Rich Rodriguez Rumors: Jim Harbaugh, Les Miles and Top Rich Rod Replacements

Is he staying, or is he gone?

That's the question with Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez, who was spotted back on campus today after his team lost to Mississippi State 52-14 in the Gator Bowl on Saturday. He is now 15-22 as the Wolverines' head coach.

The Associated Press reports that athletic director Dave Brandon won't meet with Rodriguez until the end of next week. Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh, who has been mentioned as the top candidate for the position, has avoided discussing the topic during preparations for the Orange Bowl. Stanford plays Virginia Tech tonight on ESPN.

SI.com reported how Harbaugh was asked Sunday about his name being mentioned for numerous jobs when he also hasn't indicated whether he's staying at Stanford or not. "I just talk about the job that I have and none others," Harbaugh said in the story.

Nothing has happened yet, but if Rodriguez is fired, who would be his replacement? Michigan is quite alluring, but it would take a certain quality of coach to succeed. Here are 10 possibilities:

10. Mike Leach

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AUSTIN, TX - SEPTEMBER 19: Head coach Mike Leach of the Texas Tech Red Raiders during play against the Texas Longhorns at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on September 19, 2009 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Rumor has it that Leach was in the mix for both the Miami and Maryland jobs, but didn't get either because he refused to drop his lawsuit against Texas Tech. If true, it's mind-boggling, but Leach still remains one of the greatest offensive minds in college football.

9. Les Miles

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BATON ROUGE, LA - NOVEMBER 20: Head coach Les Miles of the Louisiana State University Tigers celebrates after their 43-36 win over the Ole Miss Rebels at Tiger Stadium on November 20, 2010 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

He has been successful at LSU and won a BCS National Championship in 2007, but fans have continued to harp on Miles for his clock management and sluggish offense. Miles is a former Michigan player, and was mentioned before as a candidate for the job when Rodriguez was hired. 

8. Charlie Strong

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LOUISVILLE, KY - SEPTEMBER 04: Charlie Strong the Head Coach of the Louisville Cardinals gives instructions to his team during the game against the Kentucky Wildcats at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium on September 4, 2010 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by

You're going to have to take some chances and look at some unconventional names. Strong would fit this description. He just finished his first season as head coach at Louisville, leading the Cardinals to a 7-6 record and 31-28 victory over Southern Miss in the Beef O'Brady's Bowl.

Strong is a former assistant under Urban Meyer at Florida, and helped the Gators defense become one of the best in the nation. Strong has been around big-time football, so Michigan wouldn't be anything new.

7. Rich Ellerson

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DURHAM, NC - SEPTEMBER 25: Head coach Rich Ellerson of the Army Black Knights yells to his team against the Duke Blue Devils at Wallace Wade Stadium on September 25, 2010 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

The Army head coach led the Black Knights to their first bowl appearance since 1996. Army defeated SMU 16-14 in the Armed Forces Bowl to finish the year 7-6.

Ellerson, who runs the triple-option, spent eight years prior to Army as the coach at FCS Cal Poly, where he compiled a 56-34 record. He also was a former assistant head coach and defensive coordinator at Arizona. 

6. Brent Venables

The long-time Oklahoma defensive coordinator deserves a shot at a big-time school. Under Venables, the Sooners' defense has been consistently among the nation's best, and has produced numerous NFL players. Michigan would be wise to give him serious consideration. 

5. Gary Patterson

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PASADENA, CA - JANUARY 01: Head coach Gary Patterson of the TCU Horned Frogs stands on the sidelines against the Wisconsin Badgers during the 97th Rose Bowl game on January 1, 2011 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

An absolute long shot, but Michigan needs to at least make the phone call. Patterson loves Fort Worth and TCU, and could become what Tom Osborne was at Nebraska or Joe Paterno at Penn State. He's the kind of coach, though, who could whip Michigan into shape quickly.

4. Kyle Whittingham

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LAS VEGAS, NV - DECEMBER 22: Head coach Kyle Whittingham of the Utah Utes stands on the field during a time-out in the MAACO Bowl Las Vegas against the Boise State Broncos at Sam Boyd Stadium December 22, 2010 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Boise State Won 26-3.

In 2008, he signed a five-year, $6 million extension at Utah. A buyout is in the deal, but details are unknown. Utah's about to move to the Pac-10, but could Whittingham consider heading to Ann Arbor?

"The Ute coach, to his credit, gives more than lying lip service to the fact that he likes Utah," Gordon Monson wrote last month in the Salt Lake Tribune. "It’s where he’s plied his trade for a couple of decades. He knows how to win here, at least in the previous conference environment. His family is here. He has roots here. He’s comfortable here. His life is here. Still, he’s only human. A coach, at that." 

3. Mark Richt

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ATHENS, GA - NOVEMBER 27: Head coach Mark Richt of the Georgia Bulldogs celebrates their 42-34 win over the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Sanford Stadium on November 27, 2010 in Athens, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Richt's been on the hot seat all year long at Georgia, and that may intensify after the Bulldogs' 10-6 loss to Central Florida in the Liberty Bowl. With the loss, Georgia finished the year 6-7.

"We’re all disappointed. We didn’t want to finish with a loss," Richt said. "We didn’t want to finish with a losing record. Nobody would’ve predicted that. But it is what it is. There’s reasons why we ended up the way we did. We have to make changes. We have to make sure it doesn’t happen again in the future. We have to change how we go about our business. We’re going to improve. We’re going to get Georgia where it belongs."

Could a change of scenery work for Richt? Perhaps. No coach is immune from a down year, and Richt's overall body of work is too impressive to ignore.

2. Chris Peterson

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BOISE, ID - NOVEMBER 19: Head Coach Chris Petersen of the Boise State Broncos looks on against the Fresno State Bulldogs at Bronco Stadium on November 19, 2010 in Boise, Idaho. (Photo by Otto Kitsinger III/Getty Images)

He's been mentioned for every high-profile job opening this season. It would be intriguing to see if he could succeed on the highest level for one of college football's most prestigious programs.

1. Jim Harbaugh

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PALO ALTO, CA - NOVEMBER 27: Head coach Jim Harbaugh of the Stanford Cardinal reacts after Delano Howell #26 of the Stanford Cardinal made an interception on a pass intended for Joe Halahuni #87 of the Oregon State Beavers at Stanford Stadium on November

The Stanford coach and former Michigan player is the most logical replacement for Rodriguez, but the biggest question will be whether or not he's lured away to the NFL.