Steve Mariucci will not be your next Michigan State football coach, that according to MSU basketball coach Tom Izzo, who ruled out his good buddy late Wednesday night after the Spartans opened the hoops season with an ugly 45-34 win over Brown.

Mariucci, the former Lions coach, would have been a no-brainer had he wanted the job, but there were too many other things complicating matters. First, Mooch's wife reportedly wants to move back to the West coast. Second - and you won't hear him say this - but at 51, Mariucci's next job will be the most important one he ever takes and MSU is not the type of gig you want to gamble on. His reputation was tarnished by his failures with the Lions (though it's debatable exactly who's fault that was), and if he fails this time he might never get a head coaching gig again.

The Michigan State football job is not a bad job - you can do plenty worse at the Division I level - but it's not a plum either. It's tough to win in the Big Ten if you're not Michigan or Ohio State, and it's tough to recruit when those two schools and Notre Dame are as close as any to your campus.

The administration had to check out Mooch and Butch Davis, who apparently is on his way to North Carolina, to appease a fan base that's teetering on the brink of disinterest. Now, it's time they turn their attention to a more realistic half-dozen candidates that include in-state coaches Brian Kelly and Bill Cubit (who square off Friday), defensive coordinators Bo Pelini and John Tenuta, and NFL assistants Pat Shurmur and Todd Grantham. My gut tells me one of those six will get the job, though I believe Michigan defensive coordinator Ron English should garner strong consideration as well.