So the coaching carousel is spinning around on its merry warpath.

As noted in the recent Pundit Rondup, the writers are unhappy about Alabama's termination of coach Mike Shula.  They're right, Alabama created its own mess and did Shula a disservice.  But they also don't recognize well enough that coach Shula wasn't capable enough to put Alabama where its fans and administrators want it to be.  His termination was inevitable, but Alabama's sin was not waiting through two more lackluster seasons to finally terminate him but save face with the media.

The one hiring I'm most surprised by is Gene Chizik's departure to Iowa State.  Not long ago he probably was in line for a much bigger job, so this looks like he jumped ship to the first possible BCS conference opportunity as his star began to fade.  He probably waited these last 2-3 years out hoping a particular (unknown) job would open.  It didn't, his rep slid, and thus you find a formerly ga-ga next American Idol coach hanging out in Ames.

More to come this week and beyond as we await the relevance of the strange lukewarm denials by West Virginia's Rich Rodriguez and the suddenly smoke=fire Pete Carroll to the NFL rumors.