Strange: Kelly had a big day on search watch

We don't have a playoff in big-time college football. It just wouldn't work, we're told.

In the void, it might be interesting to determine Tennessee's coaching search with a playoff.

Perhaps it already is.

After all, we know very little about what athletic director Mike Hamilton is thinking as he plots the course to hire Phillip Fulmer's replacement.

We know neither Bill Cowher, Lovie Smith nor Jon Gruden are going to bring their NFL clout to Neyland Stadium.

We know Will Muschamp will eventually get his head-coaching break at Texas, not at Tennessee.

With the exception of Lane Kiffin, who's tanned, rested and ready, the remaining candidates are slugging it out in the final weeks of the college season. Given Kiffin's abbreviated head-coaching history, I'm betting Fulmer's replacement was coaching like heck over the weekend.

For all we know, Hamilton was perched in front of a 52-inch flatscreen with a checklist, maybe even a bracket, in his lap.

If so, Brian Kelly easily had the best Saturday. Survive and advance.

Cincinnati won a huge game in front of a Nippert Stadium-record crowd. A 28-21 win over Pittsburgh means the Bearcats need only to beat Syracuse to win the Big East title and land in a BCS bowl.

When it comes to quarterbacks, Kelly can coach 'em up. Tony Pike, an afterthought buried on the preseason depth chart, was 26-of-32 passing for 309 yards and three TDs.

We're pretty sure Hamilton has been aware of Kelly for more than a year and is impressed. For his part, Kelly obviously has not let Tennessee speculation distract him from the mission at hand.

Mike Leach and Butch Davis, meanwhile, had Saturdays they'd like to forget.

Leach's previously-unbeaten Texas Tech team got blown to smithereens at Oklahoma, 65-21.

The result wasn't a stunner. The margin was. It was the most points allowed in school history. The Sooners had 402 offensive yards in the first half, by which point they led 42-7.

Leach's prolific offense, which averaged 57.8 percent on third-down conversions in its first 10 games, was 1-of-13 against Oklahoma. No, Bob Stoops is not a candidate at Tennessee.

North Carolina's Davis, who has repeatedly denied interest in UT, got hammered 41-10 at home by archrival N.C. State, an 11-point underdog.

When I read the lead to the Associated Press account, it rang a bell:

"Jamelle Eugene jogged in for a rout-punctuating touchdown to the delight of thousands of red-clad N.C. State fans crowded into a few sections of Kenan Stadium. Most of North Carolina's crowd had long since departed their home stadium to skip the humbling final minutes.''

Since Davis has been linked to UT's search, the Tar Heels are 0-2 and have been eliminated from the ACC championship.

That's not as bad as poor Tim Brewster. Minnesota was 7-1 the week before Fulmer was canned. The Gophers are 7-5 after a 55-0 no-show against Iowa.

Tim who?

Troy Calhoun's name has come up in the past week. The Air Force coach's fine resume was not enhanced Saturday when the Falcons got hammered 44-10 at TCU. It was the worst loss in Calhoun's two seasons at the academy.

If I were heading a coaching search I'd at least look at two guys who wrapped up the regular-season Saturday.

Utah's Kyle Whittingham clobbered BYU 48-24, is sitting 12-0 and awaiting BCS bowl announcements. The last Utah coach who took an SEC job is doing OK.

Gary Patterson, the guy who drummed Air Force, is done at 10-2 and has the nation's No. 1-ranked defense.

Did Saturday have any real effect on the UT search? Probably not a ton, but it still helps to win if you're a candidate for a job.

Reviewing Tennessee basketball coaching searches, Kevin O'Neill auditioned in 1994 by leading Marquette to an NCAA-tournament upset of Kentucky.

Buzz Peterson guided Tulsa to an NIT title by beating three UT rivals: Memphis, Mississippi State and Alabama.

Four years later, Bruce Pearl upset Alabama and Boston College to get Wisconsin-Milwaukee to the Sweet 16 spotlight.

Maybe UT would have hired all of the above regardless, but late-season wins made them an easier sell to the fan base.

One final thought about the weekend that could impact UT's search:

Notre Dame's loss to Syracuse leaves Charlie Weis on thin ice. If the Irish bite the bullet and make a change after two years, who do you think will be on their search list?

Here's a hint: You'll probably recognize the names.

Mike Strange may be reached at 865-342-6276 or strangem@knoxnews.com.

© 2008, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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