The Athletic names Ohio State football as one of five best jobs in college football
There are college football programs and then there are the college football programs that are synonymous with the very fabric of the game. The kind that lures some of the best head coaches in the history of the sport.
It’s not just tradition though that makes a college job desirable. You have to have great support, great facilities, a great fanbase, and more. Some things are even less tangible like the location and quality of life.
When you think of the best college jobs in the country, Ohio State will be on the shortlist of almost every single list out there, and if it’s not, then I would significantly question the ability of said media member or outlets ability to hold a coherent conversation.
The Athletic recently polled (subscription required) (counting fingers) a lot of coaches and staff (over 100) to rank the best college football jobs in the country, and as you would expect, Ohio State is very high on the list.
But how high did OSU land and what was said about the appeal of THE Ohio State University?
NEXT … Ohio State ranked among best college football jobs by The Athletic
No. 2 – Ohio State
What The Athletic Says
Ohio State is one of the few programs in college football that has the significant recruiting advantage of being the only Power 5 program in an incredibly deep state for high school talent. Ohio State has 10 elite-level prospects in the Midwest who are automatic commitments once they get offers, plus its national brand makes it relevant in every high school hallway from coast to coast.
That combined with a crazy-passionate fan base, an iconic stadium, an intense rival and an athletic director willing to give the coach all the resources under the sun to be successful, and you have the reason why the Buckeyes are the only program in college football that has never had a prolonged era of being down. While college football staffers had a wide variety of opinions on which schools belonged in the top two, the two jobs that received the most total votes were Alabama (98) and Ohio State (97).
One Group of 5 recruiting staffer said they look at the “best” destination as the school where it’s easiest to build a dynasty and put Ohio State atop their list. The Buckeyes’ current control of the Big Ten — they’ve won four consecutive conference titles — is another obvious edge. “The only reason Ohio State is so high,” one SEC assistant argued, “is because, in my opinion, they have one of the biggest competitive advantages in their opportunity to win their conference every year.”
NEXT … What we say
Ohio State as the second-best job in college football?
What We Say
You could easily make a case for Ohio State being No. 1, but oftentimes these things go the way of the dominant program at the time. It’s not the first time this question has been asked, and it won’t be the last. In the ’90s, I’m sure you would have gotten some Florida schools up in the top five because of the results on the field.
The reality is that really, Ohio State is second to none. In fact, even though Alabama has had the best success on the field lately, OSU has an advantage by being in a bigger city, and by being the only Power Five school in a state that produces a ton of historical football talent, and the facilities and support are second to none and most likely always will be.
NEXT … All top five programs in order
Top five college football jobs according to The Athletic
1. Alabama
2. Ohio State
3. Georgia
4. Texas
5. LSU
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