Better job: Notre Dame or Texas?

Better job: Notre Dame or Texas


  • Total voters
    61

RammerJammer14

Hall of Fame
Aug 18, 2007
16,055
8,880
187
UA
I said Notre Dame because clearly they aren’t too concerned about their coach winning big post season games, at least not enough to fire them over it.

Texas has more money probably but that place has been a cesspool since we beat them in 2009.
 
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Crimson1967

Hall of Fame
Nov 22, 2011
19,560
11,138
187
Texas lost three games this year.

They lost 33-31 to TCU. They were down 33-29 with four minutes left when they fumbled on the one yard line.

They lost to Oklahoma in 4OT.

They lost 23-20 to Iowa State. They were on the 36 yard line with four seconds left when their QB got sacked.

So they could easily have finished 9-0 and been in the playoffs. On the other hand they won twice in OT and beat West Virginia 17-13 in a game where WV missed a fourth down conversion on the Texas eight with four minutes left. So they could easily have finished 3-6.
 
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Windsortide

Hall of Fame
Nov 11, 2019
5,155
3,040
187
ND more relevant right now.
Texas higher ceiling.
ND easier to get to the playoffs .
Texas needs to get more competitive in state in recruiting behind Bama and A&M right now and probably the Sooners and battle LSU.
I would say ND is better right now.
 

KrAzY3

Hall of Fame
Jan 18, 2006
10,966
5,483
187
45
kraizy.art
I'd argue Notre Dame is a better job. You don't have to do as much work to get into the playoff and it seems like you don't have as many distractions either.
 
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BamaInCummingGA

1st Team
Jun 8, 2017
798
1,152
162
Cumming, Ga
Neither job is worth $.02 in their own ways.
At UT(w) you have to deal with all the little monsters who never played a down of football trying to tell you, an accomplished coordinator/coach, how you should game plan and who should play. You have to deal with the media and booster circus instead of focusing on the team and game planning. The only two plusses at UT(w) are money and not having to travel very far to recruit because of the extremely fertile recruiting ground in the state.

ND: You can recruit nationally because the idiot media keep trying to prop ND up so name recognition, but, you HAVE to recruit LIGHTS OUT nationally if you really want to compete. Add to do that, as someone has already mentioned, you have to recruit kids who can actually pass admissions and that further limits your recruiting.

Less pressure at ND
More pressure at UT(w) but possibly a higher ceiling.

If I'm Sark (and obviously I ain't) I have it built into my contract a limit on booster club appearances, shorthorn network appearances, etc and if my team does really well the first two years I renegotiate my contract to demand that the boosters leave me alone and let me do my job. I hope he was able to negotiate a no buyout clause and if not I hope he was able to negotiate a very low buyout so he can force his will.

So, back to my first point, neither job is worth a spit except for the money.
 

Isaiah 63:1

All-American
Dec 8, 2005
2,829
2,716
187
Probably at 35k or in an airport somewhere
I think it depends on what you want to accomplish. Do you want to win, or to be canonized? I think Notre Dame is the better job.

At Texas, in theory at least, it’s easier to win, but the fan base is delusional, and the administration and boosters widely perceived as too controlling for their own good or to attract a Saban. They think they’re a premier program, but in reality they’ve only won four titles, and only one in the last 50 seasons (requiring questionable play calling by Lane Kiffin on USC’s final full possession to set up UT’s opportunity). If not for an eight year run under Darrell Royal from 1963 to 1970, UT historically is basically indistinguishable from TAMU, or a modern day version of Minnesota - once relevant, but you have to have reference material to be certain exactly when.

ND’s fan base (I frequently read, and occasionally post on, NDNation) and administration are generally resigned to the belief that a year like 2020 is as good as it can get for them. Their administration puts transparent limits on recruiting, basically requiring that a kid can get accepted as a normal student, and that’s what I assume Brian Kelly was subtly saying in his post game comments - I can’t compete at skill positions with ND’s recruiting restrictions, so if you want to take the next step, you need to help me. I’m not sure I believe that. If ND in 2005 had hired Meyer or Saban, and either had stuck around awhile, does anyone believe ND wouldn’t likely have won multiple titles from that day to this? And if you think Saban is immortalized for having returned Alabama to glory after a mere 17 year drought, imagine the canonization in store for the man who returns ND to glory after double that span.

Saban’s hiring at Alabama - a once in a lifetime hire for any AD, and for most fans not named Earle - was a combination of preparation (Mal knew who he wanted), opportunity (Saban was ready to move after the Drew Brees fiasco), and the unintentional beneficence of Rita Rodriguez. To make a similar hire, the ND administration needs to have and communicate a vision that simultaneously embraces the uniqueness of Notre Dame and expects to win championships; for as was once written somewhere, where there is no vision, the people perish...
 
Last edited:

superbamashane

1st Team
Aug 14, 2006
591
76
52
Sylacauga, AL
Texas is a sleeping giant. They’ve got all the tools they need to return to prominence. Money, facilities, tradition, recruiting grounds, etc... They just need a coach with some cahonas that knows how to use them. If they could have lured CNS away or pulled in Meyer they would have quickly became a power house.
 
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jashleyren2

1st Team
Aug 27, 2018
778
603
117
If the two college football programs were states:

Notre Dame = California- pretty to look at, lots of reputation as a destination and the dream of fame, but is dysfunctional at it's core. Think prettiest woman or man you ever saw, with a severe personality disorder.

Texas = Texas. Seems simple enough, but complicated in many ways.
 

jashleyren2

1st Team
Aug 27, 2018
778
603
117
Texas is a sleeping giant. They’ve got all the tools they need to return to prominence. Money, facilities, tradition, recruiting grounds, etc... They just need a coach with some cahonas that knows how to use them. If they could have lured CNS away or pulled in Meyer they would have quickly became a power house.
Meyer was the first choice, to be sure. He would have gotten them back to where they THINK they belong. Top 5, contending, out-recruiting everyone. With Sark, they get a worthy 2nd choice, who will build the offense out to be top notch. Will probably compete for conference championships quickly. Still too many hands are going to be stirring, though. Meyer or Saban are the only two currently who can take over the entire program.
 

Go Bama

Hall of Fame
Dec 6, 2009
14,816
16,640
187
16outa17essee
I'd rather have the Texas job.

I think most coaches go there thinking they will be able to be successful in spite of the big hats. Saban would have been amazingly successuful there. I hope Sark stands up to the hats, tells them to get out of his way. I wish him the best.

With each new hire, I keep thinking the Horns got it right this time. It's hard to imagine how the hats keep coaches from winning in a place that should dominate college football. Maybe it's something in the air. The Cowboys have sucked for years too.

What Texas should do is send a group to study what is different about Alabama that allows a little town, in a little state, with comparatively little money to dominate college football for generations.

Texas women are prettier, and Austin is a great town. Recruits are plentiful. There's plenty of money to be made. I'd take Texas.
 

dwc13

New Member
Jan 7, 2021
11
30
22
Tough call. I'll break it down, as follows:

1. South Bend (IN) vs. Austin (TX) -- Advantage Texas in a landslide (except for the lack of snow).

My mom told me if I didn't have anything good to say, then say nothing. So, no comment about South Bend. Oops, my bad -- there is now a casino in town. It's not that close to Elkhart. And it snows during the winter.

FWIW, Austin has great live music & BBQ. In addition, all the pros/cons of a decent-sized capital city -- except for snow.

2. Scheduling -- Advantage neither.

As an independent, Notre Dame has more scheduling flexibility than Texas but no "guaranteed" CFP slot by virtue of winning a conference championship. The Irish have upgraded their schedule in the future with the CFP in mind, including home-and-home games against Ohio State & Clemson in 2022 & 2023. The ACC has several weak teams, but even its worst team is light years better than Kansas.

Texas basically needs to beat Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry (and, perhaps Iowa State) to have a real shot at winning the Big XII Conference. However, the Longhorns also have to play many of their games in state, which is a lot of long bus rides. And who wouldn't want to travel to Lubbock for a road game?

3. Boosters -- Advantage Notre Dame (by default)

RIP, Regis Philbin.

Texas boosters...where to begin? They have arguably been the biggest impediment holding back the football program. After all, water cooler bragging rights are all-important in the Longhorn state. Their solution to everything is to keep throwing more oil money at the perceived problem(s). Let's be thankful Texas hasn't been able to get its act together for a long time.

4. Mascots -- Advantage Texas. Bevo would kick The Leprechaun's butt.

I don't recall hearing many, if any, complaints to remove The Leprechaun as the official mascot of Notre Dame. Apparently protests against "offensive" mascots are aimed at schools where the football team is bad (e.g., Illinois).

Austin has some great BBQ joints. Is it a coincidence that the Texas mascot is a Longhorn steer? Just sayin'...

5. Fight Song -- Advantage Notre Dame.

Victory March -- The song was used in the movie, Airplane!

The Eyes of Texas
-- I've been working on the railroad. Uh, I mean The Eyes of Texas are upon you. Creepy.
 
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selmaborntidefan

TideFans Legend
Mar 31, 2000
39,012
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At Notre Dame you can recruit nationally
Well.....yeah.

But this is no longer 1981, either. The days of "if I go to Notre Dame, my parents can see my play on TV in Oregon" are long gone. You can play locally at Autzen and stay where you're comfortable and still be seen every single week - and the fact a kid like Mariota can win the Heisman diminishes the old day appeal, too. Throw in the academic standards right alongside Stanford, and you have a team that's crippled before the first game.

Nowadays, everyone can in the largest sense recruit nationally. It's no longer a Notre Dame selling point.
 

selmaborntidefan

TideFans Legend
Mar 31, 2000
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Let's be honest: for the right coach, the LSU job is better than either one.

The Florida job is a LOT better than any of those.
 
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scrodz

1st Team
Jan 29, 2008
430
60
52
Baltimore, MD
Texas has more potential, but their boosters don't have the patience to let a coach develop. Kelly's record would have got him fired at any top school other than ND.
 

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