that much worried, they would have let weis go last year.
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11-17-2009 @ 3:38PM
RockneLeahyParseghianDevineHoltz said...
Oklahoma football graduation rate 46% (2008)
Notre Dame football graduation rate 94% (2008)
Perhaps Coach Stoops would like to coach at a University that prepares their student-athletes for life after football.
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11-18-2009 @ 12:45PM
Kenny said...
OU sends more athletes to the NFL before graduation than Notre Dame does.
If you’re a 1st round draft pick your Jr. year, there is no reason to graduate.
11-18-2009 @ 2:14PM
RockneLeahyParseghianDevineHoltz said...
A review of 2008 and 2009 NFL first round draft lists reveal no one from Oklahoma, Junior or Senior. Kenny, don't fool yourself. An education is important. Graduation is important. Most college kids don't make it to the NFL (even from Oklahoma) and of those that do make it, their careers are a few years.
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11-19-2009 @ 2:27AM
Kenny said...
I apologize. I did not research before I made that statement. It is a little more balanced than I thought.
Player that went pro:
2008: OU = 4, Notre Dame = 4
2009: OU = 5, Notre Dame = 1
2010: ESPN is predicting at least 4 OU players 1st round and at least 1 Notre Dame player.
I know education is important. I have 2 degrees and am currently in med school. But if someone told me that I could take a break for a few years to make a few million dollars playing a game, I would do it in a heartbeat. School will still be there when the NFL is over for these athletes.
11-19-2009 @ 9:02AM
RockneLeahyParseghianDevineHoltz said...
My best wishes to you in med school, Kenny. It is a long road but it will lead you to a rewarding career.
FWIW I think Stoops stays at OU.
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11-19-2009 @ 6:14PM
PULL4JR88 said...
What does Marijuana and Bob Stoops have in common? They are both smoked in a bowl.
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11-21-2009 @ 9:49PM
Mike OU 82 said...
PLeas ehire him Notre Dame----we want Mike Stoops at OU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Bob can no longer win the big game.
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11-21-2009 @ 11:19PM
JFCJR said...
Except for ONCE, Bob has never won the big game. Everbody can bitch, complain & criticize Barry Switzer.....but I will take him ANY DAY over what we got. Barry knew how to win.....especially the big games. This team should be winning despite the loss of Bradford. GOOD RIDDANCE BOB........
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