Carl Pelini Replacing Howard Schnellenberger As FAU Head Coach

In their eight years as a FBS program, the Owls have two bowl trips (and two bowl wins!), but mustered just five wins in Schnellenberger’s final two seasons. With a brand-new stadium and evergreen recruiting territory, Pelini has his chances to compete in the Sun Belt, but it’s gonna take some doin’.

Pelini has been Nebraska’s DC since 2008, assisting his brother, head coach Bo Pelini. He’s highly regarded and all, but can Pelini, any Pelini, say things like this?

For more Huskers, visit Nebraska blog Corn Nation. Here’s our 2011 Coaching Carousel Tracker.

With the retirement of longtime head coach Howard Schnellenberger, the FAU Owls were on the hunt for a new head coach. According to a report by Brett McMurphy of CBS, FAU has extended an offer to Nebraska defensive coordinator Carl Pelini who is expected to accept the position.

The head coaching position at FAU would be Carl Pelini’s first head coaching gig outside of being a high school football head coach. FAU has a record of just 1-10 this season and will play their final game this weekend against Lousiana-Monroe.

As Christmas shoppers around the country prepared for Cyber Monday, a few football programs decided to go shopping for a new football coach. Sunday alone, Illinois, Kansas, UAB and Memphis dumped their coaches and entered what is suddenly a bustling sellers’ market. Mike Leach can only take one job, people!

Let’s take a look at the programs that are hiring (or could be soon), along with some general program strength numbers.

Florida Atlantic is still looking for a coach to replace the retiring Howard Schnellenberger. Reportedly, it won’t be either Mike Stoops or Mark Stoops who fills that role: Tom D’Angelo of the Palm Beach Post reports that both Stoops brothers — Mike was fired as Arizona’s head coach this fall; Mark is Florida State’s defensive coordinator — have turned down FAU.

Mark Stoops was reportedly offered a contract that would pay him about $400,000 annually, which he turned down. Mike Stoops was reportedly offered a contract with undisclosed terms, and denied, though FAU athletic director Craig Angelos denies that the former Arizona coach was ever offered the job.

It’s funny. If you are the fan of a program generally considered to be a college football heavyweight, and your coach could be getting ready to either get fired or retire soon, you almost certainly think your school is getting either Urban Meyer or Jon Gruden. If you are a fan of a less than top-tier school in the same situation, meanwhile, you think your school is getting Mike Leach. And with a wider array of options in the non-heavyweight divisions, that makes the Mike Leach Watch a lot more entertaining.

Here are some of the schools to which he either has been tied by random rumor, or probably could soon be. We will use an entirely arbitrary ratings scale to judge Leach’s most likely destination.

We are always happy to hear Leach’s name brought up by someone besides Spaeth Communications, as is Leach himself:

Schnelly passing the torch to Leach would signal the eternal crowning of the Internet’s new favorite college football team.

Here’s Schellenberger:

The fashionable gentleman insisted his retirement decision won’t affect FAU’s 2011 goals: to win the Sun Belt, “followed by the appropriate bowl appearance.” Only what’s appropriate, after all.

Florida Atlantic head coach Howard Schnellenberger will reportedly announce his retirement at a press conference on Thursday afternoon, according to a report. A cryptic tweet in the morning, announcing the press conference, had everyone’s mind drifting towards the worst, and CBS’ Brett McMurphy confirmed our fears with his report of Scnellenberger’s retirement. It won’t happen immediately, but following the 2011 season, the long-time coach will ride off into the sunset.

We don’t hide our love for Schnelly: the man, the myth, the coaching legend. His career speaks for itself, and includes tenures at Louisville, Oklahoma, Miami and FAU, the program he started. At FAU, Schnellenberger compiled a 57-63 record, leading the Owls to bowl games in 2007 and 2008, both of which he won.