ESPN ranks the top 20 jobs in college football

Submitted by Maizen on

Heavy southern bias. Also in what world is the MSU job better than the PSU job? Finally, the fact that they ranked the UofM job and MSU job only 5 spots apart is spectacular hilarity.

Here's a look at how ESPN ranked the top 20 college football jobs, with athletic department revenue rank and attendance rank:

1. Alabama (No. 4 revenue, No. 4 attendance)
2. Ohio State (No. 5 revenue, No. 2 attendance)
3. Texas (No. 2 revenue, No. 10 attendance)
4. USC (Revenue N/A, No. 18 attendance)
5. Florida State (No. 17 revenue, No. 20 attendance)

6. Florida (No. 9 revenue, No. 9 attendance)
7. LSU (No. 6 revenue, No. 7 attendance)
8. Oklahoma (No. 7 revenue, No. 13 attendance)
9. Georgia (No. 19 revenue, No. 8 attendance)
10. Clemson (No. 39 revenue, No. 14 attendance)

11. Notre Dame (Revenue N/A, No. 15 attendance)
12. Michigan (No. 3 revenue, No. 1 attendance)
13. Oregon (No. 1 revenue, No. 32 attendance)
14. Texas A&M (No. 10 revenue, No. 3 attendance)

15. Auburn (No. 13 revenue, No. 12 attendance)

16. Tennessee (No. 14 revenue, No. 5 attendance)
17. Michigan State (No. 18 revenue, No. 19 attendance)
18. UCLA (No. 29 revenue, No. 22 attendance)
19. Penn State (No. 12 revenue, No. 6 attendance)
20. Stanford (Revenue N/A, No. 42 attendance)

NateVolk

March 5th, 2016 at 1:06 PM ^

That was a hopeless situation when he took over. 5 years he turned them into the bully program west of the rockies and a destination for big time recruits. Whatever greatness he achieves for Michigan, he'll have to go ape great to top the job he did there.  The other thing about that place is there is very little fan or alumni pressure. They aren't likely to invest in sports like they are at an SEC schhol for instance. You play second banana to the school itself.

BornInAA

March 5th, 2016 at 1:00 PM ^

This is pretty much the ESPN bias list. 

Each new "reporter" at ESPN must have to tape this to the monitor on his desk to remind them who gets the favorable press and "power ranking" - regardless of what actually happens on the field.

A Fan In Fargo

March 5th, 2016 at 2:20 PM ^

What I don't get is of all the terrible reporters out there and articles, why cant one or a couple ever be written about something like this? They want to work for ESPN one day? Good luck and go ahead. I want to see some articles written about the crooked and unethical schools and the things they get away with. Someone out there who will make a name for themselves nationally by exposing the truths about these schools and their dillusional idiotic fans. I shouldn't have to see the team I like getting bombarded for following the rules by these schools while they get their ass kicked in recruiting! Dumb, come on reporters! Stop sucking at your careers.

Tater

March 5th, 2016 at 4:45 PM ^

SEC jobs are great jobs.  The fanbase is rabid and boosters do whatever they can to help.  I have no problem with Bama at #1 and OSU at #2, either.  They are #1 and #2 when it comes to cheating to give the coach the best possible personnel.  As long as you win, you can do whatever you want at either school witn no consequences.

I would put Michigan at #3 and at the top of clean programs, as long as you have previous affiliation with the program.  They kept a stiff like Brady Hoke for four years.  For coaches with no previous affiliation, I would put Michigan at about #80.  

Bottom line: let's see what that list says after five years of Harbaugh.

Truthbtold

March 6th, 2016 at 4:51 AM ^

it's biased because Michigan fans ego says it's better than 12th ? You seem to forget that UM is in a state call Michigan. Feel lucky your 12th. Also feel lucky that the great state of Ohio fills out half your roster or you wouldn't even have the half ass team you have now.

LSAClassOf2000

March 5th, 2016 at 1:40 PM ^

You have to stick around for tomorrow's companion piece, which will of course be the ranking of the "20 Hottest Dumpster Fires". I have to think that Illinois, which may have been just a smidge below the 20-line before about an hour ago, is now a contender for a top five position thanks to one quizzical decision by their AD. 

ThadMattasagoblin

March 5th, 2016 at 1:01 PM ^

So we're number 1 in attendance and number 3 in revenue and we're number 12. Sounds about right. /s Also how is MSU over PSU. They'll have a heck of a job replacing Dantoni and convincing people to coach against Meyer and Harbaugh.

Maizen

March 5th, 2016 at 1:37 PM ^

I'll add FSU in the top 5 is a joke. Tallahassee is a cesspool and Jimbo tried desperately to leave for the LSU job this offseason. The AD there is cash strapped and they have trouble selling out games.

This list might as well be which SEC/ACC teams have had the most success in the last 8 years. 

The only schools in thop 5 in both revenue and attenedance are Michigan, Bama, and OSU.

I Like Burgers

March 5th, 2016 at 1:44 PM ^

If anyone would bother to read the article before they pulled out their Jump To Conclusions Mat, they would know that 1) This is actually a ranking of the top Power 5 jobs, 2) the rankings exist under the premise of "if this job was open right now". So recent success is a big, big factor.

And out of curiosity, where would you rank FSU? It's an easy top 5 job to me. It's an easy path to 10 wins and a shot at the playoff every year and it is in the middle of one of the most fertile recruiting grounds in the country.



Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad

gholt6633

March 6th, 2016 at 8:23 AM ^

The FSU football program is most certainly a "cesspool", but Tallahassee is not.  It is actually a very nice city in a beautiful part of Florida.   Lots of southern Live Oak trees, rolling hills and farms.  Not to mention just a short drive to the gulf.

I Like Burgers

March 5th, 2016 at 1:40 PM ^

Michigan is also in a lousy recruiting area which factors in to the rankings.

And in what world do you think Penn State is a better job than MSU? PSU hasn't been relevant on the field in over a decade while MSU has things rolling. And Penn St is in the same division as MSU...so I don't see how that is a factor.



Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad

EGD

March 5th, 2016 at 1:56 PM ^

Penn State has good in-state talent mostly to themselves, is adjacent to Ohio and New Jersey with plenty more talent, has a scenic campus, relatively modest admission requirements, and a huge stadium. Historically they have been very successful at football. OTOH, the Sandusky thing happened. So they are kind of difficult to rank. I can see justifications for placing them both ahead of MSU and behind MSU.

M-Dog

March 5th, 2016 at 1:56 PM ^

Penn State is in a much better recruiting position than MSU, with more resources and much better fans.

Dantonio skillfully pulled off the chip-on-the-shoulder thing to make 3-stars play like 5-stars for a few key games a year *sigh*.  But that does not mean that everyone can do that.

If I'm choosing between vacant PSU and MSU coaching jobs, I'm picking PSU every time.

 

I Like Burgers

March 5th, 2016 at 2:02 PM ^

I don't know if I'd say they are in a MUCH better recruiting position.  There ain't THAT much talent in Penn.  Its not like we're talking the difference between Michigan and the state Florida or Georgia.

But really though...how many more 10-win seasons is MSU going to have to put up for people to acknowledge that is a good program?

M-Dog

March 5th, 2016 at 2:18 PM ^

Thank You.

The list is not how good a program the school is onthe field right now or how much media exposure the school gets or even how appealing it would be to be the AD.

The list is:  "If all CFB head coaching jobs were vacant, which would be highest on your list to take?"

I'm taking the PSU job well before I'm taking the MSU job.

M-Dog

March 5th, 2016 at 2:31 PM ^

Yes.  Penn State sits in a fertile recruiting ground in PA, NJ, and MD/DC/Northern VA.  And it has no other major program as serious competition. 

Hopefully we (Michigan) can be a thorn in PSU's side in terms of taking some of that east coast talent.  So far, so good with Harbaugh.

We need to establish critical mass in that area before Penn State regains its footing.

 

gwkrlghl

March 5th, 2016 at 2:44 PM ^

they have just been idiots for the better part of 10-20 years. They are legimately the only real power school in the entire northeast. Their position puts them in a great position not just for PA but also for Ohio, Maryland, Virginia, DC, and New Jersey. Michigan and Ohio State raiding that whole region is symptomatic of how lackluster PSU has become

I acknowledge that MSU is an elite program, but Dantonio has had to work a miracle to do it. Everything is working against them. I would think MSU is probably bottom half of Power 5 schools in terms of attractiveness for the reasons I noted in a post above. It's really hard to win there.

M-Dog

March 5th, 2016 at 3:46 PM ^

Michigan and Ohio State raiding that whole region is symptomatic of how lackluster PSU has become

This.  I feel like I'm stealing money from a senile millionaire.  

We should never be able to raid NJ like we do.  And back in the day, we couldn't.

But Penn State is mired in problems and instability.  In the meantime, Michigan has been moved to the Big Ten East (one of the best things that ever happened to us) and Jim Harbaugh - a recruiting savant - is now our coach.

I hope we build a permanent prescence in that area before Penn State wakes up and tries to regain its natural advantage.

 

wolpherine2000

March 5th, 2016 at 4:18 PM ^

In addition to unreasonably impatient fans and a somewhat fractious relationship between the program and academic leadership, the football facilities aren't competitve to what Michigan, OSU and MSU have recently built.  It takes more than a big stadium, a big check and good recruiting potential to make a school attractive to a prospective coach - you also want to have the social and physical infrastructure to support you in place.

Maynard

March 5th, 2016 at 1:02 PM ^

Based on the numbers alone, it appears that UCLA maybe shouldn't be on the list, at least given the only criteria listed. Also, this list is based on potential and not the current state of affairs. Otherwise how could Texas be as high?

Roc Blue in the Lou

March 6th, 2016 at 12:35 AM ^

Agreed Texas ain't no TEXAS recently...but, if you were Jim Harbaugh, without Michigan ties, and you a pair beneath your waistline, wouldn't you believe that within 1 or 2 years you could OWN that recruiting hotbed????  And then, sky is the limit.  We are sooooooo blessed that Jimmy is BLUE through and through, is all I can say.

bacon1431

March 5th, 2016 at 1:03 PM ^

What is the criteria? I think ND and Michigan are top 5-6 jobs in college football, but they are also not the top 5-6 easiest jobs because of demanding fanbases and lack of vast local talent pool. 

I Like Burgers

March 5th, 2016 at 1:55 PM ^

Here's the link.

And this was the criteria:

If every FBS job in America opened today, which would be the most desirable and least desirable? -- and considered several factors to compile the master list. Criteria included location and access to talent, facilities, financial backing, administrative stability, community/booster support, recent and historic performance, and ability to win the league.

The revenue and attendance that the OP listed is only a tiny portion of it.  And BTW...both of those are a pretty stupid metric when trying to make your point OP.  If you asked any coach how important home attendance was to his desire to take a job, it would be near the bottom of just about every coach's list.  And revenue has more to do with the department as a whole and the overall attractiveness of the brand.  Willingness to spend on football is a much more important factor.  

 

ThadMattasagoblin

March 5th, 2016 at 2:26 PM ^

And we rank near tops in the country in all of those categories except recruiting and recent success which is pretty irrelevant since we're talking about total different coaching staffs. Remember when Jameis Winston said something to the effect of how our facilities were better than fsu when he was working out here.

Brandywine

March 6th, 2016 at 12:22 PM ^

I actually only see community/booster support and historic performance as standing out in a significant way..

Strong facilities, financial backing, and administrative stability is shared by many top programs. Location and access to talent is certainly not Michigan's advantage while lack of recent performance and ability to win the league (with a juggernaut OSU) shouldn't have to be explained.




Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad

I Like Burgers

March 5th, 2016 at 2:05 PM ^

I mean goddamn people...read the article.  The whole point is if the job was open right now -- not 5-10 years ago.  Same as if you were looking for a job yourself in the marketplace.  Recency bias is and should be a huge part of that.  Its like if someone made a list of the top websites to work for and people were pissed that Yahoo was like 15th.  "Lotta recency bias putting Yahoo that low.  They were pretty dope in the 90s..."

BigBlue02

March 5th, 2016 at 2:17 PM ^

If the MSU job opened up right now, very few coaches would want it because of all the factors they used. Did you read the goddam article? MSU isn't set up for future success going forward because they have a lot of competition for recruits (Michigan, OSU, ND), their facilities aren't known to be amazing, their fan support blows, and they have nothing to sell their program on other than recent success, but that is all Dantonio. If he isn't coaching there, they can't really sell that to recruits now can they. If you read the article like you scolded everyone else for not doing, you would understand why MSU shouldn't be as close to Michigan on the list. Plus, they aren't set up to win he league without Dantonio, so their recent success doesn't outweigh the challenges they have attracting talent and winning the B10

gwkrlghl

March 5th, 2016 at 1:06 PM ^

If anything, MSU's success has shown how crappy that job is. They're in the middle of their best era since the 50's and 60's and

  • They can't sell out their small (run down) stadium
  • They recruit the 4th best in their own division
  • They are constantly overlooked or disrespekted nationally in favor of Michigan, Ohio State, and Penn State despite being their equals or better on the field

The MSU job is awful. It's taken a miraculous coaching job by Mark Dantonio to even get anyone to notice them

MichiganMAN47

March 5th, 2016 at 1:07 PM ^

Michigan and Notre Dame being outside the top 10 is an utter joke. Two winningest programs with FAR more tradition than Florida State, LSU, and Clemson combined. This is more a reflection of how recent coaches have performed, rather than an analysis of the role itself.