Coaching Carousel Updated

I've been updating my 2011 Coaching Carousel. There are five positions that have been filled and 14 other vacancies. A lot of big name positions are still open, including Penn State, Texas A&M and UCLA. Updates will continue as jobs open or are filled.

UAB hires Garrick McGee

UAB announced Garrick McGee as its new head coach. McGee has spent the last four years at Arkansas, including serving as Offensive Coordinator the past two years. He has also spent two seasons as Northwestern's Offensive Coordinator. McGee is one of the five finalists for the Broyles Award, given annually to the best assistant coach. While hiring anyone without head coaching experience is a gamble, McGee is a rising up-and-comer who will bring energy and excitement to the UAB program.

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Fresno State fires Pat Hill

Fresno State fired Pat Hill after 15 seasons, 11 bowl appearances, and a 112-80 overall record. This is only the third losing season in Pat Hill's tenure. I think this is a terrible move, as Hill has been extremely successful. He deserves to survive one bad season every half-decade. I can't imagine Fresno State hiring someone new who will have more success than Pat Hill had here, or would have had if he remained head coach.

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Colorado State fires Steve Fairchild

Colorado State fired head coach Steve Fairchild after going 16-33 in four seasons. He started off strong, posting a 7-6 record with a New Mexico Bowl win. Since then, he has gone 3-9 in the following three seasons. Colorado State was supposed to be noticeably improved this season, but instead it was just slightly improved. The Rams lost four close games, but they also won a couple of close games. Fairchild just wasn't getting it done, and with a new athletic director in town, it was time for him to go.

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2011 Week 14 Top 25

1 - LSU (1)
2 - Oklahoma State (3)
3 - Alabama (2)
4 - Boise State (4)
5 - Stanford (5)
6 - Michigan (11)
7 - Oregon (9)
8 - Virginia Tech (6)
9 - Houston (7)
10 - South Carolina (12)
11 - USC (13)
12 - Wisconsin (14)
13 - Arkansas (15)
14 - Kansas State (17)
15 - Oklahoma (8)
16 - Michigan State (16)
17 - Georgia (16)
18 - Clemson (19)
19 - Southern Miss (23)
20 - TCU (21)
21 - Penn State (18)
22 - Nebraska (20)
23 - Baylor (22)
24 - Arkansas State (24)
25 - Northern Illinois (UR)

Rank from previous week in parentheses

Others Receiving Votes: BYU, Cincinnati, Notre Dame, Tulsa, West Virginia

Added: Northern Illinois

Dropped: Cincinnati

Texas A&M fires Mike Sherman

Texas A&M fired head coach Mike Sherman after going 25-25 in four seasons. This season was particularly disappointing as it began high expectations and closed with a .500 record. Texas A&M was 1-5 in close games this season, including two overtime losses. They were in every game except for Oklahoma, but just couldn't finish them. One problem that Sherman could never fix was turnovers. In all four years under Sherman, Texas A&M posted a negative turnover margin including -8 this year. I think this firing was a big premature. This season was disappointing, but they only played one bad game and were in the Cotton Bowl just last year.

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Washington State hires Mike Leach

Washington State announced Mike Leach as its new head coach. I think this is the best possible hire for Washington State. Mike Leach has established his brand and will be able to recruit to eastern Washington. Leach had a winning record in all ten seasons he was a head coach at Texas Tech and had a winning percentage of over 66%. He also led them to ten bowl games, although he did not coach in the last one. I think Leach will be similarly successful at Washington State.

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