The Athletic did some checking around to see what the best job in college football is. Notre Dame did not make the top five.
The outlet polled 50 people working in the sport, including head coaches, assistant coaches, analysts and recruiters. First-place votes were worth five points and second-place votes were worth four, and on down the line. There were a few teams tied for fifth place, in that case, 1 extra point was added on.
The list ended up being Georgia, Texas, Ohio State, Alabama and LSU.
No big surprises there.
What is perhaps surprising is that Notre Dame was ranked 12th with just six points — meaning the school only managed six votes for 5th place.
It’s not said why the Irish aren’t higher, but we suspect the school’s tougher academic standards play a part. The top five schools have also been in national title contender mode more often in recent years.
The top five teams also have strong NIL and vast recruiting bases from their home states, and all are national brands.
Notre Dame, of course, is a national brand and isn’t necessarily lacking in resources, including NIL, but it may not be quite at the level of those top 5.
That may change if Marcus Freeman can make the program into a consistent playoff contender.