|
 In response to the many emails received this and last week in regards to the 'coaching hot seat' as it has come to be known, let us take a minute to examine two coaches currently occupying said 'hot seat'.
The Charlie Weis Situation
It appears that Charlie Weis' tenure as the head coach at Notre Dame will come to an end following the season. Of course, this is all speculation until we get an official word from somebody at Notre Dame-like athletic director Jack Swarbrick.
Weis, a graduate of Notre Dame, may have seen his fate sealed when the Irish fell to Navy on November 7. Swarbrick pointed to the outcome of the Navy game as the most disappointing moment of the 2009 season. It was the Irish's second loss in three years to Navy, a team Notre Dame had not lost to in 47 years.
Sitting at 6-2 with losses to Michigan and USC, Notre Dame looked poised to make a run at a BCS at-large bid, or at least a spot in the Gator Bowl. They have since lost to Dion Lewis and the Pitt Panthers to sink the Irish's record to 6-4. Swarbrick did not say that he plans on sacking Weis at season's end and indicated that he has not come up with a timetable for an announcement regarding Weis' future.
 Weis started his tenure in Notre Dame on a high note, going 9-3 in his first year and then 10-3 his second. Those six losses came against USC twice, Ohio State, LSU, Michigan and Michigan State. Not too shabby, but everything imploded in his third year. The Irish went 3-9 in a disastrous 2007. They did not make a bowl and did not win a single game until the first week of October. The following year Weis guided the Irish to mediocrity, where they now remain.
Weis' predecessor, Ty Willingham, spent three years at Notre Dame, finishing 10-3, 5-7 and 6-5. Notre Dame does not appreciate mediocrity, and after 3-9 and 7-6 seasons, it seems as though Weis has been given more chance to succeed than Willingham-at least an extra year. The Irish are sitting stagnant, showing promise in the beginning of the season and then falling flat on their face since the loss to Navy.
Heisman candidate and quarterback Jimmy Clausen may very well leave for the NFL following the season, as may wide receiver Golden Tate, whom many believe to be the best wide receiver in the country. With questions about the team's future and no clear path evident under Weis, this is the perfect time for Notre Dame officials to jettison their head coach, who after ample opportunity has not guided the football program in the way the school had envisioned.
The Rich Rodriguez Situation
Three hours down the road (according to MapQuest) Rich Rodriguez has come under similar scrutiny. Rodriguez arrived at Michigan to take over a team that the previous season had dropped its first game-while ranked #5 in the nation-to lowly Appalachian State whose student body proceeded to celebrate like they had just toppled the British Empire. The Wolverines finished the 2007 season at 9-4. Then RichRod marched into town to take the Wolverines back to prosperity!
His first season was an epic failure. Michigan finished 3-9 and Rodriguez blamed former coach Lloyd Carr for leaving the cupboards bare.
It's not top tier talent that Michigan lacks, though, it's the supporting cast. The cupboards were not bare when Rodriguez took over; there just wasn't enough bread and rice behind all the flashy stuff. That's a challenge that Michigan will have to meet. Rodriguez brought in a top ten recruiting class in 2009 according to Rivals and is on his way to bringing in another top class for 2010.
 It took RichRod a season to turn WVU into contenders (the Mountaineers finished 9-4 and second in the Big East in 2001). It will take at least one season longer before he transforms Michigan back to their familiar form.
To judge now would be too soon. With another big recruiting class coming in, some continuity would do the Wolverines good. He's got his quarterback and another batch of recruits coming, so it would be downright stupid to part ways at this point.
If Rodriguez is going to be let go, however, it should be for any NCAA violations he may have committed as head coach this and last season. He's been accused of such sins and has seen a host of Wolverines transfer as a result of his coaching 'style'. Until these claims are proven or more reports begin to surface, don't expect a new face to be roaming the sidelines in Ann Arbor for the 2010 season. - Danny Hobrock
Danny Hobrock is a sports journalist who primarily covers college football and professional baseball. He is a contributor for several sports related blogs and is the former editor of a political and current events website.
If you haven't voted in our poll on the site yet please do so. We are trying to get a feel for how our readers are looking at the game of NCAA Football so we can write about things they want to hear. The poll question is, "Do you think the NCAA should have a Playoff to determine the National Champion rather than the BCS / Bowl System?" - Please vote.
Have a Fantasy Football or Rotisserie baseball question? Want to know who to pick up, who to activate and who the hot prospects are? Ask Dr. Roto. Let Dr. Roto guide your team to a league championship.
 
 |
