Bronco to UCLA wishful thinking

[MikeWaters]

Who is Dan Guerrero going to consider? No one knows for sure; and it appears that there is not going to be a committee set up to sift through candidates, perhaps leaving Guerrero and possibly (please, no) Bob Field as the "deciders." If we want to speculate and extrapolate, I think it is fair to say that Guerrero will look for a current head coach, not an assistant. I doubt if he will look to someone like Paul Johnson, though it's possible. UCLA always seems to want someone with a West Coast background. Thus Steve Mariucci and Jim Mora could be possibilities. I am wary of both, but would prefer Mariucci, who I think is more stable, probably more creative, and less likely to bolt back to the NFL. Some have mentioned Gary Pinkel of Missouri, but I would hesitate to hire someone who was 37-34 in six years at that school before finally having a really good team (in a year when the Big 12 is as weak as I have ever seen it). Bobby Hauck of Montana is getting some play; but I am not impressed enough by his work. I do like Bronco Mendenhall of BYU, whose teams carve up their Mountain West opponents with impressive efficiency. In fact, I think that Mendenhall has moved up to my second choice; but again, he is not getting much play, and I wonder if Guerrero is considering him. Other than that, your guess is about as good as mine. Anyone else other than a stunning surprise (Richt, Bob Stoops), though, would be a significant gamble. Never forget that getting rid of Dorrell, as important and gratifying as it will be, is not going to mean too much if we do not get the kind of football coach who will make us all proud. I will never forget how my immense excitement at the firing of Bob Toledo so quickly turned to despair when the hiring of Dorrell was announced.

http://www.bruinsnation.com/story/2007/11/21/83058/404