Lane Kiffin: Who Would Replace Him and 24 Other Top Coaches If They Left?

It seems that the time that head coaches have to coach at the FBS level is getting shorter and shorter.

Truly, the days that allowed the likes of Joe Paterno and Bobby Bowden stay so long at their respective schools are gone. The less successful coaches are getting less time to prove themselves (just ask a long line of former Notre Dame coaches...), and the more successful coaches are getting burned out quickly (Urban Meyer for example). 

In fact, after what just happened at Ohio State with Jim Tressel, it seems that a coach can here today and fired tomorrow. 

So, what would happen if Lane Kiffin and 24 other top coaches were given pink slips or simply left tomorrow? Who would replace them? 

Read on.

Mark Dantonio for Nick Saban, Alabama

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Nick Saban will leave Alabama when Nick Saban decides to leave Alabama.

After all, Saban is the highest paid coach in college football and has books, a movie and a statue dedicated to his greatness in Tuscaloosa.

So, who better to replace Nick Saban than an old Nick Saban disciple?

Mark Dantonio has achieved something at Michigan State that even Saban himself wasn't able to do:

Win at least a share of the Big Ten Championship.

Yes, Saban utterly destroyed Dantonio when the two coaches faced off in the Capital One Bowl. But Dantonio would do a good job in Tuscaloosa if and when Saban says enough.

Tom Bradley for Joe Paterno, Penn State

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No one really knows when Joe Paterno will finally hang it up and ride off into the sunset. He's already established himself and the coach with the most wins and no one is probably going to get close to touching that record.

But no man can coach forever. While no one can really replace a legend like Joe Paterno, someone has got to take the job.

And that someone is probably Penn State Defensive Coordinator Tom Bradley.

Rumor has it that Bradley has been groomed for years to take JoePa's place when the time finally comes. Fortunately, the Nittany Lions decided not to follow the examples of Texas and West Virginia in promoting Bradley to "Head Coach in Waiting."

Butch Davis for Les Miles, LSU

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Les "Mad Hatter" Miles is one of the most loved coaches in the FBS by his fans.

He's also one of the most hated by those same fans.

Such is the life of a coach in the SEC.

If Les Miles is sent out to eat grass elsewhere, North Carolina's Butch Davis would be an interesting choice to replace Miles. He's been able to build a decent program at North Carolina.

And don't forget, Davis won the national championship while at Miami.

Davis has been able to keep above the fray thus far as the NCAA investigates the Tar Heels, but now just might be a good time for Davis to jump ship. This matchup just might work.

Dan Mullen for Gene Chizik, Auburn

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Gene Chizik may be a hero in Auburn today, but SEC memories are notoriously short.

Don't forget that Tommy Tuberville should have won the 2004 national championship and was forced out at the first sign of trouble.

So, should the Tigers turn against Chizik, Dan Mullen would be a great hire. After all, Mullen has been able to overachieve at Mississippi State thus far. Imagine how he'd do at a place with greater resources like Auburn.

Urban Meyer for Steve Spurrier, South Carolina

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Steve Spurrier came to South Carolina after abruptly leaving Florida and coaching for a short time in the NFL.

Substitute NFL with ESPN, and the Steve Spurrier and Urban Meyer stories are remarkably similar.

Yes, I know, Urban Meyer seems to be destined to take over at Ohio State. But this is an interesting possibility, isn't it?

Gus Malzahn for Bobby Petrino, Arkansas

Bobby Petrino just got Arkansas into the Sugar Bowl over the likes of LSU and Alabama.

Unless Petrino gets caught up in a Jim Tressel-esque scandal, he isn't going anywhere.

But if for some reason Arkansas sent him packing, Gus Malzahn would certainly be the man. Auburn was able to hold onto Malzahn last season which is remarkable as Malzahn is considered by many as the mastermind behind Auburn's national championship run. But should his alma mater Arkansas come calling, that might be a call that Malzahn can't ignore.

Shane Beamer for Frank Beamer, Virginia Tech

Frank Beamer has been consistently winning games at Virginia Tech since the late 80's. 

Who might the Hokies get to continue that amazing run?

How about Frank Beamer's son Shane? He is currently the Associate Head Coach at Virginia Tech. 

Seems like a logical choice. 

Norm Chow for Kyle Whittingham, Utah

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The Utes may not want to admit it, but their Head Coach Kyle Whittingham played his college ball at BYU.

The fact that Norm Chow, a man who played an instrumental role in the rise of BYU in the 80's and 90's, is now the offensive coordinator at Utah is a huge irony. At one time it looked like Chow would take over for LaVell Edwards. If Whittingham were to leave now, Chow just might be tapped to take over at Utah.

Gary Patterson for Mack Brown, Texas

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Will Muschamp was going to be next in line after Mack Brown leaves, but he wisely decided to get himself out of Texas and into a head coaching job at Florida.

Well, so much for that whole "Coach-in-Waiting" thing.

Gary Patterson would excel at so many places. Hey, how many people can say that they took their team to the Rose Bowl from a non-AQ conference and won?

Chris Petersen for Chip Kelly, Oregon

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Less than a month ago, the thought of Chip Kelly leaving Oregon was just preposterous.

Well, given the fact that the NCAA is coming to Eugene to investigate, it's not anymore.

So, who would take over for Kelly should he be pushed out like Jim Tressel was not too long ago?

Why, Boise State's Chris Petersen.

Petersen's high-powered offense matches Oregon's. A hire like this would keep momentum going for the Ducks should the worst happen.

Bronco Mendenhall for Mike Riley, Oregon State

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Mike Riley is one of those rare coaches that a team asks back after he's left. 

But who would the Beavers turn to if Riley decides to leave again?

Well, Bronco Mendenhall used to be a Beaver himself. Maybe he'd come if his old school came calling.

Ken O'Keefe for Kirk Ferentz, Iowa

"Captain" Kirk Ferentz has done well to build a decent program at Iowa. 

But someone else on his staff has already won a national championship.

That would be his Offensive Coordinator Ken O'Keefe. He won a Division III Championship while coaching at Allegheny. 

An ideal candidate to take over for the "Captain."

Carl Pelini for Bo Pelini

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At this point, Bo Pelini has little reason to leave Nebraska and Nebraska has little reason to want him to go.

But something were to happen, the Cornhuskers have another Pelini to turn to: Bo Pelini's older brother and Nebraska Defensive Coordinator Carl Pelini.

After all, Carl is part of the staff that brought back the pride of the Blackshirts at Nebraska.

James Coley for Jimbo Fisher, Florida State

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Jimbo Fisher has already made quite a name for himself after taking the reins from Bobby Bowden. He is perhaps one of the fastest rising stars in all of college football.

There's another rising star in the Seminole organization and that's Offensive Coordinator James Coley. So, if for some reason Fisher were to suddenly leave, James Coley would be the person to turn to. 

Clancy Pendergast for Jeff Tedford, Cal

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Jeff Tedford is already on shaky ground with Cal, so this change could come sooner than later should the Golden Bears under-preform this year.

His Defensive Coordinator Clancy Pendergast just might get the not is Tedford is given a pink slip. Maybe Pendergast will have more luck here than he did in the NFL.

Dick Bumpas for Gary Patterson, TCU

Gary Patterson is getting a lot of credit for building TCU into a Rose Bowl win and a Big East invitation.

But someone who perhaps doesn't get the credit he deserves is TCU Defensive Coordinator Dick Bumpas. After all, his unit was the No. 1 scoring defense in the FBS.

So, if Patterson gets snatched away, Dick Bumpas should get the job and the chance in the spotlight.

Bryan Harsin for Chris Petersen, Boise State

Thus far, Boise State has been able to hold onto Chris Petersen despite numerous attempts to steal him away.

But what would happen if someone finally made Petersen an offer that he can't refuse?

Panic would grip the streets of Boise.

The Broncos would be wise to go after Texas Offensive Coordinator Bryan Harsin. After all, he had coached ten years at Boise State before taking the job at Texas.

It's always hard to follow a legend, but Harsin would be a solid choice for the job.

Paul Chryst for Bret Bielema, Wisconsin

Barry Alvarez hand picked his successor in Bret Bielema, and it appears that he made a wise decision.

So, who might Bielema pick he was placed in the same situation Alvarez was placed in?

Well, his Offensive Coordinator Paul Chryst has helped improve Wisconsin's offense significantly. Perhaps he should get the nod.

Bob Diaco for Brian Kelly, Notre Dame

Yes, this will be Brian Kelly's second season at Notre Dame, but since Lou Holtz left the Fighting Irish haven't held onto a coach for more than five years. So, who might the Irish get if the coaching carousel continues to spin in South Bend?  

It just might be the Defensive Coordinator Kelly brought with him from Cincinnati, Bob Diaco. 

Diaco has already worked wonders with the Irish defense. If Kelly was to get the axe, it would be interesting to see what Diaco could do with the whole team.

Bob Fraser for Greg Schiano, Rutgers

Some Rutgers fans aren't too happy with Greg Schiano's 4-8 season. But some of them forget that Schiano just took the Scarlet Knights to five straight bowl games and won four of them. The 2006 team even finished No. 12 in the final rankings.

However, if some of the more impulsive fans got their way and Schiano was kicked out on to the open road, who would replace him?

Getting a coach of Schiano's caliber from outside of Rutgers would be difficult, so the best bet would be to promote Defensive Coordinator Bob Fraser. After all, he helped build the Rutgers defense into a viable unit.

Mike Leach for Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State

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Except for the "I'm a man! I'm 40!" rant, Mike Gundy is working out quite well for the Cowboys. 

But if for some reason Gundy left Oklahoma State, where could they find a coach that could continue Gundy's tradition of high powered offenses while also being a bit eccentric? 

Well, look no further than former Texas Tech Head Coach Mike Leach.

Don't those two seem a bit like kindred spirits to you?

Brent Venables for Bob Stoops, Oklahoma

Bob Stoops is still going strong at Oklahoma, but what if one day the fans decided to try something new?

If that were to happen Brent Venables might be asked to drop the word "Assistant" from his title.

Venables was a finalist for the Broyles award in 2006 and has put together some solid defenses during his time in Norman. What might he do if he were given the keys to this proud program?

Ken Niumatalolo for Bronco Mendenhall, BYU

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Bronco Mendenhall fits BYU like a glove. There are very few coaches that can fit BYU the way that Bronco does.

But if Mendenhall was to mysteriously disappear tomorrow, Navy's Ken Niumatalolo would be a good choice.

He's one of only four FBS head coaches that are LDS (besides Mendenhall, Steve Sarkisian and Kyle Whittingham). 

His run-happy offense might not completely jive with BYU's traditional pass-happy offense, but both the school and the coach could adapt just fine.

Kirby Smart for Mark Richt, Gerogia

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Last season, fellow Featured Columnist Eric Bowman chose Alabama Defensive Coordinator Kirby Smart as the best man to replace Mark Richt should Richt get forced out.

Bowman made a very Smart choice.

First off, Georgia is Smart's alma mater. That's where he played as a defensive back and won All-SEC honors.

Second, he's been on the Georgia coaching staff before. In 2005, he was the Running Backs Coach for the Bulldogs.

Third, he's been learning from one of the best in the business. He was with Nick Saban at LSU and during Saban's brief stint in the NFL and now is his defensive coordinator.

Fourth, Smart's defenses have been some of the best in the nation. Last year, the Crimson Tide finished third in scoring defense.

Sounds like a winner to me.

Steve Sarkisian for Lane Kiffin, USC

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If Lane Kiffin just decided to up and leave (which if you really believe that would happen any time soon, I have some ocean front property in New Mexico for sale for you...) or was forced out, Washington's Steve Sarkisian would be the logical choice for the next head coach.

Sarkisian already has ties to USC. After all, he used to be the offensive coordinator there. He'd do a fine job as the head man for the Trojans.