Who Should Replace Ron Zook?

Charlie Strong (DC, Florida)-- It's not a matter of if this guy will be a head coach, just when. Strong will be on many teams' shopping lists this upcoming season and for good reason. Strong is a tenacious recruiter that routinely picks up 4 and 5 star players with ease. His schemes are among the best in the country as Florida boasts one of the top defenses in the toughest conference in college football. There may not be a more intense coach on the sideline either. Florida is easily the most disciplined team in college football and its because of Strong and what he's learned from Meyer. Hiring him would also add another African-American head coach to the NCAA ranks which is obviously important. Strong was also the interim head coach for one game when Zook resigned from Florida in 2004. It's only a matter of time for this guy and when teams see what they passed up, they'll be sorry... UPDATE: Strong agreed to become new coach at Louisville

Kyle Whittingham (HC, Utah)-- Hiring the Utah head coach after firing Zook already worked for one program, right? Let's try it again. In all seriousness, the guy wins with a lot of 2 and 3 star recruits. In fact, he won the Sugar Bowl last year defeating Alabama to finish the season undefeated. He actually may be the best fit of any of the coaches on this list but it would cost a lot of money. Whittingham just signed a 5-year deal this past off-season and now makes $1.2 million per year, more than Zook. It wouldn't take Saban or Meyer money to get him, but it would have to be a lot. I'm thinking at least $2 million per year.

Kevin Sumlin (HC, Houston)-- You want offense? This guy knows offense. So far this year Houston is averaging 84 offensive plays from scrimmage, the top yardage offense, and the third best scoring offense with over 40.8 PPG! Sumlin is also one of just four African-American head coaches and can be a very valuable asset in recruiting. A shot at a power 6 conference program could be what this coach needs to launch his career into the big time. Hard to believe he played LB in college...

Jery Kill (HC, NIU)-- Under coach Kill the Huskies are 11-10 (as of Nov. 4). Twice was he named the Division I-AA (now FCS) coach of the year with SIU. Coach Kill took over the Huskies after a one win year and has them playing great football. They defeated Purdue earlier this year.

Garry Patterson (HC, TCU)-- Wins about 3/4 games at TCU and runs the ball very well. TCU has a good shot to win the MWC each year and has a good defense regularly. This would also establish another recruiting line towards Texas. However, it would cost a pretty penny to get him to come to Champaign. UPDATE: Patterson signed an extension with TCU

Bronco Mendenhall (HC, BYU)-- Great coach and we've seen what he can do. He schemes well and makes the most with what he's got. Downside is that it would take a LOT of money to lure him away from a well-established BYU program.

Rocky Seto (DC, USC)-- Young coach with good energy, decent recruiting skills and can really scheme together a good defense. Seto is in just his first year as DC at USC but has a top-10 defense on his hands after losing 8 starters! He was previously the DB's coach and got to work with some great players including All-American Taylor Mays.

DJ Durkin (ST, Stanford)-- Think Ron Zook with DISCIPLINE. Durkin is very young, an excellent recruiter and has the intensity and energy as most players today. Hiring Durkin would easily be the riskiest move of any of the coaches on this list but it could pay huge dividends. We've already seen the effect that somebody like Pat Fitzgerald has had at Northwestern, Durkin could be the next.

Paul Chryst (OC, Wisconsin)-- Just an example of a winner. Chryst's offenses are what a defensive coordinator loves; he chews up the clock and gets that defense plenty of rest. If he were to come, it would radically change the scheme as Wisconsin currently runs a pro style offense so it would obviously take some time to rebuild the program.

Dave Christensen (HC, Wyoming)-- Not too far of a move from Columbia. Christensen's offenses have been stellar the past few years featuring playmakers Chase Daniel, Jeremy Maclin, Chase Coffman and Blaine Gabbert. Their spread offense is usually among the top passing offenses in the nation.

Joe Kines (DC, TAMU)-- No, this isn't a serious consideration. I just wanted an excuse to post this video (your browser may block this video, just click to allow it):

Mike Hankwitz (DC, Northwestern)-- I know that many of you are thinking of why this guy is on the list, but he wins. In his 37 seasons of coaching he has 31 winning seasons. His defenses are usually among the best in the NCAA and he makes the most of what he has. He is a very good coach. Would he be a good head coach? Maybe not, but it may be worth a shot.

Urban Meyer-- Ok, this won't happen, but it did work for Florida, didn't it? In all seriousness, it would have to take more than $10 million to bring this guy in and we'd probably have to rename the university to the University of Urban Meyer. Gregory Dr. is now Meyer Drive. The Ikenberry Commons are now the Meyer Commons. Memorial Stadium is now Urban Meyer Memorial Stadium. The Alma Mater statue will be changed to the Alma Meyer Statue and we'll probably have to write up a new fight song as well.