Ay-Ziggy-Zoomba.com

Dennis Dodd at collegefootball.sportsline.com just released his annual list of coaches on the hot seat. The ratings and their meanings:

Hot Seat Rating Key
Rating What it means
0-0.5 Don't even think it -- can't be touched
1-1.5 Very safe -- change highly unlikely
2-2.5 Safe -- solid position
3-3.5 On the bubble -- you never know
4-4.5 Warm seat -- feeling the pressure
5 On the hot seat -- it's time to win now
N/A Coach has already announced he is stepping down at the end of the season.

So here are the ratings of all MAC coaches (alphebetical by team)

Team___________________Coach____________Yrs_______Record_____Rating
Akron___________________J.D. Brookhart_____5_________22-26______2
Ball State________________Brady Hoke_______6_________22-37______0.5
Bowling Green____________Gregg Brandon____6_________38-24______2.5
Buffalo__________________Turner Gill_________3_________7-17_______1
Central Michigan_________Butch Jones________2_________8-6________0.5
Eastern Michigan_________Jeff Genyk_________5_________13-33______3
Kent State_______________Doug Martin_______5_________15-31______3
Miami (Ohio)____________Shane Montgomery__4_________15-21______1.5
Northern Illinois__________Jerry Kill___________1_________0-0________0.5
Ohio____________________Frank Solich________4_________19-18______2.5
Temple_________________Al Golden___________3_________5-19______1.5
Toledo__________________Tom Amstutz_______8_________55-32______3
Western Michigan________Bill Cubit___________4_________20-16______2

http://sportsline.com/collegefootball/story/10835987

(Sorry for the crappy formatting - not much I could do )

So no surprise that the lowest are CMU, BSU, and NIU. New coach at NIU, did great at SIU, gets benefit of the doubt. Tied for highest are EMU, KSU, and TOL.

A few quick observations:
How one year changes so much ... last year, Amstutz was nowhere near any pressure, and now, at least according to Dodd, he's on the bubble. If he weren't Toledo Tom and didn't have the reputation and record he has, I would agree, but I don't think two 5-7 seasons after his history merit a 3. Also, with one year changing so much, Doug Martin was untouchable last year, but either 2006 was a fluke or 2007 was, and business is usual at Kent State. Same deal with Ohio. Not that 2.5 means feeling any heat, but Solich last year was untouchable.

Speaking of 2.5, that's where Brandon is. Seems odd to be so close to sitting on the bubble, where he was last year, but I think that can be attributed to the GMAC Bowl meltdown. If this were just about the regular season, he would probably be more like a 1.5.

Business as usual at EMU by the looks of it. Genyk was a 3 last year if I remember correctly. Now I don't believe that EMU would fire Genyk because what would they do then, hire another unknown and hope? However, I honestly think EMU has the potential for a breakout season, and maybe next year I'll be saying how one year changes so much in regard to EMU.

And how one year changes things for the positive. One 5-7 year, and Turner Gill is very safe. Now its time to see if 2007 was a fluke or if improvement is going to continue at Buffalo.

So ... any thoughts?

Toledo tom is a 0
he is not going anywhere unless there is another major foul up by his players. just because the team is strugling a little bit, in no one has put any job loss presure on him.
brandon with a good season this year is more likely to cut and run with a good job offer from another school.
just as gill will ditch buff for anothe school...so again safe, in that the admin willnot drop him, but not safe in that if a good school comes knocking, he is not running out the door.

MACMAN wrote:Toledo tom is a 0
he is not going anywhere unless there is another major foul up by his players. just because the team is strugling a little bit, in no one has put any job loss presure on him.
brandon with a good season this year is more likely to cut and run with a good job offer from another school.
just as gill will ditch buff for anothe school...so again safe, in that the admin willnot drop him, but not safe in that if a good school comes knocking, he is not running out the door.

If you think Joplin's firing and Cross's huge, by MAC standards, salary aren't messages for Amstutz I think you are mistaken. In fact I think one point of Stan's firing was to send that message to Amstutz.

The case for firing Amstutz was stronger than the case for firing Joplin...I really wonder why they didn't sack the fat man.

I'd put him at a four on a scale of five

Flipper wrote:I'd put him at a four on a scale of five

I'd put him at a 380 on a scale, but that's just me.

Honestly, the fact that Doug Martin is up there isn't surprising. Look at all the great players that have come out of Kent State in recent years, like Antonio Gates, Joshua Cribbs, and James Harrison. Granted, Gates didn't play football, but they've had talent over the years and have done NOTHING with it. After they go 4-8 this season, KSU should can his azz.

EMU has always sucked at football, so I don't see what firing Genyk would do. They'd be going with blind hope if they think 4-8 is beneath their standards.

As for Toledo, I would imagine that the recent on and off field problems there have diminished Amstutz's position. Losing the peace pipe in a 37-10 romp probably didn't help either.

Gates didn't play football, but the coach that didn't coach him should be fired. Wow.

Of course he should be fired...he let an all pro TE play basketball insead of football!!

Flipper wrote:Of course he should be fired...he let an all pro TE play basketball insead of football!!

...not to mention let him graduate the year before he was hired as coach, right?

anyone know where I can find a list of all of the current coaches and there career records not necessarily at there current individual school but in Division 1? I was looking at that list and was amazed that only 8 coaches on the list have over 100 wins and was flabergasted at why the number was so low until I realized it was only listing the coaches records at their current schools.

There has to be a quit a bit more with 100 wins. Urban is at 70 according to the Florida website. (And he was a 3 time national coach of the year? really?

try cfbdatawarehouse.com

Globetrotter wrote: There has to be a quit a bit more with 100 wins. Urban is at 70 according to the Florida website. (And he was a 3 time national coach of the year? really?

70 sounds about right. I know it's hard to believe, but he's only been a head coach for 7 seasons, I think. Averaging 10 wins per is pretty darn good

hammb wrote:

Globetrotter wrote: There has to be a quit a bit more with 100 wins. Urban is at 70 according to the Florida website. (And he was a 3 time national coach of the year? really?

70 sounds about right. I know it's hard to believe, but he's only been a head coach for 7 seasons, I think. Averaging 10 wins per is pretty darn good

Urbie is 70-16 in his HC career.