Mack's back?
After meeting with school president Bill Powers and athletic director Steve Patterson earlier in the day, Texas head coach Mack Brown declined to discuss his future at the Longhorns' end-of-season banquet Friday evening. So did all other parties involved.
"When we have something to announce, we'll announce it," Patterson told reporters.
But 24/7 Sports reported Brown will return next season, and OrangeBloods.com reported a prominent Texas high school coach was told the same.
That, however, does not guarantee Brown can survive what happens next, especially with a board of regents that has been openly hostile to Powers, the 16-year head coach's staunchest backer. Brown, whose annual salary at Texas is $5,453,750, is under contract until 2020.
Every Texas loss will result in a new round of questions about Brown's status, making the toxic September former USC head coach Lane Kiffin endured before being fired look like a pleasant night out at an Austin barbecue spot.
Texas already got dismantled by BYU, Ole Miss, Oklahoma State and Baylor this season and is set to lose many of its top players, including defensive end Jackson Jeffcoat, wide receiver Mike Davis, cornerback Quandre Diggs and defensive tackle Chris Whaley.
And a weaker team without them is supposed to deliver a run to the Big 12 title and a spot in the college football playoffs next season?
That is assuming Brown even lasts that long.
A blowout loss to Oregon in the Alamo Bowl on Dec. 30, which Texas enters as a heavy underdog, could prompt a change of heart from the board, Patterson or even Brown himself if he's unwilling to subject himself and his players to another offseason and season of uncertainty, speculation and negativity.
The only thing clear is that Nick Saban will not be at Texas next season, after inking a lucrative new contract extension.
Everything else is as clear as a dusty Texas day.
Follow Dan Greenspan on Twitter @DanGreenspan.
