Don't Answer Your Cell Phone or the Front Door

The Christmas season is officially upon us and athletic directors at major universities are searching for the perfect Christmas gift—a new football coach.

Well, not every athletic director, but if you are a head coach that had a losing season or seasons, my advice is don’t pick up your cell phone or listen to the knock at your door. Your Christmas gift might be a lump of coal.

The lumps of coal were numerous Sunday and it didn’t matter if you were in the East, Midwest, South or West. The following coaches were fired yesterday: Frank Spaziani at Boston College, Tom O’Brien at NC State, Gene Chizik at Auburn, Danny Hope at Purdue and Jon Embree at Colorado.

You would think the firings would slow down now, but like I said earlier, if I was a losing-record coach, I would lay low like a turkey one week before Thanksgiving.

Chizik had the biggest fall. Two years ago, he was hoisting the silver football as Auburn won the national championship. Embree received the shortest stick. He led Colorado for just two seasons and won four games. O’Brien was never the flashy hire at NC State and his teams won--just not enough. Spaziani was a loyal Boston College guy, but people care more about the New England Patriots than the Eagles. Plus, Spaziani had trouble getting wins. Hope lost hope at Purdue. Hope was the only college coach I have ever seen who wore a whistle around his neck on gameday.

The athletic directors who created these coaching openings Sunday will be selling hope. Unfortunately, none of the openings seem hopeful in terms of great success at the particular schools.

This Danny Seeks Real Hope

Purdue football coach Danny Hope is frankly running out of hope. The Boilermaker head man is in danger of losing his job and with a loss at Iowa Saturday, it could happen.

Purdue has lost five straight conference games and is 0-for-The Big Ten Conference. The Boilermakers started the season 3-1. Hope may have helped sealed his fate when he declared in that preseason that Purdue could have a competitive team in the league.

Hope has taken the Boilermakers to a minor bowl game (Little Caesars last season) in his four seasons at the school. But Hope has posted just a 19-27 overall mark and a 10-19 Big Ten record.

The Boilermakers will be underdogs against the struggling Hawkeyes (three straight losses), but if they can upset Iowa, their two remaining games against Illinois and Indiana are also possible wins. A 6-6 record would actually bring Danny Hope some hope.

Hope is definitely what Purdue football needs these days.