Bear Down Wildcats

Coop Cat wrote:Kansas is now open!

With both the Michigan and Florida coaches on seats that have heated up significantly in the past two weeks, there are a bunch of other coaches who could be in line for some plum jobs as their stock could surge in the next month or so.

The mess in Ann Arbor has gotten really ugly, where AD Dave Brandon, a guy known to try and watch film with the football coaches on Sundays, seems to be throwing everyone under the bus.

Here are 10 coaches to keep an eye on as we near the Silly Season.

1. Dan Mullen, Mississippi State Bulldogs

He's tops on this list because no coach's stock could surge more over the next two weeks. The 42-year-old's timing might be perfect to vault from one of the SEC's toughest jobs to one of the best in the Big Ten or the SEC. Mullen spent four seasons in Gainesville on Urban Meyer's staff and quickly turned the Bulldogs into a solid SEC squad, going 9-4 in his second season. But over the next three seasons MSU was 9-15 in SEC play and it seemed like the program might be backsliding with Hugh Freeze's recruiting storm taking over in the state. However, Mullen's team, led by budding star QB Dak Prescott, finished 2013 on a roll winning its last three, including beating the arch-rival Rebels.

Mullen's got MSU fans fired up now after the Bulldogs went into LSU and beat the Tigers on a Saturday night by dominating on both lines of scrimmage. It was only the third time any team had done that since Les Miles had been there. Starkville may well be the center of the SEC world in the next two weeks with the Bulldogs hosting No. 6 Texas A&M this weekend and No. 5 Auburn next weekend. If Mullen's team wins both, his coaching stock takes off. Even if Mullen (who interviewed for the Miami vacancy when Al Golden got it four years ago) wins only one of the two, it would sure put him on a lot of folks' radar.

That doesn't mean he'd be a lock to bolt Starkville, but it doesn't seem like such a stretch to think he would if he could. Keep in mind, Mississippi State has won only one SEC title, in 1941, and they've made it into the final rankings of the Coaches Poll only six times ever and only once in the past 14 seasons. Also, those other divisions -- the Big Ten East or SEC East -- would seem a lot easier to navigate than the meat-grinder that is the SEC West.

2. Jim Harbaugh, San Francisco 49ers

The former Wolverine star is brash and odd and his people skills sometimes are downright bewildering if you listen to some of the stories those close to him will share privately, but the guy gets great results. His turnaround job at Stanford was remarkable. So was what he's done with the Niners.

If there is a coaching search at Michigan down the road, he needs to get the first call, but would he come? Probably not. I hear he's more likely to get the autonomy he's looking for from some NFL franchise.

3. Hugh Freeze, Ole Miss Rebels

The guy whose recruiting whirlwind shook up the SEC a few years back has a chance, like Mullen, to boost his coaching stock dramatically over the next month (Mullen's higher on this list because he's already got one huge W this season with that Saturday night road win in Baton Rouge).

The Rebels host No. 3 Alabama on Saturday and then visit No. 6 A&M next week, then they face Tennessee, visit No. 15 LSU and host No. 5 Auburn. Even going 3-2 through those five would make Freeze a hot name around the country.

4. Les Miles, LSU Tigers

The Bo Schembechler protege turns 61 next month and has long been linked to the job at his alma mater. You can't knock his success rate: 99-25. He's already won a national title at LSU, but if there is ever a time he'd coach the Wolverines, you'd have to think this could be his last real shot at it.

5. Greg Schiano, former head coach of Tampa Bay Bucs

A few days before Rich Rodriguez jumped at the chance to be Michigan's head coach, the Wolverines offered the job to Schiano. He turned it down, and then word is had a lot of second thoughts. Schiano ended up staying on at Rutgers, a program he turned from punchline into a perennial bowl team, for four more seasons, winning 30 more games before leaving for the NFL. That didn't go so well, but the guy is very smart, very organized and a dogged recruiter. Don't be surprised if he lands a good college head coaching gig this winter.

6. Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State Cowboys

Key assistants come and go on his staff and he keeps winning. There's been plenty of talk about friction between Gundy and his bosses. There's a good chance his team could be 7-1 heading into November with that lone loss being a tight one to No. 1 FSU. Persona-wise he wouldn't seem like a fit at Michigan. At Florida or LSU (if Miles left) might be more viable.

7. Pat Narduzzi, Michigan State Spartans defensive coordinator

The Spartans D will be in the spotlight again this weekend when unbeaten Nebraska, with Heisman contender Ameer Abdullah, visits. Might Narduzzi be an option if Michigan is looking for a new head coach? Doubtful UM brass would want to hire a guy from their arch-rival. Of course, they might also have taken note that MSU has beaten the Wolverines in five of the past six seasons and held them to an average of 12 ppg in the last four meetings.

8. Jim McElwain, Colorado State Rams

Not a lot of mid-major type coaches out there who look like they could get hot this year. Tim DeRuyter's Fresno State team is struggling. CSU, though, just beat Boston College and looks like it could be the class of the Mountain West. McElwain, a Nick Saban protege, does have a pretty hefty buyout though.

9. John Harbaugh, Baltimore Ravens

He's already on record as throwing his support for the Michigan job behind Brady Hoke, a former colleague. Then again, it would've seemed ridiculous for him to say almost anything else on the topic now. The older Harbaugh, who went to high school in Ann Arbor, would be an intriguing choice as a college head coach. He did spend a decade plus in college coaching, but his contract still has three more years on it at a hefty price.

10. Mack Brown, ESPN announcer

Word is the former Texas coach is intrigued by the SMU job and made it known to the right political people there as such, and there is interest from the Mustangs side. Brown's still got a big game in the state of Texas despite the Longhorns' struggles the past few years.

From talking with coaches and those intimately familiar with the program, my sense is that Michigan really wants to wait until December to move on from Hoke, though Brandon could be gone before then.

And when the time comes, LSU coach Les Miles -- not Jim Harbaugh, or anyone else -- should be the first and only call. For one, Miles is established enough that he wouldn’t feel unsettled if an AD were named after his hiring. He wouldn’t feel pressure from that office the way others might.

Miles is being dismissed in some circles because of his age. But he’s 61, not 71. And he’s a young 61, at that.

If a "brand" such as Michigan got 10 or so years from Miles, wouldn't that be more than sufficient given the recent run of turnover and turmoil? The "30-year college coach" isn't a thing anymore, right? We can agree on that. Take what you can get, and a decade is gold.

After the rumblings in 2007 and then again in 2011, this could finally be the right time for Miles to return to Michigan, where he got his start as a GA in 1980. Someone close to Miles told me last fall that he could see him heading back to UM, for his "last job." Coaches are buying it, too.

"I would think Les would try to get Michigan this time," a Power 5 head coach suggested this week by text.

That's where we begin the Saturday Storylines, with a hearty dose of CoachSpeak. If Miles were to leave, where would LSU look? And would Harbaugh consider a college program other than Michigan? Some of his friends think so.

Later, we'll hit the breakout players to watch this weekend. Plus my off-the-radar upset pick that would dramatically shift the playoff picture.

• First, more on Miles. He is notably kooky, and I’m told that he isn't 100 percent adored by the leadership at his alma mater. But give him this without hesitation: He’s intensely passionate about his job, players, program, etc. If he’s that bought in at LSU, what then would it mean to resurrect the school he attended?

Isn't that what Michigan wants and needs? Miles is not only a "Michigan Man," but one who is 99-25 in a pressure cooker like LSU -- where, by the way, he had the unenviable challenge of following Nick Saban. I’d like his chances of following Hoke and Rich Rodriguez’s failed tenures.

One thing that could hold him back: his current roster. An SEC coach pointed out last week that LSU, playing a bunch of first- and second-year players on both sides of the ball, is terrifically situated for 2015.

Based on freshmen and sophomores, plus the 2015 recruiting class, LSU and Texas A&M look like top-five teams. Alabama, too.

The conundrum: Would winning a second national title at LSU mean more than propping up your alma mater? I’d bet on the latter, just knowing Miles.

As for Harbaugh, most in the coaching world anticipate him staying in San Francisco or possibly taking another NFL job. But if he does leave for a college gig, those close to Harbaugh told an ESPN colleague that it would be for Kansas. Yes, Kansas.

The last time the KU job was open, Harbaugh strongly considered leaving Stanford for Lawrence. So some believe the embattled Niners coach would again kick it around.

Harbaugh’s wife is from Kansas City and, evidently, the man has great affinity for the Sunflower State.

"He's just crazy enough to do it," a Harbaugh confidant told Seth Wickersham, who wrote a definitive profile of Harbaugh for ESPN The Magazine.

Why not Michigan? I'm told that Harbaugh is just too maniacal, given the current state of things and the prideful way that the school's administration postures. UM administration isn't wont to "sell out" for a winner. Miles strikes a balance.

• If Miles goes to Michigan, it creates another high-profile opening.

LSU went to Oklahoma State for a coach the last time, and it worked. Why not again?

Mike Gundy is a name to note. He's quirky and controlling, but man, the guy can coach. If you didn't already know that, this year's Cowboys -- replacing a majority of players on both sides of the ball -- had no business having the success that they did in September.

An almost entirely new group pushed the reigning national champ to the final minutes. It's impressive what Gundy, as well as defensive coordinator Glenn Spencer, has done.

Sources close to the program were clear in saying Gundy's flirtations with Arkansas and Tennessee two years ago were messages for his bosses. The next message could very well be Gundy packing his office.

“Everyone knows he and [AD Mike] Holder aren't on the same page,” a Power 5 head coach said. “If Michigan or Florida open and they call, he’d go.”

LSU, too.

I’m already starting to hear murmurs of Oklahoma's Bob Stoops returning to Florida. You never say never in coaching movement, but this is as close as it gets.

The Sooners' machine has been remodeled and is again chugging.

“Bob isn’t taking another college job,” a peer of Stoops’ said last December, when he was involved in the Browns’ search. “If he didn’t go to Ohio State, he isn’t going to Florida. He’s got Oklahoma going again. He’s fired up.”

Mullen or Gundy are more logical if Will Muschamp’s time in Gainesville is up. This is a critical week for that, though I think the Gators will win in Knoxville. It’s the rest of the schedule I’d be concerned about. Like just about everyone outside the Florida locker room, and maybe some inside it, I’ve given up on QB Jeff Driskel.

ASUHATER! wrote:Rich rod to lsu?

the real dill wrote:The Mack Brown to SMU thing doesn't make a ton of sense to me. He is 63 and has a $3M contract with Texas along probably another $500k-$1M from ESPN. He would lose both those deals if he took the SMU job. Is SMU going to pay a 63 year old coach who underachieved his last 4 years coaching $4M/year?

Coop Cat wrote:Florida Open!

the real dill wrote:

azcat49 wrote:Nebraska fires Pelini after going 67-27 in 7 seasons. Maybe Brittney Graham is available

wyo-cat wrote:Nebraska has the most delusional fan base. Winning 9-10 games a hear isn't enough for them. Who ever takes that job better watch his back.

ASUHATER! wrote:

wyo-cat wrote:Nebraska has the most delusional fan base. Winning 9-10 games a hear isn't enough for them. Who ever takes that job better watch his back.

Would you be content if Arizona basketball won 25-30 games a year but hadn't won a conference title in 15 years and was blown out in every nationally relevant game and lost in the first and second round of the tournament every year? Should Arizona fans accept that and be grateful that we just win all of our cupcake games?

ASUHATER! wrote:The rich rod to Florida rumors are going wild now. Everyone from random fans on the main rivals board to Gus Johnson thinks it's a done deal. As of right now rich rod is getting paid like $600k a year more at Arizona than muschamp made at uf. With their sec money...uf could probably offer RR $5 million a year if they wanted to. Going to be really tough to keep him.

MrBug708 wrote:Scott Frost to Nebraska?