UPDATED, 3:01 pm

It looks as if our friends at Cardiac Hill can breathe a sigh of relief. As Barry Alvarez has started a bit of a media tour today, the reports of the one coach everyone could have seemed to agree on in Paul Chryst had to be discussed. And all of the sudden, we're in a situation where it's fairly wide open.

"I asked some very close friends of mine to help Paul get that job," Alvarez said in a press conference Thursday morning in Madison. "I think Paul's already come out and said he's committed to Pitt, and I think he should be committed to Pitt. I wouldn't think it would be right for him to leave after one year. I wouldn't feel right and I don't think it would be appropriate for me to hire him back after I asked someone to do me a favor and help him get that job. So Paul's going to stay at Pitt."

One would have to figure that with this news, someone like Notre Dame defensive coordinator Bob Diaco or Western Kentucky head coach Willie Taggart would have to be considered the new favorites for the position. But that term would be used loosely.

It's wide open. Very wide open. And it's time to be ready for anyone.