I don't think Saban's going anywhere either, but for some reason, 2 schools stick in my mind that I feel could lure him out of 'Bama. Penn State and Texas. No idea why; they just seem right for him.
Sabah may not go anywhere soon but he could end up retiring and have a school convince him to come out of retirement like Urban. Not sure who it might be then but all the major programs struggling now would be considered.
I think West Virginia is the only other program Saban would consider for a last stop. He would consdier that going home. Not sure if WVU would have the cash to spend though. Other than that he's staying with Gump U.
Saban is not a likely target. With the recent issues regarding Luther Davis, Haden would be far too concerned about bringing Saban baggage. That isn't to say he couldn't be a great coach out here but I don't see him as a good fit and his West Coast ties for recruiting are mid-range. At this point, Jack Del Rio is the odds on favorite. A few other names are floating around but I don't expect to hear a final choice for at least a few months. Early January is a must IMO to close the recruiting season as strong as possible. Personally, I prefer David Shaw from westwood.
Why? Simple. With sanctions coming, there wasn't a long line of coaches looking to take on the job. Mike Garrett put the deal together, knowing Lane wanted out of Knoxville and that he would be coming as a package deal. Lane, Monte, Yaw Yaw, and maybe even Norm Chow. Chow fell through but Kennedy Polamalu agreed to come on board so with LOI day closing in, Haden went with the plan. Monte was too much and then not enough for our players. When Lane had to let ole dad go, he retaliated by letting KP go. That was a massive mistake that permanently turned a good portion of Trojan fans against him.
You do realize that almost every fan base in America thinks this about other teams. The Irish have experienced a non-stop slobberfest for years with NBC and yet I like it when they are contenders. Right now, the slobberfest is in College Station but it makes college football all the more interesting IYAM. Talking heads have slobbered over SEC Defenses forever. Now that the forward pass has been discovered D), the argument is all about the improvement in SEC QB's. I find it amusing but Saturday's game in Athens was the kind of football I love to watch and have said so here many times. The field goal world event against bama was boring as hell.
