FanHouse Will Muschamp

The comparisons between the Texas Longhorns 2005 team and this season's team are inevitable.

At this point in the 2005 season, the Vince Young-led Longhorns looked pretty invincible. After a tough early season game against Ohio State , they romped over opponents with relative ease on the way to the BCS national title. These Colt McCoy-led Longhorns are doing the same with only their annual rivalry game against Oklahoma serving as the lone close challenge in putting together a perfect 9-0 record and a No. 2 national ranking.

It's just the second time since 1983 that the Longhorns have been 9-0. The other time, of course, was in 2005 when they put together an undefeated campaign that ended with a dramatic national championship victory over USC.

It was of little surprise Monday when Texas coach Mack Brown named redshirt freshman running back Tre' Newton as the starter for Saturday's UTEP game.

Newton gave the second-ranked Longhorns everything they had been looking for in a tailback for the last two seasons during Saturday's win over Texas Tech, picking up difficult yards and moving the chains. Filling in for injured starter Vondrell McGee in the second half, Newton rushed for 88 yards and one touchdown on 20 carries.

His 18 carries for 81 yards in the second half proved pivotal in keeping Texas Tech's explosive offense off the field as the Longhorns escaped with a 34-24 win. It was the inability of the Longhorns backs to pick up critical yards late that paved the way for their upset loss to Tech last season.

AUSTIN, Texas -- Just think, Texas coach Mack Brown worried last week that quarterback Colt McCoy wasn't having as much fun as he use to have playing the game.

McCoy showed his coach what fun really looks like Saturday night as the second-ranked Longhorns and Texas Tech got caught up in a virtual game of H.O.R.S.E. during the third quarter. With each touchdown the Red Raiders scored to try to reclaim the lead, McCoy was only too happy to match them.

"In the second half, he had a blast," Brown said. "When they'd score he'd say 'Look out, what a game. We've got come back and score.' He was the old Colt for the second half."

DALLAS -- You would think Texas quarterback Colt McCoy is above back-breaking labor.

After all, he was last year's Heisman Trophy runner-up, is the most accurate passer in Longhorns history, one of the top three quarterbacks in the country and right now is arguably the most popular guy in Texas.

But none of that mattered recently when he was summonsed to his grandfather's ranch in Brownwood to haul bales hay in the scorching Texas heat. It wasn't like he could big-time granddad.

Will Muschamp is the hottest name on the planet right now. Well, excluding some girl named on a Lingerie Calendar, I suppose, but at least in terms of sports, there's nothing warmer than Muschamp getting mentioned as the new Auburn head coach.

Why is that? Because some local news station -- one that is getting a ton of publicity right now, I would imagine -- says it has sources that confirmed Muschamp would be hired today. One problem, the horse's mouth disagrees:

Muschamp also released a statement Friday:

"I have not interviewed for any jobs. I'm not interested in any jobs. I'm happy here, my family loves Austin and I'm going to be at Texas."

Last month, Muschamp was named as the coach to replace Brown when he steps down at some point in the future.

So, yeah, it's still possible that Muschamp hasn't technically interviewed and that he only spoke to his previous contacts, but I find that a little bit unlikely. What seems more likely is that 'Champ is going to ride out his gig at Texas, wait for Mack Brown to retire and then take over a program that puts him in a better situation to succeed.

Now, it is still entirely possible that Auburn will offer him enough money, job security, etc., that it will lure him away, but I just think it seems pretty unlikely that he's crossing the Longhorns like this.

Will Muschamp is already the "Head Coach in Waiting" at Texas. So, it makes little sense that's he even remotely being considered for the head coaching position at Auburn. Well, I suppose a "little sense" -- he was the defensive coordinator there for two seasons. But he's already got Mack Brown's job when Brown is done coaching. So everyone should just let the rumor die a slow, pathetic death.

But not FOX10 in the Mobile - Pensacola - Ft. Walton Beach area. No, sir. They're still reporting that Muschamp will be hired by Auburn as soon as today.

FOX10 News sources have told us Auburn will likely name Will Muschamp its new head coach sometime Friday. Muschamp was Auburn's defensive coordinator two years ago. WVUE in New Orleans first reported Muschamp would likely be the Tigers new coach.

Now, call me crazy, but why are these sources talking exclusively to FOX10? Mobile is a pretty big market, but I would have to think leaking information like this would pan out better for a source if it was, oh, anyone other than a local affiliate.

Also, again, Auburn is a great school and a top flight program and Muschamp has coached there ... but he's said he's not ready to become a head coach yet and, no offense to the departed Tommy Tuberville, but Texas is a little more primed for success than Auburn right now.

In a trend that seems to be sweeping through this potentially-heated offseason hiring period like a jam band through downtown Eugene, Mike Bellotti of Oregon announced on Tuesday his plans to step aside as Oregon head coach and pass the reigns to current offensive coordinator (and rumored head coach candidate for a couple open jobs) Chip Kelly.

According to UO President Dave Frohnmayer, the changes will take place when current Ducks athletic director Pat Kilkenny steps down. However, no one actually committed to when exactly that sequence of moves would happen. Bellotti will still coach the Ducks in 2009, and potentially, well past that point.

The announcement of future plans in Eugene comes just a couple weeks after Texas head coach Mack Brown announced that current defensive coordinator Will Muschamp would take over as head coach when he ended his storied career in burnt orange -- at an undetermined point somewhere in the future.

Both Kelly and Muschamp have been rumored as potential candidates for one or more of the open jobs this offseason, be it Tennessee, Clemson, Washington or a handful of other open coaching spots -- not to mention the inevitable NFL coordinator positions that would presumably open up with the annual pro-level coaching musical chairs routine. In theory, these moves help to keep those sought-after coordinators around at a lower pay grade. But it's a relatively safe bet that any of these deals can and will be thrown/bought out, if the right money opportunity comes along.

Give the Washington Huskies this: they're at least determined. (Or, "delusional", as some of us NC State fans have learned the word actually means when it pertains to a coaching search.) First they've been rebuffed by Jim Mora and then reportedly by Will Muschamp, both gentlemen who did not actually take another real job.

And now, the seemingly incredulous rumor that Les Miles might be interested in this job has somehow surfaced.

A year after heavy speculation surrounding Les Miles and a possible departure to Michigan eventually resulted in Louisiana State University negotiating a new deal for its head coach, Miles is back in the rumor mill again. The Seattle Times is reporting that Miles may be a candidate at the University of Washington.

The Times more or less simply mentions the possibility, but still, let's be rational here, people. Miles turned down a chance to coach at Michigan -- his alma mater -- and to make more money than the Big Guy upstairs; he did this knowing that if he stayed in LSU, he would still always be under the Saban-scope and that he have to play in the SEC every year instead of the cupcake Big 10.

So why on Earth would the guy bounce for Washington -- even if some LSU fans are getting a bit testy with him -- the year after he won a championship? Exactly. Let's settle down on this one before it gets started then.

Will Muschamp is known for many things: coaching tenacious defensive units; being, um, enthusiastic on the sidelines; and also being extremely, extremely patient in waiting to take a head coaching position at any university.

And now he will also be known as the Head Coach in Waiting at the University of Texas.

The University of Texas has struck an agreement with Defensive Coordinator Will Muschamp that will keep him in Austin and eventually lead him to the head coaching position for the Longhorns, Athletics Director DeLoss Dodds said on Tuesday. Details of the contract are still being finalized but it will start with Muschamp's salary being raised to $900,000 on January 1, 2009.

"This is a plan that has been enthusiastically agreed to by Mack Brown, President Powers and the Board of Regents," Dodds said. "With the landscape in college football and all of the changes around the country, I've been looking at this for the last couple of years. When it's not working, you have to go outside and make changes. Things are going well here, it's working, so it's best to be prepared to build from inside and that's what we're doing.

These HCiW gigs are kind of all the rage these days, but in this case, I tend to think it makes a lot of sense. Muschamp is universally regarded as a stud-in-waiting when it comes to head coaching abilities, he's had success everywhere he's been and he's said before that he's not yet ready for a head coaching position.

Blame it on Bob Stoops. If you don't want to blame it on Stoops, blame it on Jim Tressel. If not Tressel, then Urban Meyer. All three of those guys took over high-profile programs. All three won national titles in their second seasons. Now any school thinks it can do the same thing. If you're a coach and you can't get your program turned around by the middle of the third season, there will be a fire(yournamehere).com website. And you can look forward to a variety of stock arguments as to why you should be unemployed.

The problem, of course, is that most of these arguments are completely worthless. Don't believe me? Let's investigate.

"We can't let this program sink any further into mediocrity!" Yeah, that's what Steve Pedersen said when he fired Frank Solich and brought in Bill Callahan. I suppose you could argue that Pedersen was correct; instead of sliding into mediocrity, he let the program degenerate into irrelevance. Unless your team just went 0-12, "up" isn't the only possible direction a new coach can take your program.