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In an e-mail last night, my bro in Houston discussed the game of musical chairs that occurs in the football coaching profession every year around this time. His particular reference was to Nolan Cromwell, who's getting results as the offensive coordinator at TAMU and is rumored in Aggie circles to be a possible replacement for Mangino at Kansas. Then, while I was driving to Walmart to restock my popsicle supply, the morning show guys on ESPN radio were talking about the firing of Charlie Weis at Notre Dame, and the expected retirement of Florida State's Bobby Bowden later today.

According to the ESPN guys, one of the coaches Notre Dame will go after to fill their job is Bob Stoops. I don't know if that's accurate or if Stoops would be available to them, but if he left Oklahoma it would shake things up in the Big 12 South. It would be an opportunity to start anew for Stoops, whose star has dimmed since he soared to the top of the college football coaching world in his second season at OU. Florida State apparently has Bowden's replacement already lined up, with the expected promotion of top assistant Jimbo Fisher.

The Aggies have history with Notre Dame and Florida State, both of whom were national powerhouses in the days when I lived and breathed college football. Back then, you couldn't mention Top Ten teams without Notre Dame, Florida State, or both being included in the conversation. Bobby Bowden had a kind of legendary status as one of the best college coaches ever. Maybe the changes they're making now will get ND and FSU back to the summit. The longer teams muddle around in the middle of the pack, the harder it becomes to regain lead dog positions, as Aggies are learning these days.