2 weeks ago, Zook was sitting on the hottest of hot seats. This morning? Not so much. He is virtually assured of having at least another year at the helm of the Illini.

Who's seat is hottest now?

1. Weis
2. Rich Rod
3. Bobby Bowden

I think it's a certainty that Dick-Rod will be canned at season's end. However, I think Weis is in the biggest trouble of all. It will be interesting to see when ND makes a decision on him and how it will affect the recruiting class. I also wonder how we might benefit.

I'm truly amazed that Rich Rod has managed to make Michigan as bad as they are. I realize that he runs a different system and all that jazz, but it still isn't like he took over a bunch of leftover players. He took a decent Michigan team and made them, well, Illinois.

Weis, in my opinion, may be in the top ten of the worst mistakes by a major football program.

I think it's a coin toss between the two as far as who's in the hottest seat, but that being said I hope that they are retained forever.

As certain as I am that Weis is fired, he has a glimmer of hope to return but not because of his ridiculous contract. Weis has upgraded the players and depth at ND. They lose 3 OL this year, but everyone else is back. I hope the Irish AD contemplates keeping him to avoid destroying that continuity and a chance to be better next year. The 'fired' argument is that Dbag Davie and Willingham never lost to Navy and Weis has done it twice. Weis also lost to an atrocious Syracuse team last year. I say if they beat Stanford and Pitt - he stays. If not, buh bye.

RichRod had even less chance of being retained and that left town on the Purdue bus yesterday. That guy has been a mess since the word 'go.' I hear that the alums and former players 'hate' him which is a kiss of death at places like ND and Michigan. I kind of liked Rod since that WVU-Georgia bowl game a few years back, but I really hate him now. He's such a whiny bitch on the sideline that I can't believe anyone plays for him. Oh wait, they've rolled over two straight weeks. He is for sure gone.

RichRod's feeling some pressure, but he has 1 more year from a W-L standpoint. However, other off field issues and NCAA stuff could be the straw that broke the camels back, if serious enough.

Weis has to run the table , or go 3-1 to finish up 8-4. no way they fire him then. but a 7-5 campaign might not be enough to save his job IF they have someone they want available.

RZ is still on the hot seat, so to speak, but only with regards to 2010. I said all along, even if we went 1-11, he was coming back, due to all the other circumstances in the Admin right now. He is still one of the worst 'game coaches' in all of sports, all the while one of the best recruiters. I still scratch my head over how he does it.

Maybe. A lot of their talent is in the junior class. Golden Tate and Claussen in particular could both go in the draft this year if they wanted.

Would love to see the list!

At many schools Zook would have been fired at the end of the IN game. It was a ridiculous example of coaching. If I were the IL AD I would have really gotten into his face about how he handled the end game, giving up, not calling time outs to try and win, etc.

4. Lovie Smith. ugh.

Here is where is gets dicey for ND. Clausen and Tate are all but gone as is most of the O-line. The back-up QB is out until next year with knee surgery. It is more than likely that ND will go into next year with a true FR QB, Michael Floyd (stud) and a bunch of other inexperienced players on offense. Also, there has been no word if and when Te'o will go on his mission for 2 years. It will go from bad to worse after the season for ND.

With Michigan, Forcier is going to be a very good college QB. They have some players. The issue with them is do they have the right coach?

Lovie Smith absolutely needs to go. Immediately. He makes Dan Disch look like a genius.

I think this is stupid and I don't even like the Bears. You want your coach who has led your team to a super bowl with a mediocre offense to be fired?

That's about as bad as Tempa Bay firing Jon Gruden. Who won them a Super Bowl a few years ago.

The man is a defensive guy and the defense has eroded year after year since the Super Bowl year. Letting Ron Rivera go, in retrospect, was a horrible decision.

The only pass I'll give Lovie this year is that the injuries to the linebackers have been beyond ridiculous. Had it just been Urlacher, it could've been absorbed, but when Tinasamoa and Hillenmeyer can't stay healthy either, it makes it tough.

But Lovie is absolutely and deservedly in as much trouble as he's ever been in.

Zook should not be any less on the hot seat after the last two weeks, at least from the perspective of his evaluation next year. While we may have played better, the reality is that we don't win either of those games without major mistakes from the opponent. I believe Zooks only chance of long-term success is for him to simply become the "manager"... and stay out of game day decisions, coaching, planning, etc. He must have capable assistants and give them the reins.

Exactly, and I suppose the Illinois AD can now take credit for his vote of confidence, whatever.

Not to beat a deadhorse, but there are so many things wrong with this team that it is hard to isolate just one -- the IU game management, if that's what you want to call it, is just one.

I think Zook's engine runs and always has run on emotion. It's why he is a good recruiter, he has passion for the players, for their personal success, etc. But game management (and attention to detail in general) is non-emotional, strategic, heady stuff that Zook simply doesn't have. And he (apparently) is not smart to recognize his own weakness, because he woulda shoulda hired an assistant head coach who is on top of those things.

Here is why Dick Rod will not be fired

<h3 class="entry-header">Bank of Ann Arbor, Bill Martin and the Wolverines</h3> Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez and seven of his assistants have received $3.3 million in mortgages and lines of credit from the bank founded by Wolverine athletic director Bill Martin, the Detroit News reports.

Basektball coach John Beilein also received his mortgage at Bank of Ann Arbor. All totaled, 11 coaches have secured more than $4 million in loans from the bank where Martin is a shareholder and chairman of the board.

"I don't suggest banks to any coach," said Martin, pictured above. "I don't ever get involved in their financial affairs in any way, shape or form. I believe it would be a conflict of interest [to do so]."

According to the report: "Only Beilein's $417,000 mortgage still is held by the bank; the others were sold to investors. The bank still holds more than $1 million in the lines of credit for seven of the coaches, including a $783,000 credit line for Rodriguez. It's unknown how much of those credit lines have been drawn by the coaches, or terms of the deals.

"Martin said he would ask the bank to sell any loan it still holds. Bank president and CEO Tim Marshall said he'd investigate why Beilein's mortgage hasn't been sold. He said the bank would likely retain the lines of credit because they represent 'consumer products.'

"Records show Rodriguez borrowed $417,000 from the bank for his $1.5 million home in Saline. Rodriguez still owns a 10,000 square-foot home in Morgantown, W.Va. It's currently on the market for $1.8 million."




This on top of the buyout loan Dick Rod owes Michigan to pay off WV and the lawsuit on the personal guarantee on the VTech condo deal




Dick Rod is Subprime in more ways than one baby!!!!!

Nicely stated Zimmer. I don't think Zook has a clue about his inept game day decisions which really have cost the team possible wins. IF HE DID WE WOULD NOT SEE THE SAME TIME MANAGEMENT MISTAKES GAME AFTER GAME AD INFINITUM. And the list of decisions that almost led to disaster and losing is also long, e.g., not letting the clock run down vs. Iowa in 2008 which could have allowed IA to get a go ahead score; not using clock this past Sat. to insure enough time to score at the end of the first half (if we don't score it could have been the winning difference). The list goes on and on.

Both Weis and Zook started in 2005.

Since then, ND (Weis) is 35-24 with 3 bowl games, Illinois (Zook) is 21-36 with 1 bowl game.

ND is ranked 11 for the 2010 recruiting class, Illinois is ranked 43.

ND will go to a bowl this year, Illinois will not.

So tell me, why is Zook coming back to Illinois next year, and Weis will probably get canned? Because ND cares about it's football program, and Illinois obviously doesn't. I think Illinois fans (and alumni) deserve better. Illinois football sucks this year, and it will be even worse next year.

One of the best and succinct evaluations of Zook/coaching staff I have read.

Good comparison of ND and IL. I do think we will be better in 2010 and make a bowl. Ever the orange optimist.

Zimmer you are dead on with this evaluation of Zook.