In the last couple of days, fans have seen how cruel the world of college coaching can be. Before the annual slew of holiday bowl games comes the dismissal of coaches whose teams failed to get into such games, or at least the more prominent ones.

The most notable of these dismissals is Notre Dame’s Ty Willingham. Willingham compiled a 21-15 record in three seasons with the Irish. Willigham’s problem was he set expectations too high too soon with a 10-3 record and a trip to the Gator Bowl in his first year at the helm. This was followed by more modest records (5-7 and 6-5) the last two seasons.

But the question is: Was Willingham given enough time to revive Notre Dame’s program? No.

A college coach should get at least one recruiting class to show what they can do. When Willingham came to Notre Dame, most of his players were recruited by his predecessor Bob Davie. Now Willingham’s unnamed successor will inherit Willingham’s recruits and be expected to win.

Coaches need a minimum of four seasons and a fifth season for good measure so they develop their recruits, not the players the coach before them recruited.

Eastern has given its coaches five years and much more. Eastern football coach Bob Spoo has 18 seasons with the Panthers and a 110-95-1. Spoo’s 110 wins are enough to make him the best coach in Eastern’s history, but his winning percentage is worse than Willingham.

Men’s basketball coach Rick Samuels has been around even longer – this is his 25th season. This gives ESPN a reason to mention Eastern during Syracuse games when Samuels is mentioned with Jim Boeheim as the active coaches who have spent the most consecutive seasons with the same school. Most would assume that type of loyalty to a coach would amount to staggering record, but Samuels at 349-345 is just over .500.

Why is Eastern so loyal to its coaches when other schools are quicker to fire after a .500 season? There are several reasons.

Popularity – alums like Spoo and Samuels because they have been at Eastern so long.

Money – Eastern’s sports program doesn’t worry about selling tickets as much as Notre Dame does. Also Spoo and Samuels combined aren’t making as much as Willingham. Furthermore, Spoo and Samuels are valuable fundraisers when it comes to donations.

Reputation – Eastern isn’t known for winning like other programs are. Coaches like Spoo and Samuels maintain the status quo, and that is fine with the university. But at places like Notre Dame, where winning is expected more, a coach is more likely to get the heave-ho a lot sooner.

Status – Eastern is not a destination university for coaches. Most mid-major schools are just a stepping stone in a coach’s career. Most coaches stay at a school like Eastern until they get offered a bigger and better job.