As the dust settles in the Today studios in the wake of Lisa Wilkinson's spectacular and dramatic departure from the show she helmed for a decade, attention now turns to who will fill the chair she occupied so comfortably.
Executives at Nine will have a furrowed brow covered in a thin film of perspiration for the next few months as that role is filled and ratings are pored over obsessively.
The scars from Nine's last breakfast presenter line-up shuffle are still red and sore and the memories of trailing more than 100,000 viewers behind Sunrise still won't have faded.
For a decade Stefanovic and Wilkinson have steadily chipped away at closing the gap between the two rival shows, and now the steadiest rudder that navigated those stormy seas has gone.
Almost as soon as Wilkinson's tweet announcing her sad departure hit the internet, the gaze of media experts travelled along the Today desk and landed firmly on Sylvia Jeffreys.
The 31-year-old Queenslander started her career in Nine's Brisbane newsroom before relocating to Sydney for Today reporting duties in 2012. Two years later she was announced as the replacement for Georgie Gardner who hit the permanent snooze button on early mornings and left the Today newsreading gig.
Jeffreys has remained a popular presence on Today ever since and has long been rumoured to be the heir apparent when Wilkinson got sick of playing the straight guy to Stefanovic.
The fact Jeffreys is married to Stefanovic's little brother Pete, and that Stefanovic is widely regarded as Nine's golden child, only serves to firm up speculation that she will shortly be named as his sidekick.
Her gentle editorials and sincerity make her a perfect choice to play foil to Stefanovic's rants and laddish behaviour.
Expect fellow Queenslander Alison Ariotti to be on a red eye to replace Sylvia if this all comes to pass.
Should Nine do the unexpected there's two other names slowly gaining traction.
The first is the afore-mentioned Gardner, who fills in for Sonia Kruger on Today Extra from time to time. Despite having left the show three years ago she remains one of its most fondly regarded stars and her farewell episode still counts among the most watched episodes Today has enjoyed.
Should Nine think of looking outside their own ranks, the most likely candidate, and the best middle finger to their fiercest rival is former Seven newsreader Chris Bath.
Bath was once rumoured to be shifting from Seven to Nine to take up hosting duties on Today alongside Stefanovic the year before Wilkinson got the gig.
Bath left the Seven Network in 2015 after two decades of hard labour before picking up a gig at Aunty hosting the evenings show on ABC Radio Sydney.
Bath was a hugely popular presenter during her tenure at Seven, both as a newsreader and host of their flagship current affairs program Sunday Night.
Luring her across to Today would be glorious for TV fans who watched the drama unfold between Bath and Sunrise host Samantha Armytage, with Amytage once dubbing her intra-network rival 'Bath Vader'.
Seeing the two women go head-to-head on opposing shows would offer a ratings battle that could only be countered by an intergalactic war created by George Lucas himself.
It's understood no replacement has been chosen yet and Nine is biding their time with the very competent Deb Knight acting as a most suitable bench-warmer.
But one thing you can count on, ambitious young presenters from around the country are currently dusting off their showreels and best early morning smiles in the hopes they might be the ones to be tapped on the shoulder next.
