ESPN College Football

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

A lot of people assume Cincinnati coach Brian Kelly is not long for the Big East and that he'll jump at a job opening at a powerhouse school, perhaps as soon as this year. It's what almost every coach does, after all, and Kelly is a hot name.

But Cincinnati Enquirer columnist Paul Daugherty has an interesting column this afternoon posing the notion that maybe Kelly could -- and even should -- stick around for a while.

Read the whole thing, but here's a snippet:

"Brian Kelly says what they all say: He likes it here. His family likes it here. The university has been good to him. He can win here. He wants to win here. Well, OK. Insert cynical laugh here. Whenever an in-demand college coach starts talking that way, the best move to make is for your coat.

But what if Kelly means it? He earns $1 million a year now. He'll never take a pay cut. In the Big East, he could compete for a title every year and the automatic big-bowl bid that goes with it. Nobody can say that in the SEC. At UC, he's king. At Tennessee, he'd be king until he went 7-4 twice.

UC has a history of patience with its coaches. You might hear fans grumble about Mick Cronin, but you won't hear it from the athletic director or the president, who know what Cronin inherited. Rick Minter coached at UC 10 years, and was 10 games under .500. "

My two cents: I would be surprised if Kelly doesn't leave for a major vacancy in the next two years. I think he wants to prove himself on the big stage, and the Bearcats program, while growing, seems to have a ceiling. There's only so much you can do with a 35,000-seat stadium, after all.

Yet Daugherty makes some good points. Coaching in the Big East does allow you an easier -- but by no means easy -- path to the BCS and possibly a national title shot. There is a little less pressure, especially at a place like Cincinnati, where Kelly can operate in the shadow of two pro teams. And Kelly has spent much of his career at places like Division II Grand Valley State and Central Michigan, so he's not a guy who absolutely needs to be in the spotlight.

This will be a fascinating situation to watch, especially if the Bearcats beat West Virginia on Saturday. Kelly's stock will only rise if that happens -- and his opportunites to leave will only increase.