A Blast From the Past for Houston

Houston's new coach could be an old one. The Houston Chronicle reports that athletic director Dave Maggard is mulling a plan that would bring former Cougar coach Jack Pardee out of retirement.

Pardee, 71, coached at Houston from 1987-89 and had a record of 22-11-1 before leaving for the NFL's Houston Oilers. He has been retired since 1995.

"I certainly wasn't looking for a job, but when Dave called I was willing to listen," Pardee said. "There are still a lot of questions to be answered, but if they need me, I'd be happy to do it.

"The University of Houston is a special school. I'm sure Dave is doing his homework, and whatever decision he makes will be the right one, even if I'm not the coach."

In other coaching-related news:

Arkansas: Tommy Bowden's flirtation with the Razorbacks earned the Clemson coach a nice raise and left Arkansas with a headache. The latest name is East Carolina's Skip Holtz, a graduate of Fayetteville High.

Duke: Grambling State's Rod Broadway interviewed Tuesday. Navy's Paul Johnson interviewed Monday.

Michigan: The Wolverines are still talking about how the big one got away. As the story goes, Les Miles' agent called Michigan athletic director Bill Martin, and when Martin didn't return the agent's call, Miles decided to take Louisiana State's big money offer. Nearly 500 emails reportedly have been sent from former players and alums to Martin and Michigan president Mary Sue Coleman, pledging support for Miles.

Northern Illinois: South Florida defensive line coach Dan McCarney, who was Iowa State's coach for 12 seasons, has interviewed.

Southern Methodist: Navy's Johnson spent Tuesday on campus. SMU fired coach Phil Bennett on Oct. 28 and still hasn't figured it out.

Southern Mississippi: Oklahoma State offensive coordinator Larry Fedora interviewed Tuesday.

Washington: The status of Tyrone Willingham remains unclear. Although athletic director Todd Turner is staunchly behind Willingham, speculation continues that university president Mark Emmert could step in and make a decision without Turner's approval.

Florida State: Offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher is close to an agreement in writing that will make him the Seminoles coach when Bobby Bowden retires, according to Kevin Scarbinsky of the Birmingham News. Florida State will have to pay Fisher if it doesn't promote him to head coach when Bowden retires, and Fisher will have to pay Florida State if he leaves for another job before Bowden retires.

Auburn: Tommy Tuberville has agreed to a two-year contract extension. His deal will now be through 2013 and Tuberville will average $3.3 million annually, starting with a $2.8 million salary in 2008 and climbing by $200,000 each year.