Fulmer Will Coach Next Season At…

  

Former Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer said this past weekend that he plans on coaching next season and wants to coach at a school that has a chance to compete for a championship. Here are schools that fit that criteria that we could see Fulmer interested in:

• Texas A&M: I mentioned in my Big 12 rundown that I predict that Mike Sherman will get fired after the season after two straight losing seasons at A&M. Former Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville will be one of the top candidates for this opening, but Fulmer wants a school with a strong fan base and A & M has some of the best fans in the country.
• Louisville:The Cardinals are 11-13 and only 4-10 in the Big East in Steve Kragthorpe’s two seasons at Louisville. Kragthorpe is another coach that is likely to get fired after the season and this might be the biggest school that comes after Fulmer. The former Tennessee coach would bring much-needed recruits to Louisville and Fulmer would enjoy competing for a conference title.
• Illinois: This is my dark horse team to hire Fulmer. Ron Zook is a great recruiter like Fulmer, but the Fighting Illini only won five games last season. Fulmer would probably prefer to stay in the south. The Big Ten might tempt him as the conference is nowhere near as good as it once was. There is a chance that Joe Paterno retires after the season, Terrell Prior will leave Ohio St.  for the NFL after his junior season and Michigan might still be struggling under Rich Rodriguez  so the conference could be wide open in 2010 .
• Virginia: Al Groh is almost a guarantee to be fired after the season and I would not be shocked if the Cavaliers look in Fulmer’s direction. Fulmer can recruit and Virginia needs talent. Wouldn’t you love to see Fulmer and David Cutcliffe going at it again?
• Colorado: The Buffaloes were 5-7 last season and only 2-5 in the Big 12 under Dan Hawkins. We would be shocked if Hawkins lasts another season in Boulder, but would Fulmer want to go to Colorado? The North is the red headed step-child of the Big 12 and Missouri is a team on the decline. This is a very winnable division with some good recruiting classes.
• Iowa: You are probably thinking I am crazy for thinking Fulmer is a better coach than Kirk Ferentz? I never said that, but Ferentz is one of the most overrated coaches in college football. Every year, there are NFL teams that are interested in Ferentz. I only put Iowa on this list because Iowa could have 10 wins this season and an NFL team or another school might make a run at Ferentz. Wouldn’t it be ironic if Fulmer leads Iowa to a Rose Bowl, considering everybody in Knoxville thought Tennessee was destined to play in the Rose Bowl in 2001?
• South Florida: This is another school that will only make a change if Jim Leavitt leaves the Bulls for another school. Leavitt might be tempted to leave with senior quarterback Matt Grothe and defensive end George Selvie both leaving after this season. Fulmer has recruited the state of Florida well in the past and would probably love to butt heads with Urban Meyer, Bobby Bowden and Lane Kiffin for Florida recruits.
• South Carolina: This is one of the most interesting teams on the list. I don’t expect this to happen, but there is a very good chance that Steve Spurrier will leave after this season. Would South Carolina fans be happy with Fulmer as their next coach? Fulmer would probably love to stick it to some of his old SEC rivals (maybe even Lane Kiffin). This won’t happen, though it would be entertaining if it did.
• Pittsburgh: Dave Wannstedt is not the brightest of coaches and the Panthers might end up with only seven wins this season. Think about this Hollywood storyline: Johnny Majors led Pittsburgh to a national championship in 1976 and left the school for Tennessee. In 1992, Majors is replaced by Fulmer and some Tennessee fans think the Vols stabbed Majors in the back. In 2010, Fulmer announces that he will be the next coach of Pittsburgh. The Fulmer/Majors rivalry would reach a whole new level.

Miami and West Virginia could also fire their coaches after the season, but we see Noel Devine leading the Mountaineers to enough wins that Bill Stewart will keep his job. Miami will fire Randy Shannon after the season, but there is no chance they look at Fulmer.

Prediction: Fulmer will be the next coach at Virginia or Louisville, but we are cheering for him to take the job at Pittsburgh so college football has one hell of a new storyline and a fierce rivalry continued.