ANN ARBOR -- From 1969-2007, a span of 38 years, Michigan went through three head coaches.

But now, with the firing of Brady Hoke, Michigan will be searching for its third head coach in the last seven years.

Times have changed.

Hoke is out after his nightmarish 2014 season saw Michigan finish 5-7 overall, and miss a bowl for the third time since 2008. His career record in Ann Arbor: 31-20, 18-14 in Big Ten play.

Under Hoke, Michigan went 1-3 against Michigan State, 1-3 against Ohio State and 2-2 against Notre Dame. In those rivalry games on the road, Michigan was 0-7. Against ranked opponents, Hoke was 3-10. His teams also were 7-13 in true road games.

None of that was good enough, and now Michigan will be on to the next man.

Who might that man be? Time will tell.

But, for now, here's a few names we'll probably hear a little bit about in the coming days and weeks.

TOP NAMES

Jim Harbaugh

Jim Harbaugh: Head coach, San Francisco 49ers

The number one name on virtually every Michigan fan's wish list, the former Michigan quarterback was one of the hottest names in coaching after leaving Stanford for the NFL prior to the 2011 season. As a college coach, the charismatic 50-year-old resurrected programs at San Diego and Stanford from 2004-2010, tallying a 58-27 record, including a 12-1 season and an Orange Bowl win with the Cardinal in 2010.

In four seasons with the 49ers, Harbaugh is 43-16-1 with a Super Bowl appearance and two division titles.

He is, without a doubt, the biggest fish in Michigan's coaching pond. But is he also the hardest pull? Harbaugh's had a rocky year in San Francisco, and constant speculation over a broken relationship with his general manager and unrest in his locker room has many NFL insiders believing he won't be back next season. However, even if he does leave, he'll be considered a top candidate for several open NFL jobs.

Les Miles

Les Miles: Head coach, Louisiana State

The former Michigan offensive lineman and assistant coach, Miles' name has been a staple of previous Michigan coaching searches. Is this finally the occasion where everything clicks between these two parties?

Miles has been wildly successful during his 10 seasons at LSU. He's logged more than 100 wins with the Tigers, he's won a national title (2007) and finished as a national runner up (2011). He's won 10 or more games seven of the 10 seasons he's been in Baton Rouge.

The upside? You might not have to wait very long for this guy. The downside? He turned 61 on Nov. 10. How many years does he have left in the tank?

OTHERS TO WATCH

Dan Mullen

Dan Mullen: Head coach, Mississippi State

He has no Michigan connection, but he seems to be the hottest name among active college coaches at the moment. The 42-year-old was Urban Meyer's right-hand man at Bowling Green, Utah and eventually Florida (helping him win a pair of national titles) before taking over Mississippi State's program in 2009.

He pounded Michigan in the Gator Bowl at the close of the 2010 season, giving the Bulldogs their most wins as a program (9) since 1999. The 2014 season has been Mullen's breakout year, though, as the Bulldogs began the season 9-0, spending four weeks as the No. 1 team in the country before a 25-20 loss at Alabama on Nov. 15.

Greg Schiano

Greg Schiano: No job, most recently Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The the same way that Michigan wouldn't have to wait to possibly fill the seat with a candidate like Miles, Schiano is a guy who is available to start coaching right now. As he doesn't have a job.

Schiano's biggest coaching success came during his time at Rutgers, eventually taking a completely irrelevant program and pushing it to an 11-2 record in 2006. Schiano went to six bowl games during his tenure. The school had only played in one previously. He went 68-67 at Rutgers, and then went just 11-21 in a disappointing two-year stay with the Tampa Bay Bucs.

Todd Graham

Todd Graham: Head coach, Arizona State

A coaching nomad, Graham is on his fourth job since 2006 presently with Arizona State. He's guided Arizona State to back-to-back 10-win seasons and has had winning seasons in seven of the nine years he's been a head coach.

He received heavy scrutiny for the way he left Pittsburgh after the 2011 season, quitting after one year and informing players via a second-hand text message the following day.

David Shaw

David Shaw: Head coach, Stanford

Still a very young coach at 42, Shaw is pretty skilled at two things Michigan fans love: Power football and academics. He was Jim Harbaugh's offensive coordinator at Stanford during the program's recent resurgence. And when Harbaugh went pro, Shaw went 34-7 over his first three years in charge of the program.

Stanford has been down in 2014, but Shaw still seems attractive. Also, Shaw -- who is from California -- played high school football at Rochester Adams while his father (Willie Shaw) coached for the Detroit Lions.

John Harbaugh

John Harbaugh: Head coach, Baltimore Ravens

John Harbaugh's never been a college head coach, and he didn't play at Michigan. But his name and his family will have him tied to this place forever. Jim's older brother, John Harbaugh, 52, graduated from Ann Arbor Pioneer High School while his father, Jack, was an assistant for Bo Schembechler in the 1970s.

During his seven seasons as the head coach of the Baltimore Ravens, Harbaugh has won a Super Bowl and has secured five playoff appearances.

He was asked publicly earlier this season about his name being tied to Michigan speculation, but deflected the question: "Brady Hoke is a guy that we all believe in. The Harbaughs believe in Brady Hoke," Harbaugh said on Sept. 29. "He's a great coach. He believes in Michigan. I believe in what they're doing there. ... I'm interested in Brady Hoke being the coach at Michigan for a long time."

Butch Jones

Butch Jones: Head coach, Tennessee

The 46-year-old Jones is from Saugatuck, he played at Ferris State and really got his coaching career going during his time as an assistant and eventual head coach at Central Michigan. Jones' 2009 CMU team went 11-2, getting him his next gig at Cincinnati. The Bearcats went 19-6 over Jones' final two seasons before the SEC came calling.

Jones is currently in the second year of a rebuilding job at Tennessee. Tennessee athletic director Dave Hart told VolQuest.com on Tuesday that negotiations on a new contract extension for Jones at Tennessee are "already underway."

Jim McElwain

Jim McElwain: Head coach, Colorado State

The 52-year-old former Alabama offensive coordinator currently is in his third year at Colorado State, and has pulled off a quick rebuilding job for that Mountain West program. The Rams went 10-2 this season after going 3-9 in 2011 under former coach Steve Fairchild.

If McElwain's on the short list, Michigan would likely have to act fast, as he is already rumored to be a leading candidate for Florida's job vacancy.