DeWayne Walker set the coaching carousel spinning once more with his late departure from New Mexico State. (AP)

Tommy Tuberville’s sitting by the phone* and Jimmy Sexton’s got that particular sparkle in his eye. It can mean only one thing: The coach firin’ season is upon us once more. We’ll be tracking the carousel of progress, right here, for as long as it takes to stop spinning. Raise a glass to times past, won’t you? * Well, not anymore, but never tell us we don’t have the gift of very specific prophecy through throwaway jokes.

New Mexico State [updated 02.01.2013]

• Who’s out: DeWayne Walker, who jumps to the NFL with less than two weeks remaining between now and Signing Day. And not even for a coordinating gig: Walker will coach defensive backs for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Walker released the following statement through the athletic department: “I really appreciate the opportunity that Dr. Boston and New Mexico State gave me to be a Division I head football coach. Unfortunately, I did not get the program as far as I would have liked from a wins and losses standpoint. But, we do have a better locker room, better kids and a better foundation for the program moving forward. There are a lot of people that I want to thank for their support and will be reaching out to those individuals in the coming days. They have helped me in moving the program forward. I am excited about starting a new chapter in my coaching career, as is my family. I wish New Mexico State great success in the future and wish everyone the best. Go Aggies!” • Who’s in: Doug Martin — the one who played at Kentucky, not the one who played at Boise State. Although if Martin The Younger is really so opposed to his excellent nickname, we’re gonna refer to Martin The Elder as coach Muscle Hamster instead. It’s been a whirlwind courtship for Martin and the Aggies: He was announced as offensive coordinator on January 17, temporarily promoted to interim head coach on January 24 and will be officially announced as DeWayne Walker’s successor on Monday, February 4. Martin’s previous head coaching experience consists of a seven-year stint at Kent State, from 2004-2010. Read More…

@martinrickman I vote for a picture of Dianne Wiest since it’s the Big Wiest.

— Dan Weiner (@DanWeiner) November 13, 2012

• Let’s settle this now. Behold, the divisions of the new Big East: Central Florida, South Florida, Connecticut, Louisville, Cincinnati and Rutgers in the East East, and Boise State, Houston, Memphis, San Diego State, SMU and Temple in the East West. The ease of remembering mostly geographically based divisions aside (lookin’ riiiight at you, Increasingly Inaccurately Named Big Ten and ACC), new divisions mean new opportunities for mnemonic acronyms and Lovecraftian anagrams. IMPORTANT NOTE: For reasons relating to not wanting to come up with a bunch of U-words, we’re going with Central Florida instead of UCF here, South Florida instead of USF and Connecticut instead of UConn. Thank you for your understanding.

Our best suggestions in the clubhouse thus far:

East: Crooked Stepping Creeping Landscape Creep Rust, Considering Shaken Chosen Lawyer Creator Rake and Change Shrewd Cremini Lump Craze Riot.

West: Blistered High Mockery S‘more Stereo Turtle, Blended Holding Minor Sopping Sleepy Tangent and Broad Headache Manic Stiff Solace Toad.

Almost none of these words have anything to do with anything, which is sort of what we get for putting South Florida, Connecticut, Boise and San Diego State in the same conference. Please feel free to leave your own suggestions below.

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Keith Price and Washington topped Cal last year and will look to emerge victorious again Friday night. (Getty Images)

• What information do I, the discerning consumer, require in order to consume this game? The Huskies and Golden Bears are scheduled to kick off at 9 p.m. ET at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley. The game will be televised on ESPN2 and streamed on WatchESPN.

• What’s at stake here? Bowl eligibility for the Bears, who, at 3-6 overall, must win out to earn any kind of postseason invitation. The pressure is much lower for the Huskies, who sit at 4-4 but are headed into the easiest stretch on their 2012 schedule: Their remaining opponents (Cal, Utah, Colorado and Wazzu) are a combined 9-24.

• How fired is Cal coach Jeff Tedford at this point — fired, or SUPER-fired? Tedford, the Golden Bears’ all-time winningest coach, actually still has a job as of this morning, but for how much longer is anyone’s guess. It’s been an unfortunate decline for Tedford, who was hailed as a savior for taking a Cal program that had cratered under Tom Holmoe and returning it to respectability with three straight Top 25 finishes. That was six years ago, though, and today Tedford is on track for a second losing season in three years. When you’re the highest-paid state employee in California, people expect better.

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“Oh, really?” said Jawan Jamison. “No, not really,” said South Florida’s defense, allowing him to pass unimpeded. (AP)

• Rutgers 23, South Florida 13. Ask us again how goofy we feel for having picked the Bulls to win the Big East. We will tell you, free of sidestepping or correct grammar, way more goofier than we did at this time yesterday. The Crystal Ball Curse, which we have made up, lives and breathes of its own accord.

Making Thursday night worthwhile viewing all by himself was Rutgers tailback Jawan Jamison, whose spin move here is fun to watch in .gif form. But it was gasp-worthy in HD. Find video if you can. It was a truly beautiful moment in a game almost entirely devoid of them. Jamison wrapped up his evening in Tampa with 151 yards and a touchdown, his fourth consecutive 100-yard game. Jamison’s 41 carries broke a school record that had stood since 1972. [BOX | RECAP]

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