Depending on how you like your sports talk radio, this news will either disturb you or thrill you: according to somebody at ESPN, everybody’s favorite Schrutebag, Colin Cowherd, is the clubhouse leader to fill Dan Patrick’s radio slot. Shudder. Our source isn’t saying he’s a lock, but the phrase, ‘if he wants it, he’ll likely get it’ was used.

As best we can determine, the list is long and distinguished. If an established radio name (Cowherd, Screamin’ A Smith, Dan LeBatard) lands the gig, will he go with a no-name sidekick to hog the spotlight? Or would the network rather go younger and hipper? These are all things to consider. After the jump, we break down the top rumored candidates … and of course, we’ve seen things wrong before:

Cowherd – No actual journalism skills that we’ve been able to discern, except that he’s bombastic and likes to blow blogs up. Really, really loud. He’s an agitator, like Newman, yet somehow, people listen.

Mike Tirico – Enjoy him on Thursday night college football, and he’s obviously intelligent. Great, great voice. There’s that whole stalker thing in his past, though. And he lives in Michigan, plus works on Monday Night Football. Then again, Kornheiser juggles PTI and MNF and a radio show.

Scott Van Pelt – He interviewed a blogger, so he’s willing to take chances. Die hard Terps fan, avid golfer, and a frat boy. But is he a big enough name?

Josh Elliott – Also lacks in name recognition, but he’s a pretty-boy who supposedly is well-liked Bristol. The one thing he’s got going over Van Pelt is his lack of obsession with cheesy catchphrases, which are very 1997.

Stephen A. Smith – Has the journalism background, but it seems like a distant memory. Now he’s a shouting parody who probably would be ‘on’ if he walked into Dunkin Donuts. Probably too polarizing for ESPN’s top radio spot.

Brian Kenny – He’s the Shane Battier of radio – solid all around.

Dan LeBatard – Hard to imagine he’s not in the mix, but can he handle a Miami Herald column and ESPN’s flagship radio show?