I’m a rising head coach looking to make the jump to a Power Five school. Here’s how I’d rank the jobs.

Like many of you, I have spent the better part of the last several months plugging away at NCAA Football 14. I’ve done dynasties with Michigan and won a lot. I’ve done dynasties at my alma mater — Central Michigan — and turned them into a national power.

Which has led me to thinking about how if I played through a dynasty, but chose to take on other jobs as opposed to building up the brands I know, how would I rank them? You can assume that I would start at CMU by default and then see where things go from there.

The criteria here is basically an arbitrary combination of facilities, the path to being successful, the resources available to make a big splash on the recruiting trail and a tinge of personal preference for good measure.

So as a 27-year-old man with no spouse and no mouths to feed other than an almost-four-year-old black lab, here is how I would rank the jobs as an up-and-coming coaching prospect and the opportunities available to me.

65. Rutgers

This is the only Power 5 job I absolutely would not entertain under any circumstances. I’ll stay in the MAC, thank you very much.

64. Kansas

It is very hard to win here and it’s a basketball school where nobody cares what you do anyways.

63. Wake Forest

There’s been no sustainable success here and it’s another hoops school in a state with lots of competition. Pass.

62. Duke

See above.

61. Boston College

To win in the ACC you have to be able to recruit the south. BC has a hard enough time recruiting its area. The history here is solid, but location hurts them.

60. Washington State

The most memorable things to come from this program are the flag at College GameDay Ryan Leaf, and Gardner Minshew. Nah.

59. Kansas State

I think that I’m a pretty good coach, but with a location that does not do much for me and the fact that I am not Bill Snyder makes this job unappealing to me.

58. Oregon State

Playing second fiddle to the Nike machine in your state and a lack of historic success is not for me.

57. Iowa State

Other than the fact that the state of Iowa is a big nothing-burger to me, I would not hate this job if it became available. The fans are loyal and I’m told Ames is lovely.

56. Vanderbilt

Being a perennial punching bag in the SEC is not fun, but living in Nashville sure as heck would be.

55. Purdue

This job would be higher on the list if the facilities were better (which is being worked on). But there are jobs in the Big Ten West I’d want more.

54. Syracuse

Winning can be done here, but the location and amenities compared to the other ACC schools for football leaves a bit to be desired.

53. Illinois

Illinois should be better than it is. There’s a solid recruiting base in the midwest, but they have never been able to put it all together consistently.

52. Northwestern

The new facilities are pretty sweet, but Ryan Field is consistently overrun by opposing fans and it’s a tough sell for blue-chip recruits. I could live in Evanston, though.

51. California

Simply put, Cal — despite being the state’s namesake school — will always be third in line behind USC and UCLA. The right guy might be able to do something here, but it is not even remotely a destination job.

50. Colorado

You can do some damage here, but I want the buzz. I want a national footprint. Colorado has not been a consistent-enough factor there.

49. Arizona

It’s hot out here, you’ve never been all that good, and you aren’t Arizona State.

48. Missouri

The SEC places this higher than it probably should be. Other than that, nothing excites me about Mizzou.

47. Georgia Tech

This school is tough to recruit and it will always be second fiddle to Georgia in the state.

46. Indiana

This might be one of the more underrated jobs on this list. This is a basketball school, but with a not-so-sneakily loyal fanbase and have shown themselves capable of putting a scare into the elites in the Big Ten.

45. Minnesota

The facilities are new and the program has a lot of national buzz to it now with PJ Fleck at the helm. Their staying power might depend on how long he stays there, but Fleck has proved a buzzy-enough hire can win there.

44. Pittsburgh

Pitt gets to play its games at Heinz field and has some good history. They also play in a die-hard sports town. That said, it’s hard to take this program higher than what it’s current ceiling is.

43. Virginia

There’s a path to Virginia being a more consistent player in the ACC. It’s a good school and a good recruiter might be able to do some damage here.

42. North Carolina

The commitment to football has been in question for several years, but UNC made it when they hired Mack Brown. We’ll see how he can get that program going, but there’s a chance he could leave it in a much better place than he found it.

41. Maryland

The recruiting base here has always been very good, yet Maryland has underachieved. In any other division than the Big Ten East, this job might be higher on the list due to my ego of being the guy that can be the one that breaks through.

40. NC State

When I think football in North Carolina, this is the school that comes to mind. The fan support is good, but the program has also had a knack for underachieving.

39. Mississippi State

Facilities and cache have improved over the last number of years, but Starkville is just so boring.

38. Baylor

Centrally located in Texas with newer facilities (and the Magnolia Farms not so far away), this is a job that would be appealing to me with the right pitch.

37. Kentucky

Kentucky is a good opportunity because all you have to do is go 7-5 and people there are okay with it. It also provides you access to the picked-over recruits in the state of Ohio.

36. TCU

TCU is always a factor and a thorn in the side of the teams in the Big-12 despite making the jump from the Mountain West, not all that long ago. The administration there has proven itself in terms of commitment to the program and doing the best they can to stay competitive.

35. West Virginia

WVU still feels out of place in the Big-12, but you can still be a factor here and it’s a buzzy-enough school to draw some solid offensive talent. If you’re going to compete in that conference, that’s the key.

34. Arizona State

If you’re a young and rising coaching prospect like my virtual self, this is not a bad stop on the way to the top of the food chain. If you can win here, you’d be a superstar on one of the craziest college campuses in America.

33. Arkansas

It’s tough sailing in the SEC West, but Arkansas has the facilities and location that could make this an appealing draw.

32. Texas Tech

There’s a ton to like about Lubbock, except for distance from the recruiting hotbeds in Texas and the fact that you’re lower on the food chain here. Still, it’s another one of those gigs where if you can bust through and win 9-10 games, someone else will scoop you up. Heck, if you’re handsome and get fired an NFL team will still hire you to run their team.

31. Stanford

This is an institution of higher learning, and that might hurt a bit on the recruiting trail. However, you can win here and you’ll have a heck of a smart locker room, as well.

30. South Carolina

The other USC plays in the SEC and has in-state Clemson to worry about on the recruiting trail. If they could chip into that at all, this might be a program that does some bigger things. The opportunity is there, but the ceiling has always felt limited.

29. Michigan State

It takes a special coach to deliver a consistent winner here, but someone who recruits the state hard and can dip into Ohio can have success. However, your ceiling might be limited by the state of the program down the road.

28. Louisville

Louisville is a fun sports town and the administration has shown support towards keeping the program competitive. Being in the same division as Clemson is problematic, though.

27. Ole Miss

This is a good job at a school that might have the best tailgate atmosphere in the league. Ole Miss has always been a program right on the edge, but plays in one of the hardest divisions in college football.

26. Iowa

Kinnick Stadium is a tough place to play, especially at night. The local recruiting base is not the strongest, but they have always found themselves good players that develop.

25. Utah

Utah is another underrated program that maximizes the talent it brings in and has a tremendous amount of fan support.

24. Nebraska

Nebraska has the facilities and will pretty much sink whatever it can into ensuring it fields a competitive and nationally relevant program. It should be a school that has a leg up on most of the Big Ten West but has not put it together consistently enough recently.

23. Virginia Tech

There may have been a time where VT was a bit higher, but it feels like they squandered an opportunity to be one of the elites. They’re still very good with a great home-field advantage.

22. UCLA

This job is more difficult than it should be and is not even the most popular football program in its city. Plus, they are a basketball school. But with a great campus, the ability to recruit nationally, and an incredible stadium (though it’s off-campus), there are a lot of ingredients here for someone to unlock.

21. Oklahoma State

T. Boone Pickens’ deep pockets. That’s the explanation here.

20. Miami (FL)

To be the guy who can come in and make “The U” cool again would be awesome. The location is great and you can recruit this school. However, like most Miami sports teams, I question whether the local fans care or not.

19. Washington

The tradition is there. The location is there. This is right on the edge of being something that I would consider a destination job.

18. Texas A&M

A&M may underachieve on the field, but they have just about everything else going for them and are the only Texas school in the SEC. It’s a good pitch to local recruits who want to play against the best competition.

17. Wisconsin

Wisconsin used to be an afterthought in the Big Ten but is now one of the conference’s most consistent teams year in and year out. You always know what to expect here and you’re in a tremendous college town in Madison. This program has done just about everything recently except for bust through and win a national title.

16. Auburn

You’re never going to own your state, but you can do some big things here. If you can win here, you might not ever need to go anywhere else.

15. Tennessee

We’re into the portion of the list that I would consider the destination jobs for me. Tennessee has everything you could want from the facilities, the fan support, etc. Plus, you play in the easier of the two SEC divisions.

14. Oregon

This is similar to Oklahoma State, but to the highest degree for me. I’ll take that Nike money and your thousands of jersey combos and keep Autzen Stadium a nightmare for my opponents.

13. Penn State

Penn State recruits on par with the top of the Big Ten has a great home-field atmosphere, and unwavering fan support. Not only has it been able to recruit with Ohio State and Michigan, but it has beaten them, too.

12. Florida State

This is a program that should be a few spots higher, but seeing as Jimbo Fisher left for what I would consider to be at best a lateral move points to some disagreements with the administration. They also did Willie Taggart dirty, as well. But, the resources here can make you a program every bit as potent as Clemson.

11. Notre Dame

That a team has continued to stay nationally relevant despite being an independent in this day and age remains impressive. They still recruit and develop talent at a high level and have a brand that warrants its television contract on NBC. The concerns about joining a conference are warranted, but they’ve proven themselves to not need that to be in the national title picture.

10. LSU

Coaching in a talent-rich state and the home-field advantage makes this one of the elite jobs in all of college football. They have underachieved at times, but everything you need to win is there.

9. Michigan

Michigan might be the poster children for the “close, but no cigar” programs in the top ten, but this school has all the resources you need to be a national power. You’ve got one of the richest athletic departments in the country, an iconic stadium and brand, and few public universities boast the academics you provide, as well. Ann Arbor is a great college town and place to raise a family.

8. Texas

Like Michigan, everything is in place here and the fans are hungry for a consistent football power. This is the only school on the list that we’ve ever heard linked to prying Nick Saban away from Alabama and you have to at least consider the possibility instead of laughing it off.

7. Oklahoma

On paper, Oklahoma should not be ahead of its rival in Texas, but they have won more with not quite as much success on the recruiting trail. They still have not been able to win a national title, but have made more than one College Football Playoff appearance since its inception.

6. Clemson

Clemson was a program on the verge of busting out for the longest time. Once it did, it becomes a program on par with Alabama who has had almost as much success in the last number of years. They are not going anywhere.

5. Florida

Can anyone think of a single reason why Florida would not be a good job to take? Everything is right there for the taking and you’re also a reasonable distance away from Disney World. So, we’re good here.

4. Georgia

Georgia is another program that has it all. Great location and fan support. Superb talent pool to pick from. Kirby Smart has unlocked the potential of what that football operation can look like.

3. Ohio State

Ohio State recruits on the same level as Alabama and has mostly always been a factor on the national stage. If you want to stay in the midwest to coach and do not have a dog in the fight in any of the rivalries, this is as high as it gets for you.

2. USC

Hear me out. The administration and leadership here have been a mess in recent years, but if you’re a young football coach living in Los Angeles and you get THIS school back at the level it was at in the 2000s, whew. You’d be every bit as popular in Los Angeles as the Hollywood stars that run through it. This can be the Ohio State or Alabama of the West.

1. Alabama

There’s simply no argument as to why Alabama is not No. 1. Now, after Nick Saban leaves it might get interesting, but every football coach in America would be interested in this job if it opened up tomorrow. It does not matter if the recruiting base locally is not as strong if you can pull anyone you want from anywhere in the country. From a pure football standpoint, this is as good as it gets.

What would your pecking order of top jobs look like? Do you think I got something wrong? Sound off below!