By Robbie Neiswanger
Arkansas News Bureau • rneiswanger@arkansasnews.com

FAYETTEVILLE — Urban Meyer’s decision to resign at Florida sent shockwaves around the college football world Saturday.

Where will the Gators turn to replace Meyer, who led the program to two national championships in the past three years?

Arkansas fans probably won’t like one name that was mentioned Saturday night.

Not long after Meyer announced he was stepping down for health reasons, Arkansas’ Bobby Petrino was among several coaches mentioned as a potential candidate for the job. Petrino will wrap up his second season with the Razorbacks when Arkansas plays East Carolina in the Liberty Bowl. But Arkansas’ first bowl trip under Petrino could take a back seat to talk about the Florida job.

ESPN college football analyst Mark May named Petrino when discussing potential candidates on television. Yahoo! Sports’ Tom Dienhart mentioned Petrino, Oklahoma’s Bob Stoops, Mississippi State’s Dan Mullen and even the NFL’s Mike Shanahan among potential replacements. And ESPN.com’s Chris Low wrote that Petrino, Stoops and Mullen are coaches to keep an eye on in the discussion.

Petrino, who is paid $2.85 million annually by the Razorbacks, is not permitted to leave Arkansas for another Southeastern Conference Western Division school according to the terms of his contract. But the Gators are in the SEC East. Petrino’s contract includes a $6.75 milion buyout if he were to leave the Razorbacks before Dec. 31. The buyout drops to $4.75 million after Dec. 31.

Petrino, who is 12-12 in two seasons at Arkansas, could not be reached for comment Saturday night.

The Razorbacks are scheduled to report to Memphis for the Liberty Bowl on Sunday afternoon.