Happy Valley has been undergoing a coaching carousel for over two weeks now. AD Pat Kraft declared that he won’t hesitate to take a big shot. Since then, we’ve seen the Lions getting linked to every head coach with an above-average record at their programs. Matt Rhule started his season well? Let’s have him, why not! The same goes for Jedd Fisch and other rumored links. It also doesn’t help Kraft that since he fired James Franklin, LSU and Florida have caught on to the idea. But who is Penn State getting? Well, oddsmakers have their favorites.

As per Kalshi.com, Ohio State’s offensive coordinator Brian Hartline currently has a 28% chance of getting the gig. He is the guy who has snatched the WR-U tag from LSU, developing the likes of Garrett Wilson, Emeka Egbuka, Marvin Harrison Jr., Jeremiah Smith, and Carnell Tate.

Hartline is closely followed by Jeff Brohm, the guy who has transformed Louisville, at 23%. If Penn State failed to win big games, Brohm knows how to take the opponents down in those matchups. He just did that to No. 2 Miami a few weeks ago. No wonder Kraft would be interested in getting him on.

Then, we have another former Buckeye head coach in Urban Meyer. The HC-turned-analyst didn’t have a great outing in his last gig in the pros, but when you have national championships with multiple programs under your belt, you’d always be in the reckoning. The only question is if Meyer wants to leave his chill broadcasting life to return to the grind of college football in this current climate of NIL and the portal.

The three-time national champion was seen discussing “leadership, teamwork, and serving something bigger than yourself” with Pennsylvania Senator Dave McCormick over breakfast. Sure, that sounds innocent until you remember that James Franklin was fired by Penn State for $49 million. As Craig Carton put it, “Unless he’s handicapping Bucknell’s game this week, my gut is he’s talking to Penn State.”

Ending the list are the likes of Matt Campbell (5%), Matt Rhule (4%), and Manny Diaz (3%). Matt Rhule at just 4%? Yes. The Rhule buzz that had the Husker nation nervous has died down for now.

Matt Rhule shuts down Penn State reunion buzz

For a brief time, it appeared like the stars were aligning for Matt Rhule, Penn State’s wayward son. He played there, began his coaching career there, and even met his wife, so his connection to PSU indeed runs deep. Fans were thinking of him returning to Beaver Stadium as head coach when his name first appeared in headlines. “I love Penn State… It’s my alma mater… but I’m not going anywhere,” Rhule said.

Despite the emotional pull of returning home, Rhule made it apparent that he had his eyes set on Lincoln. For him, Nebraska is a project and a mission where he has poured his soul. “I came here for two reasons: I love the community, and I wanted to rebuild Nebraska football,” he said. That’s clearly not someone who is packing his bags anytime soon. But to make matters easy for Penn State fans who don’t want Rhule, the bubble burst.

This was not due to anything he said, but rather to his team’s performance against a struggling Minnesota team. The Gophers derailed Nebraska’s early momentum and beat them 24-6. The Huskers were humbled and embarrassed. Having said that, they are still 6-2 and have an important game against USC in Week 10. The momentum can easily change if they do a job on Lincoln Riley’s team.