This is clearly the year of coaching shakeups in college football.

It seems like there have been more firings, resignations and retirements than any other year in recent memory.

In the SEC, Mark Richt’s firing at Georgia on Sunday left one of the conference’s traditional powers without a coach. Speculation has run rampant at South Carolina since Steve Spurrier resigned in October.

But what about Missouri? Gary Pinkel’s surprise departure left the 2013 and 2014 East Division champions without a coach.

Pinkel took the Tigers to four conference championship games in his last nine seasons at Missouri. He’s the all-time winningest coach in Tigers history. He never shied away from the tough issues (Michael Sam, this year’s protest on campus) and always made it clear that his players always came first.

He will be hard to replace.

Several names currently linked to the Missouri coaching search. Perhaps the top outside candidate is Temple coach Matt Ruhle, reported to meet with Missouri athletic director Mack Rhoades on Sunday.

Houston coach Tom Herman was a frequently dropped name on the list, though recent reports make him a top candidate at Georgia. And then there is Bowling Green coach Dino Babers, who is widely regarded as an offensive guru.

Shoot, even Richt’s name is already floating around.

While each of these options have obvious upsides, the best choice may already be part of the program.

Tigers defensive coordinator Barry Odom may be a perfect fit. There are several reports linking him to the Memphis job, but nothing is set in stone.

Odom’s resume speaks for itself. His unit ranks No. 28 in the nation against the run and has single handedly kept Missouri in games all season.

He played at Mizzou and is familiar with the players and the culture. He’s a safe choice. If he get the job, he could promote defensive line coach Craig Kuligowski to defensive coordinator.

Will Rhoades start fresh with someone outside Pinkel’s start? Odom has said he wants a head coaching opportunity. Rhoades has a chance to keep him in town.