Do Schiano and Grobe Point to a Larger Trend?

Michigan has long been one of college football's great programs. Arkansas has a rabid fanbase, and is in one of the best conferences in America. On the other hand, Rutgers and Wake Forest are programs which up until very recently were among the laughingstocks of college football. So why did Greg Schiano and Jim Grobe turn down the Wolverine and Razorback jobs respectively?

There are a few factors that one can point to. One of these is the rise of the internet and cable television. Both Rutgers and Wake Forest had most of their big games televised on the ESPN family of networks. This meant that any potential recruit could tune in and form an opinion on each team - one that was likely positive. In addition, the proliferation of recruiting websites means that every recruit knows which other recruits schools are looking at. This eliminates the possibility that a program like Michigan takes 3 top flight quarterbacks in one class. At some point, one of those QBs will take a step back and rethink his options. So rather than concentrating all of the talent at 15 or 20 schools, teams that are not considered "powerhouses" are able to snatch up promising recruits.

Another aspect which makes some of the big time coaching jobs less attractive is the insane fan expectation at some of these schools. At Michigan, anything less than a Big Ten title is considered a disappointment. However, is that really realistic? With teams like Ohio State and Wisconsin consistently very good, and with a slew of teams in the middle of the pack who can be competitive any year, expecting a conference title every year is not a manageable goal this day and age. However, the expectations at Michigan are nowhere near as out of line as those at Arkansas. Arkansas has historically been a good program, but the way that their fans and athletic department operate you would think that they should be competing for the national title every year. Who can forget the ridiculous Mustain-gate, which led to a fan using Houston Nutt's state employee status to make his text message records public. This fiasco, combined with their similar search for a basketball coach this past offseason, shows you what can happen when fan and athletic department expectations get out of control.

Finally, college football has become such a big business that coaches can make large amounts of money wherever they are, as long as they win. In the case of Michigan, it is quite possible they just did not offer Schiano enough money for him to leave a pretty good situation at Rutgers. As for Grobe, he currently has a deal that keeps him under contract through 2016, and it is very possible that he may see a salary bump by virtue of his flirtations with Arkansas.

College football is at a point today where issues like family, comfort, and loyalty can take precedent over name and conference prestige. Whether or not that stays the case remains to be told, but both Greg Schiano and Jim Grobe like where they are at for the time being.