College Football's Coaches' Carousel: Did They Deserve To Get Fired?

Sometimes, it's all about timing. Other times, it's about quelling the boosters' unrest and calming the fans' rage before it gets out of control.

In either case, some coaches' firings have raised eyebrows in recent years. It's time to take a look back, now that everything has been said and done, and evaluate whether or not the eject button should have been hit on these four coaches:

Ron Zook, Florida Gators

Nothing like upsetting an angry Gator. After experiencing enormous success, Steve Spurrier left Gainesville for the Washington Redskins' head coaching position in 2002. Within 24 hours after Ron Zook was hired to take his place at Florida, the website FireRonZook.com popped up. Not a good sign.

Zook racked up three seasons of 8-5, 8-5, and 7-4 before finally getting canned. The Zookster beat Florida State in Tallahassee—something Spurrier never did—and his Gators played the spoilers to the 2002 and 2003's SEC champs, preventing them from going undefeated. After being terminated, Zook eventually took a job at Illinois, and Urban Meyer filled his shoes at the Swamp.

When Florida won the 2006 BCS championship, twenty-two of the twenty-four starters were Zook's recruits—including the MVP quarterback, Chris Leak—and Meyer publicly thanked Zook for his contributions. While Zook's recruiting ability has never been questioned, his coaching ability was always an issue.

In 2005, Zook did not win one game in the Big Ten, and the Gators fans were were thumping their chests and saying, "See, I told you." Two years later, after ending the Ohio State Buckeyes' 28-consecutive home-game winning streak, the Fighting Illini went to the Rose Bowl, eventually losing to USC.

The Gators, by the way, lost to Michigan in their bowl in that same season. But the point was made—the Fighting Illini had made the biggest turnaround in division 1A history (seven games). The Zookster had arrived, and was rewarded with the Big Ten Coach of the Year award

Tyrone Willingham, Notre Dame

Oh, the debates on this firing still continue. Not much more needs to be thrown on the fuel-filled fodder—but hey, that's what we like to do.

Willingham, in his first year in South Bend, won eight straight games, was the first coach in Notre Dame history to win ten games (10-3 final record) in his inaugural season, and was named the ESPN/Home Depot Coach of the Year.

In his next two seasons, he went 5-7 and 6-6, before finally getting the axe with an overall record of 21-15. Enter Charlie Weis.

Weis of course, had an entirely different Notre Dame experience. In his first year, he went 9-3 overall (versus Willingham's 10-3) and went to the Fiesta Bowl, losing to 34-20 to the Buckeyes.

In 2006, he received the mother of all contracts after posting a 5-2 record—roughly equal to what Willingham's record was at the same point in his second season. The Irish ended up going 10-3, and lost to the LSU Tigers in the Sugar Bowl, 41-14—the ninth-straight bowl loss for the Irish.

In 2007, Weis went 3-9, versus Willingham's 6-6. Yet Weis was not fired, and after three seasons, has only one more win than Willingham, at 22-15.

David Cutcliffe, Ole Miss

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