No three-peat for UC coaching exits

As the holiday season approaches, I bring you tidings of great joy, Cincinnati: Butch Jones is still a Bearcat.

A story that dragged on for days, UC's football coach withdrew his name from consideration for the Colorado job today, after the Denver Post reported Wednesday that he he had accepted the position.

After the Post's announcement, Jones denied the claims, reportedly turning down $13.5 million over five years with the Buffaloes.

According to Cincinnati.com, if Jones had decided to leave, he would have been the third coach in a row to leave UC after three years (Mark Dantonio to Michigan State after 2006 season, then Brian Kelly to Notre Dame after 2009 season).

UC is 23-14 under Jones after three years and is scheduled to play Duke in the Belk Bowl on Dec. 27 in Charlotte.

The UC athletic department is currently in talks with Jones about redoing his contract. Last season, they extended his existing contract through 2017 after he reportedly turned down offers from Illinois, North Carolina, and UCLA, according to Cincinnati.com.

Butch, Bearcats, Boilers, and Buffaloes

Amid the conference-realignment issues for UC, a bright spot for the football program and the university appeared in the Twitter realm today.

This if from Tom Dienhart, @BTNTomDienhart, of Big Ten Network:

Tom Dienhart ‏@BTNTomDienhart

A source close to Butch Jones just told me that the Cincinnati coach is NOT going to #Purdue. Jones also has an offer from Colorado.

Cincinnati, for now, doesn't have to relive the Brian Kelly departure of 2010, accepting the Notre Dame head coaching job after posting a perfect regular season with the Bearcats and earning a BCS bowl bid against Florida in the Sugar Bowl.

However, don't think Jones isn't packing his bags just yet: rumors also are circulating about an offer from Colorado. 

Yahoo! Sports reported today that Jones arrived in Colorado for lengthy talks about becoming the Buffaloes new head coach. Reportedly, Jones received an offer for a five-year, $2.5 million contract with yearly incentives.

Fortunately for the Bearcats, Colorado is not exactly an attractive option for coaches. The school gives relatively little support to athletics, and is quick to pull the plug on a coach if exceptional results are not yielded immediately. This is hardly the climate for a coach to come in and rebuild a program, especially when so beloved in Cincinnati. Also, Jones is a Midwest coach without any known recruiting ties to the Texas/Colorado areas where the Buffaloes draw most of their players. Entering the Pac-12 would be an entirely new challenge as well, raising the question as to why Colorado is so interested in Jones as a serious candidate in the first place.

Jones is expected to announce his decision today. Jones is currently (1 p.m.) participating in a press conference discussing the Belk Bowl matchup against Duke, but Cincinnati.com reports he will not be revealing his final decision in his talk.