Will Muschamp Interviews for Houston Cougars Head Coaching Job

The Houston Chronicle reports this afternoon that Will Muschamp interviewed for the head coaching position available with the University of Houston.  With the news, a new challenger emerges for the Gamecocks, as they contend with Houston, Auburn, and other suitors for the services of the former Florida head coach.

Obviously, the Houston job would be a major step back for Muschamp, going from the SEC to the AAC, a conference which includes Tulane and Temple among its members, and few avenues to the nascent College Football Playoff.

Given that the Gamecocks will not give Muschamp the head coach in waiting tag he held at the University of Texas, the competition may now come down to whether Muschamp wants to be a defensive coordinator at a major program, or if he prefers to run his own program and attempt to rebound in the AAC.

As we've discussed here, Muschamp obviously brings a considerable talent to the defensive side of the ball which would significantly help a Gamecock team that needs it.  If Carolina fails to land Muschamp, the question then becomes when or if they make a move to replace Lorenzo Ward as defensive coordinator, and how they handle recruiting, given that Steve Spurrier has now announced he only intends to coach 2-3 more years.