(09-24-2010 08:04 AM)MichaelSavage Wrote:  ...the Big East has no destination jobs. If Holtz and Strong turn out to be great then they'll move on to an elite program just like Kelly, RichRod, etc. History shows us this to be the case.

I agree.

I do think Pittsburgh or West Virginia could be a destination job. Rutgers and Connecticut could be one, too.

The challenge with the Big East schools (and East Carolina) is when coaches start looking at resources. How does a school who averages 50,000 fans at their stadium compete with a school who averages 100,000 fans? It really comes down to deeper pockets.

(09-24-2010 10:53 PM)quo vadis Wrote:  I remember when Pitt played Notre Dame at the dawn of Wanny's tenure, Pitt brought back old greats like Tony Dorsett and Mike Ditka to the stadium to inaugurate the era.

Clearly, the intent of hiring Wanny wasn't to make Pitt competitive in the Big East, it was to restore Pitt to the glory days of the late 70s/early 80s when they were a regular *national* title contender.
By that standard, he's been a clear failure.

Seems like Pitt has a choice to make: If you are satisfied going 8-4 with a berth in the Car Care Bowl or somesuch (which admittedly is a better performance than most BCS-conference teams will have), then Wanny should keep his job indefinitely. But if you aspire to double-digit wins and being in contention for BCS bowl berths and maybe more, he's not your guy.

I can't see getting rid of Wanny at this time. Paterno will retire or die. Eventually, he has a chance to become the legacy coach in PA.

(09-24-2010 08:04 AM)MichaelSavage Wrote:  The top coaches go on to better programs. That's just how it is. To be blunt...the Big East has no destination jobs. If Holtz and Strong turn out to be great then they'll move on to an elite program just like Kelly, RichRod, etc. History shows us this to be the case.

I think you hit the nail on the head. Alumni or coaches that have a special connection to a certain area are typically the ones that will stay.

(09-24-2010 09:03 PM)MichaelSavage Wrote:  WVU was Richrod's "dream job" and we saw how that turned out. These guys are mercenaries and will go to the highest bidder. Fans always say their particular coach will stay until they end up getting burned.

You're right. In retrospect, the UC fans hoping Kelly would spurn ND in favor of UC were really suckers. As you point out, if an alumni like Richrod leaves, how could anyone have expected a guy like Kelly with no ties to hang around.

Don Nehlen had no ties at all to WVU before he came to West Virginia. Yet he stuck it out, and still lives outside Morgantown. He refused several high profile job offers early in his tenure too. You never know what drives a man until the time comes. I figured Nehlen would take one of the offers he got before long. But he never did...

RR was an alum, and a West Virginia native, growing up a short distance from Morgantown. But he was looking for the door out of town during his entire tenure at WVU. As soon as his resume looked good enough his agent started shopping him around, and he would have left for Alabama the year before he left for Michigan if Nick Saban hadn't let some Alabama alums know he was interested. RR was allowed to save face by saying he refused the job. But the truth is, the Alabama offer was yanked before he could say yes...

(09-24-2010 10:53 PM)quo vadis Wrote:  Clearly, the intent of hiring Wanny wasn't to make Pitt competitive in the Big East, it was to restore Pitt to the glory days of the late 70s/early 80s when they were a regular *national* title contender.

The problem is that Wanny still runs his offensive/defensive schemes of the 70s and 80s and that just will not cut it in today's college football world. He is too stubborn to adapt and cannot get the athletes needed to run his dinosaurish schemes.

Wanny's teams didn't have any more success in the 70s and 80s. So what else is new?

(09-24-2010 09:03 PM)MichaelSavage Wrote:  WVU was Richrod's "dream job" and we saw how that turned out. These guys are mercenaries and will go to the highest bidder. Fans always say their particular coach will stay until they end up getting burned.

Doug Marrone is Doug Marrone and RichRod is RichRod, we also learned how RichRod is a dishonest unethical greedy jerk too. I doubt Marrone has the ethics and morals that RichRod has. If Doug Marrone is successful, he wont leave SU unless its for an NFL gig, which is doubtful too.