OT - Patterson and TCU agree on terms for long term contract extension
This likely scratches another one of Notre Dame's potential targets off of the list. Really, about the only major target left that hasn't commented much (or at all) is Brian Kelly. I just don't think it'll shake out to be Kelly either though as he would have to bail on coaching in a BCS bowl game as I can't see Notre Dame being willing to wait until January to make the hire.
http://sports.espn.go.com/dallas/ncf/news/story?id=4703348
December 1st, 2009 at 12:57 PM ^
I wonder if he is counting on the Mountain West getting an automatic BCS bid some time in the near future. If they do, TCU is well situated to be a strong team nationally (along with BYU and Utah), but if not this seems like a missed opportunity if he ever wanted to step up. That or he is one of the few coaches ever to realize making a lot of money at a place you enjoy working and where you are revered can be a pretty good thing, even if it isn't at a big name school.
December 1st, 2009 at 1:12 PM ^
Patterson has had 6 seasons with 2 losses or less. In a typical year, he'd be preparing for the national championship right now. If he keeps it up, he'll get TCU back in this position soon enough.
December 1st, 2009 at 1:47 PM ^
I think last year proved that a Mountain West team has essentially zero shot at playing for the national title. Utah went undefeated, but still missed out on the title game to one-loss BCS conference teams. They then smoked Alabama and got no real push for a #1 ranking.
TCU has to go undefeated to even go to a BCS game. Unless the conference gets an automatic bid (one I think they deserve now that there are 5 BCS games), it is very difficult to keep a MWC school nationally relevant since anything short of an undefeated season means you are praying for a bid to the Las Vegas Bowl.
EDIT: I also wonder if seeing his old boss Francione get the boot at a school where expectations are much higher than recent results (Texas A&M) made him leery about potentially taking over a similar situation (Notre Dame). Also, he may not really have been on ND's radar and could just be using this as a great opportunity to get a raise, seeing as how he is a hot commodity and there aren't many big jobs opening up this year.
December 1st, 2009 at 1:29 PM ^
There is a precedent for leaving a school with a BCS bid when a better job comes calling. A guy named Rich Rodriguez did it. Brian Kelly hasn't exactly been silent. In his contract, the school committed to make a number of facilities upgrades, and Kelly mentioned recently that they haven't gotten it done. That's another similarity to Rodriguez at WV.
The MWC is probably several years away from an automatic BCS bid, and by then who knows what the system will be? But TCU might be a much better place for Patterson in any event. The Irish have chewed up and spit out 5 of the last 6 coaches they've hired. Even their best hire during that span, Lou Holtz, resigned under duress. It might not be much fun to walk into a place where they expect a national chamipionship every season, but haven't contended for one in 15 years.
December 1st, 2009 at 1:52 PM ^
"There is a precedent for leaving a school with a BCS bid when a better job comes calling. A guy named Rich Rodriguez did it."
Thanks for pointing out the absolutely obvious. One slight difference though: Rich Rodriguez did not agree to a new contract at WVU within the same month that he took the job at Michigan. Rodriguez took enough heat for renegotiating his deal a year or so before he took the Michigan job that the firestorm that would ensue from someone negotiating an extension and then bolting later that same month would be immense. I can virtually guarantee you that neither Notre Dame nor Patterson would want to start off on that foot.
December 1st, 2009 at 3:23 PM ^
...who has not signed an extension recently, but who will be BCS-bound if his team beats Pitt this weekend.
December 1st, 2009 at 1:39 PM ^
Thank you good lord patterson isn't going to ND. THAT would be scary.
December 1st, 2009 at 1:47 PM ^
Patterson will still get snatched up within a few years. His record is too great for a big time program not to dangle three or four million dollars in front of his face when they need a coach. Signing this extension just ensures that this won't happen this year.
December 1st, 2009 at 2:46 PM ^
It seems that Swarbrick has already painted himself into a corner. Option #1 (Meyer) and Option #2 (Stoops) aren't interested, Option #4 (Patterson) signs (or is going to sign) an extension which leaves Option #3 (Kelly) who has (supposedly) shown interest in the job. Didn't Jim Harbaugh recently sign an extension, too? I wonder if Butch Davis is available.
At least it makes for interesting theater...
December 1st, 2009 at 3:34 PM ^
As usual, a major coaching vacancy leads to a fresh round of contract extensions across the country. ND would do well to note that most of the current big-name coaches around the country were not big names when they were hired. Patterson would have been a nice get for them, but it looks like they missed the boat.
December 1st, 2009 at 3:39 PM ^
Wouldn't you stay at a place where the mayor dyes the water purple? Wait, maybe that just its natural color...
December 1st, 2009 at 4:08 PM ^
there is a reason why schools like Michigan, Tennessee, stayed away from him. He has skeleton in his closet so I doubt that ND would stoop to lower "their" standards to get Kelly.
With that being said, if ND get Kelly. I might just crawl into the hole and die.
December 1st, 2009 at 4:35 PM ^
Pardon my ignorance, but what are these "skeletons" that people keep talking about with regard to Kelly?
December 1st, 2009 at 4:53 PM ^
Kelly wasn't a big enough name for Tennessee or Michigan at the time. I'd love to see someone document more than one incident at CMU as "skeletons." ND wouldn't be lowering their standards in any way by hiring Kelly.
December 2nd, 2009 at 9:54 PM ^
but from what I hear, there's more to it than that one incident at CMU. Michigan and Tennessee found out about it and stayed away from Kelly. Even some of the BCS programs like Iowa State didn't bother contacting him.
December 1st, 2009 at 4:18 PM ^
Kelly is also working on an extension, one that forces Cincy to expand their stadium by at least 15,000 seats.