ESPN College Football

Thanks for all the questions this week. Here's where you can send me questions or comments to get in next week's Mailbag.

Robin in Williams, Ariz., asked: I will join the multitudes & ask what is your opinion of Kansas hiring Charlie Weis? I think it's a poor hire myself. As a Cornhusker fan I was rooting for Turner Gill to get at least 1 more year, but after watching the Weis experiment at Notre Dame ... a school with far more resources ... this will be a very big disaster I think.

David Ubben: Here's what I wrote about the hire Thursday night. That was talking mostly big picture, though. On the field, it certainly looks questionable. Kansas got progressively worse on offense as the season progressed, which is obviously discouraging, but it's pretty clear that the biggest problem for the Jayhawks was on defense. Their defensive rankings were eye-popping in exactly the opposite way that Alabama and LSU make your eyes pop. That's what made this hire such a head-scratcher.

That, and the randomness of it all. If I made a list of 100 coaches I thought Kansas might hire if it fired Gill, Weis wouldn't be on it. I don't think that's good or bad, it's just out of left field. Weis' offenses at Notre Dame were spotty and heavily reliant on Brady Quinn. We'll see if Weis can prove himself in the Big 12.

As I wrote, though, offense sells tickets. Big names sell even more and turn eyes onto the program. Kansas has been entirely irrelevant since 2009, and that stage is over.

When was the last time Kansas led my mailbag? Or was even in my mailbag? I got flooded with questions about Weis last year.

Maybe, in matters that matter, this wasn't the best idea. Weis has had health issues and that raises all kinds of issues about recruiting, which is a young man's game, full of travel these days. When players do come to campus, though, Weis can probably sell them on his ability to get them in the NFL.

In my mind, his staff decisions will ultimately determine how this tenure plays out. Unlike some, I don't see this as a dead-end idea doomed to failure.

Will Klose in Decatur, Texas, asked: Ubbs: Do you think Kansas is having a more difficult time hiring a coach since they've almost been left out of conference realignment twice and that there's no guarantee that they won't be in the coming years? What about A&M? Seems like a death sentence to me for a coach to take the Ags to play in a new conference (particularly the SEC West) while trying to implement a new system. Too much change.

DU: I think that factored in for sure. You never quite know, especially after the Big 12 looked like it stabilized only to lose two more members. Any coach that doesn't at least consider that before taking the job is crazy. It will matter to some. It won't matter to others. Weis isn't exactly on the up-and-up in his coaching career. He's trying to find a spot he can be happy and can succeed.

A&M looks like it's due for a difficult year next year. Alabama and LSU will be loaded. Arkansas will be solid again. Auburn will be improving. Mississippi State will probably be a bit better.

Texas A&M will be relying on a whole lot of youth and a brand-new staff. Maybe the Aggies surprise some folks, but it's going to be hard. I wouldn't agree that it's a "death sentence," but in terms of immediate success, Missouri is in a lot better shape to compete in the lean SEC East with a team that will bring back a lot of upperclassmen and an entrenched system, versus A&M in relative upheaval. Long-term, I think Texas A&M will be more successful, but the administration needs to have a bit more patience with whoever gets the new job. It's going to be difficult.

Alex in Illinois asked: With their defense being as good as it was in the Big 12 this year, can Case McCoy or David Ash lead the Longhorns to a BCS Bowl in the next few years?

DU: I just don't see it. Ash has the better shot, but Texas might need to look elsewhere. McCoy doesn't have the measurables, and as a guy who can't "make all the throws," as they say, that offers a lot of freedom to defenses, who don't have to respect his ability to stretch the field.

Ash and Garrett Gilbert had the measurables, but decision-making is a huge problem for both. Gilbert never fixed it, and now he's at SMU. It's still early for Ash. He might turn the corner. As much as he played this season, at a recruiting powerhouse like Texas, it's easy to forget he was a true freshman. He wasn't exactly swimming in big-time receivers, either.

That said, you didn't see a ton of the flashes of brilliance, however brief, you see with a lot of other freshmen quarterbacks. If Ash going to be the guy of the future for Texas, the biggest thing that has to change is decision-making.

Justin in Stillwater, Okla., asked: What do you think of Saban and others who voted the Cowboys 4th or even 5th? I mean I was proud of Gundy giving Bama respect. Am I asking to much for Saban to do the same? With that being said, I think the best two teams are in the NCG. I like how it fell for OSU, but it is pretty shafty that some of those voters still couldn't respect the POKES!!!

DU: It's terrible. I'm not going to try and peek into their motives, but it's pretty clear that a guy like Nick Saban has clear motivation to put Oklahoma State at No. 4 or even lower if he wanted.

But for others? Come on. Gundy said on a radio interview this week that voters who had Oklahoma State at No. 5 or No. 6 should be eliminated from the process. No arguments here.

One Harris poll voter had OSU No. 6 and Houston (!) No. 5, because the Cougars lost to a better team. (Which, by the way, is debatable: Southern Miss lost to UAB. Iowa State lost to five ranked teams and Missouri.)

That's the only reason you're voting? That's nothing but asinine. These are the people deciding who plays for the national championship. Amazing.

Nick in Dallas asked: What are the odds that 6 out of 10 Big XII teams are in the preseason top 25 next year? 1. OU 2. OSU 3. KSU 4. BU 5. TCU 6. Either WV or UT

DU: Interesting points. Robert Griffin III would have to come back to Baylor for that to happen, and Oklahoma State is probably on the fence, but the Cowboys will probably be around No. 20. TCU and WVU bring back a lot. They'll both probably be in. K-State could be top 10. I think Landry Jones comes back, and Oklahoma will be right there. Texas will be top 25 again. So yep, I think you're onto something, Nick.

James Goss in College Station, Texas, asked: How epic would a Texas-Texas A&M 2013 Cotton Bowl be?

DU: Uh, I'd say epic to ... quite epic?

Dayl Spagnolo in Eugene, Ore., asked: Who votes for the Home Depot College Football Awards? Coaches? Sportscasters?

DU: Every award has a committee that puts together a voting panel of various people. It kind of depends. I'm a voter for the Davey O'Brien Award, Rimington Award and the Lott Trophy, among a couple others. It sort of just depends on each individual award's decision.

Optimus Klein in Catertron asked: [Initiate Question Asking Sequence] Mr. Ubben, Is our matchup with the Arkansas Razorbacks one of the best matchups of the bowl season? If my rotator flanges and transmission hydroponic capacitors can hold up, who do you think will win? Optimus (Collin) Klein [Model 2007.84.21.4][Terminating Question Asking Sequence] Catobots, Mobilize!

DU: ... Wow. E-mail of the week.

Parenthood might be the best show I've never heard anyone talk about. Do it, Netflixers.

• All signs point to Mike Sherman coming back to Texas A&M next year, probably with an OC, writes Brent Zwerneman of the San Antonio Express-News.
• A fake Nick Saban quote is one more reason not to believe everything you read, writes Jenni Carlson of The Oklahoman.
• Bedlam goes beyond the rivalry for three Cowboys from Enid, Oklahoma, writes Adam Kemp of the Daily O'Collegian.
• Here's what Bedlam means to a few troops in Afghanistan.
• The difference in Baylor the past couple years? It's no longer a one-man team, writes Cedric Golden of the Austin American-Statesman.
• West Virginia has filed to have the Big East's lawsuit dismissed that would prevent the Mountaineers from leaving for the Big 12 until 2014, reports Mitch Vingle of the Charleston Gazette.
• Can Kansas handle Mike Leach? J. Brady McCollough of the Kansas City Star assesses the possibilities. Matt Tait of the Lawrence Journal-World touches on the highs and lows of KU's season.
• Paul Rhoads name will come up on the coaching carousel this offseason. For now, though, home is sweet, writes Marc Hansen of the Des Moines Register.
• The time off has done K-State QB Collin Klein well. He's healed up enough to get back in practice.
• Berry Tramel of The Oklahoman may have actually figured out the biggest reason Oklahoma has more injuries lately than ever before.

Texas has hired Alabama defensive tackles coach Bo Davis to coach the same position for the Longhorns.

"We're really excited that Bo decided to join our staff," Longhorns coach Mack Brown said in a release. "He is a tremendous young coach who brings energy, enthusiasm and toughness to our program. His players have had a great deal of success, and he has been a part of some of the best defenses and teams in the nation throughout his career."

Davis played at LSU before joining the strength and conditioning staff in 2002. He coached with Nick Saban at LSU before following him to the Miami Dolphins and back to the SEC West at Alabama in 2006.

"I owe all of the credit for this opportunity to Nick Saban," Davis said. "I’ve been with him for eight years and he’s a phenomenal man. I’ve learned so much from him and really appreciate the opportunity I had to work with him."

Brown spoke with Saban before extending the offer to Davis, and emphasized the relationship as well.

"Bo was really fortunate to have Nick Saban as a mentor for most of his career," Brown said. "I've known and respected Nick for a long time and any time you can hire a coach who has had the opportunity to learn from him, you're getting a great football coach. Nick spoke very highly of Bo, and we're thrilled to have him at Texas."

With the addition of Davis, Texas now has just three coaching positions left to fill, including both an offensive and defensive coordinator. Davis is the second hire for the Longhorns this offseason. Texas hired receivers coach Darrell Wyatt earlier this week.

Texas A&M coach Mike Sherman and Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy are among 10 finalists for the Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award.

Fans can vote on the award's website for their favorite candidate, and the winner will be announced on January 10, 2011, just before the BCS National Championship Game.

Fan voting constitutes 20 percent of a coach's final score.

Various members of the College Football Hall of Fame will also vote on the award, and their votes count for 55 percent of a coach's score. Media voting constitutes 25 percent.

Here's Gundy and Sherman's competition:

• Gene Chizik, Auburn
• Mark Dantonio, Michigan State
• Rich Ellerson, Army
• Chip Kelly, Oregon
• Doug Marrone, Syracuse
• Tom O'Brien, North Carolina State
• Nick Saban, Alabama
• Jim Tressel, Ohio State

I received a slew of comments about some of my early choices for my All-Decade teams across the conference. Hopefully, that will prove as popular during the rest of the week for the rest of the Big 12 teams as they are released.

Here's a representative example of some of the other missives I've received over the last few days.

Mike Heuertz of Iowa writes: Tim, even with Ndamukong Suh leaving Nebraska, as well as a couple other key defensive players, do you think the Blackshirts will be better next season? And what do you think Nebraska's record will be?

Tim Griffin: I talked with several Nebraska fans during my swing through the state last week who seemed almost giddy about the Cornhuskers’ chances next season.

That being said, the loss of Suh will be huge. I think he can be considered the arguably greatest defensive player in the history of the program. The Cornhuskers also will lose Barry Turner, Phillip Dillard, Larry Asante and the heart, grit and talent provided by Matt O’Hanlon.

Now I can see players like Prince Amukamara, Will Compton, Sean Fisher and Jared Crick getting a lot better gaining experience playing Bo Pelini’s defense. But it might be a little wishful thinking to hope for much improvement from this season -- considering the Cornhuskers’ big defensive personnel losses.

As far as their record, I would expect them to be one of the powers of the Big 12. They have a tricky game at Washington which will earn them a lot of national notoriety if they can win. Texas will be coming to Lincoln, as will Colorado and Missouri. A road game at Oklahoma State doesn’t look as daunting as it could be with the Cowboys breaking in a new quarterback. But an underrated challenge for the Cornhuskers might wait at Texas A&M with Jerrod Johnson and all of A&M’s strong returning offensive weapons back for next season.

Looking at that schedule, I’ll pick the Cornhuskers to go 10-2 and finish as the Big 12 North champion. Considering their returning talent and their schedule, I think that’s a relatively conservative pick.

But as far as next year's team being better than the 2009 version of the Blackshirts, that might be wishing for a little bit much -- even for the Pelinis.

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Chris Henson from Salt Lake City, Utah, writes: Tim, a quick addition to the Texas A&M-Oklahoma State tidbit. The Red, White, and Blue Out in 2001 was organized by a group of students first and foremost as a fundraiser for the victims of 9/11. I appreciate you noting this event as it really shows what Texas A&M is all about.

Tim Griffin: Chris, thanks for the clarification. Like you wrote, it was truly an emotional event. There’s a picture of the stadium that is still hung in the press box at Kyle Field of the stadium bedecked for that game. It still gives me goose bumps when I see it.

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Travis from Seattle writes: Tim, the players of the decade category has created quite a stir, with many saying, "...well how could X player be off the list." For the most part I agree with your list if you look at it being, who were great players, AND who did the most to influence their team's success, (thus why Graham Harrell is off, being a plug-and-play quarterback in that system although he did do a fine job).

But I propose a different category. Who were the best ATHLETES of the decade? And how about the best competitors, the ones who did everything to try to win. What are your thoughts?

Tim Griffin: You raise a good point about my list earlier being an all-around grouping of all qualities. As far as the best athletes of the decade in the Big 12 from the last decade, in no specific order I would include Ndamukong Suh, Eric Crouch, Robert Griffin, Chris Brown, Vince Young, Seneca Wallace, Dez Bryant, Dezmon Briscoe, Darren Sproles, Danario Alexander (before and after his injury), Brad Smith, Jeremy Maclin, Adrian Peterson, Brian Orakpo, Michael Huff, Earl Thomas, Reggie McNeal, Robert Ferguson, Sammy Davis and Michael Crabtree.

And among the top competitors I’ve seen include Stephen McGee, Crabtree, Colt McCoy, Roy Miller, Joe Pawelek, Jordan Lake, George Hypolite, Todd Reesing, Chase Daniel, Sean Weatherspoon, Matt O’Hanlon, Suh, Josh Fields, Brian Iwuh, Darrell Stuckey, Steven Sheffield, Wes Welker and Kliff Kingsbury. There are many others, but those are just some of the names that come to me off the top of my head. And the fact that Suh and Crabtree made both of those lists is pretty indicative of how exceptional they really were.

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Fred Dodge of Annapolis, Md., writes: Tim, in reference to your top 10 jobs in college football. You have a good list, BUT the one caveat that I think goes with this list or any list is context. Most of these are still the "right-guy-for-the-right-place" jobs -- as are coaches. Being a Husker, I lean toward Bo Pelini and Nebraska as my first examples. Bo would not be a good fit for many of these jobs...I just can't see Bo fitting at USC or Florida for example; but I also can't see Lane Kiffin or Pete Carroll being successful in Lincoln. And in my opinion there are only a few guys who can shape a program around their personality. Nick Saban could coach anywhere, Urban Meyer probably could, and Jim Tressel could in most places. But I have a difficult time seeing Mack Brown outside the southeast or southwest and Bo Pelini outside the midwest. All of these guys could still coach, but I think they would struggle in fan support -- and so they would also in recruiting.

Tim Griffin: You make an interesting point, although I think that Pelini would work in more places than you might suspect. He’s a dyed-in-the-wool football coach and would succeed at most traditional powers, although I think his style best suits him at Nebraska. But I could see him being successful in the Southeastern Conference, in the Big Ten or even at Notre Dame. Anywhere they have a deep appreciation for football, I can see Pelini working out.

I think coaches like Bob Stoops, Saban, Meyer and Tressel would work most places. I also think you might include some underrated coaches out there like Mike Riley of Oregon State, Gary Patterson of TCU, Jeff Tedford of California and Chris Peterson of Boise State would be adaptable at almost any job in the country. But it does seem that the smart coaches are the ones who pick places where they are comfortable and have the best chance for success.

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Kyle Zander of Fort Hood, Texas, writes: Will Chris Whaley and Desean Hales get playing time for Texas in 2010? I played against Hales in high school and the kid is the real deal, Texas needs to get him involved as soon as possible. And Whaley could help, too.

Tim Griffin: Texas needs to find some help for its running game. Whaley was hurt when he reported to practice last summer and never regained his form. If he’s willing to rededicate himself, there likely is a chance for him to earn some playing time this spring. He needs to have a big spring to get there.

Sales is in a similar situation. The Longhorns have wide receiving talent in players like senior-to-be John Chiles and James Kirkendoll. Malcolm Williams is a big strong receiver who will emerge in coming seasons and should be the team’s featured receiver in 2010. But there are catches – plenty of them -- available for Hales if he can force himself into the mix.

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Brett Stamm from Keller, Texas, writes: Tim, love the blog! Keep up the good work! Has Mike Sherman, or will Mike Sherman, or why will Mike Sherman not, consider Dat Nguyen for defensive coordinator? Talk about a guy who has done an outstanding job in his current position and would bring some instant credibility with players and recruits in a program that has pretty much let a proud defensive tradition die with questionable and mediocre hires. This is a guy who was the face of and exemplified the "Wrecking Crew" tradition for four years! Your thoughts?

Tim Griffin: Brett, Dat Nguyen has been a key member of Wade Phillips’ staff as an assistant linebacker coach and defensive quality control assistant with the Dallas Cowboys. But I would suspect that Sherman probably would like for Nguyen to have a little more seasoning and experience calling defenses before he would give him the responsibility of serving as the Aggies’ defensive coordinator.

In a way, Nguyen reminds me a little of Major Applewhite as they develop in their coaching careers. It won’t surprise me if both become successful coordinators and eventually outstanding head coaches. But they need more experience to get there.

Nguyen seems like a natural to join the A&M coaching staff in the future. But I think it might be a stretch to see him as the Aggies’ defensive coordinator at this stage of his career.

That’s all the time I have for today. Thanks again for all of the good questions and keep the letters and e-mails coming. I’ll check back again on Friday.

In the middle of all of the stuff we're putting together looking back at the past decade, there's still some news across the Big 12.

Here are some of the conference's most notable headlines for your noontime edification.

• The Oklahoman’s Jake Trotter ponders whether Jim Jeffcoat, Ruffin McNeill or Jim Leavitt could be joining Bob Stoops’ staff.
• Top recruit Jackson Jeffcoat, the son of Jim Jeffcoat, tells KRIV-TV in Houston that he is considering Oklahoma, Houston, Texas and Arizona State.
• The Sporting News’ Russ Lande analyzes what Darrell Stuckey, Larry Asante and Keith Toston need to do to impress NFL scouts at this week’s East-West Shrine Game.
• The Memphis Commercial-Appeal’s Phil Stukenborg reports that former Texas Tech assistant coach Brian Mitchell has joined Larry Porter’s staff at Memphis.
• Among the more notable assistant coaches from Nick Saban’s coaching tree include Texas defensive coordinator Will Muschamp and Texas Tech defensive coordinator James Willis, ESPN.com’s Ivan Maisel writes in his three-point stance.
• Texas running backs coach Major Applewhite, Oklahoma State assistant head coach Joe DeForest and former Texas Tech defensive coordinator/interim head coach Ruffin McNeill are among the names that have surfaced for the vacant head coaching job at Louisiana Tech, Jimmy Watson of the Shreveport Times reports.
• The Daily Texan’s Robert Rich shares a few memories from his trip to the Citi BCS National Championship Game.
• Texas Tech has lost a recruiting commitment from linebacker Fred Harvey of Memphis, Tenn., after the coaching change to Tommy Tuberville, Adam Zuvanich of the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal reports.
• The College Football News’ Pete Fiutak writes that Colt McCoy’s injury in the championship game put a capper on a disappointing 2009 college football season.
• FoxSports.com’s Pete Schrager has Nebraska and Texas making BCS bowl trips next season and Oklahoma ranked in the Top 25 among Big 12 teams.
• Sam McKeown of the Nebraska State Paper analyzes where Ndamukong Suh goes from here.
• The Omaha World-Herald’s Tom Shatel expresses some trepidation about the Nebraska-Boise State series.

New Texas Tech defensive coordinator James Willis doesn’t promise many changes from what the Red Raiders did last season.

The Red Raiders’ defense was a surprising strength last season, emerging from the shadows of Mike Leach’s offensive reputation to become a force in its own right. Tech’s defense ranked fourth nationally in sacks, 40th in turnovers produced and 41st in scoring defense in a 9-4 season.

“This defense was very good last year,” Willis said. “Some people may look at their record and kind of change things around, but these guys competed well.”

Willis, who arrives at Tech after one season serving as Alabama’s associate head coach and outside linebackers coach, was convinced of that success after studying film of the Red Raiders’ season after his arrival. The chance to work with his former coaching mentor Tommy Tuberville only made him more excited about the opportunity.

“I turned on the game film and watched them play against Texas and some other schools. They compete now. They get after you,” Willis said. “They’re hard-nosed, blue collar, and that’s what we’ll continue to be. We’ll be aggressive, fly around and get to the ball, that’s what we’ll continue to do.”

With the Big 12’s pass-heavy reputation, Willis promised an aggressive blitzing defense that will attack rival offenses.

“This conference is known for throwing the ball,” Willis said. “You turn on the film and you see a lot of points being scored and the defenses really trying to get after the team and slow them down some. We’ll do the same thing. We’re going to be aggressive, that’s what we do. That’s going to be our motto.”

Willis will face a difficult challenge with his players as he replaces the popular Ruffin McNeill, who helped transform the Red Raiders’ defense over the last 2 ½ seasons.

But Willis arrives at Tech with the reputation as one of the fastest rising defensive coaches in college football after his work at Alabama on Kirby Smart’s defensive staff.

“It was very hard to leave that place; it truly was, because I had a great time there,” Willis said. “Everybody talks about the bowl game and victory, but to me it wasn’t so much the victory and getting to the championship, it was the process and the road getting there.”

His association with Alabama coach Nick Saban prepared him for his chance as a coordinator, where he learned the building blocks of developing a strong program.

“I think my time with coach Saban and what I learned was, of course, the formula. I will try to do the same thing here and run the same type of program and the same attitude,” Willis said. “So, I’m excited to come here and for the opportunity and I think we have a chance to be pretty good.”

Before working at Alabama, Willis was a linebackers coach under Will Muschamp for two seasons in 2006-07 at his alma mater of Auburn on a staff where Tuberville was the head coach. After Muschamp left for the Texas job, Willis remained on the Tigers’ staff that was coordinated by current Iowa State head coach Paul Rhoads the following season.

That familiarity and his relationship with Tuberville was what convinced him to come to Texas Tech.

“It’s huge because coach Tuberville and I go back a long way,” Willis said. “I started my coaching career under him as a graduate assistant. I spent about three years under him in that capacity. I wanted to be an assistant coach.”

Willis played college football at Auburn. He was drafted in the fifth round by Green Bay in the 1993 draft and also played for Philadelphia, Seattle and the Birmingham Thunderbolts of the defunct XFL.

After that league disbanded, Willis returned to Alabama to work on his degree. He began his work at Auburn as a student assistant in 2001 and became a graduate assistant two years later under Gene Chizik. He also had one-year stints with Rhode Island and Temple.

“I wanted to be an assistant coach and he sent me out to spread my wings a little bit and learn a little bit,” Willis said. “I coached at a few different spots before I came back to him when he hired me. He really let me grow as a coach, and that’s one thing about him, like players, he gives you the opportunity to grow. I’m grateful for that.”

I’ve been intrigued by all the commentary in recent days about Lane Kiffin’s move from Tennessee to USC.

Fans and pundits have castigated Kiffin about his move to a job that has to rank among the top 10 in college football -- even after some of the Trojans’ pending dealings with the NCAA.

Soon thereafter, Texas assistant coach Will Muschamp was thrown into the conversation as a potential replacement for Kiffin at Tennessee. Muschamp, who is the coach-in-waiting at Texas, apparently had the chance to make an unprecedented salary for a first-time college football coach if had decided to lead the Volunteers.

Muschamp opted to stay in Texas, which I believe was a wise choice. The promise of the Longhorns’ top job, even if he has to wait on Mack Brown’s retirement for several seasons, is still is better than the Tennessee job will ever be.

And who can blame Kiffin for trading the life at Tennessee for the glitz and glitter of living in southern California? It seems like an easy choice, particularly because the USC program is a better job.

While I was talking with Nebraska defensive coordinator Carl Pelini last night, we started ticking off an informal list of the best jobs in college football. Here’s my list of the 10 most attractive head coaching positions in college football. Three of them are in the Big 12.

1. Texas: It’s got it all -- facilities, support, tradition and located within a rich recruiting base. Mack Brown has made this the nation’s best job. Muschamp would be crazy to skedaddle to Rocky Top and leave this behind.

2. Florida: Recruiting might be better than Texas and the location provides a beach lifestyle. The only trouble with this job, compared to Texas, is that Florida’s place in the SEC is a little more tenuous than Texas’ place in the Big 12.

3. Ohio State: Tradition, facilities and an unmatched place in the pecking order of the Big Ten. Some coaches would love the weather in Columbus, while snowbirds might see it lacking compared to places like those at the top..

4. USC: “Tailback U” has returned to the top thanks to Pete Carroll’s transformation. This is the football team for a southern California without an NFL franchise.

5. Alabama: Still wondering why Dennis Franchione left Alabama for Texas A&M. Another stadium expansion after this season’s national championship has made this a job that Nick Saban would willingly leave one of the NFL’s flagship franchises to return to. Considering his college allegiance, he’s a smart man.

6. Oklahoma: Bob Stoops might have the best setup in coaching considering he’s working for Joe Castiglione and David Boren. Recruiting will always be a matter of plucking Texas players and Stoops has done a marvelous job at that over the years.

7. Penn State: It will be interesting to see who follows Joe Paterno when he finally decides to hang up his whistle. This is one of the Big Ten’s best jobs with facilities and history to match. It might be daunting to follow Paterno, however.

8. Notre Dame: Still has the attention of NBC and the tradition of college football’s most storied program. Can they find the right coach to return Notre Dame to its place of dominance?

9. LSU: There’s a reason why Les Miles decided to stay here rather than pursue the Michigan job. Rabid talent base and SEC television money make this one special. And you can eat good crawfish any time you want.

10. Nebraska: The only drawback for this job is its lack of a fertile home recruiting area. But other than that, this job has got it all including one of the nation’s most knowledgeable fan bases. It’s the biggest unifier for the entire state as college football is clearly king here.

I would have a few other jobs like Georgia, Tennessee, Oregon, UCLA and Florida State ranked just below these top jobs. Texas A&M would be in my top 20. Oklahoma State -- as long as Boone Pickens is financially priming the pump -- would be in my top 30.

I’m curious what the readers might think in terms of a top 10 of destination coaching jobs? Please feel free to provide your rationale to back up your assertions.

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. -- I'm safe and sound following the trip back from the Rose Bowl late last night after witnessing a memorable Citi BCS National Championship Game.

Alabama just made too many plays as the Crimson Tide overcame Texas for a 37-21 victory.

Garrett Gilbert showed moxie and a lot of guile as he nearly led the Longhorns back from an 18-point halftime deficit before a series of late turnovers caught up with the young Texas quarterback.

It's only natural that fans will wonder what would have happened if Colt McCoy had played the entire game, especially considering the Longhorns' success on the five plays McCoy ran before his injury. It's something that will always be in the minds of fans -- particularly those from Texas.

A victory would have made Texas the favorite for team of the decade in the Big 12. A pair of national championships would have been hard to argue with.

But now, Oklahoma's six Big 12 championships and one national title trumps the Longhorns' two Big 12 titles and one national championship in 2005.

Alabama coach Nick Saban has the strongest argument as the national coach of the decade after becoming the first coach in the BCS era to claim national championships with two different programs. He beat Big 12 teams twice to claim those titles, subduing Oklahoma in the 2004 BCS title game and vanquishing Texas last night.

We have one more media obligation here in California before every packs up and heads home. Saban will be receiving several national championship trophies at a press conference here beginning at 1 p.m. ET that will be available on ESPNEWS and likely many stations from across the state of Alabama.

One of them will come from me. It will be one of my first acts as the new president of the Football Writers Association of America. I'll present the Alabama coach with our trophy emblematic of the organization's national championship for the 2009 season.

We go back a long ways. I remember covering Saban when he was the defensive backs coach on Jerry Glanville's staff with the Houston Oilers in the late 1980s. He was a developing coach and I was a cub reporter.

A couple of my predecessors have warned me to be prepared as the trophy is pretty heavy.

Something tells me that Saban and the Alabama officials responsible for taking the trophy back to Tuscaloosa won't mind. They have plenty of room in the school's trophy case and several willing volunteers to carry the symbol of the Crimson Tide's victory back home, despite its weight.

Me, I'll just be glad to hand the trophy off.

PASADENA, Calif. -- Texas defensive coordinator Will Muschamp looks loose and relaxed as some of his team has taken the field for early drills.

For several minutes, Muschamp stopped to talk to USC coach Pete Carroll, who is chatting up familiar coaches on both staffs.

Alabama coach Nick Saban took the field several minutes later, wearing a coat and tie as he was surrounded by two Alabama state troopers wearing their full regalia.

The Longhorns will be wearing their white uniforms tonight. It's the same uniform combination they wore in their previous Rose Bowl victories over Michigan in 2005 and USC in the 2006 BCS title game.

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. -- Texas' deep collection of athletes has helped the Longhorns to become one of the most dangerous special-teams units in the country.

The Longhorns accounted for seven touchdowns through special teams this season. The punt team produced four Texas touchdowns -- two on returns and two on blocked punts. Texas was tied for third nationally with three touchdowns on kickoff returns.

Those points have caught the attention of Alabama coach Nick Saban, who realizes his team will be challenged by Texas' athletic ability on special teams in Thursday's Citi BCS National Championship Game.

"I think in both phases of the return game, punt and kickoff, they're probably as good as anybody that we've played against," Saban said.

The NCAA's most recent statistics bear that point out. Texas, Alabama and Arizona are the only teams nationally that rank in the top 15 in both kickoff returns and punt returns.

Saban is concerned about Jordan Shipley's abilities as a punt returner. Shipley averaged 13.0 yards per return and scored two touchdowns, although he was hobbled late in the season with a toe injury.

Given the last month to recover, Shipley should be ready Thursday night.

"I'm about as ready as I'll ever be," Shipley said. "I'm excited to see if I can go out and make people miss and try and make something happen."

The Longhorns' techniques in their punt return game have caught Saban's attention.

"They do a good job in terms of loading the box and forcing the punt and then holding up from the same looks, so it makes it a little bit more difficult to cover," Saban said. "So there's going to be a challenge for us to protect, punch through and get in cover lanes. Our gunners are going to have to do a good job of forcing the kicks and our punter has to do a good job of getting hang time and placing his kicks."

But the most significant area of concern for the Crimson Tide will be in kickoff coverage. The Tide yielded kickoff returns for touchdowns in each of its first two games and finished the season allowing an average of 25.6 yards per return. It ranked 116th among the 120 FBS teams.

Texas' kickoff team should be juiced with the return of D.J. Monroe to the lineup following a three-game suspension. He had been arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated.

When the charges were dropped last month, Monroe and his 35.8 yard-per-kick areturn verage will return to Texas' return rotation. Monroe ranked second nationally and had two touchdowns on returns.

While Monroe was suspended, Marquise Goodwin provided a pivotal 95-yard kickoff return that helped ice the Longhorns' victory at Texas A&M in the regular-season finale.

Both are accomplished athletes at track and field. Goodwin is a two-time world junior champion in the long jump and the 4x100 meter relays. And Monroe won a state 100 meter championship while in high school.

"They have tremendous speed in both their return guys," Saban said. "If you don't keep the ball in front and stay in your lanes and dodge blocks ... if you give them a seam, they're going to get out and get off to the races and it's going to be pretty hard to manage that."

Texas coach Mack Brown said the big plays on special teams could well determine who wins the game.

"The kicking game and a chance for the explosive play will be big," Brown said. "You try to get your guys in space with the ball and hope they can make something happen."

Ivan Maisel previews the BCS title game with Chris Low and Tim Griffin. Plus, Ivan shares some sound from coaches Nick Saban and Mack Brown.

A perception has been developed during Mack Brown's coaching tenure that Texas players are "soft" as they advance in the NFL.

Despite claims from some draft analysts about his former players, Brown begs to differ about that point.

"I think we have 47 active players in the NFL," Brown said. "We have three guys that have gained 1,000 yards as running backs in the NFL this year. And people keep saying our NFL guys are soft.

"Well, some guys keep drafting them, so I can't figure out why, but they do. They're all playing and playing very well."

That reputation has trickled down to the current program. It's a perception that chafes at Brown's image of his team.

"This football team has won 26 of 27, and they're soft? Lord, I hope they can get tougher again tomorrow night," Brown said.

Some of the perception might start from Brown, an engaging conversationalist, who is different when compared with some of the bland sentiments offered by Nick Saban and his process-oriented development of the Alabama program.

"I smile. I shake hands. I laugh. I like for the kids to have fun," Brown said. "But these kids are tough. They compete. Alabama's kids are tough, too. They're going to compete."

And in a not-so-subtle dig at other teams that played in the major bowl games this season, Brown said he expects the Alabama-Texas game to be a good one because of the toughness of the two teams.

"You're not going to get a bad team in this game," Brown said. "You may get one in the BCS, but you're not going to get one in this game. There's two good teams in this game."

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. -- Who’s the coach of the decade in college football?

Pete Carroll could make a claim. So could Urban Meyer.

Don’t forget, though, about the winning coaching Thursday in the Citi BCS National Championship Game.

If Texas wins, that would be Mack Brown’s second national title in the last five years and his fourth BCS bowl victory this decade. Brown’s first national title came in 2005 in the epic showdown with Southern California.

If Alabama wins, Nick Saban would become the first coach in the AP poll era (since 1936) to win a national championship at two different schools -- both this decade. He also won one at LSU in 2003.

Here’s all you need to know about the Citi BCS National Championship Game matchup between Texas (13-0) and Alabama (13-0) Thursday night at the Rose Bowl.

WHO TO WATCH: Colt McCoy, QB, Texas

Texas’ hopes in springing an upset over the Crimson Tide will rely on McCoy, who will be gunning to make history in his final college game. McCoy’s numbers in his senior season have been good, but not what he expected coming into the season. His most recent struggles -- a three-interception, nine-sack performance in the Big 12 title game against Nebraska -- should serve as inspiration for a better title-game performance. He'll be facing an even more imposing defense at the Rose Bowl in Alabama, and will have to be at his sharpest to help his team win. It will be important for McCoy not only to pass the ball strongly, but also to make some early plays with his feet to neutralize Alabama’s defensive pressure and help give his team some early confidence after their offensive struggles in their last game. If he can do that, the Longhorns might have a puncher’s chance of pulling an upset.

WHAT TO WATCH: Texas’ run defense against Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram

Alabama’s hopes of emerging victorious will be dictated by winning the game in the trenches and providing some running opportunities against Texas’ defensive front. The Longhorns aren’t the biggest team along the defensive front, but have done a good job of stifling opposing running games with a mixture of speed and talent. Crimson Tide players say that defensive style reminds them of their own team. But it will be key for Ingram to effectively run the ball, keeping Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy in manageable down-and-distance situations where he is less susceptible to turnovers. Ingram will challenge the Longhorns inside, trying to do something that no other team has done this season. The Longhorns haven’t allowed an opposing player to run for more than 100 yards. Texas' chances of winning will be much better if it can keep the bullish tailback in check.

WHY WATCH: The national championship game has been a recent nightmare for No. 1 teams

The top-ranked teams haven't played well in recent national title games. The No. 2 team has won the past four games over the No. 1 team and claimed six of the past seven games. Heisman Trophy winners like Sam Bradford, Troy Smith and Reggie Bush all have similarly struggled as their teams lost their national championship games, which might not bode well for Ingram. The Longhorns already feel emboldened after their previous success in their last two BCS bowl victories in Pasadena. Collectively, that run of recent history might help propel another underdog to an upset Thursday night if the Longhorns can produce a few breaks.

PREDICTION: For the past month, naysayers have knocked Texas for its struggles in the Big 12 title game and wondered if the Longhorns really deserve to be playing for the national championship. That inspiration to prove doubters wrong, however, will only last so long against a team that is as talented as Alabama in running the ball and playing strong defense. The star-studded Alabama team is dotted with a record six members on the Associated Press’ All-America team. Coach Nick Saban’s grinding scheme isn’t pretty, but should have enough talent to gradually wear the Longhorns down. Texas’ upset hopes will be predicated on big plays from McCoy and a couple of breaks along the way. The Longhorns have the speed to take advantage of Alabama’s season-long struggles covering kickoffs. And if they can win that phase of the game, their chances of an upset will be much better.

But the thought here is that the Crimson Tide will be able to dominate a Texas offense that has struggled against the better defenses it has faced all season. Look for Ingram’s running to wear the Longhorns down, scoring a late touchdown to clinch the game and take their first national championship since 1992 back to the Capstone. Alabama 24, Texas 13.