Morning Reading: It’s Time Once Again to Talk about Notre Dame

It’s that time of year to once again talk about the head coaching position at

Notre Dame

.  As usual, there are two reasons this discussion becomes relevant.  The first is due to the fact that, let’s face it,

Charlie Weis

just ain’t all that and a bag of chips (more like all that, a bag of chips, a block of cheese, a side of ham, a few burgers, a turkey leg, and a gallon of lard to wash it all down).  The other reason is the one that directly affects those of us that are

Florida

fans: the

Urban Meyer

to Notre Dame rumors.

This time around though, I’m not sure us Gator fans have anything to worry about.  We all know that at one point Meyer himself may have considered the head coach of the Fighting Irish to be his dream job.  We all know he may have seriously considered heading to Notre Dame five years ago.  We all know that it may still cross his mind as stories of Weis’ future come up each time the Irish lose another game.  But we also know what Meyer is building at Florida.

Just a few weeks ago, Meyer secured his fifth-straight nine-win season with the Gators.  Nine wins for a power program may not seem too impressive, but coming off the Ron Zook years, it is.  Meyer, like Steve Spurrier while he was at Florida, being good for nine wins a season at least is a very good thing.  Then look at the bigger accomplishment – the national titles.  There have been two so far and deep into this season, the Gators are again in a position to play for another.  Add being able to recruit from talent-rich Florida as well as the rest of the nation as seemingly easily as he can, and there’s little not to love about staying in Gainesville.

Many people will talk about the marquee jobs in college football.  The Alabamas and Michigans of the world.  Notre Dame is said to be atop that list.  It’s been said to be THE program you want to be the head coach of.  But if that’s true, why are we looking at a recent coaching string of Bob Davie, Tyrone Willingham, and now Weis?  All had good resumes and good reason to get a job at a premier program at the time they were hired, but if ND is truly the most desirable and best job in the entire nation, why isn’t Mack Brown or Jim Tressel or Bob Stoops or, even, Urban Meyer there now?  Of course part of it is attributed to who the Irish brass go after, but who they’ve gotten recently has been more of “hmm, okay, well let’s see how he does” and not “wow, did you hear Pete Carroll is going to Notre Dame!”

The reason is simple.  It’s not the premier program it’s made out to be.  Don’t get me wrong, the Irish have every opportunity to be one of the nation’s best teams on a consistent basis, but it’s not the drop everything and coach Notre Dame it may have once been considered to be.  Too many other programs also have the name, history, and recognition these days.  Why go to ND when you already are heading up a power?  The way it is now, if Weis does go, there’s just as good a chance the next coach will be Brian Kelly as there is it will be one of the nation’s top leaders.