Following two bad losses to Cal and Oklahoma State in as many weeks, the outlook in Austin for Texas head coach Charlie Strong does not look promising at the moment. In fact, the decision to move on from Strong may have already been made.

According to a report from Pete Thamel of Sports Illustrated, citing Strong’s defensive failures in Year 3 at Texas and the Longhorns’ lack of attention to detail (Oklahoma State blocked three Texas extra points last weekend), the powers that be in Austin appear ready to move on from Strong.

Per Thamel’s report, the only thing keeping Strong alive at the moment is a lack of suitable interim coach on staff:

A high-ranking Texas official said on Sunday night that Strong is “very close” to losing his job at the end of the season after back-to-back road losses to Cal and Oklahoma State. The official said that there will be no move made during the year on Strong. Part of that comes from the fact that there’s no logical candidate on the staff to take over the program.

With the LSU job currently open and the potential for openings at Auburn and Texas A&M (if Kevin Sumlin lets another promising start go to waste, he may not survive the heat in College Station — remember the Aggies have started the last two years with a 5-0 record only to finish both seasons with an 8-5 record), those three along with Texas could all be vying for the same candidates in the near future.

Houston head coach Tom Herman is currently the betting favorite to land at LSU, however, it may be tough for Herman to pass on either the Texas or A&M jobs should he be offered either.

While Texas is regarded by some as the cash cow of college football, it would be unwise to think any of the aforementioned SEC schools would be afraid to go above and beyond financially in order to land the guy they truly want. Could you imagine if Texas A&M stole Herman out from under Texas’ nose at the 11th hour?

The Lone Star State rivalry could go nuclear at that point.

Thanks to LSU, the high-profile coaching carousel has been jump started earlier than ever before. How it all plays out in the coming weeks and months will be fascinating to see.