College football news: Petrino could return to Louisville, Vandy fighting for Franklin

It should come as no shock that Bobby Petrino appears to be on the move again. Petrino’s reputation as a careerist prone to burning all bridges to former employers even had Western Kentucky bracing itself for yet another discordant departure just months after hiring him. The real surprise is that Petrino could be on the verge of landing a job with Louisville, where boosters are reportedly pressuring athletics director Tim Jurich to rehire the Cardinals’ former head football coach.

Petrino’s father, Bobby, Sr., told the Louisville Courier-Journal that his son is highly interested in returning to the job that he abruptly left in early 2007 to coach the Atlanta Falcons. The elder Petrino claims that his son regrets his decision to leave Louisville seven years ago right at the beginning of a newly inked, long-term contract and is highly motivated to return to the school where he made his name as an offensive guru.

The turnaround that James Franklin has engineered at Vanderbilt has made him a name of interest in seemingly every collegiate head coaching vacancy. While the Commodores’ athletics department has significantly increased the level of its financial commitment to the football program as a whole, Vandy is now competing with college football blue bloods and well-monied NFL franchises in its efforts to retain Franklin.

The most immediate threat is Penn State, which has identified Franklin as one of its top candidates to replace outgoing head coach Bill O’Brien. Franklin was also rumored to be involved with the Houston Texans’ head coaching search before O’Brien was hired away from Happy Valley. The Cleveland Browns and Washington Redskins have also reportedly requested to interview the third-year Vanderbilt coach.

For his part, VU athletic director Davis Williams is prepared to do whatever he can to hold on to Franklin.

“I expect James to be our football coach. I’m planning on it,” Williams said. “We’re looking at facilities. We’re working on some stuff. I have all thoughts that he’s going to be our football coach. I’ll do everything I can to make sure that he is.”

Florida State had a lot of narratives to overcome in its run to the final BCS Championship. The Seminoles had to shed the running joke about FSU being “back” (they accomplished that pretty quickly, actually) and dethrone the SEC, which held a stranglehold on all of college football for the previous seven years. Florida State accomplished all of these things and did so with a redshirt freshman quarterback who might have understandably caved under the pressure of playing for the national championship in the Rose Bowl, college football’s most impressive and intimidating stage.

In that context, the result of the Seminoles’ 34-31 win was understandably emotional, and Bud Elliott of Tomahawk Nation was there to capture it all. Immediately after the game, Jameis Winston and Kenny Shaw embraced at midfield with the Heisman-winner reminding his teammate, “We did it, cuz.”

Defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan had a great game -- which he apparently played while suffering from flu-like symptoms -- and gave an impassioned interview after leading the Florida State marching band.

Seminoles past and future were rather pleased at the outcome as well.

One day after Florida State became the last team to hoist the crystal ball in celebration of a BCS National Championship, Seminole running back James Wilder, Jr. announced his intentions to enter the 2014 NFL Draft. Wilder was the third-leading rusher in a crowded FSU backfield, carrying the ball 81 times for 563 yards and eight touchdowns.

Given the way that football chews up and spits out running backs, its hard to find fault in any ball carrier’s decision to head off to the NFL and get paid as soon as he is eligible. That’s especially true of Missouri halfback Henry Josey, who announced on Tuesday that he will enter the 2014 NFL Draft.

Josey suffered a gruesome knee injury in 2011 that could easily have ended his career but worked back to full health and had a stellar junior campaign in 2013. The Tigers running back rushed for 1,166 yards and 16 touchdowns, headlining one of the most potent ground games in the SEC as Mizzou made its surprising run to the SEC Championship Game.

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• Florida State: The SEC’s worst nightmare

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