Next up at Nebraska: Monte Kiffin?

Defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin has flirted with a couple of head-coaching jobs over the years. He once entertained an offer from the 49ers and last year took his name out of contention for the Rams' job.

But it's not out of the question that his name comes up for another big opening: the one at Nebraska.

As you might know, the Huskers fired Bill Callahan today and will be looking for a new coach. Kiffin, of course, played at Nebraska in the early 1960s and later served as defensive coordinator in the 1970s.

And I'm not just pulling this out of the sky. Here's the reason I think this is plausible: Monte's son and Raiders head coach, Lane, recently told Jim Rome in an interview that his father would have accepted the Nebraska job the last time it was open and still might if ever offered the gig.

That's a pretty reliable source if you ask me. We raised the subject with Monte a couple weeks ago just for the heck of it, and he kind of laughed it off. Didn't expect him to say anything of consequence at that point because Callahan hadn't even been fired. But you have to think 'what if' has at least crossed his mind. The very fact that Lane seems so sure of this fact is a pretty good indication it's probably come up around the dinner table a time or two.

Age is certainly a factor, seeing how Kiffin is 67. And having to hit the recruiting trail and work with kids a third his age might be something of a challenge. But Kiffin still has plenty of energy as far as I can tell, so who knows?

Just something to keep in the back of your heads as the season winds down.