College Football: 10 Coaches Destined To Fail in 2010

Each and every year, the college football preseason rankings come out and there are teams who are ranked a little too high and some who are ranked a little too low. 

Those teams who are overrated are exposed rather early and sometimes the blame falls on the coaches.

Now, these may be top notch coaches whose teams just do not have the talent in that particular year, other times the talent is there and the coach cannot put it all together.

Either way, some coaches seem like they have no way of preventing the inevitable collapse of their team.

While some may disappoint because of a difficult schedule, or injuries, the blame almost always rests on the shoulder of the head coach.  

With the start of the college football season only a day away, here is a list of ten coaches destined to fail in 2010. 

10. Houston Nutt

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ARLINGTON, TX - JANUARY 02: Head coach Houston Nutt of the Mississippi Rebels during the AT&T Cotton Bowl on January 2, 2010 at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

The Mississippi Rebels received bad news yesterday when the NCAA ruled Oregon transfer Jeremiah Masoli ineligible for the 2010 season. 

Head coach Houston Nutt and his team were counting on Masoli, who is one of the most talented players in college football. 

With the rigorous schedule of the SEC, playing without their best player will have a lasting impact on this team. 

A three week stretch has them taking on Alabama, Arkansas, and Auburn without a proven quarterback. 

For these reasons, Houston Nutt is destined to fail in 2010. 

9. Skip Holtz

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CHAPEL HILL, NC - SEPTEMBER 19: Head coach Skip Holtz of the East Carolina Pirates watches on against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Kenan Stadium on September 19, 2009 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

New South Florida head coach Skip Holtz is not in Conference USA anymore. He is now in a BCS Conference, and with the losses South Florida endured from last season's team and the difficulty of their schedule, Holtz will have trouble reaching six wins in 2010. 

The Bulls have non-conference road games against in state rivals Florida and Miami. Couple that with conference games against Pittsburgh, West Virginia, Cincinnati, Connecticut, and Rutgers and six wins seems like a good season. 

Holtz is a great coach who will do wonders for the South Florida program, but with the amount of talent gone from last season's team, especially on defense, he will have trouble winning many games in 2010. 

8. Joe Paterno

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ORLANDO, FL - JANUARY 1: Head coach Joe Paterno of the Penn State Nittany Lions looks on during the 2010 Capital One Bowl against the LSU Tigers at the Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium on January 1, 2010 in Orlando, Florida. Penn State won 19-17. (Photo by Joe

The Penn State Nittany Lions are a preseason top-20 team, but with their aging coach and difficult schedule, they are destined to fail in 2010. 

With road games against three top ten teams, including Alabama, Ohio State, and Iowa, Joe Paterno has his hands full this season. 

The defense will have to be as good as they were a season ago for this team to be able to stay in games. 

Look for the Nittany Lions to have a down year and finish in the middle of the pack in the Big Ten. 

7. Tommy Tuberville

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TUSCALOOSA, AL - NOVEMBER 29: Head coach Tommy Tuberville of the Auburn Tigers watches his team take on the Alabama Crimson Tide at Bryant-Denny Stadium on November 29, 2008 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Photo by Doug Benc/Getty Images)

New Texas Tech coach Tommy Tuberville has as difficult a schedule as nearly anyone in the nation. For that reason alone, the Red Raiders are destined to fail in 2010.

With games against Texas and Oklahoma along with a non-conference showdown against Houston, Tuberville will have to have his team fired up all season, because there are no breaks in the Big 12. 

Tuberville has what it takes to bring Texas Tech to a BCS Bowl, just not in 2010. 

6. Urban Meyer

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GAINESVILLE, FL - APRIL 10: Head coach Urban Meyer of the Florida Gators coaches his team during the Orange & Blue game at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on April 10, 2010 in Gainesville, Florida. (Photo by Doug Benc/Getty Images)

For the University of Florida, failing is not winning 12 games. So, winning 10 in 2010 will be considered a failure for head coach Urban Meyer.

Florida plays in the grueling SEC and in a league truly without a night off, the Gators are certain to rack up a few losses in 2010. 

The departure of Tim Tebow will not make matters easy for Meyer, as the post-Tebow era may come with two or three losses in 2010. 

By Florida standards, a failed season. 

5. Charlie Strong

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GAINESVILLE, FL - SEPTEMBER 12: Defensive coordinator Charlie Strong of the Florida Gators calls out a signal during the game against the Troy Trojans at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on September 12, 2009 in Gainesville, Florida. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Get

Louisville head coach Charlie Strong left the University of Florida to become a head coach at a program who at one time was one of the best in the country.

Strong has the opportunity to restore that program, however, that will not happen in 2010. 

With seven or eight guaranteed losses on their schedule, the Cardinals have a tough road to hoe in 2010. Non-conference games against Oregon St. and Kentucky along with the Big East equal a four or five win season at best for Strong and the Louisville Cardinals. 

4. Randy Shannon

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FORT LAUDERDALE, FL - SEPTEMBER 17: Head coach Randy Shannon of the Miami Hurricanes watches his team take on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Land Shark Stadium on September 17, 2009 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Miami defeated Georgia Tech 33-17. (Pho

Miami University is back on the map and head coach Randy Shannon is the man solely responsible for their rise. However, in 2010, "The U" may be slightly overrated. 

Miami is ranked in the top 15 in every preseason poll and is one of the favorites in the ACC. 

Their schedule in 2010 will prevent them from even sniffing a BCS Bowl. 

The Hurricanes play five teams in the top 20, including Ohio State and Pittsburgh on the road out of conference.

Good luck with that schedule. 

3. Lane Kiffin

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LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 01: Head coach Lane Kiffin looks on during the USC Trojans spring game on May 1, 2010 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)

USC head coach Lane Kiffin has his hands full in his first season as the Trojans leading man. 

With players transferring and allegations swarming, USC is ready to begin their football season under a new regime. 

Difficult road tests against Hawaii and Minnesota, along with Notre Dame, pose a surprisingly difficult non-conference schedule. 

Kiffin may lead USC back to the promised land, but 2010 will not be the year. 

2. Derek Dooley

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BATON ROUGE, LA - NOVEMBER 14: Head coach Derek Dooley of the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs reacts after a call during the game against the LSU Tigers at Tiger Stadium on November 14, 2009 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The Tigers defeated the Bulldogs 24-16. (P

When it comes to a brutal schedule, no team in the country has it worse than Derek Dooley and the Tennessee Volunteers. 

The Vols begin the season with a cupcake in Tennessee-Martin before taking on Florida and Oregon in consecutive weeks.

After a game against UAB, they take to the road for match-ups against LSU and Georgia. 

Coach Dooley and his squad then get to return home, only to take on the best team in the country, Alabama. 

Couple that with multiple player arrests, and Dooley will have his hands full in 2010. 

1. Rich Rodriguez

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ANN ARBOR, MI - SEPTEMBER 19: Head coach Rich Rodriguez of the Michigan Wolverines watches warmups before the game with the Eastern Michigan Eagles at Michigan Stadium on September 19, 2009 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Michigan won 45-17. (Photo by Stephen

Topping the list is none other than Rich Rodriguez. This man is, without question, destined to fail in 2010 and nobody wants him to fail more than the Michigan faithful.

Rodgriguez has helped run the Michigan program into the ground over the past couple of seasons and is likely in his final year in Ann Arbor.

The Wolverines take on Connecticut and Notre Dame to begin the season and have dates with Iowa and Penn State directly in the middle.

Throw in Wisconsin and Ohio State for the final two games and this team has another losing season in the making.