There might be more than one high-profile coaching job opening up. If Urban Meyer has his preference, would he take the Notre Dame job or the USC gig?
Though they found a way to win at home over the Virginia Tech Hokies on Saturday afternoon thanks to a late go-ahead touchdown scamper by quarterback Ian Book, things may not be a rosy as they should be with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish program. They have two losses on the year and there is a chance the university could move on from head coach Brian Kelly.
On the other side of the country, you could say similar things about the USC Trojans head coach Clay Helton. Although his program is in a much worse state than Kelly’s, that is a high-profile job than any coach worth his weight in salt would love to have. Rarely to we get two blue-blood gigs up open in the same offseason, but that may be the case in South Bend and Los Angeles.
Those two programs could get a great coach, but what if Urban Meyer plays them against each other? Could the former Ohio State Buckeyes head coach get back into coaching after a year’s absence? He retired for health reasons, but has done a great job as part of FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff this football season. But if he does come back, would he prefer Notre Dame or USC?
This would be an ideal position for Meyer to be in, as he would be the first choice for both private universities should they move on from their current head coach. Meyer would be able to contend for the College Football Playoff at both and he’s already taken two blue-bloods to the promised land before in Ohio State and the Florida Gators a decade prior.
There are pros and cons to both gigs for sure. Regarding Notre Dame, Kelly has brought in a ton of talent that is capable of winning 10 games annually. It’s a national brand and Notre Dame has that outstanding NBC television contract that nobody can match. However, not playing in a conference in a geographically isolated area at a prestigious academic power doesn’t making recruiting easy.
With USC, there is so much talent in-state that Meyer can build his team the way he wants as quickly as he wants. USC is built to dominate the Pac-12, something that will be key if Meyer wants to contend for national titles should he take the job. However, the program has been down for a decade and the university can’t stop getting in its own way. Plus, the Pac-12 is struggling.
All things equal, Meyer should go with whatever school pays more. It’s not a bad decision to take either job. But if there is a slight edge, it would have to be at USC because of in-state recruiting, playing in a Power 5 conference and there are very places in college football like when the Trojans are good in Los Angeles. He could take either job, but USC is the slightly better option at this point.
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