Mean Green Blog

With the departure of Darin Horn to South Carolina, Western Kentucky is in the market for a new men's basketball coach, which got me thinking: Just what is the best coaching job in the Sun Belt Conference?

Troy football and Louisiana-Lafayette baseball and softball come to mind due to their tradition, along with WKU women's basketball. UNT football has the potential to be a prime job if the school gets a new stadium built soon. The same could be said of the Florida Atlantic and Florida International football jobs. Texas is an underrated hoops state, which makes the UNT men’s and women’s basketball jobs better than most people think. But at this point the top position in the league has to be coaching the WKU men‘s basketball team.

The Hilltoppers have been to the NCAA Tournament 20 times, made the Sweet 16 three times, the Final Four once and is ranked eight in NCAA history in winning percentage.

E.A. Diddle is the best basketball venue in the Sun Belt, although the Cajundome, Mitchell Center and Super Pit are not far behind.

WKU is also in the heart of hoops country, where a coach can recruit in Indiana and Kentucky. Both the Hoosiers and Wildcats recruit nationally, leaving plenty of the best players from two of the top hoops states in the country there for the taking.

There is big-time pressure to win at WKU, but the coaches who have fared well have moved on to bigger and better jobs. Don't think that doesn't come into play when it's time to hire a new coach -- or rate the job.

That is why it will be so interesting to see who Western comes up with for its next coach. The school should be able to sell the job as a perfect opportunity for an up-and-comer.

UNT could put its football job close to the same level as the WKU basketball job in the next few years with a new stadium. UNT is in the heart of one of the top two or three states in the country when it comes to producing football talent, is in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and has the advantage of being only public school with a Division I football program in the immediate area. The Mean Green's in-state rivals point to an outdated Fouts Field and the Sun Belt as downfalls for UNT when it comes time for recruiting battles, but Fouts could soon be on its way out.

UNT doesn't have a baseball team and I haven't covered a softball or soccer game outside of Denton, so I can't rate those jobs, but here is my list of the top jobs in the league in football and basketball:

1. WKU men's basketball
-- Great tradition, facilities and a track record of attracting top players
2. Troy football
-- Larry Blakeney isn't going anywhere because he has a great facility, a history of success and the ability to recruit Florida and Alabama.
3. UNT football
-- One could make a case for this being the No. 1 job or not even being in the top five after a few down years and with a stadium that everyone agrees needs to go, but location goes a long way.
4. WKU women's basketball
-- For all the same reasons WKU men's hoops is No. 1, plus a huge budget that allows the team to recruit nationally
5. FAU or FIU football
-- FAU has done a remarkable building job in just a few years and won the New Orleans Bowl last season. FIU also has the potential to become a power quickly due to location.

Am I wrong? Think I missed one. Is UNT really No. 1? Post your top 5 on the blog.