A FORM OF TENURE, AFTER ALL. Here's Texas A&M's Jim Hu last Saturday.

Faculty like to complain about how much their schools pay the football coach, but this week reminds us that coaches don't have tenure. In addition to Dennis Franchione resigning here at TAMU, there are now openings at Michigan, Nebraska, Baylor, and Ole Miss, with more probably to come.

By Monday, the coaching position is filled. Apparently replacing a president who becomes SecDef is more challenging.

Priorities! Football coach fired Friday, replaced today. President leaves a year ago and we're still waiting. What the heck... maybe this will push the process along; wouldn't want the new President to have to fire and hire a coach right away... right? Grasping for good reasons...

Anyway, former Packers HC and current Texans asst. Mike Sherman was just announced as the 28th head coach. Sherman was an assistant here twice with RC Slocum before going to the pros.

Packer players are pleased for their former coach. Owen Robinson elaborates on the implications for A&M.

I know that many Wisconsinites don’t have a lot of love for Mike Sherman (even though he was 57-39 with the Packers, won the NFC North 3 times, and went to the playoffs four times) but I’m happy to see him coming to College Station to be the head coach of the Aggies.

There's that fourth-and-a-country-mile in Philadelphia...

When he was there under R. C. Slocum as the offensive line coach, the Aggies were doing well. Much of this, if you remember, was because of a great running game led by.... you guessed it.... a great offensive line. His NFL coaching career has been pretty decent - not great - but pretty decent. But college coaching and NFL coaching are very different.

Plus, there are some intangible things that I like about Sherman. He is well respected and liked by the A&M athletic program, the alumni, etc. He is associated with some glory years for A&M football. This should help with recruiting and such. Also, Sherman is just a good guy. After the Fran years of questionable ethics, it’ll be good to see an honorable guy on the sidelines again.

This is a good thing for A&M. Then again… talk to me again in four years.

But if he's out after four years, he'll likely be offensive coordinator somewhere else. Tenure, in effect.

"Probably more to come" is accurate. Northern Illinois is now searching, with Joe Novak choosing to call it a career.

"I feel good about this decision," Novak said. "It's time. It's the right time for me personally, for my wife [Carole] and family, and for this program. Everyone says you know when it's time and this is it for me.

"Overall, it's been a wonderful ride," he continued. "There have been good days and bad days, but a lot more good than bad. I'm leaving the program in better shape than I found it, which you always want to do. We accomplished some things, but there are some things we didn't get done, too."

Novak departs with a career record of 63-75 after a 2-10 2007 season with a junior-laden, injury-riddled team. From the middle of the 1999 campaign through the end of the 2006 season, his Huskies won 58 of 90 (64.4 percent) of their games, won or shared the MAC West Division title four times, made two bowl appearances [2004 Silicon Valley Classic and 2006 San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl] and played in the league's championship game in 2005. Northern Illinois was one of just 18 programs in the nation, and the only team not affiliated with a Bowl Championship Series conference, to post seven straight winning seasons from 2000-06.

Elsewhere on the merry-go-round, the Packers might be raiding the Big 11 Ten for a chief executive.