Dan Hawkins' somewhat manic mind has been dealing with his imminent departure from Colorado from the very first moments of a disastrous season. With Colorado's fourth straight losing season already assured heading into Friday's finale with Nebraska, Hawk was in an openly reflective mood Monday, trying to defend his "pie in the sky" and glass half-full" philosophy even while admitting his "10 wins and no excuses" prediction in the preseason was slightly too optimistic and occasionally indicating he sees the writing on the wall. And nowhere did he seem more resigned to his fate than when he admitted he probably shouldn't have recruited his son to play quarterback:

As the Denver Post quipped, that just about makes it unanimous: No one has suggested Cody Hawkins isn't a hard-working, stand-up guy who's handled being yanked in and out of the lineup over the last two years like "a man's man," but hasn't quite fit as a Big 12 quarterback. Physically, Cody's height and arm have always been regarded as liabilities, and after a respectable debut as a redshirt freshman, he's finished as the lowest-rated regular passer in the conference each of the last two years. The pick-six that turned the tide of a potential upset bid and got him pulled from the game at Texas must be one of the worst combinations of bad decision/bad throw anyone has made this year. Cody still has another season, but to hear his dad talk, it sounded like the verdict is already in.

And as far as the elder Hawk's tenure is concerned, maybe it is -- when the local paper starts drawing eerie parallels between you and Bill Callahan, who had no hope of remaining at Nebraska going into the 2007 finale in Boulder, it's pretty much over; Callahan was so fired at the end, the rest of the Big 12 might as well make it a verb for all lame-duck coaches as they play out the string: Win or lose Saturday, Hawkins seems destined to be Callahan'd by this time next week, after which he'll have plenty of time to reflect on his alternate history memoir.

And hey, glass-half-full: Maybe the school can't afford the buyout, and Dan will get to see his self-described mistake through to the end. Keep reaching for that pie.