Bobby Petrino quickly turned into the Butch Jones of the 2018 coaching cycle.
His employer didn't want to fire him. His contract strongly favored him keeping the job in 2019. But as the weeks went by and the embarrassing losses piled up and the team began to unravel, it became clear what the school must do. Louisville had no other choice but to fire Petrino on Sunday, two days after the Cardinals slipped to 2-8 with a 54-23 loss at No. 13 Syracuse. Petrino, the school's coaching-wins leader at 77-35, is done after his second stint with the Cardinals.
The goal now for Louisville is to be better at finding Petrino's replacement than Tennessee was with finding Jones' successor. Here's a hint for U of L: Follow the Nebraska plan.
If Petrino and Jones are linked, so are Jeff Brohm and Scott Frost. Last year, Nebraska targeted Frost, its native son, and brought him home to revive a declining program. Louisville undoubtedly will do the same with Brohm, a former Louisville quarterback and assistant coach who grew up in the city and whose family, led by patriarch Oscar Brohm, is football royalty there.
Here's why so many are viewing Louisville's coaching search as Brohm or Bust: