Could this man resurrect another program next season?

Insert the man's name to Google images and you'll see him in pictures coaching 5 different teams just on the first page of results.

That got me thinking...there are many prestigious programs in trouble, and need a coach who can turn around a program in a hurry. Dennis Erickson could be their man, if only for a season. Mercenaries have been a hot topic in the news these days, so let us review the possible teams who could use DE's handywork.

1. Michigan - According to MGoBlue.com, Lloyd Carr is announcing his retirement after the Ohio State rivalry game. Even though the team will be losing quarterback Chad Henne and Heisman hopeful Mike Hart to graduation, the team is in great shape to make a run next year with a defense that will consist of quite a few veterans and a slew of talent on offense. Les Miles has been at LSU long enough where he could depart after the Tigers season ending loss to Oregon in the title game, heading back to his alma mater in Ann Arbor. This situation would leave a door open to another school...

2. Louisiana State - If Les Miles leaves, LSU defensive coordinator Beaux Pelini would be in a great spot to take over (he was rumored to be the front runner for the ASU job at one point in time). Even though it's not resurrecting a program, I'm sure they have a lot of loot to throw his way.

3. Nebraska - Anyone who didn't see Nebraska imploding from a mile away has a bad case of short term memory. The Raiders players were on the verge of mutiny one season after reaching the Super Bowl on the back of some future Hall of Famers and HGH abusers. Callahan is out the door at Nebraska, and is a prestigious program in need of leadership. I'm sure Athletic Director Tom Osborne will probably hire his best man Turner Gill away from Buffalo, but you never know. They also could be looking at LSU's Pelini, who filled in for Frank Solich and led Nebraska to a 17-3 victory over Michigan State in the 2003 Alamo Bowl, only to be overlooked during the coaching search in the offseason.

4. Notre Dame - Being the money making machine that Notre Dame is, they can buy out that fat contract of Charlie Weis no matter the price. Just saying, Tyrone Willingham wouldn't have a job with a 1-9 record. To Charlie's defense, they are undefeated in conference. Dennis Erickson would bring instant credibility to the program, Weis is under contract until 2015 and I assume the buyout is one of the main factors stopping any talk of letting Weis go.

Other possible coaching vacancies to fill - UCLA, Auburn, Texas A&M

Not saying that Erickson would skip out on his contractual obligations, since the potential to build Arizona State into a powerhouse seems infinite at this point. There just is the possibility he could be offered millions to go coach somewhere else.

ASU Athletics Recognized by Phoenix New Times for the right reasons

The Best of Phoenix 2007 hit newsstands today, and some members of the ASU athletic program were recognized:

First Baseman Brett Wallace was named the top male college athlete. Wallace was arguably the best player on the U.S. National team this summer, even though the article by the New Times lists him as a pitcher.

Softball pitcher Katie Burkhart was named top female college athlete, while Pat Murphy was named top collegiate coach. No real surprise that Dennis Erickson didn't take the top spot after the New Times ripped the decision by Arizona State to hire Erickson a few weeks ago.

9 wins = $150,000, 10 wins = $350,000

A tidbit out of an opinion article by Greg Hansen of the Arizona Daily Star about the contract incentives for Dennis Erickson:

Arizona State will pay Dennis Erickson a $150,000 bonus if the Sun Devils finish the regular season 9-3. If the Sun Devils win a 10th game, the bonus soars to $350,000.

It is not an entirely ridiculous proposition. The Sun Devils play eight home games and oppose the league's two weakest clubs, Stanford and Washington State, on the road.

By comparison, Arizona's Mike Stoops is contracted to receive $50,000 if the Wildcats win nine regular-season games. If the Wildcats win a 10th game, Stoops is to get $60,000. (And the sun will rise in the west.)

If Erickson doesn't care about the incentive of bragging rights when beating U of A at Sun Devil Stadium on December 1st, he is going to have a monetary incentive as well. The game will probably be either the ninth or hopefully the tenth win for the Sun Devils. In other news, Mike Stoops isn't expecting a Christmas bonus this year.

Pac-10 Media Day Quotes

Head Coach Dennis Erickson - "I was looking at the press guide before I came in, reading my biography and it started to look like an obituary. As I was thinking about who I wanted to bring to media day I realized the strength of our football team is our offensive front and I decided to bring Mike Pollak. We have five offensive lineman out of six that have already graduated, it's unbelievable. When you talk about a football team and you talk about the strengths, the biggest part of it is the offensive front and I feel pretty good about it. Mike is a heck of a football player. Our running game is strong too. For us to be successful we must be able to run the football and obviously that starts up front. We have some wide outs that have potential, but they are unproven. Defensively it is more of a question mark. You can not win without being good on defense. We have some good athletes, but we need to get better, play on the edge and have a strong mindset. Our weakness there is depth. Our corners have to step up. I'm very excited to be at ASU. The thing that has changed a little bit since I was at Oregon State is that everybody is even. Everyone can beat everyone. It'll be fun. I know two fight songs and I'm about to learn a third here."

Center Mike Pollak - On the shotgun formation: "It hasn't taken me that long to get used to the shotgun, but Rudy [Carpenter] loves it. He did it in high school so if that helps him I'm all for it."

On having eight home games:"As a senior I am looking forward to being at home. You get that advantage of not having to travel, playing in front of your home crowd and playing in the heat which we are used too."

ARIZONA Head Coach Mike Stoops
General Remarks: "We are very excited for this day and for our football team. When you look at the entirety of last season, to win six games shows constant growth in our program. To win some of the games we won, after what our kids went through and then to win our last three road games was good for us. But we didn't finish the way we had liked too. The loss against Arizona State cost us a lot, including a bowl game. Hopefully that will have an impact. Our expectations are much different going into this season. The way we persevered last season, winning against top teams, I think that gives us some legitimate confidence and our work habits really match those expectations. Our attitude matches our expectations. We are healthy, we have great experience coming back, it is by far and away our most experienced and talented football team."

On the new spread offense: "We are going to implement the whole system. Our biggest challenge will be in utilizing the personnel we have on our team. Whether we go four wides, three wides, we'll have to see. I think the system gives us a unique protection of our quarterback. If we keep Willie [Tuitama] healthy our chance of winning goes up dramatically. All of those things are important to our success."

Quotes from coaches and star players of every Pac-10 team can be found at The Pac-10's official website.