2012 Bowl Games: Wisconsin and Other Programs Disgruntled with Their Head Coach

There is a lot of pressure on head coaches in college football, but some of these men have really left fans with a bad taste in their mouths.

While many coaches have led teams to disappointing seasons, sometimes it only takes some poor clock management in a bowl game for fans to want to make a change.

Few, if any, of the people on this list are in danger of losing their jobs, but they might have angered enough fans to put the wheels in motion toward a dismissal down the line.

Brian Kelly, Notre Dame

It was an up-and-down season for Notre Dame.

The Fighting Irish had eight wins, but losses to rivals Michigan, USC and Stanford have caused doubt about the future of the program.

Things reached their low point after a loss in the Champs Sports Bowl. Notre Dame built a 14-0 lead before allowing 18 straight points by Florida State to end the game.

After only two seasons, Brian Kelly is already allowing people to question how long he will remain in South Bend.

Bob Stoops, Oklahoma

After his first few years coaching Oklahoma, Bob Stoops earned the nickname "Big Game Bob."

The Sooners won the national championship in his second season with the team in 2000, but with that, the expectations grew.

In Stoops' 13 years with the program, he has led the team to seven conference championships, but the fanbase is hungry for more.

This season might have been the biggest disappointment, starting the year as the top-ranked team in the preseason but losing three games.

He probably will not be leaving Oklahoma any time soon, but the fans are starting to get restless.

Randy Edsall, Maryland

In a highly controversial move, Maryland decided to fire Ralph Friedgen last season following a nine-win season in which he won the ACC Coach of the Year award. 

There were extenuating circumstances surrounding that firing, including the coach-in-waiting James Franklin leaving the program.

Regardless, Randy Edsall was selected as the next coach for the Terrapins after leading Connecticut to a Big East Championship.

In one year, Edsall turned a nine-win team with the ACC Rookie of the Year at quarterback into a 2-10 team. Many players did not like the new coach's militaristic approach and have transferred out of the school.

He is not only on the hot seat going into next season, but the current fans want him out as soon as possible.

Bo Pelini, Nebraska

Bo Pelini has had four quality seasons in Nebraska, but fans of the historic program were expecting better than four losses in every season.

The Cornhuskers climbed to as high as No. 8 in the polls this season until getting blown out on the road against Wisconsin in early October.

Since that game, Nebraska continued to fall, capping it off with a 30-13 loss to South Carolina in the Capitol One Bowl.

Pelini will get plenty of time to improve his record, especially considering the 5-7 record that Nebraska had the season before he arrived.

However, the school has five national championship and would like to be back on track toward winning another one relatively soon.

Kirk Ferentz, Iowa

After a great start at Iowa, including two conference titles in 2002 and 2004, Kirk Ferentz has cooled down.

This year, the Hawkeyes had the most losses since 2007, and fans are starting to lose patience.

While Iowa does not have the history of fellow Big Ten programs like Michigan and Ohio State, expectations are still high, since he came into the year as the highest paid head coach in the conference.

The blowout loss to Oklahoma in the Insight Bowl will be remembered throughout the offseason.

Bret Bielema, Wisconsin

Wisconsin rose as high as No. 6 in the country this season, but it dropped two straight to remove any hopes of a national championship.

However, the lack of a title won't be what will keep Badger fans up at night until the next season starts.

These fans will be angry at Bret Bielema for the last two seconds of the 2012 Rose Bowl.

With time running out and Wisconsin down a touchdown, Russell Wilson connected with Nick Toon for 33 yards.

The first down stopped the clock, but Bielema called for the quarterback to spike the ball instead of running one last play. Unfortunately, the play took too long, and the game ended.

Wisconsin was left without even a chance to tie the score.

This is certainly the type of loss that will stay with you for quite some time.

Paul Johnson, Georgia Tech

When Paul Johnson was hired as head coach of Georgia Tech in 2008, he set out to prove that the triple option that worked for him at Navy would work in the ACC.

For two years, he was right, winning the ACC in 2008 behind an 11-win season.

In the past two seasons, the wheels have started to come off for the Yellow Jackets. The team has a combined 14-12 record and recently lost its fourth straight bowl game. 

The loss to Utah in the Sun Bowl included losing a 14-point fourth-quarter lead that seemed to be a metaphor for the season. Georgia Tech rose as high as No. 12 in the nation before losing five of its last seven games.

It seems that teams are starting to figure out how to defend Johnson's system.