With Penn State in need of an offensive coordinator and plenty of time and options to work with it opens the door for speculation and a bit of guesswork as to who could take over the role.

Knowing who Penn State is actually interested in is next to impossible, but here are five names James Franklin would be wise to consider if he's looking to take the offense to the next level.

Pep Hamilton:

Recently fired Colts' offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton already has his name in the mix for a few head coaching jobs at the collegiate level since getting let go. But with experience at Stanford and ties to the North Carolina area, Hamilton is a nice mix of professional credentials with collegiate experience and regional ties to the southern end of Penn State's recruiting footprint.

Gunter Brewer:

North Carolina co-offensive coordinator, Brewer has been a big part of the Tar Heels' success as one of the more explosive teams in college football. UNC is rated the 33rd best passing offense in the nation this season, some 50 teams higher than Penn State. Brewer isn't the only reason that North Carolina is playing good football, but giving him a call is worth the time.

In 2012, the Tar Heels finished eighth in the country in scoring, averaging a school-record 40.6 points per game and were 14th in total offense, averaging 485.6 yards per game. The passing offense was 26th nationally with a school-record 291.8 yards per game. In each of the previous two seasons, Carolina has set school records for passing yards.

Joe Lombardi:

While the Detroit Lions haven't exactly been the high watermark of offense this season, former Lions' OC, Lombardi is available and brings with him years of NFL experience and worked with Drew Brees while in New Orleans during some of his most productive seasons in the league.

Sean Lewis:

If you want a fun offense to watch, Sean Lewis has been doing that for Bowling Greene as co-offensive coordinator and quarterback's coach for the third best passing attack in the nation this year.

Lewis churned out one of the most productive wide receiver units in the nation during the 2014 season, as the Falcons were one of just three schools in FBS football to have at least six receivers with 20-plus catches, four receivers over 30 catches, and three wideouts with more than 50 receptions.

Darrell Dickey:

Speaking of offense, offensive coordinator Darrell Dickey and the No. 14 ranked Memphis Tiger passing attack has turned the Tigers into one of the more surprising success stories of 2015.

In 2014, Memphis set a season scoring record with 471 points and led the American Athletic Conference with a 36.2 points per game average. The Tigers led the league in rushing offense in 2014, averaging 190.5 yards per game and also ranked third in total offense (427.1 ypg).

Honorable mentions: