Options by the dozen, though not all cheaper

Really, Tommy Bowden has no hard feelings about Cullen Harper. After all, the Clemson quarterback performed well enough last season to get the head coach/shrewd negotiator the fattest contract extension in school history (basketball, baseball and Animal & Veterinary Sciences departments included).

But this is no time to talk about the past.

Who said this year's Clemson-Florida State game wouldn't be interesting?

And where will athletic director Terry Don Phillips turn for his next non-interim head football coach?

Phillips' two most important hires, football coach Les Miles at Oklahoma State and basketball coach Oliver Purnell at Clemson, have been excellent.

Speculation multiplied by a dozen, in order of preference:

1. Lane Kiffin

Current job: None.

Age: 33.

Plus: Helped Southern Cal build a powerhouse as Pete Carroll's recruiting coordinator before leaving for his short, strange Oakland Raiders stint.

Minus: In demand, Kiffin will cost a lot and Clemson's short supply of big bucks donors already are maxed out.

2. Rich Rodriguez

Current job: Michigan head coach.

Age: 45.

Plus: Had good, exciting teams at West Virginia. Ran a creative offense under Bowden at Clemson.

Minus: Like the old Groucho Marx line — "I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member" — do you really want a guy who would turn his back on Michigan after only one year?

3. Will Muschamp

Current job: Texas defensive coordinator.

Age: 37.

Plus: Defensive coordinator for Nick Saban's LSU national championship team. The personable former Georgia safety has worked for the Miami Dolphins and helped Auburn defeat Clemson in the Chick-fil-A Bowl last season.

Minus: Bowden is a pal who mentored Muschamp as an Auburn graduate assistant. "That's upsetting," Muschamp told Texas reporters Monday when told of the Bowden news. "That's the way college athletics is going, I guess." Still, Muschamp probably is very much in play.

4. Ellis Johnson

Current job: South Carolina defensive coordinator.

Age: 56.

Plus: Former Clemson defensive coordinator and Citadel head coach might be the Gamecocks' midseason Most Valuable Person, and if you can hurt an archrival while helping yourself that's always good.

Minus: No major college head coaching experience.

5. Jon Gruden

Current job: Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach.

Age: 45.

Plus: Won a Super Bowl with the Bucs and his name often comes up for college openings because of his rah-rah personality.

Minus: Can't bring Gaines Adams back to Clemson from Tampa.

6. Mike Leach

Current job: Texas Tech head coach.

Age: 47.

Plus: The real deal when it comes to wide-open offense. Helped make Tim Couch look deceptively good at Kentucky.

Minus: BYU grad will be held to a higher standard coaching Clemson than coaching against Clemson (beat the Tigers 55-15 in 2002 Tangerine Bowl).

7. Jim Grobe

Current job: Wake Forest head coach.

Age: 56.

Plus: One of the best two or three coaches in the ACC.

Minus: Loyalty probably would keep him from coaching against Wake Forest in the same division. Might

get a better offer from Tennessee or prefer Virginia, his alma mater.

8. Bobby Johnson

Current job: Vanderbilt head coach.

Age: 58.

Plus: The Clemson grad and former Clemson defensive coordinator had done relatively well at Vanderbilt before turning it up a notch this season. His wife, the former Catherine Bonner, is from Charleston.

Minus: Not the youngest of the bunch (but maybe the brightest).

9. Kirk Ferentz

Current job: Iowa head coach.

Age: 53.

Plus: Has overachieved in Iowa City. His teams are known for tough, physical play. Coached in the NFL under Bill Belichick.

Minus: Not exactly a Southern man and seems to be fading a bit.

10. Dabo Swinney

Current job: Clemson interim head coach.

Age: 38.

Plus: A good recruiter and position coach who knows his way around the ACC. By the way, Les Miles had never been a head coach before Phillips took a chance.

Minus: Usually, a red flag should go up if you are the only one who wants a guy as a head coach.

11. Jim Leavitt

Current job: South Florida head coach.

Age: 51.

Plus: Your basic program-building overachiever.

Minus: Faces higher academic standards at Clemson.

12. Gary Kubiak

Current job: Houston Texans head coach.

Age: 47.

Plus: Popular college head coach candidate during his long tenure as a Denver Broncos assistant coach.

Minus: Seems to be an NFL guy and lacks connections this side of Texas.

Reach Gene Sapakoff at gsapakoff@postandcourier.com or 937-5593.