The crew returns from Ft. Worth

Hey everyone. Here's why I couldn't do the campfire today:

Jay Jacobs and several of his athletic department associates landed at AUO around 5:45 p.m. after a day-long trip to Ft. Worth, Texas. That just happens to be where Texas Christian University is located.

ESPN.com, citing anonymous sources, reported earlier today that TCU coach Gary Patterson was expected to be interviewed.

I think it's fair to say that was a credible report.

Jacobs' party included two people I'd consider part of the department's inner circle: Mark Richard and Tim Jackson. Quentin Riggins, the former Auburn player and sideline reporter for the Auburn ISP Sports Network, also was part of the party. He's not someone I expected to see. Jacobs said other people would be part of the search process, though, and Riggins is a credible guy in my book.

Riggins said he couldn't comment when approached just off the tarmac. This was a paparazzi-style rush.

They departed this morning at 5:44, so they spent approximately eight hours in Ft. Worth.

PLANE TRICKY: Auburn's jets were quietly in the hangar for this trip. Jacobs & Co. flew on an 8-passenger jet registered to Warren Manufacturing. That's a Birmingham-based company that sells agricultural vehicles and trailers. The connection isn't clear to me.

IS THE PRESIDENT AROUND?: Rather than walk away from the plane like normal civilians, Jacobs & Co. decided to get all secretive. An assistant ferried an SUV from the parking lot, pulled the truck alongside the airplane on the tarmac and the passengers all but dived into the vehicle. You'd think this was President Bush in a Somalian hot zone.