Success ups ante at UNC

With Tennessee apparently eyeing Butch Davis, among others, for its football coaching job, North Carolina is getting a glimpse of how much it can cost to win big in both football and men's basketball.

In only his second season at Carolina, Davis makes about $2.2 million a year. That's in the same general bracket as sixth-year basketball coach Roy Williams, who makes about $2.6 million.

But if Tennessee -- or perhaps another school -- offers $3 million or more, what's UNC to do? The response by many of the school's fans would be to match the offer, particularly if Davis wins nine or 10 games.

That's the double whammy. It's impossible to imagine that Carolina would pay Davis more than Williams, who has won a national title, reached the Final Four twice and could win the championship again in '09. Davis went 4-8 last season. If the school bumped Davis to $3 million, wouldn't Williams deserve $3.5 million or more if he has another deep NCAA run?

Few schools attempt to balance the two sports coaches so equally. The leader is likely Florida, which pays basketball's Billy Donovan about $3.5 million and football's Urban Meyer $3.4 million. But Donovan has won two national titles and Meyer one.

At Texas, football's Mack Brown makes about $3.2 million and basketball's Rick Barnes about $2.2 million. Brown has a national title and Barnes' program is among the national top 20.

In a tight economy and already having made a heavy financial commitment to expanding Kenan Stadium, UNC almost has to hope that Davis will stay for a modest raise and hope to win big again next season. That rarely happens, however. In the aggressive marketplace, money is almost always the driving force.

The ACC schedule may make it difficult for Davis to win nine or 10 games next season. At home, the Heels will face Duke, Miami, Virginia, Florida State, The Citadel, ECU and an opponent to be announced later. On the road, they will visit Connecticut, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, N.C. State and Boston College -- all five will be challenging.

Davis may have to replace his entire group of wide receivers, including league player-of-the-year candidate Hakeem Nicks, a junior. He won't make a decision on the NFL until after the bowl, but there's reason to assume he'll leave early.

There's no doubt that Davis has made a quick, positive impact. He was rewarded with a raise after '07, but an even bigger one may be needed soon.