Y'all are gonna be really disappointed.
Just like Golden didn't get fired last year, Butch is not getting hired this year.
They are absolutely not hiring a coach who already has his exit strategy in place before he's coached a game, or especially, secured a staff.
This thread is pandering to the masses, IMO, and the OP has given enough caveats to wiggle out of this post when we hire someone other than Butch.
About the only thing that might be accurate is that Butch has been so aggressive in his pursuit, combined with fan support, that he's now a legit candidate to be a fall back option.
But this scenario is like recruiting. The coaches UM REALLY wants are still in season. So, they can't go after them, and those coaches can't be active in their pursuit of the job. But when they've played their last regular season game, their interest will increase. And from there, they'll decide who really has a legit interest, and who's using UM for leverage.
I'll state again ... If this university hires a coach who NO ONE ELSE wants, be it Butch, Chud, Schiano, or Cristobal, it will be the laziest and most uninspiring search ever ...
If Blake James hires Butch because Paul Dimare tells him to, then this athletics program is finished! What the **** does Paul Dimare know?
There is a reason why football owners, who sign the checks, hire front office people to make these calls.
SMH ...
Butch is not getting the job, IMO.
And if I'm wrong ... It's over for the program.
A place built on innovation and pushing the envelope would be hiring a 65 year old guy who doesn't innovate or push the envelope. And if the OP is accurate, he's already got an exit strategy, and thinks we should hire a guy to replace him who went 27-47 as an HC, and was 3-9 in the year he was fired.
I simply can't believe the people making this decision will be that lazy to turn the keys over to Butch and Mario, hoping 1 guy is the same as he was 20 years ago, but hoping the other guy is significantly better than he was 5 years ago ...