Next Stanford Football Coach Odds: Chris Petersen Favored To Replace David Shaw

While Power 5 conference schools such as Georgia Tech (Brent Key), Auburn (Hugh Freeze), Wisconsin (Luke Fickell), Nebraska (Matt Rhule) and Arizona State (Kenny Dillingham) have already filled their head coaching vacancies after midseason firings, Stanford is running behind in the race because well-respected David Shaw only stepped down following the regular season.

After winning three Pac-12 championships and leading Stanford to eight straight winning seasons, the 2017 national coach of the year and four-time Pac-12 coach of the year oversaw a program that had regressed. The Cardinal are 14-28 (10-23 Pac-12) over the last four seasons and were just 1-8 in Pac-12 play this year. Shaw was the winningest head coach in Stanford history with a 96-54 career record.

Stanford is one of the toughest power conference jobs in the country because of the school’s very rigid academic requirements. College football is also simply a different world these days with the transfer portal and name, image and likeness. Shaw acknowledged both in stepping down but didn’t say they were his reasons.

Who will be the next coach on the Farm?

Will Petersen Leave TV Gig?

Stanford’s grand slam hire would be former Boise State and Washington coach Chris Petersen, the +300 favorite. Petersen, 58, is 147-38 overall as an FBS coach and guided Washington to two Pac-12 titles and the school’s only College Football Playoff appearance. Thing he is apparently happy being away from the grind and working as a studio analyst for Fox TV.

Troy Taylor (+400) may not be known to the casual fan, but he has had a lot of success at FCS Sacramento State, one of the powers on that level. He also has Bay Area and Pac-12 ties as he spent some time at Cal as a wide receivers and quarterbacks coach from 1996-98 and offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Utah from 2017-18.

Former BYU and Virginia coach Bronco Mendenhall (+500) is 135-81 in the FBS and has Pac-12 roots as a former Oregon State player and defensive coordinator. There are reports he wants back into coaching after a year off and was mentioned for the Colorado opening.

Mike Bloomgren (+600) is just 16-38 at Rice but helped fortify Stanford’s offensive line from 2011 to 2017 as an assistant and held a coordinator title for his final five seasons.

Some other interesting names: Former Texas coach Tom Herman (+1000), former Penn State and Houston Texans coach and current Alabama offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien (+1100), Baylor’s Dave Aranda (+2000) and Wake Forest’s Dave Clawson (+2500).