Since the departure of Kevin Johnson as president of Microsoft’s Platforms and Services Division in July, it’s pretty clear that the company is in need of an advertising head. AdAge handicaps some possible contenders, with one unidentified source telling the mag that Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) needs a “Palin”—namely, an unexpected choice similar to Republican presidential candidate John McCain’s surprise pick of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate.  Some of the names being bandied about include:

SEE ALSO: Industry Moves: Microsoft’s Kevin Johnson Out; Reorg Of Platform And Services; Ballmer Memo

—Brian McAndrews: Given that the former CEO of Microsoft’s aQuantive would be an obvious selection, he certainly doesn’t count as a Palin. And his work on integrating the aQuantive businesses into Microsoft has earned him high marks. But the odds are 2-to-1 that he would get the job, as the Microsoft purchase made him very rich, meaning that he is unlikely to bother working for someone else—especially someone like the hard-to-please Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer.

—Yusuf Mehdi: A relative longshot at 3-to-1, though Mehdi is a Microsoft vet, he gets the culture and saw his stature rise for his work on the ill-fated Yahoo (NSDQ: YHOO) deal. But many feel that he’s too entrenched in Microsoft culture and the company would benefit more from an outsider at this point.

—Dan Rosensweig: He’s the Palin Microsoft observers are talking about, but the chance that he’ll be tapped to lead Microsoft’s advertising is 7-to-1. Previously the COO at Yahoo and CNet Networks’ president, Rosensweig is currently at PE firm Quadrangle Partners and it would take a lot of wooing to get him to cross over.

—Jonathan Miller: Okay, at 15-to-1 odds, Miller, the former AOL (NYSE: TWX) CEO and one of the founders of venture capital group Velocity Interactive, is the real long shot mainly because a non-compete clause has him bound up until next March.