Alabama Offensive Coordinator Quest Could Conclude With Doug Nussmeier

Now that Boise St. Broncos offensive coordinator Brent Pease has taken the same job with the Florida Gators and former Jacksonville Jaguars OC Dirk Koetter has joined the Atlanta Falcons, the next candidate on the Alabama Crimson Tide's list appears to be Doug Nussmeier of the Washington Huskies. He's expected to take the job in Tuscaloosa, reports the Seattle Times' Bob Condotta, though there's nothing official to point to as of yet.

Tom Dienhart is among those reporting the deal is all but done.

Nussmeier has been on Steve Sarkisian's staff since 2009, also serving as quarterbacks coach. Previously, he'd worked at Fresno State's OC and Michigan State's QB coach, in addition to some CFL and NFL gigs. As the quarterback of the Idaho Vandals, he was one of the most prolific dual-threat quarterbacks in college football history, piling up 10,000 career passing yards and another 1,000 on the ground.

Washington ranked No. 38 in offense in 2011, showing up at No. 117 in 2008, the year before Nussmeier took over.

For more on the parties involved, visit Alabama blog Roll Bama Roll and Washington blog UW Dawg Pound.

The Alabama Crimson Tide need an offensive coordinator to replace Jim McElwain, who headed from New Orleans to begin his new full-time gig as Colorado St. Rams head coach. Boise St. Broncos OC Brent Pease was believed to be the top candidate, but the Florida Gators scooped him up first. This happens when you don't leave yourself free time on a Monday night.

Among the reported candidates as of late was Jacksonville Jaguars OC and former Arizona State coach Dirk Koetter. Another NFL name joins the list: former New York Jets coordinator Brian Schottenheimer, who's also a rumored Atlanta Falcons target. He was the Jets OC from 2006 to 2011, announcing he wouldn't be back for 2012 amid concerns about Mark Sanchez' long-term viability.

Another name, according to Mark Schlabach: Doug Nussmeier of the Washington Huskies. Which brings us to an interesting dichotomy in our list of candidates.

Koetter and Schottenheimer aren't known as revolutionary offensive minds, while Nussmeier and Pease have operated very un-Bama operations out there on the West Coast.

For more on the parties involved, visit Alabama blog Roll Bama Roll, Washington blog UW Dawg Pound and Jets blog Gang Green Nation.

Here we have reports from both sides of the aisle that Boise St. Broncos offensive coordinator Brent Pease will leave to take over the Florida Gators offense. First, Chadd Cripe of the Idaho Statesman, and then Pat Dooley of the Gainesville Sun:

@IDS_BroncoBeat Offensive coordinator Brent Pease has decided to leave Boise State, destination TBA, likely Florida, a source tells me. Also has Bama offer

@pat_dooley Looks like Brent Pease new Florida OC.

That was fast! It was only days ago that Robbie Andreu reported both Florida and the Alabama Crimson Tide had interest. If true, it will be instantly recognized as an outstanding hire by Will Muschamp and should set the Gators on the road to a rapid recovery.

According to Cripe, wide receivers coach Robert Prince is expected to take over at BSU.

Regarding the question of whether Pease can construct a game plan capable of scoring on SEC defenses, let's recall what he did to this year's No. 5 defense in the country earlier in the year:

For more on the parties involved, visit Boise State blog One Bronco Nation Under God,Florida blog Alligator Army and Alabama blog Roll Bama Roll.

The 2012 BCS National Championship game is creeping closer as each day passes and excitement is building for the match-up featuring the Alabama Crimson Tide and LSU Tigers. One of the top reasons for that excitement is due to hope that the offenses are able to do more than they did in the first game -- a chore that weighs heavily on the shoulders of Alabama offensive coordinator Jim McElwain.

McElwain has already accepted the job as Colorado State's head coach for next season, but the coaching veteran will finish out his duties with 'Bama this week. The outgoing coach fielded questions from the media on Thursday with a sense of humor as his time as a member of the Crimson Tide ends.

The Crimson Tide coordinator was asked if Alabama's offense is pro style, according to ESPN's Joe Schad, to which he responded, "According to most of you guys we don't do anything."

Running back Trent Richardson backed McElwain up by calling him a genius, but it's likely that McElwain's legacy at Alabama will be decided based on the outcome of the title game and not on his running back's opinions.

For more on this game, visit Alabama blog Roll Bama Roll, LSU blog And The Valley Shook, SEC blog Team Speed Kills as well as SB Nation's college football news hub.