Originally Posted by
SoonerDave
I would expect part of the dance here was that Texas wasn't going to force out Mack until they had their #1 draft pick in house. Now, assuming that Saban has actally signed the extension, Texas power brokers are looking for their #2 guy in the hopes of making it look as though he, whomever it may be, was their intended all along.
Now, mind you, not to put too fine a point on all this, but unless someone can find a report to the contrary, every media article I've seen so far on this has said that Saban has agreed to or finalized and extension with Alabama. I would very much like a pointer to an article that affirmatively and specifically states Saban has signed that deal.
Before someone suggests I'm trying to delude myself into thinking there's some secret notions that might still land Saban at UT, I'm not; I've never been much in the "Saban to UT" camp. But I would like to see something that says he actually signed the new deal. Just for the sake of completeness.
As for Brown stepping down, I don't see any way around this. Texas' athletic structure until this year insulated Mack Brown from the more powerful of the contrary donors, which was essentially DeLoss Dodds. When football plus other factors regarding legal entanglements made Dodds' departure inevitable, so went Brown's protection. Mind you, the groups that have wanted Mack out didn't just start brewing this season - there's been this sentiment for a time now. I don't pretend to have any double-secret sources, just a fairly reasonable interpretation of what I've read about Texas football over the last several years, not just in the last week or so. There's still a 1-in-100 shot Brown could stay, but it's almost impossible for me to see how. Dodds' was truly his last defender with any influence to keep him, and the big-time guys who want him out now have (essentially) their guy in charge now. Can't see how he stays. Nothing's impossible, of course, but it just seems a real longshot to me now.
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