Chryst, Crist Watch - Wednesday, December 21

Now that FIU head coach Mario Cristobal is free from bowl game responsibilities, a decision regarding the Pitt job is expected to come soon. With that, we should learn more about Paul Chryst's and Dayne Crist's future.

Here's the latest:

Paul Chryst

9:29 PM: It appears Paul Chryst is going to be the next head coach at Pitt. The Pittsburgh Post Gazette reports that "Chryst is in line to become the next head coach at Pitt assuming the two sides can reach an agreement on a contract, according to multiple sources."

SPORTSbyBROOKS confirms that report:

I can confirm Paul Chryst as the next head football coach at Pittsburgh. Will be made official by the school within 48 hours.

— SPORTSbyBROOKS (@SPORTSbyBROOKS) December 22, 2011

5:19 PM: Paul Chryst has emerged as the leading candidate at Pitt, according to Jeff Potrykus of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

#badgers UW source says UW assistant Paul Chryst now appears to be No. 1 choice for Pitt job.

— Jeff Potrykus (@jaypo1961) December 21, 2011

His report is backed up by a Pittsburgh Tribune-Review report that says Chryst is now the favorite because he "is viewed as a surer long-term fit." The newspaper once again says prominent boosters support Chryst, as it has claimed before.

3:23 PM: SPORTSbyBROOKS tweeted that he heard Friday will be the day Pitt announces its hire. He also tweeted:

W/ Alvarez's HEAVY influence on possible Chryst hire, if you're looking for long term Pitt guy, imho, it would be Chryst over Mair-ee-o.

— SPORTSbyBROOKS (@SPORTSbyBROOKS) December 21, 2011

Alvarez has already been vocal about helping Chryst get a head coaching job so this tells me the offensive coordinator will take the Pitt job if it is offered.

2:50 PM: SPORTSbyBROOKS tweeted that Ohio State interim head coach Luke Fickell is officially out of the running for the Pitt job.

2:34 PM: Andy Baggot of the Wisconsin State Journal tweeted:

Pitt interested enough in Paul Chryst that MBB coach Jamie Dixon calls Bo Ryan to get his insights. A glowing report ensued.

— Andy Baggot (@AndyBaggotWSJ) December 21, 2011

1:48 PM: Cristobal could be offered the job as soon as today, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and if he accepts, he could be introduced as soon as Thursday. That is not a certainty, however, as Cristobal might want to stay in Miami, which is his hometown. In that case, it appears Chryst could get the offer.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette called Chryst "the next guy in line" and cites a source that said the Wisconsin offensive coordinator "helped his cause greatly with an excellent interview Saturday in Pittsburgh." Interestingly enough, the report also says Chryst's interview with Pitt last year did not go well and the committee dismissed him as a candidate.

Dayne Crist

4:36 PM: Matt Tait of the Lawrence Journal World writes: "This much seems safe to say: If Chryst leaves Wisconsin, Crist will be coming to Kansas."

I don't know how much we can trust this, however, as Tait doesn't cite any sources and it's hard to tell if this is just his opinion or actual knowledge of the situation. But, as I wrote earlier, it seems very logical to think the Chryst and Crist sagas are intertwined.

UPDATED: Tait responded to us on Twitter and said it was just his opinion.

@B5Q Opinion, man. Would've said if I had a source behind it... It could be dead wrong. Time will tell.

— Matt Tait (@mctait) December 22, 2011

1:48 PM: Crist's mother told the Chicago Tribune two days ago that her son would likely make a decision in "probably another day or two." It's possible Crist is just waiting to see what will happen with Paul Chryst.

It's worth mentioning that the transfer quarterback visited Madison from Friday to Sunday last weekend and Paul Chryst spent Saturday in Pittsburgh. One can only assume the two spent time together over the weekend, but we can't ignore the fact that Crist's possible future offensive coordinator spent a day interviewing for another job while he was in Madison.