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Tuesday, November 7
Beamer and Davis hot commodities

By Bruce Feldman
ESPN The Magazine

It's that time of year again. Time when the rumor mill starts to fly and potential coaching candidates starts issuing denials and "no comments" at rapid-fire pace. Time when everyone speculates what it'd take for Frank Beamer and Butch Davis to move on and what it'd take for Ralph Friedgen and Ricky Hunley to move up.

A bunch of prime jobs have already opened up (Alabama, BYU, West Virginia) and a few others also may soon have vacancies (UNC, USC, Missouri). So we present the most intriguing coaching situations.

Alabama -- In the mix:


	Could Mississippi State's Jackie Sherrill be Bama's next coach?

Frank Beamer -- If Vick jumps to NFL, how much more can Beamer do at Va. Tech?
Jackie Sherrill -- Played for the Bear. That's a plus. Wins. That's a huge plus. Rogue image. That's, um, not such a turn-off.
Chan Gailey -- NFL guy who has coached in the state. Low-key offensive style might not go over.
Jeff Bower -- Shrewdest recruiter in the south. Not from the Family though.

Wildcard: Bobby Wallace. Done well at Temple. Won huge at Division II North Alabama.

Wish list: Butch Davis. If he's going anywhere, it's probably to the NFL.

Best Guess: Sherrill

BYU -- In the mix:
Gary Crowton -- LaVell protégé. Great offensive mind. Almost a lock.
Charlie Stubbs -- Innovative. Great play-caller. Shaky rep for staff chemistry. Known as a "Me" guy at Bama.
Robbie Bosco -- Rising star, but may be too green for this one.

Wildcard: Mike Leach

Wish list: Mike Holmgren. If Griffey, Randy Johnson and A-Rod can leave. . .

Best Guess: Crowton.

Missouri -- In the mix:
Ricky Hunley -- Sharp. Tough, but part of Larry Smith's outgoing staff.
Mike Stoops -- Older brother Bobby did wonders at OU.
Kevin Cosgrove -- Brains behind Wisconsin's gritty D.
Gary Nord -- Done brilliant job at UTEP in one year.

Wildcard: Vince Tobin. Knows the area. Could use the work.

Wish list: Franchione. Knows the area from his days at Pittsburg (KS) St.

Best Guess: Stoops. Franchione's buyout is too much.

North Carolina - In the mix:
Bud Foster -- Stud defensive coordinator at Va. Tech. Ready for his own program.
Steve Logan -- Owns the top program in the state at East Carolina. Imagine what he could do with UNC's support.
Mike Stoops -- It pays to be a Stoops right now. And UNC can pay a lot.

Wildcard: John Mackovic. Keen offensive mind might be a smart call for Tar Heels.

Wish list: Randy Walker. One-time UNC offensive coordinator's stock is sky-high. But is he ready to cash in? Ronald Curry could be scary in Walker's system.

Best Guess: Walker.

Rutgers -- In the mix:
Gary Darnell -- Done well at Western Michigan. Could fit here, but doubt it.
Greg Schiano-- Young. Smart. Got all the right ingredients: Jersey kid. Former Rutgers grad assistant. Coached with JoePa. Coached in the NFL. Now Miami's defensive coordinator.
Ted Cottrell -- Bills defensive coordinator, one of the NFL's most respected assistants, is a former Rutgers coach.

Wish list: Bill Parcells.

Wildcard: KC Keeler. Built a small-school power at D-III Rowan (NJ).

Best Guess: Schiano

USC -- In the mix:
Mike Riley -- Sinking in San Diego. He was the guy who built Oregon State.
Dennis Franchione -- Hottest coach in the country, would've been hotter if TCU beat San Jose State.
Dennis Erickson -- Won two national title rings at Miami. Could take Oregon State to Rose Bowl. But seems a better fit at home in Pacific Northwest away from spotlight.
Bruce Snyder -- Intriguing choice. May be ready to move on from ASU.
Mike Bellotti -- Great eye for talent. Can win with anything. But facilities might be better at Oregon. Seriously.

Wildcard: Steve Mariucci. Once coached at USC. Might be a better fit in Pac-10.

Wish list: Tyrone Willingham. Smart. Smooth. He'd shine anywhere.

Best Guess: Erickson. Sure everyone's denying this isn't a done deal. But Hackett's still got the job and Dennis is trying to lead the Beavers to a Rose Bowl, what are they supposed to say?

West Virginia -- In the mix:
Rich Rodriguez -- Brains behind Clemson's fast-break spread. He played at WVU and coached at two colleges in state.
Steve Dunlap -- longtime Mountaineer DC. Played here. Spent 17 years on staff.

Wildcard: George Henshaw. Tennessee Titans assistant head coach. Former WVU teammate of the school athletic director. Probably brings son Matt, a top prep QB, with him.

Wish list: Nick Saban. Former DB coach here isn't leaving improving LSU. At least not for a college job that is.

Best Guess: Henshaw. Gut says Rodriguez, but a source inside WVU says Henshaw's the real front-runner. Going with source. Gut told me Georgia would win SEC and to vote Nader.

Quick slants

Thumbs down to the Lombardi Award committee for not picking Andre Carter among its finalists. Granted, the classy DE is playing for a mediocre Cal squad, but Carter, a sure-fire first-rounder, is the most complete D-lineman in the nation. He has 11 sacks, 16 tackles for losses and is a huge reason why the Golden Bears are holding opponents to just 2.9 yards per rush.

Beware Syracuse. The Orange offense, under new quarterback R.J. Anderson, finally showed some signs of life last week. Anderson showed a knack for making plays as evidence by Syracuse's nine-of-16 conversion rate on third downs.

With Jamal Reynolds, David Warren and Roland Seymour there is no question FSU is loaded with great defensive ends. But the best pass-rushing DE in the ACC is North Carolina sophomore Julius Peppers. The part-time UNC power forward has been devastating of late, notching seven sacks in his last two games. Peppers, who still lacks consistency, has 13 sacks on the season. He is three sacks shy of Lawrence Taylor's school sack record.

Remember Travis Carroll, the one-time Alabama starting MLB who transferred to Florida and seemed to fall off the face of the Earth? Well, Carroll, who was suspended by Steve Spurrier earlier this year for a violation of team rules, got his first start last week against Vandy and gave the Gators a boost of energy and toughness in the center of their defense.

Carroll made six tackles and had a pick, while UF held the Commodores to 52 yards rushing, the lowest of any Florida opponent this season. Even better news for Gator fans is that Andra Davis, the team's starting MLB who was thought to be lost for the season with a knee injury, may be ready for the FSU game.

Worst promotional gimmick of the year: The Natkin Napkin courtesy of the UTEP SID office to promote the Miners standout TE Brian Natkin for the Mackey Award.

On the bright side, the print napkin with a sketchy head-shot does resemble the rangy receiver. On the down side, it didn't catch all of the salsa I spilled on my couch.

Best bets

Behind a breakout performance by new two-way star Lito Sheppard, Florida beats South Carolina by two touchdowns.

William Green mauls the Notre Dame run defense and Boston College ruins the Irish's BCS hopes.

Josh Heupel keeps rolling and converted CB Curtis Fagan, now a Sooner receiver, emerges as a star. Oklahoma romps at Texas A&M.

Chris Weinke throws for 600 yards and FSU hangs 70 on Wake Forest.

Bruce Feldman is a staff writer for ESPN The Magazine. E-mail him questions and comments at bruce.feldman@espnmag.com and read the responses Thursdays at espnmag.com.

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