OPINION

By Matt Hayes

updated 4:45 p.m. ET Oct. 14, 2008

Matt Hayes

It was one of those strange scenes that seemed odd at first but now couldn't be more telling.

In one breath during ACC media days in July, Clemson quarterback Cullen Harper said this of the Tigers' ACC championship hopes: "If not now, when?"

A day later, when Clemson coach Tommy Bowden was told of Harper's comments, he said, "That's not anywhere close to reality."

Nothing could better illustrate 10 years of disconnect with Bowden and the Clemson program. Even when everything looked so right, it couldn't have been more wrong.

And now Clemson is a team in limbo after Bowden's firing Monday, $3.5 million less in the bank after his buyout — and another million questions revolving around who's next.

Interim coach Dabo Swinney, the team's receivers coach and a respected recruiter, is well-liked by the players and administration, and according to a source close to the program, is "a legitimate candidate" for the job.

But by firing Bowden after six games, Clemson gets a jump on other programs looking for coaches at the end of the season. It gives a deep-pocket university the ability to negotiate exclusively with any coach currently not employed (see: Lane Kiffin, Bill Cowher) and gives it time to tie up any lose ends with Bowden.

North Carolina did exactly that two years ago when it fired John Bunting in mid-October and then negotiated with Butch Davis without interference from other teams. Had the Tar Heels waited until after the season to fire Bunting, they likely would've been in a bidding war for Davis with a handful of teams, including heavy-hitting Alabama.

A look at the top five candidates to replace Bowden:

1. Lane Kiffin, former Raiders coach, USC assistant
Positives: A bright offensive mind, and one of the nation's best recruiters as an assistant at USC. When he was fired by the Raiders last month, players came out and publicly supported him. That just doesn't happen in the NFL.

Negatives: A West Coast guy, can his personality translate to the South?

2. Bill Cowher, former Steelers coach
Positives: Brings instant credibility and toughness. For the team whose heart pumps Kool-Aid, what could be a more drastic change? The accountability factor skyrockets.

Negatives: Although he hasn't completely ruled out coaching again, can Cowher jump into the college game where winning means recruiting at a high level and connecting to teenagers — not grown men.

3. Bobby Johnson, Vanderbilt coach
Positives: Isn't the most glamorous pick but could be the perfect choice: a Clemson alum and former assistant there who knows the area's fertile recruiting spots from his time as head coach at Furman. A disciplinarian who is working wonders with limited talent at Vandy, what happens when he has the best talent in the ACC?

Negatives: A devout family man who has invested much of his career in the Vanderbilt community. Why would he join the rat race of win-now-or-you're-fired when he can stay at Vandy, make good money and retire on his terms?

4. Tommy Tuberville, Auburn coach
Positives: Has a proven track record of winning while dealing with adversity (read: overzealous boosters/board of trustees members) and is one of the best game day coaches in the country. His team-first personality is exactly what this fractured program needs.

Negatives: After 10 seasons of getting pulled through the wringer on an annual basis on The Plains, will he have enough emotional juice to energize a stagnant Clemson program?

5. Will Muschamp, Texas defensive coordinator
Positives: He's Nick Saban Jr. — a fiery, meticulous ball of charisma whom players love and opponents fear. Partial list of coaches he has worked under: Terry Bowden, Mack Brown, Tuberville and Saban.

Negatives: Stand in line, pal. There likely will be a long list of teams looking at Muschamp, which leaves any program in the hunt in this precarious situation: If it doesn't work out and the music stops, you're left with Bill Stewart.

Also on NBCSports.com NFL: Burress' shooting, other dumb jock moments College football: Meyer, Saban worth every penny NBA: Stacked free agent class in 2010 Baseball: $100-million deals rarely pan out NHL: Someone tell league that villains, sex sell

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