Washington Huskies football fans have had some bad luck since the school canned Rick Neuheisel back in 2003. Over the last five plus years, a whopping total of 18 wins can be attributed to the team. The once dominant football powerhouse is now a Pac-10 doormat. And while current coach Tyrone Willingham seems set on surpassing Keith Gilbertson for the worst winning percentage in UW history (Willingham's .440 mark narrowly beats out Gilby's .438), Neuheisel is doing what he does best - win.
Critics argue that Neuheisel is great at coaching player's he inherits, but mediocre at coaching his own players. They'll say he is directly responsible for soiling the image at his previous two head coaching stops, Colorado and Washington. But what can't be criticized is his ability to coach.
In 2000, Neuheisel won 11 games and lead the Huskies to a Rose Bowl victory. Willingham has won 11 games total at UW.
Do you think Willingham could have coached UCLA to a win over #18 Tennessee as Neuheisel did Monday night? He would have probably needed a few more bullets for that.
Willingham is about as friendly as Solange Knowles. He's college football's answer to Bill Belichick. The only diffrence is Belichick wins. Neuheisel is Willingham's polar opposite.
The UW football program is undoubtedly graduating more players and compiling fewer police reports than during the Neuheisel years, and Willingham deserves credit for that. But as fundamentally wrong as it might be, winning is the only thing that matters in college football. And if last week's 44-10 thumping to former rival Oregon is any indication, Willingham once again will be winning very little in 2008.
Neuheisel on the other hand will build upon UCLA's upset victory. No, they won't make the BCS, but don't be surprised if Neuheisel leads them into a bowl game. If only the same thing could be said about UW.
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