Louisville’s Strong Emerges As Texas Favorite

Louisville’s Charlie Strong is favorite to take over from Mack Brown in Texas.

Louisville head coach Charlie Strong has emerged as the favorite to replace the retiring Mack Brown in Texas, according to a leading bookmaker.

Online sportsbook Bovada has the Cardinals head coach at 2/1 to be patrolling the sidelines in Austin, Texas, next season ahead of both collegiate and professional counterparts.

After a period of uncertainty in which his departure was alluded to and then scoffed at, Brown announced his resignation last Saturday, stating: “I love the University of Texas, all of its supporters, the great fans and everyone that played and coached here.”

He continued: “I hope with some new energy, we can get this thing rolling again.”

Brown arrived in Austin ahead of the 1998 season. He led the Longhorns to a 157-45 (.777) record in his 16 years on the sidelines, including a 13-6 Bowl record, a trip to the 2009 BCS Championship Game and the 2006 National Championship.

His final game in charge will be on December 30 as Texas faces Oregon in the Valero Alamo Bowl in San Antonio.

The question now becomes who will replace him for the 2014 season?

Strong, who has led Louisville to a 36-16 record since taking over in 2010, is the current favorite to take on the role. Even with the Cardinals taking flight for the ACC next season, a big step-up from the American Athletic Conference, the Texas job remains higher profile and hard to turn down.

After Strong, Baylor head coach Art Briles is listed at 9/2 to be appointed by the university.

Briles led the Bears to a Big 12 title this season, beating the Longhorns in the final game of the regular season to both win the conference championship and prevent Texas from topping the Big 12. Briles has the advantage of already knowing the recruiting region, something that will be vital as Texas looks to return to the elite level most have come to expect.

Vanderbilt’s James Franklin is considered 5/1 to take over the job. Since 2011, Franklin has led the Commodores to a 23-15 record in the ultra-tough SEC. While leaving the conference might be considered a step down by some, the Texas job is undeniably bigger than the Vandy role. But can Franklin cope with that big a step up?

Mike Gundy, head coach of conference rival Oklahoma State, is considered 7/1 to make the switch from Stillwater, Okla. For much of the season, the Cowboys looked as though they would emerge with a conference title, but ultimately came up short when it mattered most; in Bedlam.

Gundy, like Briles, has the experience recruiting in the region but with the Longhorns potentially needing to regroup and reboot, Stillwater may prove to be a more appealing prospect.

Penn State’s Bill O’Brien (15/2) rounds out Bovada’s top five prospects while Stanford’s David Shaw (10/1), UCLA’s Jim Mora (10/1) and Florida State’s Jimbo Fisher (15/1) all make the list.

Shaw and Fisher are likely to be on the shortlist for every coaching vacancy for years to come. In fact, if Fisher leads the Seminoles to a National Championship, as most expect him to, he can pretty much take his pick of jobs.

In addition to collegiate coaches, Bovada’s list also features a trip of current NFL coaches: Chip Kelly (10/1), Jim Harbaugh (20/1) and Mike Tomlin (20/1).

It’s highly unlikely Kelly will flee Philadelphia after just one season, and with the Eagles in contention for a playoff berth, it’s unlikely he’ll be forced out. Harbaugh has already brushed away the notion of leaving San Francisco to coach the Longhorns. That leaves Tomlin.

With the Steelers struggling this season, it wouldn’t be beyond the realms of plausibility to see the Rooney family part ways with their coach. But then again, the family has proven to be incredibly loyal so nobody would be surprised to see Tomlin return. For argument’s sake, let’s say Tomlin is removed. Would he head to college football or would he take on another professional job, say in Dallas? (Tomlin to Dallas is purely speculation but we like to think the unthinkable in these parts – it’s fun!)

Texas Longhorns vs. Oregon Ducks odds for 12/20/2013

Texas remains a two-touchdown underdog in the lead up to the Valero Alamo Bowl on December 30.

The over/under sits at 67 having dropped from 69.

Bowl season gets underway today with the Gildan New Mexico Bowl between Washington State and Colorado State at 2:00 p.m. ET.

After the curtain raiser in Albuquerque, N.M., the Bowl games come thick and fast with the Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl (3:30 p.m. ET), Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (5:30 p.m. ET), and R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl (9:00 p.m. ET) all taking place on Saturday.

For a comprehensive list of all College Football Bowl Game odds, click here.