Penn State Football: Tim Murphy & the Top 5 Coach Candidates That Make Sense

As the Penn State scandal is still under investigation and the bowl schedule is about to kick off in the next week, the Penn State Nittany Lions are still searching for a head coach to replace legendary Joe Paterno.

Coaching Penn State under normal circumstances would have nearly every coach in the country interested. But since a black cloud is currently hanging about the program, every coach is more cautious on trying to repair the image.

While there are still tons of questions on who would actually have interest in coaching the Nittany Lions, here are a few that would make sense.

Dan Mullen

Dan Mullen is best known for helping the Florida Gators win two national championships, as he was the offensive coordinator for the Florida Gators during that time.

He is still young at the age of 39, and with his familiarity with the Ohio State coach, Penn State may be interested that much more.

He would also be willing to handle the pressure the university brings, as he currently coaches in the SEC.

Mullen has a great offensive mind and has done a great job at recruiting for the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

Let's not forget that he was also born in the Pennsylvania area and could like the fact that he'll be returning home.

Chris Petersen

Yes, I know—Petersen's name comes up for nearly every coaching vacancy.

But let's be honest, he is looking to leave for a bigger challenge.

He's done nearly everything he can do at Boise State, and with nearly his entire team graduating this year, you'd be looking to leave as well.

Petersen has done a fabulous job turning the Broncos into a BCS powerhouse, but there's only so much you can do when you play in a non-BCS conference.

His 72-6 record is unmatched and 3-2 bowl record is decent.

He'd have this Penn State team winning in no time with the talent on this roster.

Boise State is paying him well at more than $1.5 million, but you'd figure the Nittany Lions would offer a little more for willing to turn this program around.

Tim Murphy

It's being reported that Harvard coach Tim Murphy is at the top of the Nittany Lions' list.

Murphy may not have the big name that these other coaches do, but he is a winner and a man of high character.

He's 119-59 at Harvard and has won the Ivy Championship six times.

Any player who has played all four seasons under Murphy has won at least one championship. He has the most wins of all time at the university.

People may have mixed feelings about hiring a coach from an Ivy league school, but let's not forget that Joe Paterno came from Brown.

Tom Bradley

When you're going through a rough time, probably the best thing you can hope for is some stability.

That's where Tom Bradley comes in, as he has been the defensive coordinator for Penn State the last 12 seasons.

He was also named the interim coach when Paterno was fired.

He would be able to keep the recruiting intact for the most part, and he has recruiting ties in the area.

He's done a great job as a defensive coordinator and was able to handle the pressure well this season, keeping the team focused on the game.

If it's true that Penn State wants to remove the entire staff that Paterno had, then Bradley stands no chance. But if the Nittany Lions are just looking for the best possible fit, he deserves some consideration.

Charlie Strong

Penn State may have turned their attention to Louisville coach Charlie Strong.

He may not have a great offensive background, but he is a fantastic defensive coach and a great recruiter.

He ran the defense under Urban Meyer at Florida.

Many believed that he should have been a candidate to replace Meyer when he left Florida.

Strong's 14-12 record isn't impressive, but with his recruiting abilities and better athletes at Penn State, he may be able to do a better job.

Randy Chambers is a B/R Featured Columnist that covers College Football and the NFL. You can contact him @Randy_Chambers or [e-mail]