Nice proactive move by Steve Alford over at Iowa. Deadspin and others are reporting that he's going to bolt from Big Ten Iowa to coach... wait for it... at Mountain West New Mexico.

Fact is, Alford's never done anything at Iowa to suggest he's the quality of coach that everyone seems to want him to be. Yet he has that air of entitlement, like all the writers assembled in the press room are but a mere annoyance. Sort of like his mentor, the man who may have pooped in his locked or something... Bob Knight.

I loved the quote from the story that says that Alford was more interested in being at a school that was not "football-first." So many jokes to make there; Deadspin chose to point out that he could have just gone to Indiana if he wanted a school with a football-last situation. But more to the point, what has Iowa football done in recent years that has pushed the basketball program there so far down the ladder of importance? Neither program is winning anything and, in reality, they're both underachieving constantly.

If Alford has any success at New Mexico and Kelvin Sampson staggers at IU, there is absolutely no doubt that Alford will be IU's head coach one day. And this way, he won't be jumping from one Big Ten school to another.

Enjoy the stopover in mediocre-land, Lobos.