While Thanksgiving will feature a ton of big-time NFL and college football matchups throughout the day, Dallas CowboysHall of Fame running back Emmitt Smith is hoping two games in particular serve as a bit of an audition of sorts.
Smith's alma mater, Florida, is in the market for a new head coach after dismissing Will Muschamp two weeks ago, and he has an idea as to whom athletic director Jeremy Foley should be looking at -- both are in action Thursday night.
According to Campus Insiders host Bonnie Bernstein, Smith's top two choices for the job are Texas head coach Charlie Strong and LSU's Les Miles.
It's no surprise to hear Strong's name get a, well ... strong endorsement from the Gators legend. After all, the current Longhorns coach was a longtime assistant in Gainesville and a successful defensive coordinator for the team when they were winning national titles under Urban Meyer a few years ago.
Despite the flattering attention, Strong has already denied he's interested in taking a job many thought he would be a perfect fit for.
"I have a great job here, and I say this -- we have a lot of work to get done here," Strong said at his news conference last week. "I'm not very pleased with where we are right now. I look at our record and know we could have been a lot better, and there is still a lot of work to get done here."
Miles would be an interesting option at Florida because of his success at LSU and in the SEC. If there's any job he's being linked to during the offseason, however, it would be the likely-to-open head coaching spot at his alma mater, Michigan.
LSU visits Texas A&M, and Texas hosts TCU on Thursday.
Oklahoma State's Mike Gundy is considered one of the favorites to become the next Gators head coach. Other names that have surfaced in connection to the opening include Mississippi State's Dan Mullen and even South Carolina's Steve Spurrier.
Who knows if Smith's words carry any weight with the administration at Florida, but it's probably safe to say that whoever winds up taking the job has but one criteria to get the support of one of the best tailbacks to ever play the game: win.
You can follow Bryan Fischer on Twitter at @BryanDFischer.
