Honestly, Cristibol or Stoops if you want to improve over what we have now and it be an absolute truth.
Yes, MC lost to Cal Sat and another team the week before. Those were bad but overall, holistically, his track record is great. His recruiting is unreal...and he has SEC experience, is a winner, and experience as a HC at a major program and asst coach exp at an SEC School. He checks off all the boxes really BUT...........would he leave the O and Phil Knight's checkbook and facilities? Probably not unless he felt the fanbase up there turning on him after one super bad loss (and they are actually). He seems to be NFL material if were being honest.
Stoops is as proven as it gets, like him or not. He knows how to win. He knows how to be in the conversation at the end of the year for all the marbles. He knows how to run a major program taking on behemoth rivals at the same time. Oklahoma, believe it or not - is not the easiest place to recruit to even with all of their success. He did it as good as anyone there has and he won, plain and simple. Big game Bob ya may say. Fair enough but he was there every January just about. Most times they were out talented by the others at that point. But would it not be an improvement over what we have to simply be in the conversation about the playoff 4 of 5 years? Yeah, id take him.
Anyone else really? Taking a chance. In that category are:
Matt Campbell - he could ALMOST go into the above category with MC and Stoops. Can he recruit this area? Can he run a major program - no offense to the fine folks in Ames. Although its impressive what he's done there. There is very little pressure to win a lot there as we've seen. Can he duplicate that UNDER a SHIT TON more pressure at a school like Auburn? I would like to think he could but its still uncertain.
Hugh Freeze - scandal ridden at OM. Paying for sex. Paying for players. While preaching the good word from the good book almost 24/7. Is he much better than Gus on the field? I dunno. Liberty has been fun to watch but who is to say Gus wouldn't be better at a smaller less pressure packed school like that. Has Hugh truly gotten past his......past? This could be a Bobby Petrino type situation where many will not touch the guy with a 10 ft pole based off past transgressions - professional and personally. I personally don't like the Evangelistic self righteous tone he carried at OM but that may be just me. Just not sure grabbing him buys us much over Gus other than he's fresh and new, and won't get 7 million a year most likely.
PJ Fleck - I like him. He may very well be good at a major program in the south, but ultimately an unknown, I read Minn took a step back this year due to losing a lot of upperclassmen last year. Although he recruits well for Minn standards - it still won't compete with the other giants of the Big 10. Even though I like Fleck, he is still an unknown. His step back this year at Minn though shouldn't play into it....much like MC, bigger picture here of an overall winner.
Sark - can he stay sober. Can he run another major program without some scandal. We don't know. But I think at the College Level, and the SEC level...hes a good shot caller.
Napier - Fleck light - up and comer, seems good. Who knows?
Several others.