Considering I’d written last week about Gary Andersen’s frustrations at Wisconsin, his decision Wednesday to leave didn’t come as much of a shock to me as it did to many.

But I never got the impression that Andersen was really on the way out the door -- and especially for Oregon State.

I actually thought Andersen, 19-7 in two seasons in Madison including the 2014 Big Ten West division title, might get in the Nebraska conversation. That search, however, was over in a hurry. And so was Oregon State’s once it knew it could land Andersen, the Utah native who is perhaps more of a regional fit with the Beavers.

The academic world would applaud Wisconsin’s administration for holding to its high admissions standards and refusing to boost assistants’ salaries equal to other schools. But Andersen is a football coach, not a dean. It wasn’t in his best interest to remain in Madison.

“They couldn’t get kids in,” someone familiar with the program told me last week. “He was afraid he was going to lose his assistants [to other schools].”

If Andersen didn’t recognize why Bret Bielema left for Arkansas when he took the job, he soon came to understand the challenges created by a slow-to-evolve board.

Those familiar with the situation say Wisconsin athletic director and former coach Barry Alvarez is not the primary culprit, but he also doesn't seem to have a keen awareness of the issues within the administration. So he wasn’t necessarily diffusing the situation, either.

In the end, it leaves Alvarez looking for a replacement that will be the Badgers' third coach in four years.

Naturally, the first name to come to mind is Pittsburgh’s Paul Chryst. The former Badgers offensive coordinator left just before Bielema three years ago, or he might have been in line for a promotion.

He would certainly understand the plusses and minuses of the job as opposed to Andersen, who came in blind from Utah State.

Skeptical Wisconsin fans will see Pitt’s 19-19 record in three seasons and scoff, but they should understand what a tough situation he encountered upon arrival. It was a revolving door of coaches, including Mike Haywood being fired before his first game and Todd Graham’s one-and-done season in 2011.

“He’s got a mess,” I remember one Power 5 coach telling me shortly after Chryst arrived in 2012. Even Chryst admitted after his first season how much roster cleanup was necessary.

So maybe that at least puts a different lens on .500, especially factoring in the Panthers' move to the ACC in 2013.

Chryst, 49, is from Madison and played quarterback at Wisconsin from 1986-88. As a theme, because of who is making the hire, expect Wisconsin to continue its tradition of running the ball and playing sound defense. Chryst's teams have and would do that.

Others to monitor:

Justin Fuente, Memphis head coach

I voted Fuente third on my Coach of the Year ballot after he took Memphis from 3-9 to 9-3. I’m surprised the 38-year-old didn’t get more of a look for Nebraska, but, again, it seems as if AD Shawn Eichorst was locked in the entire time on Mike Riley.

Fuente’s former boss, Gary Patterson, just won Coach of the Year. So it’s a good time to be from Patterson’s tree. Like Patterson's and Fuente’s time together at TCU, Memphis won this season with defense and ball control. Again, that plays well in Wisconsin.

Dave Doeren, NC State head coach

Prior to head-coaching stops at Northern Illinois and NC State, Doeren was Wisconsin’s defensive coordinator from 2006-10.

After replacing Jerry Kill, he was 23-4 at Northern Illinois and got the Huskies to the Orange Bowl in 2012. He didn’t inherit a lot of talent at NC State, but I’m still surprised the Wolfpack have struggled to a 10-14 record in his two seasons. If Chryst’s .500 mark doesn’t inspire fans, that will be an even tougher sell.

The Wolfpack are 7-5 this season, however, and they routed rival North Carolina in the regular-season finale. Getting Florida transfer Jacoby Brissett on the field at QB helped in ’14.

Pat Narduzzi, Michigan State defensive coordinator

As a coordinator who coaches defense, Narduzzi would be fighting the national trend for head coaching experience and offense. But Wisconsin could do a lot worse than the 48-year-old who has been at Michigan State since 2007. Narduzzi clearly knows the league and would maintain Wisconsin’s typically high standard of defense.

Those in the coaching profession believe that Narduzzi is going to land somewhere and cause regret for all the ADs who had a chance to hire him and didn’t.