Will Steve leave? Ear hears nothing, but the eye won't lie

Alford isn't going to box himself into any Kennedian corners. To get ahead of the speculation, Alford issued a statement the day Davis resigned: "My complete focus and efforts are trying to help my team win a Big Ten championship. That's my only concern."

During last week's conference call for Big Ten coaches, Alford was asked repeatedly about Indiana. He gave that statement until he'd had his fill. Finally, wearily, he told a reporter, "You really want me to repeat that thing again?"

No. Not really. But what Alford wants and what the media want are two different things. Alford wants to milk the most out of this season. Iowa has four seniors among its top six scorers, and while this is not a Final Four team, it could ride balding Greg Brunner into the Sweet 16. The media would like not to be insulted. We'd like -- though we don't expect -- for Alford to say what was between the lines of his tepid statement: "As soon as this season is over, I hope to leave for Indiana."

Alford can't say that, so he says mostly nothing -- which is preferable to things he could say. Right now he's the Iowa coach. Next month he might be the Indiana coach. What none of us need to see is the Texas football coach. In late 1997, Mack Brown blew off talk that he was leaving North Carolina for Texas. He even held a team meeting to tell his players he was staying "no matter what."

Three days later he left for Texas.

It's going to be difficult, given Steve Alford's position, for him to come out of this unscathed. I tried to ask him about that Saturday -- not about Indiana, but about his awkward situation. Alford's eyes glazed over. Instant autopilot.

"I'm not going to talk about that," he said. "My focus is on ..."

Whatever Alford said next died as he disappeared down a hall. No problem, Steve. We all know how this story ends.