C'mon Now, Of Course Syracuse's Head Coaching Gig is a Great Job

Colin Cowherd is one of those guys whose opinion I've really tried to stop caring about. We all know he's a troll with very set-in-his-way ideas about the world and he's never gonna change so it's silly to try and change him.

So when I saw that he left Syracuse off the list of college basketball head coaching opportunities he would consider "great," my instinct was to ignore it. But, then I gave the transcript a look because, well, Cowherd is like a tick. Once he digs in, you can't just ignore him, you've got to dig him out.

In the discussion, Cowherd said he would leave Syracuse off the list of "great college jobs" once Boeheim steps away.

"Here are what I consider to be the only great college basketball jobs: Kentucky, Duke, Carolina, UCLA, Arizona, Indiana, Kansas."

Dan Dakich was there to set things straight:

Syracuse has everything sitting there. They get 28,000 people. You see the (Carrier) Dome. Kids love the Dome. They know the history.

I would say if you are talking about great jobs, I would say without question Syracuse would be a much, much better job for what you are talking about than UConn. I would not put it up there with North Carolina, Duke, Kentucky and all that, but I would say, man, it's right there on the next tier, let's put it that way.

I think I understand why Syracuse wouldn't make that top tier to some people. And I agree that Kentucky, Carolina and Kansas are on another level, all things equal. But I think if you don't live in Central New York or follow Syracuse Orange basketball, you really don't understand how rabid Orange basketball fans are.

Football? We'll wait until you're good to show up. Basketball? We're coming in droves pretty much regardless. All you need to do is look at the attendance numbers for this season. A season in which the program was bad by normal standard AND had eliminated itself from the post-season anyway, Syracuse fans packed the Dome for "second-tier" games in a way that 98% of schools would kill for.

And so long as Syracuse basketball remains relevant, Boeheim or not, they're going to keep coming. You don't build the Carrier Dome if you don't think that's gonna happen. Yes, programs like Kansas and Kentucky have more history to fall back on regardless of who the coach is, but Syracuse has a stronger tradition and fanbase than some people give it credit for. Ever see how we pack the arenas on the road? That joke about Syracuse home games is a joke for a reason.

Jim Boeheim built Syracuse basketball into what it is today but the program will go on and continue to be relevant and great. I'm certain of that, because I know SU basketball fans. And I know most college coaches would kill for a chance to prove themselves under the Dome (or it's retractable roof replacement...).