Steve Spurrier may look upon the NFL as a greener pasture, but if a recent ESPN.com poll of 26 Division I-A head coaches and coordinators is any indication, Florida should have little trouble finding top-notch candidates to replace its departing head coach.

	Coaches Poll
	Results of ESPN.com's survey of 26 Division I-A head coaches and coordinators in which voters were asked to list their top five dream jobs in college football (five points for first-place votes, four for second, three for third, two for fourth, one for fifth):
	Program	Total points	1st votes
	1. Florida	74	6
	2. Texas	56	3
	3. Florida State	43	2
	4. Miami	36	3
	5. Notre Dame	34	5
	6. Nebraska	32	--
	7. Tennessee	13	--
	8. Michigan	12	--
	8. USC	12	2
	10. Georgia	11	--
	Others receiving votes: Utah 10 (2), LSU 8, Stanford 7, UCLA 7, North Carolina 6 (1), West Virginia 5 (1), Penn State 5, Oklahoma 5, Wisconsin 4, Washington 4, Alabama 4, Arizona 3, Ohio State 2, Auburn 1.

The survey, conducted during the recently concluded bowl season, asked coaches to list, anonymously, their top five dream jobs in college football. Florida, based largely on its great weather, strong in-state recruiting base, state-of-the-art facilities and overwhelming fan support, came out on top.

The Gators tallied 74 points, 18 more than second-place Texas. Six of the 26 coaches ranked Florida first on their ballots, one more than Notre Dame, which finished fifth in the overall voting. Rounding out the top five was Florida State, which finished third with 43 points, and Miami, which finished fourth with 36 points.

But it was being the head coach at Florida, many coaches say, that is the dream job in all of college football. For that reason, the Gators' job opening may stir even more big-name attention than that at Notre Dame in recent weeks. The Fighting Irish named their new head coach, Tyrone Willingham, on Tuesday after George O'Leary stepped down after a five-day tenure for lying about his academic and athletic accomplishments.

"I'm sure everybody was drooling this morning," one head coach from the West said when polled Friday, after news of Spurrier's departure broke. "They were looking around at what had just happened and the drool started to fall."

And there's good reason why. Spurrier proved a coach can win at Florida -- and win big. Under his direction, the Gators won six Southeastern Conference titles and the national championship, in 1996.

Florida was the only school in SEC history and only one of three in major college history, to win at least 10 games in each of six straight seasons, from 1993-98. Their No. 3 ranking this season makes the Gators only the sixth team in major college history to rank in the Top 12 of the final polls in each of 12 straight seasons.

In other words, it can be done in Florida. And done well.

"No. 1 is the location. They have great weather," said a head coach from the Midwest who voted the Gators No. 1. "And they are in a great position to acquire talent with the tremendous high school football players they have in the state of Florida.

"Then you talk about the natural rivalries they have with Miami and Florida, the attraction that the SEC presents in recruiting and then playing your home games at the Swamp, one of the greatest atmospheres in college football, and it's a no-brainer."

Florida is 68-5 in the Swamp since 1990, including a 40-3 record against SEC teams.

Then there's the overwhelming commitment for success from the athletic department. Prior to his resignation Friday, Spurrier was one of a handful of college coaches whose compensation package exceeded $2 million.

And this past fall Florida began a $50 million renovation of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, with plans for an extended press level, new radio and TV booths, 2,900 chair-back seats on a new club level, 28 new luxury suites and a complete renovation of the 28 current suites.

"It just seems like there's everything you'd want," said a head coach from the West. "With the financial backing of the university, the great stadium, the fan support. People down there truly care about winning."

None of this takes into consideration Florida's national television appearances. Prior to this season, no team played in more nationally televised games than the Gators, save for Notre Dame, which has its own television contract with NBC.

Even the coaches that didn't vote Florida in their top five had praise for the Gators. One in particular, a former Miami assistant who put the Hurricanes on top of his ballot, was a tad embarrassed when asked why he left off the Gators.

"Oops. I guess I kinda forgot about that one," the coach said. "It's so tough to narrow it down to five. But Florida would be right up there with Miami and the best of them. Without question."

The coach said when he was an assistant with the Hurricanes, the staff in Coral Gables knew that Florida was a sleeping giant.

"At Miami, things were going pretty good and we were having a great run, but we would talk that if Florida ever got the right coach in there and could get the ball rolling, you better watch out. And then they got Spurrier."

Which begs a question: Can Spurrier's successor be successful?

"It's the type of situation where Steve built such a strong foundation there, that just about anybody who goes in there will be solid," the coach said. "Because all the tools for success are right there in front of you."

Wayne Drehs is a staff writer for ESPN.com