Rich Rodriguez Fired: Which College Coaches Will Add to the Body Count?
We now know the fate of former Michigan head coach Rich Rodriguez. Reports came out yesterday afternoon that he had been fired. A bit later on, Michigan's athletic director said that no decision had been made. At a press conference this afternoon, Michigan made the firing official.
This whole situation has been a disaster for Michigan, one of the most heralded college programs of all-time.
So why didn't it work out for Rodriguez with Michigan?
He wasn't a "Michigan Guy." The alumni never embraced him. His style, even though he only had a short time to implement it, didn't seem to be playing well in the Big Ten.
It appears that their dream guy, Jim Harbaugh, has no desire to go to Michigan.
With all of this Rich Rod talk, who are some of the other college coaches that could lose their jobs?
We have seen a number of guys fired already, including a few high-profile coaches who had very good seasons. So who is left to go?
Here are 10 coaches who could be fired before all is said and done.
Mark Richt, Georgia
1 of 10
The Georgia head coach has been on the hot seat for a while now. It remains to be seen whether or not the Bulldogs will make a move.
If the powers that be decide that the overall direction of the program has fallen too far for their taste, they could make a change pretty soon.
He is a good recruiter, so that could buy him another year in Georgia.
Rick Neuheisel, UCLA
2 of 10
The hammer hasn’t come down on the Bruins head coach yet. After another disappointing season in which they finished 4-8 overall (2-7 in the Pac-10), Neuheisel could be on borrowed time.
Keep listening for rumors about Neuheisel’s future in the next couple of weeks.
It’s too bad because he is an entertaining coach and the game is better with him on the sidelines.
Greg Schiano, Rutgers
3 of 10
Remember back in 2006, when Rutgers got up to No. 6 in the national rankings and finished the season 11-2, including the school's first-ever bowl win?
Now things are not going so well in New Jersey.
Rutgers finished the year 4-8, including a pathetic 1-6 in the weak Big East.
Schiano has done a great job at Rutgers in his time there, but his time could be running out.
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Butch Davis, North Carolina
4 of 10
Butch Davis was brought into North Carolina in 2007. He had high expectations coming in and has lived up to a lot of those expectations. The school has gone to three consecutive bowl games under Davis.
The problem is the various NCAA infractions that have fallen upon his team lately.
They had to suspend a number of their best players because of these infractions and there is an ongoing NCAA investigation into the program.
This could spell doom for Davis’ time in North Carolina.
Ron Zook, Illinois
5 of 10
By all accounts, Ron Zook is a great recruiter of high school players. When he was at Florida, he got the top talent. He went to Illinois and has had some very impressive recruiting classes for Illinois.
The Illini did get to a Rose Bowl in 2007. They got to another bowl game in 2010.
Zook makes a lot of money (almost $2 million per season) and hasn’t had the results to show for that salary.
The Illini could bring in someone who gives them at least the same results as Zook and is a lot cheaper.
Paul Wulff, Washington State
6 of 10
Paul Wulff has been at Washington State for three years. He was hired in December of 2007. In that time he has won a grand total of five games.
His record at Washington State is 5-32, including a 2-25 record in the Pac-10. They have beaten three FBS teams among those five victories.
Washington State is not likely to be a college football powerhouse, but those results are abysmal. Wulff should be preparing to look for work somewhere else soon.
Bill Snyder, Kansas State
7 of 10
Sure, Bill Snyder’s name is on the football field at Kansas State. Sure, he is a legend at that school. But at some point don’t the results, or lack of results, have to count for something?
The Wildcats routinely schedule four or five games against Division I-AA teams to pad their win totals.
Snyder will not get fired, but he could get the Ralph Friedgen treatment and agree to a “buyout.”
Plus, he is 71 years old.
Danny Hope, Purdue
8 of 10
When Joe Tiller retired after the 2008 season, he wasn’t leaving with Purdue on top of the Big Ten. The Boilermakers struggled in his final year and they have been struggling in the two years since under Danny Hope.
Hope has gone 9-12 in his two seasons, including a ninth place finish in the Big Ten in 2010. He has only been the coach for two years, but if the results don’t improve, Hope could be looking for a new job.
Mike Riley, Oregon State
9 of 10
In his time with Oregon State, Mike Riley has done a lot of good things. The team has been to six bowl games in his 10 years with the school.
However, the team greatly underachieved in 2010. They lost by 17 points to a Washington State team that only won two games on the season.
Riley’s time in Corvallis could be coming to an end very soon.
Houston Nutt, Mississippi
10 of 10
Houston Nutt is a good coach and has done some good things with the Ole Miss program.
However, the last two years his teams have let him down. They got up to the No. 4 ranking in the Coaches' Poll early in 2009. After they got that high, they took a tumble and finished 8-4. That’s a good year by normal standards, but a disappointment given where Mississippi started.
And 2010 was a disaster for the Rebels. They won four games but finished 1-7 in SEC play. They finished last in the SEC in 2010.
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