Could the Auburn circus be packing up its tent?

I can't find where I read it, but someone out there somewhere claimed to have seen Skip Holtz's sudden withdrawal of his name from the Syracuse search as proof that the Orange had made their decision: Holtz gets out while the gettin's good, and he can say he rejected the Orange rather than have them reject him. And sure enough, later that same day, the Orange Dr. Daryl Gross, Esq., picks that NFL guy and they're done.

So consider my ears pricked when, a day after Gary Patterson withdraws for reasons that don't make a whole lot of sense, Jimbo Fisher finally says the words he tap-danced around like the late Gregory freaking Hines at that Quarterback Club Meeting: "I'm staying at Florida St." Could it be that having gotten word that Auburn's settled on someone else, Fisher's finally free to drop the mask of interest?

It's doubtful. I think there's still a few more miles to go before we Auburn fans can sleep again, but it's something to think about. And of course, no point in not thinking about who that "someone else" could be. Auburntron, take it away:



Auburntron's also, sadly, linking up this surprisingly free column in which Marshall essentially claims the choice is made, and that the choice is Gene Chizik. Marshall's site was also reporting just a few days ago that Auburn was all over Steve Spurrier, so sorry, I'm not buying this at all. Again: not even Fail Jacobs could get behind the selection of a head coach who's one season away from being fired at Iowa State. It's not happening. I'm not even going to let myself think about it for very long, because I'll break things.

It's Gill, or it's another few days of searching. And while the Tech beat writer can claim that no news is good news for them and that coaches rarely come right out and say "I'm staying," you know, sometimes they do ...

UPDATE: Now Derek Dooley has withdrawn his name from consideration. Scratch the "don't read too much into it" sentiment; something is happening.

UPDATE the second: Goldberg talks up the seriousness of the Chizik threat but, perhaps more importantly, says he was on the phone with Gill's lawyer and said lawyer says Gill hasn't been told anything one way or the other.