The Houston Cougars canned football coach Major Applewhite Sunday.
ESPN reported the following Sunday:
Houston has fired coach Major Applewhite after two seasons with the program, the school announced Sunday.
Applewhite went 15-11 in two-plus seasons at the helm, succeeding Tom Herman, who was 22-4 at Houston before taking the head coaching job at Texas. Houston will owe Applewhite a $1.95 million buyout.
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The Cougars rose to as high as No. 17 in The Associated Press poll this season following a 7-1 start but lost four of their last five games, including a 70-14 loss to Army in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl.
Well, as I pointed out earlier today, there were certainly whispers that this could happen and that WVU’s Dana Holgorsen could be the man to take over. (RELATED: Here’s How Many Points Alabama Is Favored By Over Clemson In The Title Game)
I just didn’t expect it to happen only a couple hours after the initial story went live. I guess the Cougars’ athletic department and booster Tilman Fertitta are eager to get the process moving quickly.
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Firing a coach after back-to-back winning seasons is a risky proposition. Winning week in and week out in FBS football isn’t an easy job at all. It’s incredibly difficult, and pretty much any team can lose or win on any given weekend.
After all, isn’t that why we play the game?
You can now expect Houston to make a serious run at Holgorsen, and I’m sure they’re prepared to write a very substantial check. If not, then why would they have fired Applewhite after two winning seasons?
A program only fires a winning coach if they feel they have a better round to put in the chamber. Things are about to get really interesting in Houston. Stay tuned!