Mike Price’s 7th UTEP season could be his last

Mike Price’s retire­ment plans hinge on one key thing. “I want to re­tire on a winning note,” the 64-year-old Price said. Price, who is entering his seventh season as the UTEP head football coach, didn’t say he is ready to retire after this season. He just hopes he can hold on long enough to turn the Miners into win­ners again. – Birmingham News

Pac-10 to explore expansion; could add six teams

The Pac-10 concluded its meetings Sunday by giving commissioner Larry Scott the authority to pursue any possible expansion, while not committing the conference to adding any more schools. Scott addressed the chancellors and presidents on the final day of the weekend meeting about possible expansion scenarios and was given permission to move ahead with the process without having to go back to the board for approval. “What direction that process takes still could go in different directions,” Scott said. “Everything from remaining as we are as a Pac-10 that has some very bright days ahead of it, to a bigger conference foot print. I have the authority to take it different directions depending on various scenarios and discussions we will have.” The conference will decide its future plans by the end of the year before negotiating a new television contract for the 2012-13 academic year. The Pac-10 administrators arrived in San Francisco this weekend to a report that the conference was ready to invite Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Colorado from the Big 12 to create a 16-team megaconference. There has also been a report that Baylor could replace Colorado in that scenario or the Pac-10 could choose to keep the status quo or add only two teams in a smaller move. – AP

Irish trying to host game at Soldier Field

The Fighting Irish have found a home away from home. Notre Dame may be coming to Chicago as soon as 2012. Athletic director Jack Swarbrick confirmed on Monday what has long been in the works: Soldier Field is the target venue for an off-site home game slot yet to be filled two seasons down the line. “We were solely focused on getting (2011) closed out, but having now achieved that we will turn in earnest to nailing down the off-site game for ‘12,” Swarbrick said. “Our starting point for that effort is to see if we can find the right opponent and date for a game in Chicago.” – Chicago Tribune

Houston Nutt running Ole Miss show on offense

When new co-offensive coordinator Dave Rader met with the media for the first time on Friday afternoon, the veteran coach was blunt: This is Houston Nutt’s offense and he’s just happy to play a part. “I’d be foolish to try and talk him out of it,” said the 52-year-old Rader. “So I’ll learn their system - our system. And go from there.” Rader replaces Austin, who took the head coaching job at Cornell last week. It’s his first job in football since spending four years as the offensive coordinator at Alabama under Mike Shula from 2003-06. Since then, he’s been involved in private business in Tulsa, Okla., and was even considering a run at public office before taking the job at Ole Miss. His career includes a 12-year stint as head coach at Tulsa from 1988-99. He finished with a 49-80-1 record. Rader said he had turned down three different football jobs over the past three years, waiting for the right opportunity to get back into football. At Ole Miss, he believes he’s found it. – Clarion-Ledger

Turner Gill Busy Hiring Assistants at Kansas

Former Mississippi State assistant J.B. Grimes is expected to join new Kansas University football coach Turner Gill’s staff, according to Rivals.com. Grimes, who is expected to be named the Jayhawks’ offensive line coach, has served as the offensive line coach at Arkansas, Virginia Tech, Texas A&M, East Carolina and, most recently, Mississippi State, where he served for four seasons. In addition to Grimes, Gill’s staff is expected to include offensive coordinator Chuck Long, defensive coordinator Carl Torbush, special teams coordinator/tight ends coach Aaron Stamn, running backs coach Reggie Mitchell and wide receivers coach Darrell Wyatt. – Lawrence Journal-World

UNLV to interview Bobby Hauck, Dennis Franchione for job

UNLV’s search for a new athletic director dragged out, but the man now running the department apparently is making sure the search for a new football coach is handled quickly. One day after being hired as athletic director, Jim Livengood lined up interviews with Montana coach Bobby Hauck for Sunday and longtime head coach Dennis Franchione for Monday. One source close to the hiring process said those are the only two coaches who will interview for the position. Livengood, Arizona’s athletic director for 16 years before taking the UNLV job, did not comment on any specific candidates. He also said he didn’t have a timeline. “The most important thing is to get the right person in here,” he said. UNLV, which last had a winning season and bowl appearance in 2000, has been searching for the right coach. Mike Sanford was fired in November. Hauck and Franchione certainly have had plenty of success. Hauck is 80-17 at Montana with Friday’s 23-21 loss to Villanova in the Football Championship Series national title game. Franchione, who works for ESPN Radio, has a history of turning around programs, mostly notably New Mexico and Texas Christian. A coaching hire is expected soon. – Las Vegas Review-Journal

North Texas still undecided on coach Todd Dodge

North Texas athletic director Rick Villarreal said Monday that the school is still in the process of evaluating the performance of the program and its coaching staff before determining if any changes will be made. Villarreal was still in the process of trying to set up a time to talk with university president Gretchen Bataille about the program. Bataille is out of the country. Todd Dodge has compiled a 5-31 record in three seasons at UNT, but has assembled a cast of talented young players he believes will help the Mean Green turn the corner soon. – Denton Record Chronicle

Rodriguez likely okay at Michigan, but what if he’s not?

I agree, he’s not a good fit. From nearly the day Rodriguez arrived in Ann Arbor, a significant faction of Wolverines fans simply hasn’t liked him, whether because he’s not a “Michigan Man” like Les Miles, or because he runs that new-fangled spread offense, or because he’s got a “twang.” Throw in all the backlash from West Virginia, the lawsuits, the potential NCAA infractions, and it’s clear there was only one way he could have won people over: to start winning, and in a hurry. That has not happened. That said, I’m still 90 percent certain he’ll get another year. AD Bill Martin has been outspoken in his support, albeit in sometimes bizarre context. (Paul Johnson? Not a good comparison. Though SI appreciates Martin’s readership.) Martin has already announced he’s retiring next September, and I doubt he or school president Mary Sue Coleman will want to stick his successor with a brand-new coach not of that person’s choosing. Furthermore, many of Michigan’s present problems can be directly attributed to the high amount of attrition that occurred during the transition from Lloyd Carr to Rodriguez. Another coaching change would only prompt more defections. As for Harbaugh, there’s no doubt he’d be a great hire, but I’m hearing the Michigan brass hasn’t yet forgiven him for taking shots at his alma mater’s academic standards two years ago. However, if this time next year Michigan still sits in the bottom half of the Big Ten, a call will almost certainly go out to one of its own — if not Harbaugh, then the formerly coveted Miles, who, in SEC life-span years, may well have worn out his welcome at LSU by then. – SI.com

WKU Fires David Elson

Western Kentucky have fired coach David Elson amid the Hilltoppers’ first fully eligible season for Football Bowl Subdivision play, a source told ESPN.com’s Pat Forde on Monday. Western Kentucky fell to 0-9 and 0-5 in the Sun Belt Conference after a 40-20 loss Saturday to Troy. Elson, 39-41 in seven seasons as the Hilltoppers’ coach, was fired Sunday night, the source said, but will finish the season with the team. – ESPN

Illinois AD Guenther strongly indicates he won’t fire Ron Zook

Although Illinois athletic director Ron Guenther remains silent publicly on the status of football coach Ron Zook, Guenther has “strongly indicated” he will not make a coaching change next season, according to Illinois spokesman Kent Brown. As he does every season, Brown said, Guenther will evaluate the program after the season. Guenther has declined to speak to reporters and has no plans to release any specific statements about Zook’s status, Brown said. Zook’s name increasingly has arisen as a coach on the hot seat as the Illini, who play Saturday at Purdue, continue to struggle each week. Zook, who is in his fifth season at Illinois (1-5, 0-4), received a one-year contract extension before the season that runs up to January 2014. – Chicago Tribune

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