Texas botches the Strong situation, while Herman and Morris are wanted men in this week's 411

[caption id="attachment_27451" align="alignright" width="350"](Photo by Gary Sanderson) (Photo by Gary Sanderson)[/caption] The Charlie Strong saga will drag out longer than required. Tom Herman and Chad Morris are hot commodities. And a forgettable week for the P5 programs in Texas. This week’s 4-1-1. Four ObservationsUniversity of Turmoil The University of Texas had a chance to do the right thing. Instead, the Longhorns brass decided to let Charlie Strong dangle in the wind for a week. The firing of Charlie Strong is on the horizon. He simply underperformed despite all of the clear obstacles placed in his path. He inherited a roster unable to compete at the levels Texas fans expect. In his short tenure, Strong helped get Texas on the right track. He cleaned out some trash, recruited some of the top players in the country and always appeared to be the most respectful person in any room. Strong is a good man who didn’t do his job well enough. That happens in college football. Texas was given a chance for a clean breakup. Instead, waiting a week and forcing Strong to face press conferences and TCU as a lame duck once again proved Texas doesn’t know how to stop digging. Herman stays hot Tom Herman, the name most connected with the future of the Texas program, earned himself another signature victory as the head coach of the Houston Cougars. Louisville came to town Thursday in hopes of adding strength to its College Football Playoff resumé, but left with a humiliating defeat. Herman is undefeated against top-10 teams as a head coach. He’s made the Cougars matter. With job openings likely to occur at Texas, LSU and Oregon, it is highly unlikely that Houston can keep the most sought after young offensive mind in the game. The momentum can be continued with a strong hire once Herman departs. Offensive coordinator Major Applewhite probably doesn’t follow Herman if he ends up at Texas, so is it Applewhite’s turn to take over a program? It’s possible that the Houston and Rice jobs are open in the same offseason. Applewhite should be a name considered by both schools. Rough week for the Lone Star state Texas lost to Kansas. TCU was held to six points in a loss to Oklahoma State. Baylor continued to show a lack of fortitude in a three-touchdown loss at home against Kansas State. And Texas Tech continued its descent into the cellar with a 56-point loss to Iowa State. Yes, that Iowa State. A&M was the lone P5 conference team from Texas to win this weekend and the Aggies didn’t come close to covering the point spread against UTSA. Baylor and Texas will sport new coaches in 2017. Texas Tech, if not weighed down by the buy-out for Kliff Kingsbury, would probably be in the same boat. The five P5 teams in Texas are 28-25 on the season with a 15-22 conference record. Woof. One small silver lining The story is a little different at the G5 level entering the last regular season game of the year for most programs. Houston will be disappointed to not win the American Athletic Conference in a year the Cougars beat Oklahoma and Louisville in non-conference games, but the Cougars likely reach the 10-win mountaintop once again. Three teams – SMU, North Texas and UTSA – enter the final game of the season needing a win to secure bowl eligibility. UTSA hosts Charlotte, SMU welcomes Navy and North Texas travels to UTEP. One Question How many of the FBS schools in Texas will be searching for a new head coach this offseason? Texas and Baylor are set to fire the current coaches. Texas Tech and Rice could also move on. SMU and Houston face the opposite problem because bigger programs are likely to poach Herman and Chad Morris for more money and a bigger program. As many as a third of the jobs in this state could be moving hands over the next few months. One Prediction Baylor’s first call when Jim Grobe officially moves on will be to Chad Morris. The former Lake Travis head coach and Clemson offensive coordinator is currently working a miracle in Year 2 at SMU. It will require a program like Baylor to pony up a large sum of money, but Morris has had success at each of his coaching stops.

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