Between A Rock And A Hard Place    Okay, enough is enough. Does everyone really believe that Gene Taylor is going to hire Rocky Hager back as head coach of the Thundering Herd? Except for hardcore Bison fans around the country, the important populus tend to remember the negative aspects of the Bison program under Hager. So you say, what people would not look so friendly on Rocky's return? Hager's proponents say, "The guy is a Bison traditionalist and knows what it means to be a Bison." I would tend to agree with that statement, but will the NDSU heirarchy agree? My gut feeling is no. Then who will it be? Let's take a peek into Gene Taylor's 'coconut' and search for his only logical choice to be the next NDSU Head Football Coach. Taylor's mind-set: 1. Taylor is going to hire a coach who will adhere to his calling and not that of the Bison fan. 2. After the offensive debacles of the last couple years, Taylor will hire someone from the offensive side of the coaching realm. 3. Taylor will eliminate any coach isn't currently, at least, an assistant in the DI-A ranks (must have DI job until hired), because he believes that this is the only way to build a Division I program. 4. Taylor will argue that, yes, former Bison coaches and players know the Bison tradition, but successful programs from all around the country carry a similiar football tradition. What makes NDSU special? 5. Taylor will not hire anyone with controversy in their past (none what-so-ever). To Taylor and Chapman, image is everything and winning is looked on as an added bonus. 6. And the last reason - Taylor doesn't really care what Bison fans think. After last season, Bison fans called for the firing of Babich. but Taylor continued on his own course. Do you get it? He has his own agenda. (This elimates Rocky Hager, Mark Mauer & any other popular candidates entirely) So after looking at the list of 26 candidates, who is left that matches his criteria? 1. Brian Rock, offensive coordinator, Western Michigan 2. Dennis Wagner, assistant head coach, Fresno State (Calif.) (Bill Cubit is eliminated because he resigned from Rutgers & Chuck Moller is eliminated by being a former NDSU grad-assistant)     Two. Just two candidates? Now we must eliminate one of the final two candidates. Pretty easy once you think about it. Of the final two candidates let's look for a candidate with ties to the Upper Midwest (for possible long term retention). Let's see.... Looking at their biographies.... Just a second.... I'm not a fast reader.... The next head coach of the Bison is.... You all know I'm going to be right..... Dennis Wagner, Assistant Head Coach, Fresno State University (CA). Put the money in the bank....