What does Woodward know about football anyway? I don't want some political operative calling the shots again...he'll hold onto SSWS just so he can collect another $400k or whatever he's paid and pray he wins 6 conference games in 2014 so he can collect another big salary. If Woodward is selfish and protects his own interests (his ass and his bank-account) can Husky Nation force his hand after Riley perforates SSWS for his 5th conference loss? Hard to believe a non-football AD and some with their heads up their asses could still end up calling the shots out of their own best interests. Or will they get away with it?
Woodward knows nothing about football. I tried to Google and failed to find the specific picture, but you should see how Woodward held the football. A guy is an AD, watches numerous practices, 13 games a year, and he still doesn't know how to hold a football? It's unreal.
To your other point, I actually think Woodward has built up some goodwill with getting the new stadium built. If he fired Sark, he would get another hire to prove if he was right for the job. If he retains Sark for another year or two, his goodwill he built may erode and he will find himself getting fired along with Sark. Just thinking out loud here.