A guy who is 12-12 excites you? Make you want to buy tickets? Has Croom lowered our standards that much?
I want, in this order:
1. A proven winner (PROVEN) at the D-I level, like a Patterson.
2. A coordinator at a bigger name school with proven success at his job that is looking to move up to a head coaching gig.
3. A proven winner at a lower-level school looking to move up. (In the mold of Jim Tressel, Paul Johnson, etc.)
Dooley went 7-5 this year, but beat 3 of the worst teams in the WAC, plus a Croom-led squad. What exactly does that prove? Might as well add Terry Bowden and Jim Donnan to the list.
Dooley, Fulmer = giant yawn and no immediate bandwagon support from me. Dooley or Fulmer would be hires that Larry Simpleton would make. I have come to expect more from Byrne.
Edit to add: By proven winner, I also mean someone who doesn't consistently underachieve, like Bowden or Fulmer have done recently.