Posts tagged MikeBellotti at FanHouse

1. Bill Doba, Washington State

The Cougars were a delightful story at the beginning of the decade, rising from the dregs of the conference to finish in the top 10 among the polls in 2001, 2002 and 2003. It looked as though they had finally turned the corner, even though they were the king of the "have-nots" in terms of football budget, media market and smallest home venue. But then, USC became a superpower under Pete Carroll, Cal went from a mess under Tom Holmoe to a hot contender under Jeff Tedford, and the other northwest programs like Oregon State and Oregon expanded their stadiums while their success grew on and off the field. All bad things for the scrappy Cougars.

When Mike Price bailed on the WSU program, Doba was elevated to head coach after a career of assistant coaching. It felt as though he was doing the program a favor, more or less taking over the ship while the captain hopped off on a lifeboat full of cash. After a strong beginning, highlighted with a 2003 Holiday Bowl win and another top-10 finish, success has been fleeting. But is it really all his fault, what's happened the last few years? With all the devastating injuries the program has suffered, at a school were depth is always an issue, it's hard to imagine too many coaches doing a heck of a lot better than Doba in the same situation.

So is this the end of the line? He hasn't been a terrible head coach. The last few years have been a struggle, but he still has a 25-22 record from 2003-2006. A lot of coaches around the country wouldn't mind having that kind of record in a tough BCS conference. He's a class act in every sense, from people that deal with him on a daily basis to the utmost respect shown by his peers, you just never hear a bad word about Doba. There has been some rumor mongering lately, including one wild one that had Mike Price returning to Pullman as the head coach and Doba stepping back down to defensive coordinator. But in a recent interview, Doba threw cold water on that talk, as well as any idea that he'd voluntarily walk away after the season. But one thing has become clear. After last season's disappointing fade, the natives are restless. Doba, more than any other coach in the conference, needs to win now. If the Cougars don't return to postseason play in '07, it will mark four consecutive years without a bowl appearance, the longest stretch of bowl-less holidays at WSU since 1982 – 1987. And if that happens, the decision whether to walk away at the end of the year may not be his call after all.