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McDonald's Nuggets: Top spots for coaches; Tennessee; Indiana

In this week’s edition of McDonald’s Nuggets, Dan McDonald addresses the best coaching jobs in college sports when you combine the football and basketball programs. Plus, he names his Team of the Week and his Commit of the Week.

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2021 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position

2022 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position

2023 Rankings: Top 30

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QUESTION OF THE WEEK: What are the top five college programs for college coaches when you combine basketball and football?

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Chris Holtmann
Chris Holtmann (AP Images)

Last summer, I decided to rank the college basketball coaching jobs from top to bottom in each of the power conferences in college basketball. Because some of the traditional powers in football are also having successful years in hoops, I decided it might be fun to take a look at the schools that are the most attractive when you combine the football and basketball jobs. As I mentioned when I did the basketball rankings, this is based on how I rank these jobs if they were to open today.

1. Ohio State. It’s pretty hard to argue that Ohio State isn’t one of the top three - at worst top five - jobs in college football. It’s also considered a top 10 job in basketball in the opinion of many coaches. It’s a close call, but when you factor in the brand of Ohio State nationally, it has to be at the top.

2. Florida. What makes the call for the No. 1 spot so close is the fact that Florida is the only school to win a national championship in both sports this century. In fact, the Gators have won at least two on each side. Again, it’s really close, but I’d be willing to bet more coaches would choose Ohio State in both sports over Florida.

3. Texas. The Longhorns have had moment of greatness over the years in both sports, but they haven’t sustained a consistent level in either sport in recent years. However, the resources at Texas across the board make it one of very few schools that is able to win a national title in either sport.

4. Michigan. John Beilein and Juwan Howard have proven that the Wolverines can consistently be as good as anyone on the hardwood. It’s been a while since the football team has consistently duplicated that success, but it’s still one of the top football jobs in the country.

5. Oklahoma. Every football coach seems to win at Oklahoma, and the last few basketball coaches have done very well, too. Lon Kruger and Kelvin Sampson both took the Sooners to a Final Four, while Jeff Capel made it to an Elite Eight in between them. Football props up Oklahoma, but basketball has held up its end here, too.

In no particular order, the next five on the list would be Alabama, North Carolina, Oregon, USC and Wisconsin.

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TEAM OF THE WEEK: Tennessee

Jaden Springer
Jaden Springer (AP Images)

You might look at Tennessee’s wins over Kentucky and Georgia this week and argue there were better candidates for this weekly award. But the quality of the wins isn’t why I’ve selected the Vols.

If Tennessee is going to live up to the preseason expectations that give it a shot at potentially making the Final Four, the Volunteers are going to need freshman guards Jaden Springer and Keon Johnson to play a big role in that success. Both of them had the type of week that could spark Tennessee the rest of the way.

Springer went for a career-high 23 points against Kentucky on Saturday, only to top that on Wednesday against Georgia with 30 points. Johnson scored a career-high 27 points against Kentucky and appears to be playing with a ton more confidence lately. Watch out for the Volunteers down the stretch.

SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH TENNESSEE FANS AT VOLQUEST.COM

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COMMIT OF THE WEEK: CJ Gunn to Indiana

CJ Gunn
CJ Gunn (GoldandBlack.com)

Indiana secured its first commitment of the 2022 class in the form Rivals150 shooting guard CJ Gunn. The Indiana native chose the Hoosiers over Cincinnati, Kansas State, Wake Forest and Xavier.

At 6-foot-5, Gunn will make his biggest contribution for Archie Miller with his perimeter stroke. He’s a talented all-around scorer that has some toughness to him, and he will get after it on the defensive end.

SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH INDIANA FANS AT THEHOOSIER.COM

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