WRAL Sports Fan

WRALSportsFan

Football's Silly Season

By Dane Huffman

Nov 30, 2007

NASCAR has its silly season and college football has its coaching searches.

This year, Duke is on the hot seat.

And North Carolina is apparently off it.

Carolina has extended Butch Davis’ contract and raised his pay. But that didn’t stop one Arkansas media outlet from hearing Davis might have an interest in returning to his alma mater, even after agreeing to terms with UNC.

Really?

So we checked.

“That’s a terrible rumor,” UNC athletics director Dick Baddour said Friday night, sounding almost shocked. “There’s nothing to it.”

On Wednesday, South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier created a buzz when he was seen on the Duke campus.

On Thursday, he told the Columbia, S.C., paper he was just in the Triangle on a recruiting visit and stopped by to see some friends at the school, including athletics director Joe Alleva.

The real buzz comes when, and if, Navy coach Paul Johnson considers some openings. Johnson is 44-29 in six seasons at Navy and his name comes up often.

Duke, Georgia Tech and SMU may be interested. But there are big jobs open now, and others about to open.

So Davis and Spurrier will be staying where they are.

But other coaches will be shopping this month.

After all, isn’t that what this season is all about?