Is Chris Petersen Headed to Florida?

Here we go again on the coaching carousel. It's a ride that Boise State fans have been on many times now at the theme park known as 'Six Flags and We want your coach.'"

The ride makes the BSU fans get sick but then fell better after their minds and stomachs stop churning.

Urban Meyer's surprising and sudden announcement yesterday that he was stepping down as the Florida Gator's head coach has once again launched the name of Chris Petersen into the debate as to who will be the next head coach at Florida.

And why wouldn't his name be included on the list of prospective candidates? A quick look at the facts:

Petersen is presently the winningest coach in college football over the past four years. His amazing record of 48-4 tops all others.

He was the winner of the Paul "Bear" Bryant award as the best college football coach in 2006.

Besides winning, Petersen is an outstanding person who is highly regarded as an exceptional leader of young men and a tremendous contributor to the Boise State community, the metro area of Boise and the State of Idaho.

A better man is hard to find.

Will Petersen be on the short list of candidates for the Florida job? Most experts say yes.

The next question makes the anxiety level go sky high for all BSU fans. Would Petersen be interested in the head coaching job for the Gators? Probably.

While Petersen has stated many times that he has no interest in leaving Boise State, I will remind all readers that just about every coach in the history of college football has made a similar statement in regards to staying where they are presently coaching.

Some indicators would suggest that Petersen's statement may hold more water than most.

Petersen is a strong and dedicated family man and Boise is one of America's great 'family' cities.

He makes plenty of money. Petersen will make over $1.6 million this year, and BSU is anxious to renegotiate his present contract which would no doubt pay him even more.

Petersen has a very high quality program at Boise State that is fine tuned and running on all cylinders. Next year's team will return 21 of the 22 Fiesta Bowl starters including an All-American quarterback.

If there were ever a legitimate shot at playing for a national title it could be next year.

So why would Petersen leave?

It has been determined that coach "Pete" is not going to leave BSU for just anyone. It would have to be one of the very top elite programs in the country of which number maybe four or five.

Florida is by every measure an elite program. The Gators offer a head coach the opportunity to recruit the finest players in the country. They are a member of the SEC, one of the best.

They have developed a tradition of winning and have the national titles to prove it. The Gators are not only an elite program but perhaps the elite program over the past five years.

Winning a national title at Florida is not only a possibility for a new coach but also an expectation. A more serious challenge does not exist.

The names of potential replacements for Meyer are all over the various media outlets.

Steve Spurrier, Bob Stoops, Kyle Whittingham, and Gary Patterson just to name a few.

Chris Petersen is also on that list.

The Boise State fans are reluctant to hop on that 'coaching carousel' ride yet again but I'm afraid they will have no choice.

Get out the Pepto-Bismol and you might see your doctor about something to take for the anxiety.

 You're going to need it.