Dan Wolken

USA TODAY Sports

Purdue officials now believe it is unlikely they will get a sitdown with Western Michigan coach PJ Fleck and are prepared to move onto their next target, Western Kentucky's Jeff Brohm, according to a person with knowledge of the process.

The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the private nature of the matter.

Western Kentucky officials, according to a different person with knowledge of the situation, are preparing for Brohm's possible departure following Saturday's Conference USA championship game and have identified Troy's Neal Brown, who has ties to the state of Kentucky, as a primary candidate.

Former Houston coach Tony Levine, who built much of the roster Tom Herman won with the past two years and is currently the Hilltoppers' special teams coordinator, will also be a strong candidate.

In Playoff era, conference title games become a harder sell

Brohm, like Fleck, has refused to talk with other schools until after their championship games.

Fleck could ultimately decide to meet with Purdue this weekend. But it now appears his most attractive options are going to Oregon, if he can get that job, or returning to Western Michigan with a raise while reassessing the landscape next year.

Others believed to be in the mix at Oregon include Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen, Boise State's Bryan Harsin, South Florida's Willie Taggart and possibly Florida's Jim McElwain.