Twenty-four of the 25 head coaching vacancies in college football in 2011 have been filled, according to coachingsearch.com.

Penn State is the odd school out.

Here are 15 questions and answers about the school's six-person committee's thus-far ill-fated search:

1. What is Penn State’s deadline for finding a new head coach?

On Nov. 28, when its committee was formed, Penn State said it hoped to find a new head coach by its bowl game (which turned out to be the TicketCity Bowl vs. Houston on Jan. 2).

Then, while in Dallas on Dec. 8 for bowl business, acting athletic director Dave Joyner said he hoped Penn State would have a new coach in place in the next 30 days (that would be Saturday, Jan. 7).

2. What does Joyner now have to say?

On Thursday afternoon, through Penn State’s sports information department, Joyner issued the following statement:

“As we head into the holidays, I wanted to share an update on the search for the next head football coach at Penn State. We are continuing to talk with individuals that we’re interested in and work through the interview process. As I’m sure all can appreciate, this is a very important hire for Penn State and, as a result, the search committee is taking a very deliberate and measured approach to the process in order to identify the coach that best fits the requirements of the position.

“We look forward to introducing our new football coach at the appropriate time. In the interim, I’d like to wish everyone happy holidays as well as remind all Penn Staters to support our team and its 23 seniors as they compete against the 12-1 Houston Cougars in the TicketCity Bowl in Dallas on Jan. 2.”

3. Are there any deadlines coming up?

Right now, all college football coaches can’t talk to any recruits – committed or otherwise. Recruiting is in a dead period during bowl season.

Beginning on Wednesday, Jan. 3, coaches are allowed to meet and communicate with all recruits through and including Saturday, Jan. 7. So it is very possible that Penn State might announce its new coach by Jan. 3.

One scenario has the new coach meeting the Penn State players in Dallas the evening of Jan. 2 – before the team scatters the next morning on dozens of airplanes all across the country back to their hometowns. Then the new coach would meet the press on Jan. 3 in Dallas or University Park, or on Jan. 4-5 in University Park. That’s a guess – but it would explain Joyner’s 30-day window he announced on Dec. 8.

4. What if they miss that Jan. 3-7 announcement time frame?

More waiting. Recruiting is quiet on Jan. 8 (recruits can come to campus, but coaches can’t visit recruits). Then, from Jan. 9-12 recruiting is not permitted as the American Football Coaches Association has its annual convention in San Antonio.

After the convention, recruiting hits the homestretch, as coaches’ visits are allowed from Jan. 13-28. National signing day is Wednesday, Feb. 1.

5. So how close are they to getting a coach?

A source close to the committee said that the group had planned to interview up to five candidates this week, and then whittle that list down to three or four. Coaches from both the college level and the NFL are included.

6. Is there a clear-cut No. 1 choice?

No, according to someone close to the committee.

7. What’s taking so long?

Joyner and his team are searching for a coach with integrity and a clean record, who has experience coaching at the college level. In addition, he must be able to come close to matching Penn State’s most important numbers: an 87 percent graduation rate for both white players and African-American players; $53 million annual profit; and a .761 winning percentage (67-21).

8. What’s the problem?

Actually, there’s two: A.) They have to find the coach – if such a person even exists. B.) And then they have to convince him to come. So far, even if there have been a few finders, there have been no takers.

9. Why not?

Do I really need to answer that?

Let’s just quote what an agent for a number of major college football coaches told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: “The Penn State job is a toxic situation -- everybody is steering clear of it.”

10. Who has Penn State interviewed – or least discussed the job with?

This much is known: Three coaches on the current staff: interim head coach Tom Bradley, quarterbacks coach Jay Paterno and defensive line coach Larry Johnson.

Penn State has also discussed the position with Baylor associate head coach Brian Norwood, a former Penn State assistant coach; Nebraska head coach Bo Pelini, an Ohio native; and Green Bay Packers quarterback coach Tom Clements from Pennsylvania native, who as a quarterback led Notre Dame to a national championship in 1973.

11. So who else is on the list?

Florida International head coach Mario Cristobal, a runner-up for the Pitt job that went to Paul Chryst, is believed to be a candidate. His squad lost 20-10 to Marshall in the Beef  ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl on Tuesday. He has 19 of 22 starters back in 2012. A source has said that the committee would like to talk with Mike Munchak, a former Penn State offensive and Hall of Fame player for the Tennessee.

The committee is no doubt looking at candidates who were out of coaching (ala Bob Davie, New Mexico; Urban Meyer, Ohio State; and Terry Bowden, Akron). Talented coordinators similar to Chryst – who had a very successful seven-year run guiding the Wisconsin offense – may also be in the mix.

12. Why don’t they just promote Bradley – he’s been a Penn State player and coach for 37 years. His defenses are perennially ranked in the Top 5 in several categories.

Under normal circumstances, Bradley’s promotion would most likely be a foregone conclusion. But now, he’s a long shot at best due to the fallout from the Sandusky scandal. Bradley was a housemate of key scandal figure Mike McQueary, a former Penn State assistant coach, for a few years in the mid-2000s and also testified before the grand jury. He replaced Sandusky in 2000 and worked under Paterno, two key figures, in the scandal.

Bradley professes he has no knowledge of an illegal activity regarding the scandal. Still, it is widely believed the search committee will clean house with this hire.

13. So I hear Penn State is getting killed in recruiting, as high school star players are bailing left and right. Really?

Not exactly right, says Ryan Snyder, the recruiting reporter for Blue White Illustrated. Before news of the scandal broke on Nov. 4, Penn State had 16 verbal commitments, Snyder said.

That number is now 13, with the loss of J.P. Holtz (Shaler High School, Pittsburgh), Tommy Schutt (Glen Ellyn, Ill.) and Joey O’Connor (Windsor, Colo.). The Nittany Lions also lost Bishop McDevitt star lineman Noah Spence, who was not in the original 16, but who Snyder said was leaning heavily to Penn State. In addition, Philly.com reported on Thursday that St. Joseph’s Prep senior quarterback Skyler Morningweg will maintain his oral commitment to Penn State, but plans to visit “two or three” other schools in January.

14. What about the other guys? Anybody else going to leave?

Snyder reports that Malik Golden (Cheshire, Conn.) is looking elsewhere. West Roxbury (Mass.) Catholic Memorial teammates Cameron Williams and Armani Reeves are shaky as well.

Williams is the lynchpin. Snyder says Williams is the hub of communications with this recruiting class, which extensively uses Facebook and Twitter. It’s no wonder visiting Williams was high on Bradley’s list when he hit the road recruiting after Penn State lost to Wisconsin to end the regular season.

15. How could Pitt find a seemingly good and talented guy like Chryst in just a week, yet it’s been over six weeks since Joe Paterno was fired and there’s no news in sight?

As people have been saying for decades, Pitt is not Penn State.

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