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Oregon regression / Phil Knight to pay $10M/yr. for coach?

+3 HS
1MechEng's picture
November 7, 2016 at 2:04pm
81 Comments

Ohio State fans are accustomed to winning - a lot. One regular season loss has us looking for a scapegoat (#FireFickell, #FireBeck, #WeenieArm, etc.) as we run around acting like the sky is falling.

We're blessed as Buckeyes to have great facilities, fanatical alumni, very good AD's (Andy Geiger, Gene Smith), and a wealth of $$ to throw at the program. These all contribute heavily to the successful results of the football team, and the winning culture that has been established. But most importantly, we have outstanding coaching. Coach Meyer has been a blessing (even though some of us still have nightmares about OSU v. Fla. in 2006), and I doubt that anyone here would hesitate to give him his $5M + per year based on his results.

How many teams would pay handsomely to be in Ohio State's position? Many schools have the money, the recruiting grounds, and the facilities (think: UCLA, Notre Dame, LSU, etc.) - but they lack the elite coach to get to the playoffs.

Oregon is also one of those teams with 3 of the 4 prerequisites. They have great facilities, a big time donor (Phil Knight/Nike), and fertile recruiting areas just south in Cali. But, Oregon has always had a mediocre (at best) defense, and they are not being well-coached this year. The window is closing on their opportunity to compete for a CFB NC. They are currently 3 - 6 on the year, and will likely not get to bowl eligibility. Oregon fans are already calling for Mark Helfrich's head, and the debate is who to hire as a replacement. Rumor has it Knight will fund a head coach at Oregon to the tune of $10M per year, making that coach the highest paid in CFB - more than Saban, Meyer, Harbaugh, et. al. I don't doubt Knight is willing to pull the trigger on such a deal, but is there anyone out there worth this money that would actually go to Oregon? (This rules out Saban, Meyer, Harbaugh). Is there a coach available that can stop the slide backwards and elevate the school to the top tier again? Is Miles the guy? Would Chip Kelly come back? 

What would you do if our beloved Buckeyes were in this predicament? I personally don't want to think about it. We faced this scenario in 2011, dodged a bullet, and came out smelling like roses with Meyer. I'm thankful we don't have to make this decision today. It's not fun watching a team (your team) wane from its high point, knowing the momentum is carrying you downward towards a rebuild. I almost feel sorry for the Ducks fans right now ... But is there any way they can right the sinking ship?

TL;DR - Ohio St. is both lucky and awesome, Oregon is trending down, and Phil Knight may make a last push for a CFB championship with a $10M per year coach.

This is a forum post from a site member. It does not represent the views of Eleven Warriors unless otherwise noted.

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