In that case, here's a few of my nominees for post-bowl firing/going away: Cal's Jeff Tedford: 79-47 overall, 48-38 in-conference, only improved a 5-7 season last year to a 7-5 season this year. Awaiting the Holiday Bowl. However, Tedford has a good bowl record when they go (5-2) so a win might save him. Pac 12 television money leads me to think Pac 12 coaches are gonna be hot seated a lot more, however, even with budget programs across the Golden State. Oregon State's Mike Riley: 72-63 overall, 46-47 in-conference, has had two losing seasons in a row, including 3-9 this season. Even if he's not fired, it might be a good time to get out if a better opportunity opens up. The quacks are taking over the Pac 12 north and Leach is gonna make life miserable up there for opponents too. Texas Tech's Tommy Tubby: 13-12 overall, 5-12 in-conference. Does an OU win save your arse? Maybe if there's no buyout on your $2 mil per year contract which you're not earning. As you can see from his overall versus in-conference record, the cupcake non-conference schedule is the only reason they don't lose more often. Tommy needs to find a different job. He's not gonna succeed at Tech and people might still remember that 2004 Auburn season before it gets older every year. Texas' Mack Brown: 140-36 overall, 86-23 in-conference. Going from 5-7 to 7-5 is not good enough if you're making $5 million per year and just cleaned your house of all the alleged supposed problems of last year (Read: Greg Davis and I guess that sexual harassment lawsuit assistant). You were 6th in the Big 12 South last year and Texas allegedly reportedly drove two teams away from the Big 12, so where does that take your team? 6th again (tied for it, actually). Just retire, Mack. You're not going to reclaim your glory years ever. Northwestern's Pat Fitzgerald: 40-35 overall, 21-26 in-conference. He has not had a losing season since his first season, but he will if they lose the (*snicker*) Meineke Car Care Bowl. More telling is that Pat can't compete in the Big Ten. The best he has done is tied for fourth in 08 and 09. And the worst part? N'western has NEVER won a bowl under Fitz. Will going 0-4 in bowls after this postseason finally be the final straw? Iowa's Kirk Ferentz: 96-65 overall, 57-47 in-conference. This is one of the biggest money men in college ($3.65 million per season) and yet he hasn't won the Big Ten since 2004. Every time you think Iowa is on the verge of firing him, Kirk gets his contract year to extend and up his pay. His most recent one was 11-2 in 2009, taking the Hawkeyes to the Orange Bowl. Since then, he's gone 4-4 in the Big Ten for two seasons and is once again taking Iowa to a mid-tier bowl. How long will they put up with that? I'll do the three other big boy conferences later, but those are my nominees in the Big Ten, Big 12 and Pac 12.
OK, here's my SEC nominees: Rocky Top's Derek Dooley: 11-14 overall, 4-12 in-conference. It is becoming increasingly apparently that coaches no longer get 5 years, or 3 years. At the first sign of trouble, your millionaire arse is fired. Two losing seasons in the SEC after the way Lane Kiffin fired fans up for a single season before he bolted from Knoxville with pitchforks and torches chasing him? Dooley's days in orange pants are numbered. MSU's Dan Mullen: 20-17 overall, 9-15 in-conference. Does a love of cowbells and two-straight bowl trips save you from inevitable fan backlash over not winning enough in the S-E-C, S-E-C? I expect Mullen to take a different job before his overall and SEC record starts to count against him.
Looks like June Jones to the PAC. Arizona State joins Arizona, Washington State and Oregon as high-powered offense teams. A trend that flies in the face of the success of the defensive SEC SEC SEC.
Big East nominees: Rutgers' Greg Schiano: 67-67 overall, 28-48 in-conference. He was a hot commodity in 2006 by going 11-2 and taking Rutgers to the... Texas Bowl?! You get 11 wins and get sent to the Texas Bowl?! Only in the Big East. He went 4-3 in the Big East this season, 1-6 last season and dating back to when he took the RU job in 2001, his bowl record is good (4-1) but he has yet to win the crappy Big East. While he's making an affordable $1.5 million per season, your patience as a coach has to run out eventually. When you can't win at your current job and another place offers you more money to leave where you might have a better chance at winning... you're gonna go. USF's Skip Holtz: 13-12 overall, 4-10 in-conference. Surely having a famous dad and his famous name and beating Notre Dame on the road in the pouring rain gives you a pass... to get a different job as fast as possible. Going 1-6 in the Big Least this year means Skip needs to high tail outta town before anyone forgets OMG WIN AT NOTER DOMER and how well he did at East Carolina (38-27, 28-12). His $1.85 million annual salary means USF fans are not going to put up with not competing in a crappy football conference forever. Syracuse's Doug Marrone: 17-20 overall, 6-15 in-conference. With a move to the ACC in the near future, I expect a Dan Hawkins-like dumping of Marrone in this season or the next. Getting an 8-win season for Syracuse - their first 8-win season since 2001 - is not going to save you from the fact that you are a mediocre team in a mediocre conference. How mediocre? 1-6 this season in the Big Least in both 2009 and 2011. Here's some ACC nominees: Maryland's Randy Edsall: 2-10 overall, 1-7 in-conference. Congrats on your crazy uniform win over Miami on national television... at the beginning of the season. But since then, it's embarrassing loss after embarrassing loss for your $2 mil per year coaching. You make more than Maryland's basketball coach?! This might stand this year, but next year... you are gonna get wrapped in Under Armour and sent rolling down a dangerous intersection in a trash container. Boston College's Frank Spanzini: 20-19 overall, 12-12 in-conference. If we count your interim coaching job, you gave Boston College one bowl win. If we don't, you're 0-2 and not headed to one this season. There's really not much else to say. Ho hum Boston College football. About the only reason your program's mentioned now is when there's a "we hate cancer" drive or they need to show what a successful Hail Mary looks like. NC State's Tom O'Brien: 32-30 overall, 18-22 in-conference. So even Belk has a bowl now? Well, you better enjoy it, because since you took this job in 2007, you've only taken NC State to three (including the Belk Bowl) total, going 1-1. If your five seasons, you've had a losing record three times, but they were your first three years, so you might get a free pass for now. Might.
With all these buy-outs and salaries, I shoulda been a coach. But if I had, I would NEVER go to a message board for tips.
The Big East is tough, man. Even Skip Holtz is having trouble winning there... don't you know who his dad is?!?!?!?!
All I know is I bet the Washington State vs Arizona State games will be highly entertaining if you love offense.
that's a relief. can you imagine the SMU pep rally today? June Jones: We're going to Big East! SMU: June Jones: We're gonna have a shot at a BCS auto bid! SMU: June Jones: We're gonna be in a big boy conference! The Ponies are back! We're gonna have the opportunity to compete at the highest level, not just in football, but every sport! Come ON, guys! SMU: June Jones: OK, ok... I'm not going to Arizona State. SMU:
Yeah, looks like the offer has been pulled. Wonder if it has anything to do with Sumlin. Fuente is on the radar at Memphis.
I'd be surprised to see very many post-bowl firings based solely on record. There aren't a whole lot of schools who are going to fire a coach after a bowl game. The elite programs like Michigan, OU, Texas, etc. might, but I'd be surprised to see a team like Northwestern or even Texas Tech fire a guy after a bowl game. Primarily because most of the really solid coaching candidates will have split. A school like Michigan can be confident that they can get a top-notch guy after a bowl. A school like Northwestern can't.
I wasn't necessarily saying that a coach would get fired... but rather, that a coach might look seriously at leaving while his stock is still OK or his situation isn't improving.
