So we've all heard the rumors by now that Skip Holtz is the leading candidate (according to many) to take over the ship that Commodore Hazell ran aground. The problem is, other than conjecture, I've got nothing substantive that says it's a done deal and he's the guy...so while I'd love to SCOOOOOOOOP this story, I can't say, as a local radio hack might, that "it's done." That said, I will say that I've heard from a few different, unconnected sources, that they think Lou's son is the guy...AND, that feels like a trustees type of hire, PLUS we all know Bobinski has UND ties...but doesn't it almost seem like too easy of a line to draw between the dots?

What I can tell you is that we haven't heard one piece of positive feedback from Purdue fans that this is the guy they'd like to have coaching their alma mater or current school...so if you're listening, Bobo and co, you might wanna take note of that. The hire of Holtz wouldn't lead to an uptick of desperately needed season ticket sales. But if Holtz could win around 60% of his games as he has during his career elsewhere, I think he'd earn some fans...if he could dominate within the conference as he has at LaTech, we'd all be stoked. Granted, ConUSA isn't the B1G...so there's that.

J and I were reminiscing about the pre-Hazell hire days. Neither of us saw Hazell as the guy as we looked at the tea leaves four years ago. So perhaps the upcoming hire of Kevin Sumlin is just being kept under wraps (oh please Lord, let this miracle happen). I have not seen/heard any evidence that shows Sumlin nor Miles will be Purdue's next coach...and don't know if Purduehas many options in front of them that would give recruiting and ticket sales the immediate bump that either of these coaches would. But I will say that we're all in this for the same thing- we want to see Purdue somewhat relevant nationally, and completely competitive week-in, week-out.

Inside the halls of the BS World HQ, we've had tons of prognostication sessions that haven't made it to the public's ears or computer screens. The sentiment sways between "Oh God no, not that guy" to "I need more of that coach in my life". And in spite of Aneesh's undying love for a few candidates, chances are, there will be some hearts broken come this time next week when Purdue's next head football coach is probably made public (I've heard that we'll know a lot come Sunday).

But wouldn't it be better to have a little heartache because your Kevin Sumlin didn't get the job...but the right guy did?

No one really wanted Joe Tiller as HC back in the late fall of 1996...and everyone wanted Bob Davie. That worked out alright...The chance of Purdue getting a top-3 All-time winningest Coach isn't high, but let's pretend for a second that we're on the eve of something great that no one forsees...Dammit, it would be fun if someone came out of nowhere to become Purdue's Mark Dantonio (yes, we're still in love with him in spite of what's happened this season).

Another thing, all of you out there that are reading this and holding your nose for Brock Spack, Skip Holtz or whomever, that's OK. Like J said, I think we were all pretty enamored with Coach Haze's first presser and kinda loved the idea of the man, more than the coach himself. Everybody was all-in at the subsequent pep rally prior to the Cincy game too...but honestly, that pep rally and the months leading up to Hazell's first time on the field as Purdue's HC might have been the best part of his four years at Purdue. The since of hope was something that couldn't be taken away by anything other than those pesky games that we watched...they ruined everything.

Much like high hopes for a summer blockbuster that are dashed the first time you hear Vin Diesel speak his lines, low expectations sometimes lead to a good time, because...hell, it couldn't get any worse than what we just went through. We'll see what happens, I guess.

Lastly, at this point, I'm kinda good with may different scenarios. If Purdue gets a pass-through coach, that means they've won a few games, made some noise on the national stage and they hired a guy that the rest of the college football world loves.

Let's call this the Fleck scenario...it could happen...and it could be fun.

If they hire a guy that brings them back to a Motor City-type of bowl in year two...and he only wins 6-7 max...but he's not an embarrassment to the university, that would at least stop the hemorrhaging that we're currently experiencing.

Let's call this the Spack scenario...it kinda seems likely from where I'm standing. Beating IU consistently again seems like a pipedream from where I stand; so I'm not sure that I wouldn't be OK with this for 3-5 years before I started wanting something newer and shinier.

The scenario that I really don't want to see is one in which Purdue is embarrassed on and/or off the field. I'm pretty sick of hearing Purdue as the butt of jokes to the sports media. Also, I remember when Akers was hired, and the end of Tiller's time in God's Country...so having a bunch of malcontents in the news as they get into trouble does nobody any good.

I guess we'll all know a bit more soon...but we really won't know that much until next fall...The state of football purgatory that we've been in for nearly a decade continues...