He won the introductory news conference. Football coach Willie Taggart crushed it in his opening act nearly 12 months ago this week. He was warm, funny and enthusiastic. And as it turns out, might have been wasting his time unpacking.

Ever had a 361-night stand?

Oregon is still trying to figure out if it did or not.

Taggart's future remained up in the air on Tuesday at sunrise. He's still the head coach at Oregon and by sundown maybe the next one at Florida State, too. None of that feels warm, funny or enthusiastic. What it does feel is sobering. As in, Oregon opened the door to the reality of major college football by hiring a mercenary coach who could flat-out recruit. And now, that same bounty-hunter hire might be ready to shout, "Go 'Noles!" and slam the door in the Ducks' faces.

No loyalty. Lousy economics. Ugly reality.

That's where we are today. Not saying Oregon should have, or could have, done anything differently. Hiring Taggart was a conscious choice. UO wanted to compete at the highest level of college athletics. Regardless of whether he stays or goes in a decision expected anytime now -- and my bet is 'goes' -- it doesn't make the events here feel any less disappointing.

Those passing outside the Casanova Center on Monday night noted that Oregon Athletic Director Rob Mullens worked late. He was in his office long after most of you went to bed. His window was the only one in the building with its lights still on, and Mullens was huddled with two senior associate athletic directors. The men were working the telephones, and according to one campus source looked like they, "were up to something important."

Refreshing Twitter?

Nope.

The hunch here is that Mullens and his team of lieutenants were answering a serious UO wake-up call provided by Taggart and his agent, Jimmy Sexton. Oregon may have a swollen athletic department budget and a $68 million football operations building but its on new ground here.

Said one football-department staffer: "Feels like we're about to be used like a stepping stone."

Taggart isn't at all like the gentle Mark Helfrich, of Coos Bay, and his staff of three-decade assistants. Those guys tip-toed across the Brazilian hardwood floors of the football offices, afraid to scratch them. He isn't Mike Bellotti, a lifer, either. Or Rich Brooks, who bottle fed the program like a newborn. Or even Chip Kelly, who was only ever leaving Eugene for a shot in the NFL. No, Taggart is different. He's "College Football 2017."

Taggart came to Eugene to win big and get out. Or get rich and get out. Whichever came first. Both, preferably. But ultimately, be clear, he is getting out and leaving Oregon behind at some point. Maybe today. Maybe in a year. But he's leaving.

The "Why wouldn't I be back next season?" performance by Taggart on Friday and Sunday was the stuff of big-time college football. We all know why he wouldn't be back. He knows why. Still, the Ducks coach declared how excited he was for the Las Vegas Bowl, then jumped on a jet and went to meet with recruits... and Florida State.

A lot of us might have handled the details of the last 72 hours different. Let's stop pretending that Taggart was only doing what was best for his family. He should do what's best for them, but also he could have been more authentic and genuine. For all the talk about family, in the end, he looks like another self-serving coach who is only interested in what he can squeeze out of whichever employer he leverage the most.

The hire of Taggart 12 months ago was an attempt by Oregon at trying to be a serious player in recruiting at the major college football level. Recruiting is something the Ducks have never done consistently well. Taggart is brilliant at it. Maybe the best in America. But with that comes big egos, big agendas and big demands. So yeah, a 7-5 season and a bowl game combined with the vacancy at Florida State turns into a script from "Nightmare on Leo Harris Pkwy."

College football is drunk. No other explanation for what we've seen in recent weeks. Seminoles fans are tied up in this mess, too. They have been for months. Jimbo Fisher got $75 million guaranteed to ditch Florida State, which gave him the opportunity of a lifetime once upon a time. His potential replacement, Taggart, has won exactly seven games as Oregon's coach. One more win than Dick Enright. Two fewer than Don Read. That's where Taggart may forever rank in the UO history books. And I don't think it will bother him a bit if Taggart, 41, gets paid in the neighborhood of $5 million a year at FSU.

You know, Scott Frost and Nebraska money. All that.

That's how it may end for Taggart. But I keep thinking about the beginning. Taggart's tenure in Eugene began with players hospitalized after a workout and his strength and conditioning coach suspended. Then David Reaves, Taggart's hand-picked co-offensive coordinator, was charged with a DUII. He resigned. Still, Oregon stood behind him, watching him grow as a coach. Based on the act this week, I think he still has some room.

What exactly would Florida State be getting in Taggart at this point of his development? A skilled recruiter and a so-so game manager. To win big, he'll need better players than his opponent and good assistants stacked in piles around him. On that note, Taggart should probably tip Ducks quarterback Justin Herbert if he's on his way out. Without Herbert coming back to help salvage the season Taggart isn't a serious candidate for another job. Instead, he's faced with game-planning against the likes of Chip Kelly, Chris Petersen and David Shaw next season. The path to the College Football Playoff in the ACC is far easier.

Taggart teams have now qualified for four bowl games in his career. He's only coached one of them. Two other times, he skipped the game and jumped to a better gig during bowl season. It's what Taggart does. Every program wants to be bowl eligible. Typically, Taggart celebrates his bowl eligibility by packing things in cardboard boxes, forwarding his mail and throwing out his sports apparel wardrobe.

I don't blame Taggart. Just venting on behalf of the fan base here. Aspiration isn't a crime. Oregon signed on for this, and will sign on again when it hires the next coach. Taggart shouldn't be the target of your angst. As one sitting Pac 12 coach told me on Monday night, "In Willie's defense, Florida State is a perfect job in a perfect storm for him."

The Ducks' plan, post-Mark Helfrich, was to hire a visionary leader with great recruiting skill. Mullens and his team wanted someone who bring unprecedented college football talent to Eugene. They planned to surround that new hire with a team of gifted assistants paid from a deep salary pool. Taggart, then at South Florida, checked all the boxes. He got the job. He now has those seven wins, but does he have an eighth in him?

There's a Dec. 20 early-signing deadline looming. The Ducks play in Las Vegas on Dec. 16. A large percentage of the nation's best high school players are going to sign early. If Taggart is off to FSU, a big chunk of his No. 1-ranked recruiting class figures to go with him. It's why that scene at the Casanova Center with Mullens working the telephone feels so critical.

The Taggart act in the last 72 hours chapped some Ducks fans and boosters. They've lost patience and their trust in him has eroded. It became clear at some point late Sunday that if Taggart was going to flirt with Florida State and then return to Oregon, he'd have to work to heal a handful of key damaged relationships.

Mullens has been working on a contingency plan for days, sources say. Frankly, if it's former Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin, that would be an upgrade over Taggart. If it's someone else, we'll see how it goes. Regardless, Oregon is playing a game of high-stakes athletics now. Feelings will get hurt. Things will occasionally end badly. Millions will be spent. The lack of loyalty may make you long for the past.

The Ducks must act quickly if Taggart really is gone. We all know that. It's why waking up Tuesday with no resolution felt unsettling. Oregon will have to get the next potential hire right. It feels like we've arrived at the most fragile pivot point in Ducks football history, amplified by the presence of Kelly now recruiting at UCLA.

The same six-seat, twin-jet that carried Taggart into Eugene last December as the prized new football hire was used again by Taggart on Monday. This time, to potentially aid in his escape.

Sobering, isn't it?