Is the Grass Really Greener Away From TU?

If Todd Graham decides that he isn't jiving in Tulsa anymore, will a new gig really be a smart move?

Thursday, May 26th 2011, 12:08 pm

By: News On 6

Is the Grass Really Greener Away From TU?

Originally Published: Jan 8, 2011 5:44 PM CDT

Bobby Lewis
Oklahoma Sports Reporter

TULSA, Oklahoma – The last few weeks of Todd Graham’s life can only be described as a rumor hurricane. Is he leaving for the Pittsburgh job? No? Did he interview? How about Stanford? Has he secretly met with university brass in places like Atlanta and Dallas?

All of those wonderings, in some form or fashion, have been linked to the Tulsa head coach since he led the Golden Hurricane to an impressive 62-35 win in the Hawaii Bowl on Christmas Eve. He’s denied wanting to go anywhere. He told reporters that he’s happy in Tulsa.

That hasn’t kept media outlets like the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Pantherlair.com from slinging maybes and could-bes towards the TU campus.

The question Graham has to ponder is this:

Is the grass really greener away from Green Country?

Say he’s considering Pitt – which neither he nor the Tulsa athletic department will confirm. Is that a better job? Does he have a shot at going to bigger and better bowl games? Pitt plays in the Big East conference and his biggest rivals would be West Virginia (yes, Dana Holgorsen’s West Virginia), Connecticut and South Florida. The league hands out an automatic BCS bid to the champion.

Are his chances of winning the league better there than they are in Tulsa? Possibly.

How about Stanford? The Cardinal just watched its coach bolt for the NFL after leading them to an Orange Bowl win. They return a Heisman finalist at quarterback and play in a tough conference (Pac-10) that is adding two more teams very soon. The Pac-10 also has a BCS card to play.

Can he compete in the long-term there? Probably not.

One thing is for sure. Todd won’t make much more money than he already makes here with the Golden Hurricane. It’s believed that he makes north of $1.3 million per year to walk the sidelines at 11th and Harvard. Pitt paid Dave Wannstedt, its departed coach, $1.2 million towards the end of his time in the Steel City. Jim Harbaugh earned about $1.25 million base salary at Stanford.

What is more important to Graham?

Is it cash? He won’t make much more anywhere else, and he is in the middle of a ten year contract. That adds up to pretty decent job security in an indecent economic climate.

Is it conference titles? Going to the Pac 10 and winning a title will be very tough, even with Andrew Luck returning. The league is adding Colorado and Utah in 2011. Both schools will challenge the already existing teams, plus Graham’s Cardinal team will have to contend with Oregon, USC and others.

Is it a chance at the BCS? That’s one of the few things Tulsa cannot offer. The Pac-10 can. So does the Big East. If he lands at Pitt, he’ll get a shot, but it’s a slim one. The competition in the Big East is looked down upon nationally, but the bowl records don’t lie. The league placed six teams in the postseason this year (the same number as C-USA) and went 4-2. That is the best winning percentage for teams with that many bowl-eligible teams. Getting to the top of that league will be tougher than a lot of fans around the country think.

If Graham leaves, it may work out in the end. He may have success in a bigger conference. He may win the Pac-12 or Big East and get to a BCS bowl game. But, he may sacrifice a shot at winning a conference title next season.

Tulsa lost two league games this past season by a combined five points. He returns all but one offensive starter and most of his young, energetic defense. Tulsa is ready to win its league in 2011. Is that worth staying for?

Or is the grass really greener?