Bobby Petrino: Power Ranking Best Candidates to Replace Fired Coach

Arkansas' upcoming season is full of potential, but the firing of Bobby Petrino has left the program with a lot of uncertainty heading into the fall.

The Razprbacks are talented enough to play in a BCS bowl and be a major threat in the SEC, but they need a strong coach who can get the most out of his players.

Let's look at three possible coaching candidates that have what it takes to excel at a major SEC school.

Butch Davis

Butch Davis is a strict coach who has experience coaching a major program with high expectations. He led the Miami Hurricanes in the late 1990s to some successful seasons, and even got a shot in the NFL as head coach of the Cleveland Browns.

Davis' ability to turn struggling programs into contenders is very impressive, and his ability to recruit athletes that excel in his system is also remarkable.

As an alumni of the school and someone who knows how to deal with big expectations, Davis should be a serious candidate for the job.

Houston Nutt

Houston Nutt was Arkansas' coach from 1998-2007 and certainly knows what the atmosphere of the school is like.

Nutt left Arkansas to take the Ole Miss head coaching job, and had a few good seasons with the Rebels until he was fired after last season.

Hiring Nutt is a safe choice given his familiarity with the program and his previous success with the team.

Gus Malzahn

Gus Malzahn used to be a coach with the Razorbacks and is currently the head coach of Arkansas State.

As a young coach with a strong reputation, Malzahn could come into the Razorbacks program and lead the team for a long time.

With his offensive intelligence and national championship experience with Auburn in 2010, Malzahn should be one of the top candidates to replace Petrino.