Another possible head coaching candidate is former Arizona headcoach Mike Stoops, who was fired earlier this season. If you haveheard the surname before, but are confused by the first name it’sbecause coaching bug is strong in the Stoops family.

Every one of the four brothers from Youngstown, Ohio, is aDivision I football coach. Bob is the head coach of the OklahomaSooners. Mike is the defensive coordinator for Florida State, andRob is an assistant for Kent State. In his eight years at Arizona,Mike Stoops resurrected a program that had been stagnating underthe prior regime. This makes him an extremely desirable candidate.Tulane would certainly be happy with the three consecutive bowlgames he brought to Tucson, Ariz. He is also known as a defensivegenius, something Tulane could certainly use after giving up morethan 30 points in all but one game in 2011.

One problem may be the availability. The Stoops brothers have atendency to join each other’s staffs and he may already havedecided to spend a year or two on the Sooners’ staff of with Bob.This would allow him to be selective with job offers. He may evenhold out in the hopes of leading his alma mater, the University ofIowa. A most serious snag would be money. To court Stoops, theGreen Wave would have to offer considerably more than former coachBob Toledo’s salary. The jury is out whether Athletic Director RickDickson’s commitment to spend more on a new football coach issincere, but Mike Stoops would be an excellent pick.