Eleven Warriors

Coaching salaries have become the lifeblood of college sports dynasties. The days of collegiate football franchises keeping legendary head coaches for the duration of their career on a shoestring budget and "love of the game" officially ended with Joe Paterno's passing. Data compiled and released this week by USA Today reinforces one of the key reasons the Southeastern Conference outperforms the Big Ten on the field: shifting demographics be damned, the SEC simply ponies up the dough to hire better leaders.

In a sport where you can't (legally, anyway) spend money to acquire better players (again, legally, that is), the most obvious single place to invest assets with an eye toward improving performance is in your coaching staff. Staffing a team with high-caliber play callers who can recruit, train, motivate and guide the best players to executive better game plans is the surest way to improve performance.

Our own experience is a perfect example: John Cooper won a lot of games, but not the big ones. Ohio State hired a better coach, and won more, important games. Jim Tressel was taken from us before his time, so Ohio State hired the best available coach on the planet in Urban Meyer. The results in both cases speak for themselves. Head coaches are only one piece of the equation, of course, as assistants make every bit as much difference as does the chief executive of the team. This has been discussed at length throughout the silly season on the front page of this site, including a great piece here.

(For my earlier thoughts on coaching and spending, read Part I here and Part II here. A mini-case study relative to the University of Cincinnati's own coaching search can be found here.)

So that brings us to the new data from USA Today. I went back and updated my spreadsheet of coaching salaries to reflect the 2012 head coaching and assistant coaching salaries available to the USAT reporters and compared the Big Ten and SEC in two tables. First, the B1G:

+ Left to coach Arkansas
*Fired after the season

And now, the SoEvilConference:

So let's put the numbers in perspective:

• The average SEC school outspends the average B1G school on Head Coaching by $474,578, or 20.9%
• The average SEC school outspends the average B1G school on Assistant Coaching by $936,476, or 46.3%
• The average SEC school outspends the average B1G school on total coaching by $1,316,766, or 30.4%

In total then, the average SEC school spends roughly a third more in aggregate than the average Big Ten member - a significant difference. Looking at the teams who won at least 8 games this season, we notice that by and large those head coaches earned more than $2 million in compensation, with only one Big Ten coach failing to win 8 games at >$2 million (yes, Kirk Ferentz, I'm pointing at you), and only three SEC coaches failing to do so at that level of compensation.

For Big Ten schools, we can see that Iowa under performed its spending, while Northwestern significantly outperformed. We can also see that schools in the Big Ten that spent more than $4 million in total coaching generally won 8 games or more, with Iowa and Michigan State being the two schools to break that rule.

With the SEC data we can see that Generally schools had to spend at least $4 million as well, to get to the 8 win mark, though Ole Miss, Tennessee, Mizzou and Auburn each failed to do so. Interestingly, 50% of those schools replaced their head coach following the season.

One thing that I think is overlooked in the entire discussion over coaching and staffing expenditures is the simple fact that strong compensation yields longevity, and longevity in coaching - stability, in other words - yields dividends in the form of recruiting, coaching systems, and overall program development. The longer you are at a program as a good coach, the more chances you have to recruit high-quality coaches and players who can best execute your system.

Getting coaches to stick around takes paying them well enough to keep them from taking off the minute more money hits the table (yes, Wisconsin, I'm talking to you). Look at the Big Ten's longest-tenured coach, Kirk Ferentz. He's also been one of the league's best-paid coaches for more than a decade. He's not going anywhere, and although his teams' performances have been nowhere near what they should be for the money invested, the omnipresent Angry Iowa Running Back Hating God has a good deal to do what that.

Consider our own James Patrick Tressel. If he had left Ohio State of his own volition, it wouldn't have been for more money; he would have more likely retired than coached somewhere else. While many discuss Ohio State as a "destination job," part of that destination status is because it pays well. You're not going to make better money too many places outside the SEC, and Urbz compensation competes with the top-tier of that conference.

Look at the longevity of the head coaches steering top half of the SEC, by the way - see anything striking? The best-paid coaches are the longest-tenured in the conference, and those coaches are typically winning the most games. Saban, Miles, Spurrier, Richt and Pinkel have all been at their schools at least 6 years, all make more than $2 million, and four of the five won 10 games or more this season. Muschamp at Florida and Sumlin at A&M, likewise, each won 10 games and make more than $2.4 million - think they're going anywhere any time soon with those numbers?

Winning 10+ games, winning conference titles, and winning bowl games takes the right combination of several interrelated factors. Coaching salaries are one factor, but one factor that has a significant affect on several other factors critical to winning at a high level.

PER ATHLON SPORTS:  Even though the 2012 college football season isn’t over, it’s never too early to take a peek ahead to 2013. Considering players are going to leave for the NFL Draft and more coaching changes are in store over the next few months, a lot is going to change between now and when Athlon releases its official top 25 poll for 2013 in May. With plenty of changes likely to occur and more in-depth research coming over the next few months, keep in mind this is a very, very, very early look at how the preseason top 25 will look like next season.

Keep in mind, this is more of an off-the-cuff early ranking, as we will dive more into the schedules and the returning depth charts once the season is finished. Expect plenty of changes when Athlon releases an updated top 25 in January and again in May.

http://www.athlonsports.com/college-football/very-early-college-football-top-25-2013

With an already strong recruiting class (and getting better) along with what I believe will be a better defense it is not a stretch to say that Ohio State will win it all next season. Urban Meyer will keep this team motivated and hungry next season even with a horrible schedule. I am calling it Florida Vs Ohio State in the championship game with Urban Meyer winning one in blowout fashion over his old team....LET'S GO BUCKS AND FINISH NEXT YEAR WHAT THE SENIORS STARTED THIS YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't have any problem with Ohio State coaches not being honored in this way very often.  The other B1G coaches see Ohio State as always being the biggest school with the most money, the best facilities, and the best recruiting footprint in the whole region.  Ohio State recruits itself, and they probably don't see it as a very big challenge for anyone of mediocre competence to win big at Ohio State.  In fact, I bet most of the coaches took a look at Tressel's teams over the years with a certain jealous disdain, because they would often win games on talent alone, as opposed to effort or gameplan (coughwalrusball).  He may have gotten the shaft in 2002, but it could be argued that those teams went into several games not prepared to play, and still won (partly because they were admittedly talented and partly because of a little luck).  One way to interpret Tressel's use of his own top talent was to put them in positions to do the minimum and still win.  Does that make a great coach?  I bet guys like Danny Hope or Glen Mason or Bret Bielema would spend some time as Jabba the Hutt's slave girl just to sniff the talent of those Ohio State teams.

So, yes, Urban Meyer deserved coach-of-the-year honors from his peers in the conference over Bill O'Brien.  It was a masterful navigation of a season with a team full of young talent that he didn't recruit and disenfranchised veterans that he needed to inspire to play big boy football for once in their lives.  And what happened?  Ohio State is 12-0, and just starting to rock 'n roll underneath him.  They're about to make a killing in merchandise sales this Christmas.  At this point, one could suggest that Urban Meyer could probably go pick out some funeral plots for he and his wife in Columbus because no one is expecting him to go anywhere any time soon.

Life is good in Buckeye nation.  Don't need the validation from the rest of the slackjawed B1G coaches that Urban Meyer is one of the greatest coaches of the past decade and made them all look silly on Saturdays in 2012.  But he'll never get that anyway.  He isn't here to make friends.  He's here to lay waste to everyone who dares challenge him. 

If he's anything like us (and he is), I bet he watched Wisconsin players chomping on roses after that game and wanted to hurl the Leaders trophy through the f'ing wall.  If the thought of Wisconsin once again representing the B1G in Pasadena for the third year in a row doesn't turn your knuckles white, then just give up.  Give up now, the door's over there, and have a nice life.  Meyer's validation will likely be garnished in rose petals or crystal footballs.  That's how we should see it, too, probably.

I received the pleasure of getting to talk to Coach Jarvis Gibson of Shaker Heights High School about Donovan Munger's commitment to Ohio State, as well as a few other topics.  Coach Gibson was gracious enough to tell me all about Munger as a person, his ability as a player, the recruiting process, his final choice, and other stars coming up through the Shaker Heights football program.

• On Munger: "Donovan is an exceptional player.  He's even a better person and that is what I'm most proud of.  He has great character and was an instrumental leader as this football program has progressed."
• On Munger's ability and what he brings to Ohio State: "Ohio State recruited Donovan as a defensive tackle, but he can play on the offensive line too.  He's great at both positions.  Half of his offers were for the offensive line, and the other half for defensive line.  That is pretty unheard of.  I think they are getting a very special player."
• On what drew Munger to Ohio State: "I think there was a variety of factors that played into his choice to commit to the Buckeyes, and proximity probably played a part.  When it came down to it, I think he liked the direction the program was headed in and the coaching staff."
• More on his choice: "I think Donovan had about 7 schools he really liked.  They were all even but I think Ohio State being on the rise and Coach Meyer coming in and doing what he did his first year had an impact on him.  That is how I saw things develop with him."
• On if depth chart was ever a concern: "Donovan thought about it like every recruit making this kind of decision should.  Getting on the field in a timely matter is what you dream of at the college level.  He knows they have some depth across the front line, but in the end it was about trusting his abilities and playing for the program he fit in at."
• On the Ohio State coaches Munger had the best relationships with: "Other than Coach Meyer, he talked the most with Coach Vrabel and Coach Drayton.  Coach Drayton recruits this area and he is exceptional at it.  He is well respected."
• Shaker Heights High School also has six 2014 football players attractiving Division 1 colleges' attention.  Already holding offers are WR Odell Spencer, WR Nolan Jackson-Daniel, RB Ramses Owens, RB Greg Claytor, DE Joe Henderson, and OL Jamerez Bowens.

Ohio State landed its 19th commitment in DL Donovan Munger, and have a handful of spots left still available in the 2013 class.  Stick with us here at Eleven Warriors as we bring you the latest on who may fill those slots.

On Saturday night it was revealed to us all that the Heisman Trust had awarded this year’s memorial trophy to Texas A&M redshirt freshman quarterback Johnny Manziel in a close race that had Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o receiving the most votes for a defense-only player in the history of the trophy. Looking at it from any angle you wish, the right player received the honor of the three who were invited to participate.

But under any other circumstances than those with which this year’s trophy was awarded, that honor would have been bestowed upon Ohio State’s sophomore quarterback Braxton Miller.

Let me be clear about one thing – Miller was not robbed of the 2012 Heisman by the A&M quarterback. He wasn’t any more or less deserving of the award than Te’o, Kansas State’s Colin Klein or the eventual winner, “Johnny Football.” What happened in the events leading up to and during Saturday night’s ceremony were not reason to further the conversation of the integrity (or lack there of) in the world of college football.

The Heisman Trust got it right and the two opening sentences within their Mission Statement will tell you as much:

The Heisman Memorial Trophy annually recognizes the outstanding college football player whose performance best exhibits the pursuit of excellence with integrity. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard work.

Johnny Manziel was certainly deserving of the honor, but the entire situation was a lost opportunity for one young Buckeye and the university for which he represents.

Entering the 2012 season with no ticket to punch to the Big Ten Championship Game, no eligibility for a bowl invite and a clear ending point to the schedule – November 24th versus Michigan – voters from every region were in an awkward spot with regards to Ohio State.

We wondered if an AP National Championship was within reach but were soon told that wouldn’t be the case through the votes cast by sixty national writers on a weekly basis. Those votes should have told us everything we needed to know about the Heisman Trophy back in October, but fans held onto hope for Miller.

We really should have known better.

For just a moment let’s imagine The Ohio State University football program hadn’t been ineligible for post season play in 2012. All things remaining equal – and assuming the Buckeyes go into Indianapolis as clear favorites against Nebraska two weekends ago and come home with a B1G Championship – history tells us they would find themselves in this season’s National Championship Game facing undefeated Notre Dame for all the marbles.

History also tells us that our quarterback would likely enter that contest having just taken the honorary tour of ESPN’s Bristol, Connecticut campus as the Heisman Trophy winner.

Let’s be honest, the Heisman Trophy process isn’t all that difficult to figure out regardless of how heated the arguments become in the days leading up to the ceremony. In general, the following applies:

• The brightest star on the best team is the frontrunner. Period. Don’t get this confused with the “best player” on the best team. We heard nothing out of Tuscaloosa this season. They certainly have a best player, but their brightest 2012 star roams the sidelines under a headset and doesn’t stiff arm anyone except Les Miles.
• If you play quarterback then you get bonus points with no questions asked. You are the frontrunner before the run begins.
• If you didn’t score a touchdown on the offensive side of the ball all season long then you have zero chance of winning the Heisman Trophy unless every quarterback with a .500 record died before November.

So how does this apply to 2012?

Had Colin Klein kept Kansas State undefeated, he’s your default winner last Saturday night. He took snaps from center, had star power and momentum and was the clear leader of the top-ranked team late in the season. Baylor eliminated him.

Turn around and hand the ball off to Manti Te’o four or five times inside the three yard line and get him on the scoreboard, Coach Kelly. Had you done that he would have won the Heisman by a wide margin. He was easily the brightest star on your undefeated team, but you didn’t.

Add Braxton Miller to the Heisman equation and imagine anyone outside of Buckeye Nation gave a damn about Ohio State this season. Beyond the shadow of any doubt you may allow to creep into your mind, Miller receives that trophy last Saturday night. Of those in attendance, none match what he did. Not one of them.

It doesn’t matter that his numbers trailed off in November, Miller was the poster child for the Heisman formula, especially in a season where the winner had accumulated multiple losses: He was the brightest of stars - from the quarterback position, mind you - on an undefeated team. He beat teams with his arm, his legs and his video game jukes whether he was in the open field or standing in a phone booth with three defenders.

Unfortunately the sanctions that came down on the program late in 2011 extended from physical restrictions on scholarships awarded and bowl invitations to the way the Buckeyes, as a team and as individuals, were treated by those tasked with voting for national rankings and award recipients. Neither Braxton Miller nor Urban Meyer could control that. They, along with rest of the Buckeyes roster, did just as they could in 2012 - they beat everyone on their schedule and did so behind the efforts of their on-field star. From that perspective the season was an amazing success, but under different circumstances it could have been so much better.

All bets are off for 2013 and when Heisman votes are cast next November those appointed to do so may be in a position to vote for the brightest star on, effectively, a 25-0 team - and they will.

Potential investors in a corporation are, by nature, risk averse.  As such, the terminology used to describe various situations tends to skew towards the positive. In the corporate world a program supported by top management never experiences “failure.”  Rather, the program performed “less than optimally.”  One rarely hears about a “problem” their company is having.  A high-visibility project rarely experiences “concerns” or “challenges.”  Such occurrences are described as “opportunities.”  Wisconsin’s football program has recently found itself with just such an opportunity to excel.

The national narrative immediately following the announcement of Arkansas’s hiring of Beilema was less than complimentary of Wisconsin and the Big Ten.  The stereotypical Big Ten guy (“He's burly, smart, funny and down-to-earth. He believes in power running, physical defenses and big meals.”) won three straight Big Ten titles and was stolen by a mid-rung SEC program.  The way Dan Wetzel describes it, Bret Beilema had the third best job in the Big Ten (presumably after Ohio St and TTUN) and bolted for the seventh or eighth best SEC job.  The natives of the blue collars and Midwestern grey skies* are no longer interested in the local brand of football.  The Big Ten cannot hope to compete with the SEC (never mind that 19-19 bowl record between the conferences in the BCS era) anymore, and Arkansas’s theft of the Big Ten’s best coach is evidence of that.

*(editor’s note: Wetzel actually referred to “grey skis”. Though he may have genuinely been offering admiration for specifically tinted winter footwear, we will assume he was describing the color of sky which best fits the national media’s lazy narrative of the Big Ten.)

But as we said, Wisconsin has an opportunity to excel.  In fact, they have one of the Big Ten’s most important opportunities to do so.  This hire could further the national narrative of the second rate conference who could not hope to compete with the hypercompetitive SEC, or it could serve notice the Big Ten will also be making the commitment to win.  With that in mind, let’s take a quick look at the candidates we’ve heard about so far:

• Paul Chryst (Pittsburgh Head Coach)
• Brad Childress (Cleveland Browns Offensive-Coordinator)
• Bob Diaco (Notre Dame Defensive-Coordinator)
• Darrell Bevell (Seattle Offensive-Coordinator)
• Al Golden (Miami Head Coach)
• Paul Rhoades (Iowa St Head Coach)
• William Taggert (Western Kentucky Head Coach)
     o Since hired to same position by South Florida
• Chris Peterson (Boise St Head Coach) – we’ll get to him in a minute

While the individuals listed above have experienced varying levels of success at different points in their respective careers, only one of them could be considered a “win” for Wisconsin.  Guess which one.  It would be hard to argue Chryst, Childress, Diaco, Bevell, Golden, Rhoades, or Taggert would be an improvement over Beilema for Wisconsin.  Certainly none would announce a return to prominence for the Big Ten.

Purdue had a similar opportunity recently.  Purdue’s head coaching position was open as a result of the ineffective and uninspired hire of Danny Hope following Joe Tiller’s retirement in 2009.  Hope’s salary was the lowest for a head coach in the Big Ten in 2011 and 2012 ($925,000 and $970,000, respectively).  Over the past three years, Hope was the #69, #65, and #67 highest paid head coach in FBS football, respectively.  Purdue paid its assistant coaches a combined $1,498,460 in 2011 (most recent data available), good enough for #51 nationally.  Some schools with higher paid assistant coaching staffs in 2011: Boise St #21, Iowa St #41, Connecticut #46, and Utah #49.  The point is not to throw more money at moderately talented coaches, but rather to spend the money required to hire top-flight head and assistant coaches.  During its most recent hiring process, Purdue targeted Butch Jones of Cincinnati.  However, it did not offer a compelling enough package to lure him to West Lafayette and he signed with Tennessee for $18 million over 6 years.  Purdue settled for Darrell Hazell of Kent State and declared victory.  Nothing against Hazell.  We all love when former Buckeye assistants rise through the ranks.  But Darrell Hazell was a head coach for exactly two seasons with a 16-9 record.  His record is strikingly similar that of another formerly hot MAC coach with Buckeye ties, Tim Beckman.  Illinois’s uninspired hire of Beckman prior to this past season has proven so misguided there were calls for his firing halfway through his first season (and they did not win another game all year).  Purdue and Illinois hiring less expensive, non-dominant coaches with limited head coaching experience and no conference championships mirrors Purdue’s approach to the Danny Hope hire of 2009.

In 2012, Wisconsin has to think bigger than Purdue and Illinois have recently.  With Mark Emmert’s punitive punishment of Penn St, the Big Ten needs a nationally relevant Wisconsin.  Penn State will likely be better than we originally expected when Emmert made his announcement, but any AP top-25 ranking should warrant an automatic national coach of the year award for O’Brien.  Purdue and Illinois have hired decent MAC coaches hoping to build the kind of programs on a budget that can compete for Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl appearances rather than Rose Bowls.  Indiana appears to have made a strong hire in ex-Oklahoma Offensive Coordinator Kevin Wilson, but there is a long way to go before they could be considered a legitimate top-25 program.  The Big Ten needs Wisconsin to be the team to compete with Ohio State for the Leaders Division for years to come.

The Big Ten needs Wisconsin to land the kind of coach the national media will refer to as “a coup.”  They need to get someone with the kind of cache to be able to recruit nationally, not just in Chicago and Ohio.  Everyone in the Big Ten recruits those two areas.  Wisconsin will not be a nationally competitive program with players exclusively from Ohio, Illinois, and Wisconsin.  They need a new coach who creates the perception that the program is better off now than it was a month ago with Beilema, similar to the perception of the post-Tressel hiring of Urban Meyer.

One of the biggest problems Beilema had in his time at Wisconsin was pay for assistant coaches, particularly those who received assistant coaching position offers from other programs.  “They were talking money that I can’t bring them at Wisconsin.  Wisconsin isn’t wired to do that at this point.”  Wisconsin AD Barry Alvarez disputes Beilema’s claim he was losing assistant coaches to higher paying programs. 

“I think our pay scale for assistant coaches is competitive and fair,” Alvarez said. “As an athletic director, I have to make decisions. I know what people are making. And every time someone has a hint they may take another job, it’s not prudent to throw a pile of money at them.  We all see what the salaries are. I know what the salaries are. I get charts with them. We’re more than competitive.”

Alvarez went on to mention how he was able to keep a staff together for 15 years as coach at Wisconsin.  Here’s the thing, Mr. Alvarez.  This is not the 1990’s anymore, which means two very important things.  First, the game has changed and keeping a talented staff together for 15 years requires adequate compensation.  Second and more importantly, people have access to far more information than we did while you were head coach at Wisconsin.  When you say, “we’re more than competitive,” anyone can look that up rather than taking your word for it.  For example, in 2010 Wisconsin had the #41 highest paid assistant coaching staff (excluding 21 programs who are not required to report, such as Penn State, USC, TCU, Miami, etc) with a combined $1,619,165 salary.  That dollar figure remained the same in 2011, but the ranking actually dropped to #48.  By comparison, Auburn spent $4,196,450 on assistant coaches in 2011.  Heck, even Louisville spent $2,396,800. 

With whom is Mr. Alvarez attempting to compete?  I have the upmost respect for Barry Alvarez’s accomplishments as both a coach and an administrator.  There is a strong correlation between assistant coaching staff salaries and success on the field.  Let’s take a look at some figures from the 2011 season (most recent data available) comparing assistant staff salary with final AP finish.  Here are the facts:

-Of the top 14 schools in the final AP poll, 8 of the teams rank among the 25 highest paid assistant coaching staffs, 4 are private or land grant institutions and do not report (USC, Stanford, Baylor, TCU), and 2 are ranked well outside the 25 highest paid staffs. 

-Yes, Boise State’s assistant coaching staff ranks #21 nationally, higher than any Big Ten school but Ohio State and TTUN.

-Those two low paying schools in the top 14 of the AP are Wisconsin and Michigan St, with assistant coaching staffs ranked #48 and #45, respectively.

-The remaining assistant coaching staff salary rankings of top 14 teams are as follows (in order of AP finish): #3 highest paid assistant coaching staff Alabama, #2 LSU, #9 Oklahoma St, #19 Oregon, #18 Arkansas, #21 Boise St, #17 South Carolina, #12 Michigan.
The point is, spending money does not guarantee success.  But, refusing to spend it almost certainly precludes success.

(Edit: The data for 2012 assistants has been released. It’s amazing to see the coach by coach breakdown, which you can do here. What jumps out to me is that every Buckeye coach except 28 year old Zach Smith made more than every Badger assistant. That’s not an exaggeration.  Tight ends/fullbacks coach Tim Hinton made more ($275,000) than Wisconsin’s defensive coordinator Chris Ash ($265,000). Guess how much Ash will make as defensive coordinator at Arkansas this year: $550,000.  Again, with whom does Barry Alvarez believe Wisconsin’s salaries are competitive?)

Wisconsin has to make the commitment to success and get this head coaching hire right.  To do so, it has to think bigger than Bob Diaco, Darrell Bevell, and Paul Rhoades.  Wisconsin has to go after the types of people on this list:

• Chris Peterson – Boise St – Won two BCS bowls with 5 finishes in the top 11 of the AP poll with a WAC (now Mountain West) school. Has been the target of as many major BCS programs’ wish lists as John Gruden. Is rumored to be interviewing with Wisconsin.
     o 2012 salary* - $1,959,833 (#43)
     o 2011 Staff Pool* - $2,279,590 (#21)
     o Career record: 83-8
     o Years: 2006-2012
• David Shaw – Stanford – BCS bowl and AP top-10 finish in both years as head coach with run-based offense and tough defense.
     o 2012 salary – $1,500,000 (*per CoachesHotSeat) (approx #57)
     o 2011 Staff Pool – N/A
     o Career record: 22-4
     o Years: 2011-2012
• Butch Davis – advisor for Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Guided Miami through NCAA sanctions and rebuilt them into a national power. Gave North Carolina its best seasons since Mack Brown in the mid-90’s. Was not implicated in any wrongdoing in NCAA notice of allegations to North Carolina. History of success with physical, speed-based pro-style offense and defense.
     o 2010 salary - $1,752,000 (#37)
     o 2010 Staff Pool - $1,985,000 (#23)
     o Career record: 28-23 (North Carolina) and 51-20 (Miami)
     o Years: 2007-2010 (North Carolina) and 1995-2000 (Miami)
• Charlie Strong – Louisville – Has built Louisville into a Sugar Bowl program with 3 consecutive winning seasons in BCS conference.
     o 2012 salary - $2,305,000 (rumored recent raise) (#32)
     o 2011 Staff Pool - $2,396,800 (#16)
     o Career record: 24-14
     o Years: 2010-2012
• Jim Tressel – administration at University of Akron – Won 7 Big Ten championships, national championship in 2002, had 5-3 record in BCS bowls, and finished in the top-5 of the AP poll seven times. Has an NCAA show-cause penalty requiring him to miss the first 5 games plus the bowl game of his first season, but has no other restrictions on recruiting or team activities.
     o 2010 salary - $3,888,389 (#6)
     o 2010 Staff Pool - $2,238,450 (#13)
     o Career record: 106-22
     o Years: 2001-2010
• Bobby Petrino – unemployed – Won Orange Bowl at Louisville and Cotton Bowl at Arkansas. Prolific offense everywhere he has been. Has 5 AP top-20 finishes in 8 years, including three in the top-6. No NCAA issues, although contract would have to be structured to protect the school after motorcycle incident in Arkansas.
     o 2011 salary - $3,638,000 (#6)
     o 2011 Staff Pool - $2,338,600 (#18)
     o Career record: 34-17 (Arkansas) and 41-9 (Louisville)
     o Years: 2003-06 (Arkansas) and 2008-11 (Louisville)

*Salary and Staff Pool data refers to the rank of that figure in the most recent year that person was a head coach.  Data for assistant coaches for 2012 was not yet available at time of post.

So, how does Wisconsin go about attracting one of the first five names on this list?  Barry Alvarez could start by asking the following question during an interview with a candidate, “What resources do you need in order to win championships here?”  Barry Alvarez, in that interview with Evan Cohen and Steve Phillips on SiriusXM, was asked if he thought the new coach would have the ability to win the national championship at Wisconsin.  Alvarez replied, “Yeah, I do. I do.”  The best way to attract the type of coach who can win (or has won) national championships is to ask them what they need in order to do so, and then collaborate on a plan to achieve exactly that.  For example, when Ohio State announced its hiring of Urban Meyer, Gene Smith was asked about pay for assistant coaches.  “We'll put in place the resources necessary to attract the staff that Urban feels he needs,” he said. 

As one looks at the above list of candidates for Wisconsin’s coaching search, it should be clear Wisconsin will have to pay a salary in the $3 million to $4 million range.  However, to attract a top-flight coach, a school much offer more than the same salary said coach can receive from 20 or so other schools in the country.  Offering an assistant coaching salary pool of up to $2.5 million - $3 million would allow the candidate the flexibility to attract the coaching talent needed to win on the national level.  The good news for Wisconsin is they have one of the richest athletic departments in the country, with revenue of $96,038,912.00 in 2011.  That figure will only increase with the growth of the Big Ten Network.

Wisconsin should have a recruiting budget second to none.  Proximity to both the Dane County Regional Airport (Madison, WI) and General Mitchell International Airport (Milwaukee, WI) makes a recruit’s access to Madison easier than several schools in smaller towns.  Facilities upgrades are reportedly on the way.  This is good because ESPN has Wisconsin’s team facilities ranked #11 in the Big Ten, ahead of only Northwestern (who has a “game changer” indoor facility coming soon).  The interview should include input from the candidate regarding aspects of the team’s practice facilities, academic center, meeting rooms, etc that could aid recruiting and enhance the team’s likelihood of championship caliber success.  Any practice/team equipment the candidate feels is necessary should be made available.  The Adidas sponsorship could be leveraged for endorsement potential.  I’m generally not a fan of alternate uniforms, but kids between 15-18 like fresh gear.  Based on the uniforms in the Wisconsin-Nebraska game this year, I’m guessing Adidas has some ideas for merchandising.

Sometimes people fall in to the trap of thinking of coaches as football-teaching robots.  We have to remember these are real people who have needs and lives outside of football.  Madison was listed as one of the top 100 cities to live in 2010 by CNN.  Madison is known for being a great place to raise a family, both safe and entertaining for kids.  Similar to Columbus and Ohio State, Madison is a city which supports the Badgers in a way few other communities support their school.  To ensure the coach is able to tend to family outside the state of Wisconsin, Alvarez could include use of a private jet to allow the new coach access to the entire country.  Alvarez’s job is to identify the best possible coach, and then to sell him on everything the University of Wisconsin-Madison has to offer.

The point is Wisconsin needs to make a commitment to success on a larger scale for the health of the entire Big Ten.  Wisconsin has all the resources required to make just such a commitment.  Yes, there is more to attracting a great coach than simply throwing money at him.  Wisconsin has everything it needs in order to attract one of the best college football coaches in America.  However, they will have to change their thinking from “Who are the best head and assistant coaches we can comfortably afford” to “Who is the best we can get.”  Wisconsin must think bigger than competitive MAC coaches and coordinators of national powers.  Wisconsin needs a coach who can run a program that can compete with Oklahoma, USC, LSU, and Florida State.  Then it needs to put in place the resources necessary to do exactly that.  If Barry Alvarez settles for an affordable mid-tier coach on a budget, they will have made the conscious decision not to compete for championships, national or otherwise.  If a Big Ten team on the heels of a third straight Rose Bowl bid makes the decision not to compete, then we really are what Dan Wetzel thinks we are.

OK, So I posted this as a comment, but I figured it deserved its own blog post because I think it is a good discussion topic, and I would love to hear others' thoughts and critiques:

After watching today, I think that an amazing offensive and solid defensive lineup that should be on the floor a minimum of 20 minutes per game for quick scoring and offensive runs is as follows:

1- Aaron Craft

2- Shannon Scott (splitting PG duties) or Lenzelle Smith Jr.

3- Sam Thompson

4- LaQuinton Ross

5- Deshaun Thomas

That obviously isn't the biggest lineup,  but it is the type of group that could go on a 15-0 scoring run at any moment.  Even if Deshaun is off and Craft plays like he has been recently on offense, the other three guys can light it up from the outside, not to mention attack the rim (as witnessed by Thompson's aeuronautical theatrics on the alley-oop tonight, I mean DAMN) and get easy points while getting fouled.

A more realistic starting 5 that could legitimately play most of a game if on top of everything:

1- Craft (offense has been shabby but his D is the truth and he should play because of it no matter what- the fast break opportunities he creates are astounding)

2- Smith Jr.

3- Quint Ross

4- Thomas

5- Evan Ravenel (maybe Amir Williams by March, but Ravenel simply brings more offensive at the moment)

For this starting 5, the two deep- who should get plenty of PT- would be:

1- Scott

2/3- Thompson (should get at LEAST 20 min a game somehow)

2/3- Della Valle (good for 5-7 min a game and 6-9 pts once he is a 35% 3 point shooter, so maybe by Jan.)

4/5- Amir Williams

Having played basketball for my entire life until a few years ago, I can honestly say that this team has too many weapons for all the playing time to go around.  They are young, but if they improve on a linear (or hopefully exponential) curve as they should, they WILL be the best team in the country come March.  Craft will eventually hit an offensive flow as he did near the end of last year.  This offense will be absolutely lethal.  Teams will be double teaming Deshaun, but by the end of the season everybody else will be a damn good threat.  So, the double teams will grow less frequent, and The Microwave will start putting in 30-35 points a game.  That, or Ross, Thompson and Scott will have wide open looks that they have proven they can hit and they will make up for the points that Deshaun Thomas isn't producing. 

I know tonight was LBSU, but they are most likely a tourney team- think an 8-12 seed.  They will win their conference, and we made them look J freakin V this evening.  I am so excited to see this group in a couple months.  If we were to play Duke again in say the Elite 8, I think we might beat them by 15 or 20 points since we have so so so much higher of a ceiling than the Blue Devils, who are currently #2.  Indiana is the biggest threat, and those will be a couple GREAT games.  Indy might take game 1, but by game 2 we should have them.  Then, of course, the rematch will be in the Big Ten tourney championship, then maybe again in the Final 4.  I am very up on this team right now.  They put on a show tonight. 

OH-IO baby!

I almost forgot to mention, the Big Ten schedule will be frickin BRUTAL.  But, it will ge this team ready for March like no other.  Indiana, MSU, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, Iowa, even Penn State and Nebraska are all tourney teams, or at least possible tourney teams.  If OSU makes it through that schedule with only a couple losses, they will be ready for anybody in the country.  Honestly, I think their only competition for a national championship comes from the Big Ten itself at this point.  The conference is downright scary.

2014 Cleveland (OH) St Ignautius OL Jimmy Byrne has committed to Notre Dame.  Byrne was an offensive lineman high on Ohio State's board and had a Buckeye offer.  

Byrne got an Ohio State offer before his junior season even began but his visit to South Bend for the Notre Dame-Michigan game turned out to be too much to overcome for the scarlet and gray.  Ohio State had Byrne on a visit to the Michigan game a few weeks ago and Byrne enjoyed himself, but was hesitant to say if OSU had made up any ground on Notre Dame.

The Irish can thank Coach Harry Heistand for this coup.  Byrne had mentioned to me several times how the relationship with Notre Dame Coach Heistand had a lot to do with his affinity to Notre Dame.  

Ohio State will now go forward in pursuing other offensive lineman like Orlando Brown Jr., Damian Prince, Jamarco Jones, Andy Bauer, K.C. McDermott, Mason Cole, and Marcelys Jones.  

In-state offensive lineman still getting looks from Ohio State that I think could eventually hold Buckeye offers are Westerville (OH) Central OT Nick Richardson and Lancaster (OH) OT Kyle Trout.  Both continue to stay in contact with Ohio State and were at a few Buckeye games this year.  

Tracking the 2014 offensive line group this year will be interesting as that position group will be pivotal for the 2014 recruiting class at OSU.

The University of Cincinnati is a fascinating study of college football at the mid-major level. After a string of relatively successful seasons, predicated by a string of three successful head coaches, the school is once again dealing with the pains of losing its chief play caller to a bigger, better program.

Mark Dantonio, of course, started the trend toward creating a perception of UC as both a real player in the college football conversation and as a good stepping-stone program for coaching talent. Dantonio was the first coach in 23 years to lead the school to a winning season in his first year, going 7-5 in 2004. He led the team during the school's move into the Big East, took the team to two bowl games in three seasons, going 7-5 in 2004 and 2006.

He was promptly gobbled up by Michigan State, where as we know, he coaches yet today.

Following Dantonio was Brian Kelly, called up from Central Michigan after winning the MAC in 2006. Kelly did even better at UC than did Dantonio, finishing 34-6 in four seasons, winning the (yawn) Big East twice and playing in four Bowl Games, including two BCS appearances (which the team lost). During his tenure at UC, Kelly's Bearcats finished ranked in the AP poll three of four years, something else Dantonio's teams failed to do (note, this is not a Kelly > Dantonio comment, as much of Kelly's success was predicated on the rebuilding Dantonio did during his run).

He was promptly gobbled up by Notre Dame, where he coaches the most amazing team (aside from Alabama) and the most amazing player (aside from Johnny Football) in the known universe. </sarcasm>

Leading us to the most recent UC defector, Butch Jones. Jones, who followed Kelly at both Central Michigan and UC, went 23-14 in three seasons, winning the Big East crown twice and going to two Bowl Games, including a victorious outing in last season's Liberty Bowl. His victory over SEC school Vanderbilt (hey, they ain't Kentucky) was coupled with being named 2011 Big East Coach of the Year.

He was promptly gobbled up by a troubled University of Tennessee. Rocky Top has certainly seen a rocky stretch, and the school needed a big "get" in the silly season to right a sinking ship. Butch's ability to do that remains to be seen - his resume isn't quite as strong as Kelly's, so I don't know if anyone expects the big orange machine to be vying for a national title in three years, but anything's possible.

Cincinnati, meanwhile, is at a turning point. After being a dominant player in the now-on-life-support Big East (the Bearcats won at least a share of the conference title four out of the past five years), the school is making a run at joining the "we're not one of the Big 4 conferences, but we're really close" ACC. Joining a better conference is not a bad move, considering the Bearcats have probably exhausted their upward mobility in a struggling conference better known for basketball than for pigskin prowess. (Although it appears that Louisville's move into the Atlantic Coast Conference may have slammed the doors on an entrance by the Bearcats, unless the conference opts to go bigger, perhaps considering UConn or UC.)

Two big issues appear to be keeping UC from keeping coaches for more than the three seasons needed to catapult themselves to a top-tier program: money and facilities, which are in reality sides of the same coin.

The facilities issues are easy and obvious to understand:

There's also a lot of work to do on the athletic facilities, with little money available.

 

During Jones' tenure, Cincinnati expanded its football facility, adding a practice field with a protective bubble for bad weather. The school is trying to figure out how to upgrade 35,000-seat Nippert Stadium, which is the second-oldest playing site in the nation for a college team behind Penn's Franklin Field. Nippert has been in use since 1901.

Despite their Big East success, the Bearcats have played in front of disappointing crowds at Nippert. They drew only 21,171 fans on senior night — their smallest crowd of the season — for a 27-10 win over South Florida this year.

Nippert and the UC fanbase are problematic - if you can't get butts in the seats, you can't do a lot of things you need to do to stay competitive at the highest levels of college football. Similarly, five-star recruits don't want to spend their days in sub-par training and practice facilities when there are plenty of big-time programs spending millions upon millions to offer professional-grade (or better) athletic facilities.

Coaching salaries are the other big issue leading coaches to greener pastures. As I discussed earlier this week, schools are spending more money to attract better talent, understanding that there is a correlation with trading up and winning games.

In three seasons at UC, Jones averaged $1.42 million in compensation. UC football earned the athletic program $13.4 million on an investment of $11.2 million. As we also discussed, spending on assistant coaches make as much or more of a difference in football program performance as does spending on the head coach. UC spent $1.5 million on Jones' staff in 2011.

By comparison, former Tennessee coach Derek Dooley earned an average of $2.1 million over his three seasons with the Volunteers, and his staff earned an aggregate $3.2 million in 2011 - more than double what Cincinnati spent on its assistant coaching staff. Kelly and Dantonio likewise earned significantly more money and had a significantly larger payroll for staff in moving to the Irish and Spartans locker rooms.

Can the Bearcats come up with enough cash to make a dent in their facilities deficiencies and upgrade their coaching payroll? It's doubtful. With an overall athletic budget last year of $43.6 million, the Bearcats football expenditures are already nearly a quarter of the budget, and though the program operated in the black, it only turned an athletic gain of $2.2 million to the department.

As with most things, a cycle of sorts plays out here: spending more money to upgrade facilities and coaching talent will likely net better players, and coaching longevity will net better and better on-field performance in a potentially better conference that will net more and more money in ticket sales, licensing revenues and television rights. In other words "if you build it, they will come."

Of course, you've got to bite the bullet and build it first.

2013 Rossville (GA) Ridgeland S Vonn Bell is perhaps the Buckeye's top remaining target in this class. Vonn has taken some time away from the recruiting process to focus on his senior season. However, with the State semi-final this Friday and the season winding down, Bell may be very close to making a decision. I spoke with Bell's Head Coach, Mark Mariakis last night to get some information on Bell's recruitment. Here is the latest:

• Season: "The season has gone well. We lost our first game, but have rolled off 12 straight wins since due to the player's focus and motivation."
• Vonn: "He brings a great football player to our team, he's a kid that makes plays and brings a competitive mindset to the table. He doesn't think he's ever going to lose. At the end of games when it's close, he wants the ball in his hands or to make the big play on defense."
• Recruiting: "He has done nothing recently, he has cut it off for two months. He hasn't taken calls or anything. I think after the season they'll make a decision . He knows everything he needs to know and has all of his questions answered."
• Officials: "From talking to him, I think he's just going to take an official to the school he commits to. Like I said, he has all of his questions answered."
• Finalists: "I think they all bring something different. Tennessee brings the emotion card, he has always been a fan, that's what they have going on. Ohio State has been one of the top schools since day one. He has a close relationship with coach Meyer too. Alabama is Alabama they are the best college football team in the country, every big time player would want an opportunity to play there. It's whatever option feels best for him. There's no bad option in the top three."
• Factors: "I think just the comfort level with the coaching staff at each school, where he feels most comfortable, and the university as a whole."
• Tennessee Coach: "I don't know about that. I think they'll have a new coach in place by the time he's ready to decide, so I'm not sure it will play a huge factor."
• Decision making process: "A few days after the season, I'll sit down with Vonn and his family and we'll talk about setting up a time to make a decision. His family has been very open with me when discussing the process."
• Coaches: "They've still been calling, texting, and stopping by practice, but they know the season is still going on and they won't be bringing the Saban's, the Meyer's, and whoever the new Tennessee coach is in until the season wraps up because they know to give Vonn his space. He has been in close contact with the three schools though."

I will be in close contact with Bell's coach as the situation progresses. Check back for more details when he season comes to an end.