LOS ANGELES – With Week 17 of the NFL season upon us, the annual Black Monday flurry of coaching firings will commence after this weekend. NFL executives are bracing for an unusually busy season in the coaching market, with at least a quarter of the league’s 32 head-coaching jobs expected to open.

What’s the best guess for the number of NFL openings? A safe target to set an over-under is 9.5. There’s already four jobs that are considered sure things to open – New York Giants (open), Cincinnati Bengals (open), Indianapolis Colts and Chicago Bears. There’s five jobs that are considered likely – Detroit Lions, Washington Redskins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Cleveland Browns and Arizona Cardinals. Then there’s five jobs where there’s a chance of an opening – Houston Texans, Oakland Raiders, New York Jets, Denver Broncos and Tennessee Titans. (Plus, there’s always a curveball job – Seattle Seahawks? – that no one expects to open.)

“I don’t think there’s enough candidates to fill the jobs,” said one veteran NFL coach. “Who do you hire to coach? Who’s left? Who do you hire?”

There will be some heavy recycling in NFL circles, as coaches like Eagles assistant Jim Schwartz and New England Patriots assistant Josh McDaniels appear in line to get another shot. In a copycat league, there will be a youth movement to attempt to hire the next Sean McVay or Kyle Shanahan. There will also be hot names like New England’s Matt Patricia, Houston’s Mike Vrabel and Detroit’s Teryl Austin and Jim Bob Cooter.

So where does that leave the college space? The odds are that an NFL franchise will at least kick the tires on a handful of college coaches.

View photos David Shaw could be up for a head coaching job in the NFL if he decides he wants to leave his alma mater Stanford. (AP) More

There’s a surprise college job that opens in virtually every coaching cycle. Think Bob Stoops suddenly stepping down at Oklahoma in 2017 or the departures of coaches like Chip Kelly, Bill O’Brien and Greg Schiano to the NFL. (And you can dig deeper to Pete Carroll, Jim Harbaugh and Bobby Petrino.)

The most obvious college opening that could pop this offseason is Kansas State, as Bill Snyder is defying age, health and his own legacy if he returns to Manhattan for the 2018 season. (He’d turn 79 next season and said after the Cactus Bowl on Tuesday that his future “hasn’t been decided yet.”)

There’s no obvious coach ripe to jump, as Stanford’s David Shaw is the No. 1 candidate but has shown no signs of wavering from his commitment to his alma mater. Let’s assume Nick Saban still has no interest and Jimbo Fisher isn’t movable because he just signed a guaranteed contract for $75 million. We’ll throw Washington’s Chris Petersen in that category, too, as it would be stunning if he held a job other than Washington’s head coach.

Where does that leave us? Well, here’s a look at potential top NFL targets in the college game for both this season and beyond.

1. David Shaw, Stanford

Let’s be clear here. There are no signs that Shaw has any interest in leaving Stanford. He has built the program to historic levels, the university has followed through with pristine facilities and perks like housing for assistant coaches. This may be the best coach-university marriage in all of college football. But Shaw is on this list because he is the NFL’s top target of interest, which was affirmed by Shaw being the only college coach recommended by the NFL’s career development advisory panel.

Someday, Shaw may take that call. But not soon.

2. Jim Harbaugh, Michigan

His professional pedigree from both playing and coaching is better than any college candidate. But Harbaugh comes with a warning label from administrators at Stanford and the San Francisco 49ers: Doesn’t play well with others.

Harbaugh is a tortured genius who some think would be a perfect match with eccentric Colts owner Jim Irsay. General managers in Chicago and Indianapolis may be a bit more hesitant, considering the strife with the front office in San Francisco.

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