We are at Def-Con 4.
Phil Fulmer is done at Tennessee which means Butch Davis' name will be tossed around in the media like beach ball at a pool party. Couple this with last week's heated response to a reporter linking Davis to contact with Clemson and you can begin taking bets on whether Davis stays or goes. Based on the Butch Davis Watch Alert System I used last season(which I will update at some point and post) we are at BLUE which is "Davis loves UNC but will not issue a straightfoward commitment to his future in Chapel Hill" mode.
I honestly which we could skip this whole exercise but these are the breaks when you are a basketball school with marginal football tradition and a coach elite schools would love to have. Needless to say, the question at this point, as it was last season, becomes one of money which is ultimately what Jimmy Sexton was driving at with his comments a week ago. Sexton's position is that Davis would be perfectly willing to stay at UNC because the pressure to win is less and the ACC is an easier mark for conference titles. The only caveat? You need to pay him SEC money. Quite a caveat there and very interesting considering Davis is already the 3rd highest paid coach in the ACC(behind Bowden and Beamer) and 20th overall nationally.
Let's also not forget every time UNC gives a football coach a raise we get indundated with quotes from Bill Friday about what a scourge on the Univerity football is. Not that Friday has any say at this point but there is at least the chance his way of thinking is shared by some at UNC, perhaps even on the Board of Trustees. If they hand Davis $3 million per season Friday's head might explode or at the very least it will be immensely unpopular in light of the raise last season. In that respect I am not sure UNC can or will go there especially if have to slide Roy's pay scale right along with the football coach.
There is one way this all goes away right now and that is if the question comes up in his next press conference Davis pointedly and simply states he is committed to stay at UNC while indicating other schools should not look his direction to fill their coaching vacancies. Granted it won't happen but a blogger can dream right?