These two facing firing squad

Willingham, Robinson latest to be on hot seat

With an 11-30 record in 3 1/2 seasons, Washington coach Tyrone Willingham may not see the end of Season 4. (File/Associated Press)

For every yin there is a yang in college football. For every LSU and Florida, each a major contender, there are Syracuse and Washington, whose title hopes have already been extinguished.

There was a time when Syracuse and Washington stood for something, with tradition as much a part of the campus profile as championships. Not anymore.

The Orange are in the fourth season of the Greg Robinson era, which has produced a 7-22 record over the past 2 1/2 seasons and has made Robinson a lame-duck coach without an official announcement. That will come in the next several weeks.

The Huskies are in the fourth season of life with Tyrone Willingham, who was fired from Notre Dame after three seasons with a winning record and two bowl bids. At Washington, Willingham is 11-30 in 3 1/2 seasons, including 0-5 this season. "We can play better," said Willingham, whose team was spanked by Arizona, 48-14, last week.

Almost no one thinks Willingham can survive, and he may not last the season. "It's stability," Washington athletic director Scott Woodward told the media when asked about making a move later rather than sooner. "You don't want to have your team orphaned."

At Syracuse, anger has been replaced by indifference. The school has produced Floyd Little, Jim Brown, and the late Ernie Davis, who will be honored and remembered with a movie that will be released today. But it's gotten so bad at the school that the fans who do show up at the Carrier Dome generally leave by halftime. The Orange's only victory this season was against Football Championship Subdivision member Northeastern - and that was a struggle.

Robinson was hired by athletic director Daryl Gross, who has the security of a contract extension but does not have the confidence of the fan base.

Washington, at least, has an excuse, with a schedule that includes six ranked teams and nine teams that went to bowls. The fact the Huskies have yet to win doesn't help, but people understand how tough the journey has been. What also doesn't help is that the expectations are still high.

At the start of the season, Willingham asked for some time and more understanding. "Please hold on," he asked supporters.

But the fans at both schools are done doing that, so changes will be made. The name of recently deposed Oakland Raiders coach Lane Kiffin has come up for both jobs. Oregon State coach Mike Riley, Fresno State coach Pat Hill, and former NFL coach Jim Mora Jr. are also mentioned at Washington.

At Syracuse, Buffalo coach Turner Gill and UConn coach (and Syracuse alum) Randy Edsall have also been mentioned.

Gross, no doubt, has a short list he will go to as soon as the season ends. Maybe, if things get really bad, he will announce that a change will be made before the season is over. Maybe he will do what Florida did with Ron Zook a few years ago and announce that Robinson is not coming back but he will be allowed to finish the season.

Both athletic directors know their futures are linked to what they do with their football coaches and how those coaches and their teams perform.

At this level of college football, which has multimillion-dollar, and even billion-dollar, television contracts and multimillion-dollar bowl bids when money is tight and the entire economy is under siege, it is indeed bottom-line big business.

That means fans in seats and wins on the field. At Syracuse and Washington, two programs that have seen better days, that is especially true.

So, enjoy Florida-LSU this weekend. And Oklahoma-Texas.

For Syracuse, which travels to West Virginia tomorrow, and Washington, which has a week off before hosting Oregon State, the ride is about to get even bumpier.

Globe Top 10
1. Oklahoma
2. Louisiana State
3. Missouri
4. Alabama
5. Texas
6. Penn State
7 Southern Cal
8. Texas Tech
9. Brigham Young
10. Georgia