Shortly after Oklahoma crushed Texas A&M last week, it was jokingly suggested to Bob Stoops via a text message that the lopsided win probably bought him another week of security from those fickle fans calling for his head.

"I bet I can find a job," OU's coach cracked in his return message following the 65-10 victory.

Ya think?

Presto. The next day's Chicago Sun-Times reported Notre Dame might offer Stoops employment if Charlie Weis is sacked. The newspaper indicated Irish athletic director Jack Swarbrick would be interested in talking to Stoops if he decides to make a change.

Stoops has spent much of this week shooting down the Sun-Times' claim that he has told confidants he would be interested in talking to the Irish.

If my scorecard is correct, I believe this is the third time in Stoops' 11 years at OU that he's been mentioned as a frontrunner for the Notre Dame opening. It started when Bob Davie was fired after the 2001 season, resumed when Ty Willingham lasted only three seasons as Davie's replacement, and has resurfaced once again now that Weis is on the hot seat.

The repeated Stoops-to-Notre Dame rumors have been the source of some running jokes between the coach and myself over the years. Ironically, it was a topic of discussion a few days before the Sun-Times story ran.

When the nitwits with short memories started coming out of the woodwork and after Stoops following an ugly 10-3 loss at Nebraska, I told him he should tell his critics what they can do with their job and bolt for Notre Dame if Weis is fired.

But I wasn't joking. Those of us who covered every day of the decade of darkness that engulfed OU after Barry Switzer's forced resignation fully appreciate the remarkable job Stoops has done.

Stoops isn't above criticism, a tactic I've employed when necessary. But fired? Those of us who could write a book on the miserable Gibbs-Schnellenberger-Blake years because we lived them find the idea of getting rid of Stoops repulsive.

"It's no different there (Notre Dame) or anywhere else," Stoops said of the fan unrest that becomes a national pastime each November, when some teams don't live up to preseason expectations.

Yes, OU fans, I understand those crackpots who want Stoops gone are definitely in the minority. So don't waste your time shooting me an angry e-mail or adding anonymous online comments to this column, because I "get it."

I also get this: Stoops never forgets that the vast majority of Sooners fans have long memories. He knows they will never forget the work he's done in pulling the program out of those dark days and putting it in the brightness of the national spotlight.

He also appreciates it that OU officials have been proactive throughout his tenure, giving him raises and bonuses to ward off the advances of the Notre Dames and Floridas of the college world, and NFL teams like Cleveland, Dallas and Denver.

But cheap shots and clueless, unwarranted criticism can eventually take a toll on any coach. Especially one who is in Stoops' current situation — fighting his backside off to make something positive out of his hardest season at OU.

Like most coaches, Stoops claims he doesn't pay attention to what's being written or said in the media, or by those courage-challenged bozos who use phony names to rip him online. But he knows what's going on, including polls questioning his future at OU.

His darkest hours at OU undoubtedly came on the heels of his second consecutive Fiesta Bowl loss. When West Virginia whipped the favored Sooners a year after Boise State had pulled off the upset of the season in the same Arizona stadium, Stoops was lambasted by the national media and more than a few frustrated Sooner supporters.

Stoops often quickly said "you should see the stack of mail on my desk from people who are supportive."

But he also confided that one fan sent him Rudyard Kipling's classic poem "If," and he read it several times, particularly these words: "If you can meet with triumph and disaster and treat those two imposters just the same."

In less than a month, he had gone from being hailed as a genius when OU became the first school to win back-to-back Big 12 titles by whipping No. 1-ranked Missouri, to being ridiculed after the disaster of the West Virginia game.

Stoops, who believes even the most successful coach can wear out his welcome at a school, has said more than once when he's been the target of angry fans, "Now you know why I sometimes say that maybe it's time to do something else."

If Notre Dame comes calling, has that time arrived for Stoops at OU? No, I strongly believe he isn't going anywhere for several reasons. The two biggest being OU President David Boren and athletic director Joe Castiglione.

"My bosses couldn't be better," Stoops has often said.

Stoops knows if OU (6-4, 4-2 Big 12) loses today for a third straight time at Texas Tech (6-4, 3-3), that the anger and criticism that subsided after the 55-point whipping of A&M will be back in full force from some corners.

But Stoops is secure in the knowledge that Boren and Castiglione will never turn on him. They understand what he's done for OU and what he means to the university's future.

"We have a great relationship built on trust, respect, excellent communication, and a shared vision for the program," Castiglione wrote about Stoops in an e-mail. "He is perfect for OU and vice versa."

Perfect enough that I bet he could find another job if that's what he wants.