Watching Rick Neuheisel fight to keep his job, or at the very least to make the University of Washington pay dearly for not giving it back to him, is a fascinating study in what happens when you're not paying attention to the signs.

Truth is, Neuheisel didn't get fired for any of the reasons athletic director Barbara Hedges said he did. Lying, a firing offense? Sure. Right. Yeah.

	Mike Price learned his lesson and likely would steer clear of trouble in the future.

Truth is, truth is, Neuheisel got fired because the NCAA made it as clear as the NCAA makes anything that Washington could keep its blond, baby-faced, multi-tongued coach if it didn't mind going on double-secret probation for the rest of the decade. They wanted him fired so much that they reminded people publicly, twice, that "Gambling Is Against The Rules," and even if you see this as one more example of the NCAA's inherent disingenuousness, you're forgetting the law of supply and demand.

The NCAA has all the supply, so it can demand whatever the hell it wants.

But this isn't about Rick Neuheisel any more. He's been tagged and bagged, and will be breaking down video for some NFL team before too long. He'll do just fine, even if he never again gets to go to work by boat.

This is about the future of Washington football, and there's a kicky idea floating about.

No, the idea is not Keith Gilbertson, who will likely be named the interim coach for this season because, as the team's assistant head coach and offensive coordinator, he deserves it on the basis of etiquette.

But on the off chance that he doesn't win the national championship, his successor is only a phone call away.

Mike (I'd Like To Report A Glowing Credit Card) Price.

Yes, laugh if you must. Here's a guy who had a dream job (Alabama), and nightmared it away under the least savory circumstances you could imagine, and without ever having signed his contract.

This is not good.

But that means he's free, available without satisfying any buyout clauses, and eager.

Plus, he's won in the Pacific-10 Conference (Washington State) with resources far inferior to those available at Washington, so he knows the layout.

Plus, even though he could use some dating tips, he still has a better reputation inside and outside the coaching fraternity than Neuheisel.

He is, simply put, a step up, and Washington is in no position to look that sort of gift nag in the mouth.

Price's time at WSU doesn't disqualify him, either. Washington outgrew all but the most ceremonial forms of loathing for their state compatriots -- I mean, they play for the Apple Cup, which carries none of the menace of, say, The Axe, The Old Oaken Bucket, or The National Championship.

Not to mention the fact that they took bigger risks hiring Neuheisel to begin with. He put Colorado back on probation, angled incessantly for better jobs while he was there, and never met a fib he couldn't turn into a great steaming whopper.

Really, the only mark on Price's résumé is his taste in, and generosity to, middle-aged strippers. With the benefit of distance, this hardly seems like a disqualifier. It certainly isn't against NCAA rules; there is at least no record of any team going on probation for repeated lap dances.

There are always other possibilities out there; the woods are full of young, fresh-faced coaches who would burn down a cathedral to get a crack at such a high-profile job.

But Washington needs someone with a little hair on his, metaphorically speaking. A wise, and wizened, old head, who has been up, down and all points in between -- someone who doesn't need to be caught twice doing what he did once.

Don't forget -- Neuheisel is a serial truth-avoider, while Price has only been caught with his pants down and his wallet open once.

That we know of.

So this seems like the time, and the opportunity, for Washington to make a stand for truth and against kicking a guy when he's down. Mike Price has it all, lost a lot of it, but still has plenty left.

As long as he knows not to yell "Roll Tide" at the wrong time, or the wrong place, to the wrong people.

Ray Ratto is a columnist with the San Francisco Chronicle and a regular contributor to ESPN.com