Jeez, what an afternoon. Here in Cleveland, Butch Davis has apparently resigned. Snap theory — he knew this season was it and he couldn’t take the chance on hoping the Florida job stayed open to get fired to collect the rest of his contract money. Probably some settlement, but not nearly what Davis wanted. (Though, according to this report he did get all the cash.)

Then the news hit that ND fired Tyrone Willingham. That was a shock. Obviously ND has given in to its alumni and booster pressure and feels it must get soon to be former Utah Coach Urban Meyer before Florida.

Now, more importantly/selfishly, how does all of this affect Pitt? Well, Willingham is already rumored for the Washington job. No one know when the move on Meyer will come (he has a clause in his Utah contract allowing him to take the ND job for little or no buy out). One way or another this has to have an effect on the Utah team, that Pitt will face in a month. The “best” thing for Pitt is to have this whole thing be unclear for at least 3 weeks. Keep things in flux and distract Utah as much as possible. In an ideal world it would be like the news leaking that John L. Smith leaving Louisville for Michigan St. just before the Liberty Bowl — totally demoralizing the Cardinals.

As for the status of Harris and what the Pitt administration will do. It is pure speculation. My thought is that with so many higher profile jobs open — Washington, ND, Florida, Stanford (and maybe Cal, Iowa, and LSU if any of those coaches leave for a pro job) — not to mention the other schools with openings that Pitt may suddenly be looking at having limited options in who it could go after. They might realize that their best option is just to re-up with Coach Walt Harris, rather than try and compete for another hot coach or assistant.

After the Prosser/Dixon basketball coach hiring fiasco, I don’t have faith in the administration to have created an extensive list of candidates and to have prepared for these contingencies.

My feeling is that if Harris and Pitt takes care of USF, then the school and Harris might very well work to get an extension in place and announced in the intervening time between then and the Fiesta Bowl.

Again, this is just immediate, first impressions. I may completely change my mind in a little while. My underlying assumptions about much could be dead wrong, but that’s what I’m thinking right now.