Who'll Get Fired? MAC Coaches And Their Jobsafeness

You can thank Ball State and any other impatient athletic department for potentially shortening the shelf life of this fresh post. But with Doug Martin's resignation, it got us (well, me, but perhaps you as well): which MAC coaches have the best job security? Here's the lowdown.

LUDICROUSLY SAFE

Al Golden, Temple — Almost too safe, kids. With his young Dennis the Menace hair and his cool hip varsity jacket, this kid's gonna be courted by some larger schools. And it could finally happen. 

Jerry Kill, Northern Illinois — Gosh, he's only 9-2. What more do you want? NIU will want to lock this man up, because Kill is young enough (49) to move up to another program, although the way he's progressed, he wouldn't go to an AQ conference right away. Maybe Conference USA or the Mountain West.

Tim Beckman, Toledo — Boom. He turned it around in the second year. Success. I think he's still a little too green to take another job, but he's a nomadic defensive mind who, if Toledo returns to MAC champion form, could be the new Al Golden.

TOTALLY SAFE

Frank Solich, OHIO — The only scenario I could see in which he's gone is if there's any type of fallout from the Courtside Bar & Grill Fight, but could you really put that on ol' Frank? Nah, he's fine. Nor will he take anything else. He seems very at peace in Athens.

Michael Haywood, Miami — Some fans might question his playcalling, but a team who won ONE GAME last year is bowling this year. Even a loss to Temple and he'll be back next year. But don't expect him to trade up yet, either.

PROBABLY REALLY VERY SORTA SAFE

Dan Enos, Central Michigan — The downward spiral of an offensive system change has been felt by Mount Pleasant, but the signs are all positive that the team's gonna transition from spread to pro-style rather well for '11. The deck was stacked against him ... and, c'mon, it's his first year.

Jeff Quinn, Buffalo — Again, the first year immunity necklace applies to a team that should've had more than two wins ... even if they lose to Akron.

50% SAFE (RE: PESSIMISTS, 50% UNSAFE)

Ron English, Eastern Michigan — They went from 0-12 to two-and-something. Progress. Look, EMU has all the patience in the world, and his discipline hammer appears to be well-chiseled.

Dave Clawson, Bowling Green — Okay, son. One more year like this and they're gonna start calling for your head. Losing damn near every starter and losing on the final play in four games really hurts, but it's better than a plethora of double-digit drubbings. And yes, this team could easily be 6-5, but ... but I'll stop right there.

UNSAFE, BUCKLE YOUR SAFETY BELT

Bill Cubit, Western Michigan — I have no sources or empirical data to back this up, but something tells me that if he loses to Bowling Green and finishes 5-7, he's done. He had NIU on the ropes and couldn't close the deal, which meant no divisional title. Now if he can't sneak into bowl eligibility, with this team and this schedule, I can't see him staying around much longer at all. The Broncos probably should've made better headway this season. And in his sixth year, I don't know if his team can elevate to contender anytime soon. But if he beats BG ... sure, a reprieve for him.

Rob Ianello, Akron — Winless seasons are painful. They mean that everything has gone wrong, on top of having little talent and no luck. The First-Year Exception applied to English, and what's keeping him alive is that they were mere red zones away from topping Ball State and Miami. Ah, heck, he'll probably stay.

?-SAFE

Stan Parrish, Ball State — Maybe he's fired, maybe he's not. Rumors! Two bad years is hell of a short leash for, y'know, Ball State football. A firing makes sense if you saw how inexplicable their quarterback and senior running back underperformed — although the running was actually pretty solid — but for an offensive mind to be 96th in the country in points, I can understand the move. EDIT: downgraded to fired.

TOTALLY UNSAFE, 'CAUSE HE'S ALLLLLLLLLREADY GONE

Doug Martin, Kent State — Well, his resignation is a dead giveaway.