This weekend on TrojanSports.com we've run two concurrent polls regarding USC's ongoing coaching search, which could be nearing the final stretch with just two weeks left in college football's regular season.

-Poll 1: Who do you think WILL BE the next head coach at USC?

-Poll 2: Who do you WANT to be the next head coach at USC?

Interestingly, the polls produced different leaders, but in each two names rose above the rest.

USC has continued to remain free of leaks during this coaching search, so there are no reports or intel on where athletic director Mike Bohn actually stands in the process, but it would be reasonable to conclude that after two months of vetting candidates, backchanneling with agents and internal discussions that Bohn and Co. have a short list of top candidates they're working from -- and perhaps even a clear No. 1.

All the rest of us can do is speculate, connect dots and express opinions.

So with that preface, here is OUR current ranking of the top candidates to be USC's next head football coach.

To be clear, this is who we would prioritize in order for the job -- not who we feel is the most likely hire. That guy checks in at No. 3 on the list. Scroll down to see our rationale and breakdowns.

Join the discussion about USC's coaching search and reactions to our Hot Board on Trojan Talk.

Current role: Head coach at Cincinnati (5th year)

Career HC record: 51-21 (45-14 at Cincinnati)

Notable accomplishments: After starting 4-8 in his first season at Cincinnati in 2017, Fickell reeled off back-to-back 11-win seasons followed by a 9-1 mark last year. The team was part of the public conversation for the College Football Playoffs, ultimately finishing No. 8 in the CFP rankings. And now the Bearcats are 10-0 and making an especially compelling case to be the first non-Power 5 program to breakthrough with a CFP berth. They aren't just winning -- they're dominating with an average margin of victory of 23 points per game, including an 11-point win at Notre Dame.

Why he would be a fit: Well, to try to figure out Bohn's next big football coaching hire, it only makes sense to look at his last one -- Fickell. He was the co-defensive coordinator at Ohio State, where he had also previously spent the 2011 season as interim head coach, when Bohn hired him after the 2016 season to take over the Bearcats program. Bohn and senior associate AD Brandon Sosna have a strong relationship with Fickell. More than that, Fickell is exactly what USC needs -- a coach who can instill discipline to an undisciplined program and set a badly-needed new culture. He created what Cincinnati has become, which is a relentless and consistent team that doesn't take weeks off. Imagine that with the talent he could bring in at USC.

Why he wouldn't be a fit: There aren't any obvious points to make here, other than he'd be making the jump from the Group of 5 level to a Power 5 blue-blood program with the highest of expectations. That said, Fickell spent 15 years on staff at Ohio State, which also fits that criteria. And he's now proven himself on a big enough stage that this shouldn't be a concern. The two concerns are that if Cincinnati does land in the playoff -- the Bearcats were fifth in the latest CFP rankings -- then Fickell would be tied up until at least late December. Can the Trojans wait that long and let the early signing period pass without a head coach in place? And then there is the fit question from his perspective, and whether he -- and his family -- want to leave the Midwest or wait to make his next move in the region in which he's established.

The Los Angeles Times' Brady McCollough traveled to Cincinnati earlier this fall to profile Fickell and spoke with his wife about her role in evaluating any potential jobs. It didn't sound like a foregone no, but it did sound like USC would have to be really convincing to make it happen.

Our take: Fickell isn't atop this list because we think he's the most likely hire for USC -- we just think he would be the best hire. If Bohn were to hire Fickell again, knowing his strengths and weaknesses as well as any athletic director could, that means he had concluded without any doubt that Fickell can replicate what he did at Cincinnati here at USC. Of course, we don't know Bohn's thinking on the matter, but we'll give you ours. Fickell's entire background checks the boxes of what USC needs. He was a defensive coordinator at one of the top programs in the country, and man, does USC's defense need addressing. He runs a tight program and comes from a disciplined background as a former wrestler. Maybe that's more anecdotal than extrapolative, but hey, any attribute that reflects discipline and toughness is enticing for USC fans. And he now has significant head coaching experience with consistent top-end results, so he wouldn't be learning on the job. In our opinion, USC needs to make Fickell say no before moving down the list.