Did not think this was going to happen after beating Arizona.....wow!
With any firing I always ask four questions:
1. Was the guy fired because he wasn't good enough or because someone had an axe to grind? Part 2 of question: Did it feel right to fire him after giving him sufficient time? If it's an axe to grind, then the emotions got the better of you on this one and good luck recruiting someone. If a coach is given 6 years to make something of himself and he doesn't, also a good time to fire someone (i.e. Kevin Sumlin).
2. If you are going to fire a guy, do you have someone ready to take the job? If the answer is no, then be prepared for an extended search. Usually if an athletic department is savvy, they already have their guy dialed in, even if it goes a month to allow a coach to end their respective season (i.e. Jim Harbaugh was ready to go to Ann Arbor by Thanksgiving when Michigan hired him)
3. If you are going to fire a guy, can you do better than what you currently have? This is usually answered by question 2 if the athletic department has their ducks in a row, but is usually answered upon the hire. For example, was Mike Riley really an upgrade at Nebraska for Pelini? TBH, no.
4. The coach that is going to be hired, are they going to fit in with what the school identity/culture is? This is a larger question than people think, especially considering the answer to #1. Boosters who have a mindset for what a school should be will dictate this answer but a "Michigan-man" always has to be at the helm of Michigan. Not only that, the coach has to be someone who can fit in with boosters at events as well.
To round off these thoughts, do I think Arizona State firing their coach makes sense this year? No, I truly do not, especially given that Chip Kelly had accepted the UCLA job. We're going to find out in a hurry if Arizona State has someone up their sleeve or if they made the fire to make a fire.
Last Edited: 11/26/2017 11:23:39 AM by Buckeye to Bobcat