Dec. 28, 2004
SportsLine.com wire reports

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Louisville football coach Bobby Petrino has met with LSU officials about the Tigers' job but refused to say Tuesday if he expected further talks.

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"There's no offer on the table," he said.

The LSU job opened when Nick Saban left for the Miami Dolphins. Petrino, who called his session with LSU a "preliminary meeting," is in Memphis, where the No. 7 Cardinals play No. 10 Boise State in the Liberty Bowl on Friday.

"We agreed my focus would go to the bowl game and to finish the season -- the great season that we've had," Petrino said after practice at the University of Memphis.

He said LSU officials sought permission to talk with him from Louisville athletic director Tom Jurich.

"They asked for a quick meeting, and with Tom's permission, I agreed to meet with them," Petrino said. "We sat down Sunday morning in Nashville on my way here."


Bobby Petrino attracts a horde of reporters on Tuesday. (AP)
LSU officials received permission from Arkansas to talk to coach Houston Nutt, a Razorbacks spokesman said Tuesday.

Sports information director Kevin Trainor said LSU athletic director Skip Bertman was given permission by Arkansas athletic director Frank Broyles. Trainor said he did not know whether Bertman had contacted Nutt directly by Tuesday night.

Phone messages left for Broyles were not immediately returned, and Nutt was not available for comment. Trainor said the coach was out of town attending a family event. Nutt, who turned down an offer from Nebraska last year, said Monday that he was committed to staying at Arkansas.

Six days ago, Petrino received a raise from $550,000 to $1 million a season guaranteed, with more than $860,000 also possible in incentives. When his new contract was announced, he dismissed inquiries about the LSU position and noted his fondness for Louisville. Louisville moves from Conference-USA to the Big East next season.

"This is the place I want to be," he said then. "This is the place my family wants to be."

Saban will coach LSU in the Capital One Bowl against Iowa on Saturday. Saban had the nation's richest college football contract, a seven-year, $18.45 million deal he signed after winning a share of the national title in 2003. The school is completing a stadium expansion and a new football operations center.

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