Two words: Sooner arrogance.
That's right, that good ol' "if we don't hang a half-a-hunnerd and go home or it ain't squat" attitude just might drive Bob Stoops back toward his old stomping grounds of east Ohio--which is just happens to be a couple of hundred miles from "Touchdown Jesus". And don't be fooled: Notre Dame still has major allure--especially for a good catholic like Coach Stoops.
Now, let's pepper that allure with a little realism: OU is a better job--it's a destination job. Notre Dame right now is not, and won't be unless somebody (or somebodies) catapult it back into the BCS title spotlight. But Stoops already has his OU reclamation project skin on his belt--and that's part of the rub that Sooner arrogance has forgotten: it was just 11-years ago that Stoops took over a moribund program that endured four straight losing seasons--a much worse situation than what Notre Dame's next head coach will inherit. Stoops has a national title, and a slew of Big 12 titles, and--unfortuately for him--some embarrassing BCS bowl losses that tarnished his once feared "Big Game Bob" moniker.
But Sooner arrogance turned monstrous--with many fans calling for Stoops' head in lieu of 2009's 7-5 record. Geez. One sub-par season--and let's face it--OU was WAAAY overrated in the preseason polls with that porous offensive line. One sub-par season, a season nowhere near the depths of the John Blake era. One sub-par season, and Sooner arrogance flips its collective nose at Stoops.
And with that in mind, I couldn't blame Stoops for leaving. This is a loyal guy, who could have bolted for Florida earlier in the decade to take over for the guy (Ron Zook) who followed the legend (and his mentor, Steve Spurrier). Look, I'm well aware of the all popular attitude of "what have you done for me lately?" Well, I'll take a page out of the Sooners recruitment of Adrian Peterson--where a Sooner assistant coach's last line to Peterson was reportedly, "You can either play for us, or you can go up against us." Well, given the choice, I'd rather be on Stoops' side--recent lack of success in BCS bowl games notwithstanding. If Stoops could rebuild OU after the Gary Gibbs and aforementioned Blake eras, he could do it at Notre Dame. And Sooner arrogance would be on the hook for the guy who didn't get away--he got chased away.
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The only thing I would say is that your making the same mistake so many others do in your assessment of fans. When you say "But Sooner arrogance turned monstrous--with many fans calling for Stoops' head in lieu of 2009's 7-5 record". I just have to say that those "many fans" are a huge minority. Anyone who survived the "Lost Years" of John Blake know that winning a National Championship is very very rare.
ReplyDeleteI will also say this about Notre Dame that fans of ND and media types forget to mention. Notre Dame is not the school it once was for many reasons. They have higher recruiting standards for one. The biggest thing though is media coverage. Once apon a time ND owned the media coverage because they were ND. Those days are gone with the 24/7 coverage of so many BCS teams. Don't get me wrong, they still have a national audience like no one else. They just aren't the overwelming leader in that coverage anymore.
Bottom line is that it is a lot harder to win there than ever before. So a coach has to decide if it's worth the jump. For many it's not. Brian Kelly loved ND. That's the biggest reason he is there.
That's been "My Two Cents" by Rob ;)