Urban Meyer Resigns as Headcoach at Florida...who will follow him?

Update 12/27: Late breaking news from Gainesville, Florida. Rather than resigning, Meyer has announced plans to take an indefinite leave of absence rather than resign. Change of heart attributed to a "spirited" practice with the team on Sunday, December 27th.

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Shocking news tonight out of Gainesville, Florida as Urban Meyer, Head coach of the University of Florida football team announced he was resigning due to health reasons. Details are still coming out, but apparently Meyer was hospitalized for chest pains after Florida's loss to Alabama in the SEC Championship a few weeks ago. That event led to a series of additional tests and, after consultation with his family, doctors, and athletic staff, led to his resignation effective after the 2010 Sugar Bowl.

Any way you look at this decision, this announcement is quite a shock. Not only is Meyer only 45, but he is literally at the "top of his game," and universally considered among the very best coaches in major college football. In five seasons at Florida, he has won two national titles, two SEC titles, and coached a Heisman trophy winner. Sure, 2010 was bound to be a down year, but this is a man who could have had the stadium named after him when he retires...and now his career has ended.

So...who will follow Urban at Florida? Well, let the parlor games begin! Keep in mind, Florida has the resources, money, and will (requirement?) to win. Throw in the fact that this is still one of the preeminent programs in college football, and almost any coaching choice is conceivable. That being said...here is my top five (in no particular order).

1) Bob Stoops, Headcoach, University of Oklahoma: Stoops has had a great run at Oklahoma, but any way you cut it, Florida is still a better job. Throw in familiarity with the program (he coached under Spurrier for a couple of years) and he will at least take AD Jeremy Foley's call.

2) Chris Peterson, Headcoach, Boise State University: Okay, Peterson can literally do no wrong in Boise after making them a household name, but still, a shot at a program like Florida may only come once in a career. That doesn't mean he is leaving, just that he should think about it. Besides, it is almost January, and Florida is a whole lot better than Idaho right now.

3) Gary Patterson, Headcoach, Texas Christian University: Patterson has done a remarkable job at TCU, but there are lot of folks who wonder if he can continue this success. While the state of Texas has plenty of talent, it also has UT, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, as well as, Oklahoma, Nebraska, etc. recruiting there. Effectively, TCU is the fifth or sixth best school (for football) in the state. At Florida, he would be # 1...

4) Steve Spurrier, Headcoach, University of South Carolina: Spurrier left Florida for a couple of ill-fated years with the Washington Redskins only to return to the SEC at South Carolina. None the less, he remains much beloved at Florida for his years as a player (where he won the Heisman) and Coach (where he pulled Florida out of the doldrums. They say you can never go back...but still...

5) Former NFL Coach X: Okay, this is a bit of a cop-out, but I gotta think that Florida might also be thinking of some former NFL Coach like Mike Shanahan or John Gruden. Personally, I don't like NFL coaches moving to the college ranks (see Groh, Al), but I don't blame Florida for thinking about it.

What do you think? Is there someone great out there I am missing? For reference, here is the current ESPN link.

LINK: Urban Meyer Resigns as Head Coach of the University of Florida