Dave Christensen was considered a hot commodity as one of the top offensive minds in the country.  Until Monday afternoon anyway.

The offensive coordinator for the Missouri Tigers over the last eight seasons, Christensen was named the new head football coach of the Wyoming Cowboys  Monday afternoon, taking his potential services off the table for other vacancies such as New Mexico and Washington where he was also rumored to be a candidate.

In a press release from the University of Wyoming, Tom Burman, UW Athletics Director said the following:

“We are thrilled to be able to attract a coach with the experience that Coach Christensen brings to our program.  He is one of the great offensive minds in college football, and he will bring a very exciting brand of football to Johah Field.”

“The plan he presented to us for building a comprehensive program was the best we heard in our search process.  I am confident that he will put an outstanding coaching staff together, and that they will hit the ground running.  With Dave leading Cowboy Football, I believe our program will make dramatic progress in the coming years and return to a position of prominence in the Mountain West Conference.”

Christensen’s total package could exceed $750,000 per year.

Christensen was named the 2007 National Offensive Coordinator of the Year by Rivals.com and was also the runner-up for the 2007 Frank Broyles Award, which honors the  top assistant coach in the nation each season.

The Tigers have been one of the country’s highest scoring offenses over the past several years, even setting a record of 558 points during the 2007 season.  In fact, the Tigers were the only team in the country to score at least 30 points in every game in 2007.

Christensen stated that he is committed to help Missouri in their final two games of the season, saying that “it is the least he could do” to help the Tigers finish their season after what they’ve given him through the years.  The Tigers face the Oklahoma Sooners in the Big 12 Championship this weekend.

Wyoming also spoke with former Utah State and Michigan State head coach, John L. Smith, as well as current Nebraska assistant and former UW receivers coach, Ted Gilmore about the position.

Christensen will be looking to put Wyoming back near the top of the offensive rankings after a dismal season in which the Cowboys only scored a total of 152 points in 12 games.  In fact, after going 138-97-1 during the ’80’s and ’90’s with eleven winning seasons, the Pokes have struggled mightily in the new millennium, compiling a record of just 35-70.

New Mexico and San Diego State are continuing their search for their next respective head coaches.  Rumors had surfaced that Air Force head coach, Troy Calhoun, had been in the running for the Tennessee job, but the Volunteers have already announced that former Oakland Raiders head coach, Lane Kiffin, has been hired for the position.  UNM and SDSU are the only vacant jobs in the Mountain West at the current time.