IRRESPONSIBLE SPECULATION: OUR SPECIALTY!

In the cold light of morning (okay, in the warm light of late afternoon), after the emotions of firing a coach are starting to ebb and everyone realizes the world is STILL turning, it’s time to start looking at who Iowa State University may hire as their new football coach. Who will be Dan McCarney’s replacement? The Des Moines Register doesn’t know, but has a guess as to who “may” be on Jamie Pollard’s list:

[H]is list could include ex-Iowa Staters Jay Norvell, Steve Loney, Bob Elliott and Paul Rhoads.

For the record, that’s Nebraska’s offensive coordinator, the Arizona Cardinals’ offensive line coach, Arizona State’s defensive coordinator, and Pitt’s defensive coordinator, respectively. Not exactly Murderers’ Row.

The Register’s readers obviously think the Iowa State job is a little better than the writers do; their preferred candidate is LSU defensive coordinator Bo Pelini. The folks at the Iowa City Press-Citizen, when they’re not doing a little good-natured grave dancing, suggest that maybe John L. Smith might be the answer. Or Gene Chizik! Or even Mike Price! (Somebody tell them they left out Terry Bowden, Jimmy Johnson, Lou Holtz, and Amos Alonzo Stagg.)

Over at Cyclone Report it appears they’re focusing in on former Mack Brown assistant Tim Brewster, currently the Denver Broncos’ tight ends coach.

Other names being tossed around, seriously or not, include Frank Solich and Northern Iowa coach Mark Farley. We would humbly suggest Jamie Pollard would be remiss if he did not at least consider North Dakota State coach Craig Bohl, a former Nebraska defensive coordinator who has been absolutely wonderful at NDSU.