Mid-season firing the thing to do?

So after the recent resignation of Tommy Bowden from Clemson it got me thinking about all of the other coaches that have been fired lately like first year offensive coordinator of Auburn Tony Franklin and how there are so many college coaches that are on the hot seat. So is the NCAA becoming too much like the NFL with the coaching carousels? I think the NFL is a little over the top with the whole thing as well but the NCAA should take my advice and don't look towards the NFL for a role model on how to handle your program.

I mean is it really a good thing for a program to let go of a coach in mid-season? In my opinion sure it can be justified but in the college game the coaches take more heat than is necessary. Granted the players are student-athletes and shouldn't have to deal with the media like the pro's but there should be more responsibility put on the players than putting the blame solely on the coaches. Yes the coaches tell the media to put everything on them in order to protect their players but when it comes to job security lets be realistic, the coaches can't really control what their players do on the field.

So lets take a look at some college coaches that are on the hot seat.

1. I'd like to start right at home with Iowa's Kirk Ferentz who seems to have been on the hot seat since 2006 and hasn't gone anywhere. Granted Ferentz got on a roll by getting to the Orange Bowl in 2003 and winning the Capital One Bowl in 2005. But lets look at this realistically. Although Iowa fans nationwide expect great things from the Hawkeyes, they can't get it done without getting the talent on a consistent basis. Sure the Hawkeyes are based on outworking everyone but that just won't prove to be enough against the likings of Ohio State, Michigan, and Penn State to lead to successful seasons year after year. In my opinion the Hawkeyes are lucky to have a high caliber coach like Ferentz and for those that are out for his job should just be realistic about what the Hawkeyes are capable of doing. Certainly the Hawkeyes will get their Big Ten Championships but not at the high rate everyone hopes for.

2. Next I'd like to look at Ty Willingham at the University of Washington. The Huskies have been absolutely terrible under Willingham as they have 11-30 record through his four years. This is in a relatively easy Pac 10 Conference where I believe Willingham should have been expected to at least make a bowl appearance. Nothing major but get to the 6 win mark and make yourself Bowl Eligible and it would look like he's turning the team around. But after an 0-5 start I believe it is justified that he gets fired because things just aren't working. But at least wait until after the season is over.

3. Then there is the Phil Fulmer situation at Tennessee where it seems like they went from a national powerhouse to the biggest disappointment in the SEC. A lot of it goes to the point I made with Iowa which is the fact that for the past few years their recruiting has gone downhill significantly. Last year they had 19 commits and only 1 ESPN top 150 recruit which will not get it done in the SEC with aggressive recruiters like Urban Meyer of Florida and Nick Saban of Alabama. The recruiting does look better for next season as they rank as the 10th best recruiting class on ESPN.com's latest recruiting rankings. The 2-4 start doesn't look good but Fulmer has been able to dig himself out of a hole in the past. With signs of a good recruiting class coming in does Fulmer get more time to turn things around?

4. Lastly I will look into the situation at Clemson with the resignation of Tommy Bowden. Did he deserve to more then likely be forced to resign or get fired? Yes. But was it the right time? No. Sure anytime a coach completely bad mouths a player he should be fired. But why not wait until the end of the season? A lot of the issue here was the fact that Bowden never delivered the hardware. With a team that was expected to win the ACC this season he has struggled to a 3-3 record. But it's not the end of the world. He still could have made a bowl appearance and gone out after a complete season. Who knows with the way the ACC is he still could have possibly won an ACC Title.

So, I'd like to just make a point of emphasis that the athletic programs of the NCAA should not try to be Al Davis. Just let the season ride out and then make your future plans. Also, as a fan to other fans don't put everything on the coaches even though they ask you to. They can't really control what happens on the field and in some cases be happy with what you have because things could be worse than an average finish in the Big Ten.