(11-01-2010 12:17 PM)Wedge Wrote:  

(11-01-2010 12:05 PM)knightastic Wrote:  everyone shouldn't assume Miami will eventually be 'back'.

Shouldn't assume Notre Dame will eventually be back on top, either.

For that matter, before U$C hired Pete Carroll, and before OU hired Bob Stoops, a lot of people didn't assume those teams would ever be back on top, either.

But when programs like that finally find The Right Guy, their upside is much greater than if the same guy was coaching at, say, Vanderbilt or Washington State or Georgia State or UTEP. It's not "fair", but it's true.

I think that what programs like that have - a "recoverability factor" they can be horrific for years at a time, but when it finally clicks again for them, it's as if though they bounce right back to where the public forgets that those bad years ever happened. (Some schools have the opposite issue, where the stench of bad seasons is so pervasive that it will take 2 decades straight of winning to overcome negative perception. See Rutgers and Illinois.)

Also, I COMPLETELY disagree with the people that are down on Miami. They will continue to grab spectacular recruiting classes and with the right coach in place, they'll be just fine once again. They are a TV draw way beyond their private school fan base - I can tell you that people across the country still think of Miami as a "big game" no matter how they're playing in a particular year. Plus, if you've ever visited their campus, you'll know why recruits flock there. Miami has a different vibe from the other Florida schools where it's much more attractive culturally to East Coast recruits. The South Beach factor can't be underestimated - it's basically the most fun place with the most perks for an 18-year old jock outside of maybe USC. I guarantee you that Miami is the school that other coaches fear of getting back on track because it's a place that effectively sells itself to recruits (both within the Miami area and all across the East Coast).