It's been one heck of a week in the Pac-12 and it's only Wednesday. The coaching carousel is on high speed as Washington continues to search for its next head coach.

A lofty buyout remains a wrinkle for Justin Wilcox and his future.

Some of the names attached to the search are Chris Petersen, Gary Pinkel and Doug Nussmeier. Obviously 'Nuss' makes the most sense of this list and it's likely there is some reciprocating interest.

Justin Wilcox remains a wild card but his preference would be to head south with Sarkisian and coach at USC. His issue is his buyout of nearly a million dollars. If Wilcox were to head to USC, assistants Peter Sirmon and Tosh Lupoi might join him, but also have buyout issues of their own.

Speaking of Sarkisian and USC his immediate priority will be assembling his staff. An obvious hurdle is if Wilcox and company will be able to join him and will factor on who he keeps at USC. Sources seem to indicate Tee Martin may work on returning to SEC country which is likely where Ed Orgeron lands.

Across the city UCLA got big news when Jim Mora turned down an offer from Washington and got a raise in Westwood. Ultimately this wasn't about money for him, however more support from the administration was needed to take the program to the next level.

The Bruins have an opening of their own to fill. Early Monday it was announced running backs coach Steve Broussard would not be retained at UCLA. Broussard will take some time to enjoy his family but will find a landing spot somewhere likely coaching backs or receivers.

As for the vacancy UCLA might be looking at former Trojan assistant Kennedy Polamalu or even another assistant from USC.

But the cross town rivalry won't end there. Don't be surprised to see USC target assistants Demetrice Martin and Adrian Klemm when assembling its staff. Whether it leads to a switch or simply a pay raise for each, it's likely to be something to monitor.

Back up in Seattle the word is Washington AD is out on the road today making visits. Clearly he isn't out looking at new real estate, so some news may become available who the next target is. One thing we know is coaching searches are great for two things, getting coaches raises and surprise hires.

Adrian Klemm might find himself in a cross-town bidding war.

In the interim some of the assistants at Washington have taken lead of the day to day duties. One assistant making it relatively well known he'd like to stay in Seattle is Marques Tuiasosopo. Washington is where he's always wanted to be and he's hoping to be retained by the next hire. He's done a great job in his lone year and should get his wish. Don't be surprised to see him elevated in his position at Washington.

What about Chris Petersen? I for one was dead wrong when I thought he would pursue the USC job. Either he has no interest in leaving Boise or he didn't see Los Angeles as a good fit for him and his family. I'm going on a limb and thinking it's the latter.

A great source indicated to me months ago he would have taken the Oregon job if offered. He was not given a shot as Oregon promoted Mark Helfrich to the position. Washington might be a better fit for him and his needs and he could be a serious player there. Petersen isn't after a pay raise at this point, he views the conference alignment as a serious detriment to the long term at Boise.

Also while we are on the subject of pay raises, UCLA OC Noel Mazzone and ASU OC Mike Norvell have been linked to the vacant Florida OC position. Both would be great hires, but likely remain at their current school. The biggest hurdle with regards to Mazzone is if he was hired elsewhere his son would likely need to join him as he is currently on the Bruin staff.

Just a random thought here while I'm rumbling along. ASU head coach Todd Graham has had a tremendous season in Tempe. Should the Texas coaching job open up it's not far fetched to think he gets a serious look there. He prefers recruiting the Texas region even now at ASU and I think he might know the AD pretty well. Once again, it never hurts to have your name attached for a little pay raise.

Just something to think about.

I'm hearing other Pac-12 programs may make subtle changes to assistants later this month or after bowl season. It doesn't sound like there will be a major shakeup, but a couple different schools may have some positions open as well.

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