Where will Urban Meyer coach after Ohio State?

1. Notre Dame

I’ve always imagined Urban Meyer accepting the head coach position at Notre Dame and unleashing a dominance in college football rarely seen in today’s game. That would mean current head coach Brian Kelly leaving or getting fired, but he is in no way safe, even with the Fightin’ Irish reaching the 2018 College Football Playoff as an undefeated three-seed.

Kelly’s coached the Irish to an 81-34 record over the last nine seasons in South Bend, but just a 4-3 record in bowl games and zero championships. He did steer the Irish to the 2012 BCS National Championship, but the Irish were obliterated by an Alabama Crimson Tide team led by none other than Nick Saban. If the Irish were to lose against Clemson in the CFP and then struggle next season, will Kelly have worn out his welcome as the Irish head coach?

As an Independent, the Irish are granted a lot of freedom many teams in college football aren’t. They have a national TV deal with NBC that airs every Irish home game. This allows everyone to tune in to their games. They also aren’t stuck in one corner of the country playing all their games – allowing potential recruits from all over to get an in-depth look. They’re like the world’s biggest mall, but that mall is able to pick up and move around the country every weekend to let other’s check out their products.

The national exposure is a huge selling point. Also, there’s the advantage of not having a conference championship game. While some view it as a disadvantage, playing one fewer game than your opponents could be the difference between a season-ending injury and a shot at a championship.

The Irish routinely play five ACC opponents every year, with games against Michigan, Michigan State, Navy, and USC sprinkled in. This luxury gives them – and, particularly, the CFP committee – an opportunity to see how they fare against other Power Five programs.

There’s no guarantee Urban Meyer returns to coaching football, and as of right now there are few rumblings. But if he were to ponder the idea, USC, Texas, and Notre Dame would certainly be at the top of his list.