Wulff Pack No More

In a decision that came as a surprise to few, Washington State head football coach Paul Wulff was fired this afternoon after four seasons with the Cougs.

Rumors concerning Wulff's status with the program ran wild following their season-ending loss in the Apple Cup to rival Washington, with Wulff himself coming out and saying "the people that know football ... know I should keep the job." Despite the poor play on the field, it was clear that his players fought hard for him and remained tough through adversity that included a bevy of injuries, particularly at the quarterback position.

And although firing a head coach who finished his tenure with a record 9-40 is in no way a shocking move, I can't help but wonder if Washington State AD Bill Moos has truly made the right decision by firing Wulff.

Yes, the Cougars were and still are bad. They were bad when Wulff stepped foot on campus, and they've continued to be bad, albeit with signs of steady improvement. But in just the same way that Wulff arrived on campus, the next head coach at Washington State will inherit similar problems, with a roster that will have trouble competing with other schools in the Pac-12. Many have speculated that former Texas Tech head coach Mike Leach is at the top of the Cougs' wishlist, but the notion that Leach would pass on higher-profile jobs at UCLA or ASU if he were offered them to take a job in Pullman is a bit ridiculous.

Bill Moos is a smart guy. In his press conference, he stated that there would be no place for accepting mediocrity within the football program, but rebuilding the Cougs into the teams it fielded in the early 90s and 2000s is still a monumental task. With the in-state rival Huskies continuing to recruit well under Steve Sarkisian as well as the recent title-contending level of play from Oregon and Stanford in the North, Washington State is in a precarious position. If they aren't able to get a coach who can become an immediate jolt to the program and shake up the North's balance of power in relatively short order, they could be facing similar slow results that ultimately led to Paul Wulff's downfall.

I'm not saying that it can't or won't happen. Moos could very well stimulate an influx of donors putting money into the program who understand his sense of urgency. Perhaps they even throw enough money at one of the big-name coaches on the market and convince him that the culture on the Palouse is changing, with Moos leading the charge. But considering some of the other jobs available, even just within the Pac-12 and their links to the most high-profile coaches on the market, it's tough to imagine the Cougs being able to steal away a Kevin Sumlin or Mike Leach from one of these major programs.

Paul Wulff may not have been the guy to turn around the Cougs' floundering football program, but Bill Moos can only hope that he finds the right one before the program is faced with another half-decade of mediocrity.

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Big Decisions Looming in Pac-12 South

As college football's regular season nears its end, a number of schools in the Pac-12 will be turning their attention to finding a new head coach. Disappointing seasons at Arizona, Arizona State, UCLA, and Washington State (though not official), have led to all four schools looking to re-tool their football program for the future. Here's a quick breakdown of the reasons behind each program's firing and a list of potential coaches who could be a good fit.

Arizona State Sun Devils

With USC being ineligible for the postseason due to NCAA sanctions, the Pac-12 South was the Sun Devils' to lose in 2011, and incredibly, they found a way to lose it. After starting the season 6-2, Arizona State proceeded to unravel at a startling pace, losing to UCLA, Washington State, Arizona and California. Though many of the struggles could be attributed partially to a bevy of injuries, the Sun Devils still had the most talent out of any postseason-eligible team in the South division. Down the stretch, they were plagued by poor discipline on both sides of the ball and an inability to overcome adversity late in games. After the loss to rival Arizona, who made a splash by hiring former West Virginia and Michigan head coach Rich Rodriguez, Erickson's firing seemed to be a foregone conclusion. He was fired this afternoon but will still be allowed to coach the team's bowl game, which will be announced on December 4th. With the increasing level of competition in the Pac-12, it's clear that Arizona State needs to make a big coaching splash in order to stay competitive. Thus far, former Texas Tech head coach Mike Leach appears to be the leading candidate, with Houston head coach Kevin Sumlin being another name near the top of the list. If the Sun Devils want to be competitive going forward, they'll undoubtedly have to shell out big money in order to get the coach they want in a competitive coaching market.

Potential candidates: Houston head coach Kevin Sumlin, former Texas Tech head coach Mike Leach, SMU head coach June Jones, Arizona State offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone, Boise State head coach Chris Petersen

Prediction: Mike Leach

UCLA Bruins

At 6-6, the UCLA Bruins are your Pac-12 South division champions. No, I'm not making that up. Vegas has already had a field day with the matchup, putting Oregon as the 30 1/2 point favorite over the Bruins, in what has to be one of the biggest championship game matchups in the history of sport. At any level. But all semi-kidding aside, UCLA faces the small possibility of making the Rose Bowl less than a week after firing their head coach. After coming to UCLA in 2007, Neuheisal promised Bruins' fans that the days of the USC football dynasty was coming to an end. But despite his big talk, his promises never materialized, and he will finish his UCLA career with a 21-27 record, pending the Pac-12 championship game and subsequent bowl appearance. As Lane Kiffin and USC blazed through the conference and the Bruins in their final regular season game, it's clear that the Trojans will be taking no prisoners in 2012. UCLA fans know that they must get a big name in order to compete with Kiffin and the rest of the Pac-12 going forward. Luckily for the Bruins, UCLA is the most desirable coaching vacancy in the Pac-12 at the moment, if not the country, with a rich program tradition and a location in the middle of the recruiting hotbed that is southern California. Boise State's Chris Petersen has already been the name mentioned most by several outlets, but it's still unclear whether Petersen is ready to leave the perennial-BCS contending program the Broncos have become. One thing you can be sure of is that the next head coach of the UCLA Bruins will be high-profile, but will face the daunting task of toppling USC as the college football dynasty in southern California.

Potential candidates: Houston head coach Kevin Sumlin, Boise State head coach Chris Petersen, former Texas Tech head coach Mike Leach, former Oregon head coach Mike Belotti, TCU head coach Gary Patterson

Prediction: Chris Petersen

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Feeling the Heat

As we march through the MLB free agency period, fans, executives and players alike will all be keeping a watchful eye on the moves of their clubs and those of their rivals. And for certain executives, the moves they make this winter could very well be their ticket to a contract extension or a pink slip in the very near future. Here are 5 GM's that are under the most pressure to start building a winner this offseason.


Ben Cherington (Boston Red Sox)

















We could go ahead and put a Red Sox GM in this spot every year they fail to win a World Series, but this year the stakes are even higher than normal. Cherington takes over a team with one of the most-publicized late-season collapses in baseball history. Gone are Theo Epstein, Terry Francona, and possibly any shred of team chemistry, and Cherington has quite a daunting task. Considered one of the smartest guys in baseball, Cherington certainly has the talent and baseball knowledge to put together a playoff club, but he will undoubtedly be under the microscope far more than what he has been used to recently. The Sox have plenty of contract decisions to make, including those of David Ortiz, Jonathan Papelbon and Tim Wakefield, in addition to hiring a manager. Cherington will take his time putting together a club that can regain its position as a powerhouse in the AL East and as long as he keeps ownership as far away as possible, he should be able to do it.


Jack Zduriencik (Seattle Mariners)














Zduriencik was faced with the daunting task of rebuilding an organization practically void of talent when he took the reigns in 2008 and the results have been great thus far. Top prospects Michael Pineda and Dustin Ackley both contributed to the big club this season, but the M's still suffered the third 90+ loss season in the last four years. The offense was anemic at best for the second consecutive year and many believe the M's must land a big bat this winter if they want to compete with the rest of the AL West in the long term. Some have linked Brewers slugger Prince Fielder to Seattle, as Zduriencik was responsible for drafting him during his front office days in Milwaukee. Questions still remain concerning whether the steep financial investment it would take to land Fielder would be worth it, but Zduriencik has also been known to get creative in trades. He signed a contract extension through the 2013 season and if Seattle isn't winning consistently by then, he could very well be headed out the door.


Jerry Dipoto (Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim)















Tony Reagins' lasting legacy will likely always be the head-scratching Vernon Wells trade, and it was ultimately his ticket out of town. Dipoto, widely regarded as a great baseball mind among scouts and executives, will try to return the club back to their division-winning ways. Dipoto served as the interim GM for the Arizona Diamondbacks after Josh Byrnes was fired and orchestrated the Dan Haren and Edwin Jackson trades, two deals whose returns were instrumental in the D-backs winning the NL West this season. He inherits a roster in Anaheim that is in rough shape financially, especially with the huge contracts of Torii Hunter, Wells and Jered Weaver eating up a majority of the payroll. Super prospect Mike Trout spent quality time with the big club this season and closer Jordan Walden proved to be a valuable late-inning reliever. Owner Arte Moreno is no stranger to spending money and it's clear that he's determined to ease the frustrations of Angels fans after watching the Texas Rangers take the last two division titles. Dipoto has the resources and smarts to build a championship-caliber club and it shouldn't be long before Angels fans start seeing results.


Brian Sabean (San Francisco Giants)














As much as 2010 was the Year of the Giants, 2011 was the Year of the Brian Wilson Sensory Overload. After catcher Buster Posey went down with a controversial season-ending injury, San Francisco simply wasn't the same. Though the pitching remained strong, the offense wasn't able to keep pace as the surprising Arizona Diamondbacks claimed the NL West title. Despite trading for Carlos Beltran at the deadline, it was too little, too late for the Giants. Some believe part of the problem was a lack of activity over the winter, with the only two major moves being the re-signings of Aubrey Huff and Pat Burrell and free agent signing of Miguel Tejada. Though the return of Posey and continued development of Brandon Belt will help the Giants' offense in 2012, there are still moves to be made. After having already curiously spending nearly $10 million to lock up Javier Lopez and Jeremy Affeldt for next season, Sabean is off to an interesting start. The club remains linked to Jose Reyes and signing a player of Reyes' caliber would undoubtedly cement the Giants as favorites in a weak NL West for the foreseeable future.


Jed Hoyer (Chicago Cubs)












After spending the last two seasons as the general manager in San Diego, Hoyer heads to the Windy City with his former pal Theo Epstein to lead the Cubs. The move to the North Side will be a stark contrast compared with Hoyer's tenure with the Padres, where ownership was intent on spending as little as possible. Hoyer did the best he could for being handcuffed financially, acquiring young talent in the Adrian Gonzalez and Mike Adams trade, in addition to trading for one of the team's few bright spots in 2011, Cameron Maybin. It was clear from the beginning that Hoyer was the guy whom Epstein wanted in the general manager position, but the two will certainly be collaborating on nearly every baseball decision made. One of the first steps in the Cubs' rebuilding process will be to find a manager. Epstein has stated that they are looking for someone with major league managing experience and there are a number of viable candidates in the running. They have already been linked to Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder in free agency, but the club's pitching will likely be the first issue addressed by the front office. Hoyer and Co. will have nearly unlimited resources to build the Cubs into a championship contender and with the experience and baseball knowledge they bring with them, the whole "lovable losers" moniker may not apply for much longer.

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