For the first time in 40 years, Oregon will be hiring a football coach looking outside the program, and unlike those 4 decades ago, it’s the best job in the nation.
Mark Helfrich was officially let go Tuesday, bringing an end to the worst kept secret in America on Saturday, when news leaked that Oregon was moving forward with a coaching search before actually letting him go.
That’s the equivalent of “you’re going on dates to meet someone new and you’ll go ahead and let your girlfriend know at dinner sometime this week.”
But either way, Oregon is open, opting to not let an $11.6 million buyout alter their thinking. Helfrich is rich, but still wounded from the way it all ended, only two years after playing for a championship.
And Oregon is the best job in the country, seriously.
Think about it before nuking this article into the nether regions of the Internet.
The theory of “best job” is mostly relative based on who you are. For some guys, it’s coaching their alum or coaching where they have some sort of childhood roots. For others, it’s strictly a money grab. For others, it’s about the big money but tied to the big prestige.
And them for others, it’s a gig in Western Minnesota where you can earn a living and no one ever knows your name and the only media that covers you are high school journalists with acne looking for interviews for school projects.
But if you’re a big time college football coach, Oregon is the summit.
Oregon has deep, deep pockets within its program. Deep pockets that want to win, because the program has never won it all, and is still mostly a newcomer to being a big time power in college football relative to teams like your blue bloods such as Texas, Southern Cal, and on and on.
But not deep pockets that want to win such that they want to win at a Notre Dame, Michigan, Florida, and so on.
If you win a football championship at Oregon, you may get a statue for you, because it’s never been done before. The money will end up being mostly the same as any big-time program, and the expectations and ceiling will be more reasonable.
The facilities will always not only be top shelf, but cutting edge.
The home field advantage is astounding when the place is rocking, and the division and conference are tough enough that they have the national respect that if you win it, you’re going to almost be a lock for the playoffs pending having too many losses.
So long as you win 8-10 games mostly and compete for the whole kit-n-kaboodle here and there, the natives don’t get restless. You have the built-in brand of Nike supporting you, and whether you, your neighbor, your neighbor’s dog, or Jill Stein likes it or not … recruits love the 850 alternate uniform options.
The point is, you can win a decent amount but not be expected to dominate every other year or DOOM starts setting into the fan base. You have support and a national identity. And the ceiling is certainly not unattainable. You can win a championship at Oregon without having to go through the same gauntlet as doing it at, say, Iowa State.
Where Oregon goes with their hire is certainly going to be a different process than it’s been in recent memory. The best bet is just placing a call, even if only for cosmetic reasons, to their Mila Kunis, which would be Chip Kelly. The answer is, “no,” but hey, as some other coach up yonder that way says, “swing your sword.”
But if I’m a big-time coach looking for a program with high expectations but not unrealistic ones, where I have the brand backing to recruit well immediately and have the opportunity to be a legend by doing something never done before at the program, Oregon is the joint.
