Holtz says no to Orange

The lure of the Big East Conference and a seemingly easier route to a BCS bowl game berth were not enough to keep Skip Holtz interested in the Syracuse head coaching vacancy.

He officially withdrew his name from consideration on Wednesday night.

Holtz reportedly met with athletic director Daryl Gross to discuss the opening during his three-day stay in New York for his father, Lou's induction into the College Football Hall of Fame.

Holtz made his intentions clear in a statement released by ECU on Thursday.

"While it is always flattering for others to have an interest in your abilities, I simply am too focused on our preparations for the bowl game and many other of our short and long-term goals to fairly evaluate what I feel is a promising situation at Syracuse," Holtz said in the release.

"I appreciate Syracuse's interest but that certainly is a direct reflection on what our players, coaches and the Pirate Nation have been able to accomplish, especially through a season that featured so much adversity," said Holtz.

ECU's 27-24 victory over Tulsa in the C-USA Championship Game amidst a season of injuries and angst have catapulted Holtz into the national coaching spotlight-and thrown his name into the running for more than one coaching vacancy.

While Holtz quashed the Orange hoopla, rumors surrounding his name and Auburn are beginning to heat up. Tommy Tuberville resigned as head coach last week after 10 seasons with the Tigers.

As many as six candidates have reportedly been interviewed to fill the position, including Tulsa coach Todd Graham and Buffalo's Turner Gill. Texas defense coordinator Will Muschamp was rumored to have taken the job, but Muschamp has denied those reports.

In the meantime Holtz has returned to Greenville to focus on ECU. Holtz, who was in Memphis on Thursday for a Liberty Bowl press conference, said that Kentucky and the Liberty Bowl are his only concerns for the time being.

The Pirates (9-4, 6-2) and the Wildcats (6-6, 2-6) will meet on Jan. 2 for the first time since 1993 when Kentucky posted a 6-3 victory.

This writer can be contacted at sports@theeastcarolinian.com.