Monday, June 6, 2011

Will Bob Stoops Stay in Oklahoma or Head to Ohio State?

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It seems everyone wants to give their opinion on Jim Tressel and Ohio State. Did Sweater Vest really do something wrong? Is Terrell Pryor really going to remain with the school for the 2011 season? But those are not the biggest questions facing the Buckeyes' football program.

The one question on everyone's mind is who will be the next head coach at Ohio State University? If you have spent a lot of time around the blogosphere over the past few weeks you've read names like Nebraska head coach Bo Pelini, Boise State head coach Chris Petersen, former Florida Gators' head coach Urban Meyer and a few others.

But one name who continues to be mentioned in connection with just about every big job that comes open is Oklahoma Sooners' head coach, Bob Stoops.

When Meyer decided he was done at the University of Florida, rumors began flying that Stoops was going to be the man to replace him. A rumor Stoops quickly shot down.

Bob Stoops Head coach Bob Stoops of the Sooners celebrates the 48-20 victory against the Connecticut Huskies during the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl at the Universtity of Phoenix Stadium on January 1, 2011 in Glendale, Arizona.
Tom Pennington/Getty Images
No matter how many big jobs come open, Stoops has continued to stay loyal to the University of Oklahoma, making me wonder if there really is a college football or NFL job that would finally uproot the long time Sooners' head coach from Norman.

That one position may have just come open. Say what you want about the previous coaching vacancies at Florida, Michigan or even the Dallas Cowboys, a job he was also rumored to have interest in, none of these jobs were big enough for Stoops to leave where a place he's become all too familiar with.

But after all the drama in Columbus and after Tressel's shocking resignation, the head coaching position at THE Ohio State University could be one that's too tempting for Stoops not to consider.

The man in Norman is 129-31, seven Big 12 championships, and one National Championship. But not only that, you might remember Stoops dismissing star quarterback Rhett Bomar in 2006 after he was involved in a scandal. Showing he's not afraid to kick star players to the curb for the betterment of the university and the program itself. Something Tressel failed to do.

Fans in Norman fear the day their head coach leaves for greener pastures but most of them have gotten to a point where they don't believe Stoops will ever leave. They sweated the Florida job for awhile until he came out and denied he was going anywhere.

Now that Ohio State is available, all Stoops has to do is show just a little bit of interest in the job and it may as well be a foregone conclusion. He is one of the best college football coaches in the game right now and arguably one of the best in college football history.

The one thing which could keep Stoops from even stepping foot in Columbus is how hard the NCAA is going to come down on the program. Does he want to take over at Ohio State when he could be limited to how many scholarships he can offer recruits or a ban from post season bowl games for a set amount of years?

There may be too much going on in Columbus and too much drama for Stoops to put all of their problems aside.

The head coach at Oklahoma University has a good thing going in Norman, Oklahoma and it's a job he's been comfortable in since he was hired back in 1999. He's turned down opportunities in the past to leave and prove he can win somewhere else.

Will Stoops accept the challenge if Ohio State comes calling or will they be just another big job he turns down?

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