WASHINGTON

Goodbye to ... Keith Gilbertson: 7-16 in 2 seasons.
Reason for leaving: Resigned

Gilbertson agreed to call it quits three games before the worst season in 115 years of Huskies football ended.

It certainly didn’t help that Gilbertson tried to make light of his situation, suggesting on a conference call that if the Pac-10 had a chopping block, he would be first in line. Not exactly the image an embattled coach should be portraying. While the Huskies were expected to be a second-division team last year, a 1-7 start capped by a 31-6 thrashing at the hands of Oregon was too much for the school to take.

Ted S. Warren / AP Tyrone Willingham

Hello ... Tyrone Willingham
Coaching record: 65-46-1 in 10 seasons at Notre Dame and Stanford
2005 prediction: 4-7

Willingham returns to familiar territory, and school officials are hoping his past success in the Pac-10 will transfer to Washington.

It seems they’re going to be asking a lot of Willingham. Not only is he being asked to revive a once-proud program that has bottomed out, but new AD Todd Turner has talked about plans for a major stadium renovation that could cost up to $150 million. Of course, that’s much easier to stomach when you have a winning team.

Willingham will have 19 starters back from last year, which is either good or bad, pending your viewpoint. One quick fix Willingham can make is ensuring his team cuts down on turnovers. UW finished -19 in that department last season.

Long-term prediction: Willingham at least knows what it takes to succeed in the Pac-10 and will have a much longer leash than he was given at Notre Dame. Given those two things, expect him to return this program to prominence sometime in the future.

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