Bye bye Charlie

Written by Jason Brubaker | 21 November 2009

As if it wasn't already a certainty, Notre Dame's Charlie Weis sealed his fate with a home loss to UConn just a few hours ago. Now just 35-26 as he wraps up his fifth season in South Bend, good ole Charlie is as good as gone as the Irish prepare for a trip to Stanford to end the season. Another season of BCS promise down the drain, as the Irish once again proved you can't live off your reputation forever.

The prominent name being thrown around as a replacement is of course Florida's Urban Meyer, owner of two national title in his first four seasons in Gainesville. With his team focused on defending their title, Meyer obviously isn't talking about anything Notre Dame-related. And as he approaches legend status on Florida's campus, one might wonder why he would even consider leaving.

So here's a breakdown of the pros and cons for Meyer heading to South Bend, even as he prepares to lead his Gators to another championship.

GO

- Dollars. One rumor making the rounds is that Notre Dame is putting together an offer for upwards of $50 million to lure Meyer. While the Meyer family isn't exactly hurting for money as it is, it would be absurd to turn down that much money if the rumors are true. Florida's athletic department is more than willing to spend money on their coaches, but there's no way they would be interested in matching something like that. They'll wish Urban well, and then go about their business of finding another coach to fit their style. Current defensive coordinator Charlie Strong or former offensive coordinator Dan Mullen would be ideal choices.

- Ego. If Meyer and the Gators are able to win the national title this year (not a certainty), that would give Meyer a five-year record of 58-9 (32-8 in the SEC), with three conference championships and three national championships. What else can he do? By taking over one of the nation's most preimenent programs, and potentially taking them to the top, Meyer would elevate his status as one of the best coaches in the history of the game. If he were able to bring a title to Notre Dame, even just one,  he would be an instant legend. Look what one title 21 years ago has done for Lou Holtz. Meyer could become a Notre Dame legend if he leads them to the mountain top.

- History. As has been referenced many times, Meyer was a former Notre Dame assistant before he took the head job at Bowling Green. He's a devout Catholic who understands the passion and allure of Notre Dame, not only as a football program but as a school. And while he's not an alum, his stint in South Bend could be enough to entice him to return.

STAY

- It's 2009. Notre Dame is no longer the power program they once were. Today's elite high school recruits have never seen Notre Dame win a title, and have only seen a great deal of turmoil and angst surround the program in recent years. Today's kids see Texas, Florida and USC as the cream of the crop - schools that win titles and put boatloads of players into the NFL. Every major conference has TV deals now, so the Notre Dame/NBC partnership is no longer a advantage as a recruiting tool. While Notre Dame fans continue to point toward their past, other programs have continued to move forward. While few schools can match Notre Dame's overall program history, most recruits today don't care that the Irish won back-to-back titles in 1946 and 1947. They want programs who win now, and Notre Dame just isn't getting the job done. Meyer is already at a school that's considered among the best programs in the country. Why leave for one that hasn't been nationally relevant in 15 years?

- It's Florida. When coaches switch jobs, the main focus tends to be on salary considerations, whether their system or schemes will translate, and what that coach's recruits will do. In the meantime, rarely mentioned is the fact that these coaches are moving their families and picking a place to live. Because let's face it - moving is a pain.You have to find new schools, churches, grocery stores, restaurants, etc. etc. etc. And while Meyer's moving experience will probably be vastly different than mine ( I don't see him having to load boxes onto the moving truck), it's still a chore, especially  for a man with children still in school. Add to that the fact that he would be leaving a warm weather state full of top recruits for a cold-weather state with marginal high school talent, and anyone can see it makes little sense. Where would you rather live - Florida or Indiana? For me, that's not a hard choice. Florida has made him one of the highest paid coaches in the country, and he lives in a state ready-made for recruiting and raising a family. Why mess with it?

- Ego. Yes, the ego thing goes both ways. When Meyer arrived in Gainesville, the consenus was that his spread offense would never work in the SEC. But led by uber-QB Tim Tebow, and an arsenal of weapons like Percy Harvin, Dallas Baker, Louis Murphy, Cornelious Ingram, Jeff Demps and Chris Rainey, those questions were put to bed long ago. Yet the grumbling now amongst Gator haters is that Meyer's offense will crumble without Tebow next year. Projected 2010 starter John Brantley doesn't have Tebow's running ability, but does possess a rocket arm that should invigorate the passing game. As much respect as Meyer has for Tebow, you know there's part of him that wants to show his system can be successful without Superman running it. Plus, a wildly inconsistent offense this year has eaten him up inside, and he'd love nothing more than to retool things a bit in the offseason, and come back with another high-flying squad next year.

So there's where we stand. It makes very little logical sense for Meyer to leave in my mind, but then again, it's hard to say no to the kinds of dollars that are being mentioned. It would be incredibly painful to watch him leave, especially for a program I despise, but he's done a great job in Gainesville, and he's earned the right to make that call. So while I'm trying not to be too optimistic about him staying, there's no question I'm still hoping to see Meyer in the orange and blue for a while.