Former Colorado and Northwestern head coach Gary Barnett is interested in the head-coaching job at SMU. Barnett made the comments in weekend editions of The Dallas Morning News.

Barnett has been out of coaching since he was forced out at Colorado in December 2005 because of scandals and an increasing number of losses, the final a 70-3 loss to Texas in the Big 12 championship game.

The 61-year-old coach said he has no immediate plans to visit SMU, but said the job intrigues him. Barnett discussed the opening last week with the search firm SMU is using.

“Anybody in coaching knows what a thrill it is to coach in the state of Texas,” said Barnett.

Barnett has a strong resume, but a checkered final few years at Colorado.

He was 49-38 in seven seasons at Colorado – including a Big 12 Conference championship in 2001, four Big 12 North titles and two AP Big 12 Coach of the Year honors.

He was hired, in part, to clean up a program that had faltered underneath another potential SMU candidate – Rick Neuheisel. But in 2004, Barnett found himself embroiled in scandal amid allegations that the school used alcohol and sex in the process of recruiting football players. An investigation concluded that the allegations were true but not sanctioned by any Colorado officials.

Barnett also found himself in hot water when he said kicker Katie Hnida, who alleged she was raped during her time on the team, was an “awful” player who “couldn’t kick the ball through the uprights.” At the time, Barnett said the quotes were taken out of context.

Before arriving at Colorado, Barnett was the head coach of Northwestern from 1992-1998. He was named Big 10 Coach of the Year in 1995 and 1996.

His 1995 team won eight straight games to finish the season, winning the Big 10 title and earning the school its first Rose Bowl birth in 47 years. The team followed up by sharing a part of the Big 10 title in 1996.