And the Next CalBear Coach Is ...

I have no idea who they'll hire. But I know who they should.

Pete Carroll.

He isn't the first successfull college coach who hit a wall of mediocrity in the NFL. (Hell, Steve Spurrier and Lou Holtz would have kissed a wall of mediocrity in the NFL!). His ego may not have admitted it yet, but his skill set is built for the college game. That includes his Pied Piper-like ability to lure the best of the best recruits to transform his vanilla playbook into a magical tome.

California would be an ideal next job for him. It's a sleeping giant that Jeff Tedford proved -- in his early years -- could be awakened with powerful effect (remember, they were a dumb play away from being No 1 in the country in 2007). The irony, of course, is Tedford's initial success paved the way for their state-of-the-art athletic facilities upgrade, with the resultant multi-millions of debt then becoming the reason he just got his walking papers. A 3-9 season that followed recent years of underwhelming performance on the field opened the trap door, but he fell through it due to the looming specter of ominous debt service.

Yes, there's that sticky bit from Carroll's recent past about USC consigned to probation on his watch, but that was yesterday. And another school's yesterday has little bearing on this school's future debt. But star power does, especially in a state where celebrity is an industry in itself. A dynamic hiring like Carroll would have well-heeled Old Blues reaching for their wallets to revive the lagging sales figures for premium stadium seating that is expected to pay a strong share of the renovation bond obligation.

The Golden Bears have a laundry list of worthy successors, but this hire isn't about advancing some talented coordinator's career. It's about keeping the athletic department's head above water. Remember, this is an outfit that almost cancelled a few varsity programs -- including a nationally ranked baseball team -- because of financial distress.

They need a Pete Carroll. He beat the posse out of USC. He should learn from that sort of timing; the Seahawks aren't going anywhere soon, and if they ever do in the near future, he could always claim he got their turnaround started. And he could do it while basking in the glory of being Pete Carroll, the once and current college coaching legend.

I'd be shocked if this scenario wasn't at least broached.