Minnesota Fires Brewster

The grass isn't always greener on the other side. Just ask Minnesota. The Golden Gophers made the first coaching move of the 2010 college season, firing Tim Brewster after a 1-6 mark this year and an overall record of 15-30. Brewster was brought in to upgrade Minnesota's recruiting and while the talent improved, the play on the field did not.

Glen Mason preceded Brewster at Minnesota and was fired because his teams never seemed to get over the hump and challenge Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State for a finish in the top half of the Big Ten. However, Mason spent 10 years at Minnesota, with seven bringing bowl appearances.

What went wrong under Brewster?

Having three offensive coordinators in four years doesn't help and neither does a 1-11 record from November to the end of the season. The Gophers failed to score a marquee win under Brewster and had an embarrassing loss to South Dakota in the second week of the season. The school opened up a state-of-the-art stadium, but the athletic budget has been a source of criticism and will be an issue for the next coach.

Although Brewster didn't live up to the Rose Bowl expectations he promised when hired, Minnesota made the mistake of trading a consistent winner for someone who had no experience as a head coach. The next coach in Minnesota has a lot of work to do to be a bowl team in 2011, but this move should serve notice to any school considering a change. Posting seven or eight win seasons with berths in bowl games sounds pretty good in Minneapolis right now doesn't it?