Like a bunch of others in this thread I'd like to see Ash go, but don't want Schiano. At some point I would want to dig deeper in the numbers but anecdotally it seems his teams get killed by spread option teams, both at OSU and when he was here. Most teams are running some version of that now and I'm not sure if he's adapted enough. Sure Schiano's defenses have generally been good, but I think he's gotten by with having more talent lately rather then scheme.
We need someone innovative and preferably with an offensive background. Both college and NFL have focused their recent rules toward protecting players which has opened up offensive opportunities.
It's also imperative that the new coach understand modern strategy and game theory. The first question they should ask in the interview is if they would punt or go for it on 4th and anything on the opponents 40 yard line. At the very least they should get some of the top minds in the Math and Economics departments to help out the coaches with in game decisions like the
Eagles do.