Why drag it out, Ole Miss? Just hire James Comey right now.

I’m a Penn State alum, and my school has established the blueprint for bouncing back from scandal. Now, you might argue that the Rebels’ situation isn’t as dire as was my Nittany Lions’ quagmire. And you’d be right.

But the dreaded words “lack of institution control” are in play. And that will be hard to argue against given Hugh Freeze’s “resignation” and the reasons behind it. His alleged personal moral failings certainly will make it even easier for the NCAA to believe he led a program with moral failings.

So here are a few suggestions for Ole Miss and its fans, from someone who has been there.

Hire James Comey

Penn State paid former FBI director Louis Freeh roughly $8 million and gave him supposedly unfettered access to all university records to get to the bottom of the Jerry Sandusky scandal. Whether he truly left no stone unturned or protected people at the top of the leadership chain, he produced a report scathing enough that the NCAA accepted it without doing any further investigation.

Penn State’s strategy — and it enraged a lot of fans at the time — was roll over, plead guilty, promise dramatic change, negotiate for mercy. And you can’t argue with the results. PSU went from threat of the “death penalty” heading into the 2012 season to College Football Playoff contender in 2016.

So, might I suggest, recently fired FBI director Comey might be up for making a few million bucks for seven months of work. Then you can hire a former U.S. senator as your compliance monitor, and you’re on your way. Penn State put George Mitchell in place to send glowing progress reports to the NCAA that basically got the Lions’ bowl ban and scholarship limits cut back from four years to two. He certified that PSU was dutifully incorporating “best practices” into its oversight of athletics.

Clean house, name scapegoats

Now, in order to play nice with the NCAA, you need to offer up some sacrificial lambs. Penn State found enough room under the bus to throw legendary coach Joe Paterno, the school president, the athletic director and another administrator.

Freeze is already gone. It’s too close to the start of the season to jettison the rest of the staff, but Matt Luke and the others should treat this season as if they’re auditioning for other jobs. At least in the Penn State model, those guys are tainted by the “culture problem” surrounding Freeze. Athletic director Ross Bjork will cuddle up to the staff this fall, but all bets are off when the season ends. And Bjork might need to be ready to move too, given that he praised the positive culture Freeze created at Ole Miss just days before the coach quit.

Whether the Rebels want to truly clean up their act or not, this is the time to put on a good show.

Find some heroes

My bet is that Ole Miss, in a best-case scenario, will need to extend this year’s bowl ban and scholarship reductions for at least one more year to appease the NCAA.

So, let’s hope you have a couple of these guys on your roster:

And it appears you do, among them Marquis Haynes and A.J. Brown:

Go to Ireland!

Penn State opened the 2014 season against Central Florida at Croke Park in Dublin, what you might call a season-opening bowl game. A great experience to sell to recruits and fans alike. My wife always wanted to go to Ireland, so this Nittany Lion did travel. (As it turned out, the sanctions were reduced and the Lions got to play in a bowl to end the season as well.)

Maybe the Rebs can persuade an opponent to make a mutual road trip. Maybe they can work Hawaii onto the schedule. Give the players and fans something fun to look forward to.

Just go for it

The bowl ban this season brings freedom. It made me smile the first time in 2012 that new coach Bill O’Brien went for it on 4th-and-1 from his own 40. Nothing to lose. Got a crazy trick play you’ve always wanted to try? Go for it. You just need a couple of risks to pay off, and you’re scaring the crap out of Alabama.

Penn State — with, bless their hearts, one of the worst offensive lines in its history — had Ohio State on the ropes in 2014 before falling 31-24. Yes, 2014, the year Ohio State went 14-1, beating Alabama and then Oregon in the CFP to win the national championship.

If you’re left with the spoiler role, embrace it.

Hire the right guys

Ole Miss might want to follow Penn State’s lead — assuming it doesn’t keep Luke — and hire an NFL guy. If bowl games are off the table, sell pro football preparation.

PSU brought in Bill O’Brien off Bill Belichick’s New England staff, selling prized QB recruit Christian Hackenberg on the chance to work with Tom Brady’s tutor. Hackenberg floundered after a solid freshman season, but the point is that he didn’t renege on his commitment. And maybe some others followed Hackenberg’s lead and didn’t bail either.

Ole Miss needs to identify which players are crucial to its short-term survival, and hire a coach who gives them a reason to stay.

After three seasons, O’Brien returned to the NFL and Penn State hired someone away from Vanderbilt that I had never heard of — James Franklin.

So far, so good. And I’ve been sold from early on. Franklin embraces the ambassador role that O’Brien shied away from. Franklin understands that, because of Paterno’s 60-year career, the football coach at Penn State is head cheerleader, marketer and motivational speaker for the entire community. He is comfortable in the role.

For Ole Miss, some pundits are throwing out names like Les Miles, Chip Kelly and Bob Stoops. But the task at hand calls for an up-and-comer with a lot of energy and a fairly clean track record.

There were some questions about Franklin, but nothing that stuck. He came across as clean-cut, extremely motivated and successful. Any “name” coach who is out of work carries some baggage. Ole Miss doesn’t need that.

Who is the “James Franklin” for the Rebels? Memphis head coach Mike Norvell fits the mold.

Why do it this way?

Outside of Mississippi, public opinion is that Ole Miss is guilty. No way the Rebels get those recruits fair and square. Hugh Freeze is a hypocrite; his word means nothing. The university couldn’t rein in an out-of-control football program. It probably didn’t want to.

Penn State, it seems to me, didn’t just take the blame for Sandusky’s crimes, it took the blame for pedophilia in general. I hated it at the time, but it was probably the right move. Anything other than complete capitulation would be seen as defending child molestation.

Throwing some cash at recruits ranks millions of times less serious, but it will keep Ole Miss in the spotlight until something worse comes along.

So investigate yourself, find yourself wanting, work out a penance with the NCAA. Negotiate for a reduced sentence for good behavior. Apologize to Houston Nutt, then settle with him out of court. Don’t drag this out.

You can still build on what Freeze put in place. Those back-to-back wins against Alabama still count. You’re only a year removed from a top 10 finish. Keep that standard. Change the method. Change the message.