Spring Heat: Five Coaches Who Must Deliver In 2010

No, spring games don't count, but for five coaches who are in dire need of big 2010s to keep their respective fanbases from marching on their offices with pitchforks and torches, they'll loom large.

From College Park to Boulder, these are the coaches who will be pressing their troops all that much harder in spring, because their jobs may really depend on it.
1. Rich Rodriguez, Michigan. He came to Ann Arbor riding the wave of Steve Slaton, Pat White and the spread revolution at West Virginia, but if his first two seasons at Michigan has taught us anything, it's that the transition is no easy move. RichRod is 8-16 in two years, including 3-13 in the Big Ten. The Wolverines did show signs of life in '09, opening on a four-game winning streak and they hung with Orange Bowl-bound Iowa on the road. But ending on a five-game skid, including another loss to Ohio State does nothing to appease the maize-and-blue faithful. Rodriguez needs a breakthrough, but first and foremost he has to figure out how to properly use Tate Forcier and Denard Robinson in concert.

2. Dan Hawkins, Colorado. Coaching's Little Dutch Boy brought the feel-good vibes of the Hawk Love with him from Boise Staet, but the love appears to be running out. In four seasons, Hawkins is 16-33 and he's won five games or less three times, including three in '09 and he's finished lower than third in the Big 12 North three times. He's also failing to bring in or capitalize on any program-changing talent; his four recruiting classes have ranked 32nd, 15th, 48th and 66th, respectively, and the best player from that 15th-ranked group from 2007, running back Darrell Scott, left the program.

3. Ralph Friedgen, Maryland. The Señior has had his fun with the Fridge in the past, because if you didn't know, the man is really, really obese. But his problems have been going well beyond his expanded waistline. After making three consecutive bowl games, his Terrapins were 2-10 last season, ranking 76th or lower in 13 major national categories. It doesn't help matters when you're struggling and you have a coach in waiting in James Franklin -- of course the future leader of the program was the coordinator of an offense that ranked 102nd and 105th in rushing. So maybe the best option in College Park is just to blow the whole thing up and start over.

4. Ron Zook, Illinois. The Rose Bowl run in 2007 looked like a turning point for the program, but the Illini haven't been able to recapture that magic, winning a combined eight games in the past two seasons. He's reshuffled his defensive staff to make up for last year's 91st-ranked squad, which gave up over 30 points per game, but this team's biggest issues will be on offense, where they'll be without mainstays Juice Williams and Rejus Benn. It may take a small feat to keep Zook in Champaign if this team struggles again, which given its personnel, could well happen.

5. Bill Lynch, Indiana. Let's give credit where credit is due. The way Lynch picked up the pieces and led the Hoosiers to a bowl game in the wake of Terry Hoeppner's death was impressive. But as the program has become more his own, Lynch hasn't been able to duplicate the effort that led him from interim coach to full-time headman in Bloomington. But one thing Lynch has going for him is that he returns a core of players who could make everyone forget the seven total wins the last two seasons with QB Ben Chappell (2,941 yards, 17 TDs) and RB Darius Willis (607 yards, six scores). But another year of ineptitude may be more than IU can handle, regardless of what Lynch did for the team in '07.