Posted by Tom Fornelli

It appears that Illinois may be close to finding a new head coach to replace Ron Zook.

According to a report in the Chicago Tribune, Illinois is "zeroing in" on Toledo head coach Tim Beckman.

The report says that Beckman was meeting with his Toledo coaching staff on Thursday morning and also has a news conference scheduled for Thursday afternoon in which he is supposed to talk about Toledo's game against Air Force in the Military Bowl.

Beckman does meet the criteria that Illinois athletic director Mike Thomas said he was looking for in finding a replacement. He has head coaching experience having been at Toledo since 2008. He also has experience coaching under Jim Tressel at Ohio State and Urban Meyer at Bowling Green, and has strong recruiting ties in the Midwest because of it.

Posted by Chip Patterson

Former Notre Dame quarterback Dayne Crist was recently granted a release from his scholarship in South Bend, and the highly-touted high school star is reportedly considering Wisconsin for his final year of eligibility.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, citing sources familiar with both Notre Dame and Wisconsin, report " Crist is high on Wisconsin." The former Irish signal-caller is set to graduate from Notre Dame later this month, making him eligible for the "free agent"-style transfer recently exhibited by current Wisconsin quarterback Russell Wilson. For Crist to use his final year of eligibility at an FBS school in 2012, he would need to enroll in a graduate program not offered at Notre Dame.

Crist won a quarterback battle with Tommy Rees before the start of the 2011 season, but was benched after Notre Dame's 23-20 loss to South Florida in the first week of the season. Over the course of the season he eventually dropped to No. 3 on the Irish depth chart behind sophomore Andrew Hendrix, and his decision to leave came as no surprise to most.

Wilson's success in Paul Chyst's pro-style offense has been well publicized throughout the season. While head coach Bret Bielema cannot comment on potential transfers due to NCAA rules, he has acknowledged that there has been a heightened interest in transferring to Madison.

“Because of the success of Russell Wilson,” Bielema said, “I’ve been contacted by almost 10 players who want to talk about the opportunity to transfer in to the University of Wisconsin.”

Jon Budmayr, the starting quarterback at the end of Wisconsin's spring practice in 2011, fell from the quarterback race in the fall with nerve problems in his right elbow. Redshirt freshman Joe Brennan and freshman Joel Stave are both prepared to compete for the starting job after Wilson's departure. When healthy, Crist threw for over 2,000 yards and completed 59.2 percent of his passes over nine games in 2010. But even that season was ended when he suffered a torn patella tendon in his right knee, the second season ending injury in the same knee.

Will Dayne Crist be the next Russell Wilson? Weigh in at our new Eye On College Football Facebook page.

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Posted by Jerry Hinnen

Memphis's head coaching search has its man.

According to multiple reports, including from the local Commercial Appeal, The Tigers will unveil TCU co-offensive coordinator Justin Fuente as their new head coach Thursday at noon. Horned Frog officials have already issued their congratulations to Fuente on the new position on Twitter.

The Tigers search committee had reportedly settled on Alabama offensive coordinator Jim McElwain and had even begun ironing out the details of a contract, only to make a last-minute change-of-heart in Fuente's favor.

While McElwain would have been the bigger name and arguably would have created the bigger splash, Fuente's resume isn't anything to sneeze at. Fuente has called plays for the Horned Frogs the past three seasons after being promoted from running backs coach, helping Gary Patterson's 2010 team to their undefeated Rose Bowl campaign and school records in both total and scoring offense, a year after setting those same records in 2009.

But this year might have been Fuente's best yet, as even without Andy Dalton or Jeremy Kerley the Frogs once again finished ninth in the FBS in both scoring and yards per-play--TCU's third straight top-12 finish in yards per-play under Fuente.

Fuente will have to prove he can hire the right staff and fix a Tiger defense even more atrocious than its putrid offense. But given the energy he should bring to the job at just 35 and the excitement his offensive flair should bring, it's hard to say the Tigers could have done a whole lot better than Fuente regardless.

Posted by Jerry Hinnen

Tuesday, we mentioned that if you're discussing an SEC coordinator whose defense hasn't lived up to expectations, you can't be surprised if said coordinator suddenly finds other work. It was true of Willy Robinson Tuesday, and it's true of Ted Roof Wednesday.

After three years in charge of Gene Chizik's defense at Auburn, Roof has reportedly accepted the defensive coordinator's position at UCF under George O'Leary. The original report appeared at AuburnUndercover.com, which adds that it's uncertain whether Roof will remain on hand to make defensive play-calls for the Tigers in the Chick-Fil-A Bowl against Virginia or not.

Roof replaces former Knights coordinator John Skladany, fired in the wake of UCF's disappointing 5-7 season. 

But it's doubtful Roof would have taken a job in a lesser conference for less money without a gentle push from his superiors at Auburn. Though a drop-off from the national title-winning defense of 2010 was expected with the loss of Nick Fairley and seven other starters -- especially in rush defense, where Roof's charges led the SEC last season -- few expected the Tigers to be on pace for a school record for most yards allowed per-game, or to rank 11th in the SEC in both total and scoring defense.

Roof's defenses on the Plains have always been vulnerable to the pass, and this year was no different; the Tigers ranked 87th nationally and dead last in the SEC in opponent's QB rating. 

Of course, Roof was also at the helm of the 2010 defense that held high-flying Oregon to 19 points in the Tigers' BCS title game victory, so he's hardly going away empty-handed. And as a former Broyles Award-winning coordinator himself, Chizik must also bear some of the responsibility for the Tigers' 2011 plummet.

Though that national championship has earned him a long, long leash, Chizik's decision on who replaces Roof  -- and that replacement's 2012 performance -- will nonetheless be highly scrutinized on the Plains.

Posted by Chip Patterson

UPDATE: June Jones is no longer believed to be a candidate for the Arizona State head coaching job.

"A source close to the football program said talks with June Jones to become the program's next coach have broken off and "he is out" as a candidate," wrote CBSSports.com's Craig Morgan. "It's unclear whether widespread fan opposition, Jones' buyout at SMU or another factor led to the breakdown in negotiations."

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SMU's June Jones will follow Dennis Erickson as the next Arizona State football coach, according to a source close to the program.

CBSSports.com's Craig Morgan is reporting that Jones will be named the team's next head coach, with the official announcement likely this week. Jones has helped pull the Mustangs out of the shadow of the NCAA's "Death Penalty" in 1987, which crippled the program for almost two decades. After a 1-11 season in his first year at SMU, Jones has compiled a 22-17 record over the last three seasons and delivered three straight bowl appearances - their first postseason trips since the sanctions.

Jones' wide-open offensive style falls right in line with the recent Pac-12 hires of Mike Leach at Washington State and Rich Rodriguez to in-state rival Arizona. He has a history of reviving programs, and after the Sun Devils have arguably underachieved under Erickson he will be asked to take on a similar challenge. The move also comes at the same time as SMU's move to the Big East, which will be made official in a conference call late Wednesday afternoon.

Is June Jones the right fit for Arizona State? Chime in on this and other topics at our new Eye On College Football Facebook page.

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Posted by Chip Patterson

Did the BCS get it right with LSU and Alabama? CBSSports.com's Senior Columnist Dennis Dodd sits down with Adam Aizer to put a wrap on the regular season in this week's edition of The Doddcast. The pair discuss the biases in both the Harris Interactive and Coaches Polls, and what teams have suffered from those slants. Dennis also weighs in on the top coaching vacancies, and tells us if Robert Griffin III has the Heisman in the bag before Saturday's ceremony. Also, some spirited discussion of the recent Big East expansion news.

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Posted by Tom Fornelli

ARMY WILL WIN IF: When it comes to a game like this that's not only a great rivalry, but also features two teams who are so incredibly similar to each other, it's usually going to come down to one or two big plays and turnovers. So if Army wants to emerge victorious against Navy on Saturday, it'd be best served to take care of the ball and make sure it's the one making the big plays. Which will be easier said than done. Army's rush offense has been slightly better than Navy's this season, but its passing offense has not been equal. The Cadets average 8 pass attempts per game and are completing only 36% of those passes for 48 yards a game. If there was ever a game to improve those numbers it would be this one, as the Navy defense has allowed opposing quarterbacks to complete 74% of their passes this season. If Army can find its usual success on the ground but manage to sneak in a deep ball here and there, then it could be the difference in this one.

NAVY WILL WIN IF: I could essentially copy and paste what I wrote for Army and put it here for Navy. Still, where Navy has its biggest advantage over Army is in its passing offense. It's not great by any means, but it's better than Army's. Navy throws more often and has been more successful doing so. If that continues against an Army pass defense that gives up 8.1 yards per attempt and has allowed over twice as many touchdowns as it has interceptions, then Navy is likely going to win this game.

X-FACTORS: Max Jenkins and Trent Steelman. Both quarterbacks have seen some time on the field for Army all season, though Steelman has found more success throwing the ball. Still, as I said above, one of these two will have to find a way to move the ball through the air in this game. Whichever one is able to could be the single biggest factor in this matchup.

Posted by Chip Patterson

UPDATE (12/6): Sources have told CBSSports.com's Bruce Feldman Southern Miss head coach Larry Fedora has "agreed in principle" to become the next North Carolina head football coach.

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After dismissing Butch Davis just days before the opening of 2011 training camp, North Carolina has reportedly chosen a successor.

Inside Carolina is reporting that Southern Miss head coach Larry Fedora will likely become to the next head football coach for the Tar Heels, following his 11-2 Conference USA title season with the Golden Eagles. Fedora's name was also reportedly in the mix for Texas A&M, Kansas, and Arizona State.  According to the report "multiple sources have reason to believe a deal is in place," though the deal has not been finalized.

Fedora interviewed for the Texas A&M position on Monday evening, and was reportedly given a Tuesday deadline for the North Carolina offer. 

Southern Mississippi was Fedora's first head coaching stop after serving as an offensive position coach at Florida under Ron Zook and offensive coordinator at Oklahoma State under current head coach Mike Gundy. Since arriving in Hattiesburg, Fedora has taken the Golden Eagles to four straight bowl games and compiled a 33-19 overall record.

After Davis' dismissal, North Carolina promoted defensive coordinator Everett Withers to interim head coach. Withers was officially considered a candidate for the permanent head coaching position, but his future with the program is uncertain with these latest developments. As the interim, Withers led the Tar Heels to a 7-5 record and a berth to the AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl in Shreveport to face Missouri. Despite the success of a winning season and fourth straight bowl appearance for North Carolina, the tone regarding Withers' future soured as the Tar Heels dropped four of their final six games to finish with a 3-5 record in conference play.

What do you think of North Carolina's new hire? Let us know at the new Eye On College Football Facebook page.

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