Fire Bret Bielema?

Here's a new blog I saw reading Andy Baggot's first impressions, second thoughts, and the third degree thing on Monday:

Fire Bret Bielema

My first inclination was to never mention this thing, sort of like how television broadcasts don't show streakers running nude across the field.

My second thought was that the creators of this site are probably 19 years old and can barely remember our last losing season of 2001, let alone the dark days of 1989. Spoiled newcomers to the Badger sports bandwagon. It also bugs me that the blogger has chosen to remain anonymous -- if you're going to promote this sort of agenda, put your name behind it.

My third thought was let's roll the notion out there for discussion here. Should UW even be entertaining the notion of firing Bret Bielema at this juncture?

The obvious answer, to me anyway, is no. The guy is 24-8, 1-1 in bowl games, and while this year's team is 3-3, the losses were to Penn State, Ohio State, and an admittedly awful if traditionally tough Michigan. Wisconsin is a handful of plays away from being 5-1 and ranked in the top 15.

While it could be argued that Bielema's rookie 12-1 season was accomplished with Barry Alvarez's players, it could also be argued that UW is now struggling with Barry's last classes at the core. Bielema should be judged when this year's juniors and redshirt sophomores are seniors and juniors. (Of course, Bielema had a large role in recruiting this year's upperclassmen.)

It could also be argued, as one of my friends has, that the program could be in for a steep dropoff next season, when this year's senior class departs. Unfortunately, that dropoff is on the verge of happening a year early. The ramifications for such a decline in on-field performance are huge. Watching thousands of fans leave Saturday night's debacle prematurely served as a reminder that if the football program struggles and the revenue it generates decline, the whole athletic department is in jeopardy.

Still, firing coaches with a 24-8 record three years into their tenure sounds like something for Notre Dame or Nebraska, arrogant programs for whom national championships are the only acceptable outcome.

This season is half over. Things look bleak right now, but we just finished the toughest stretch of our schedule, and a 7-5 finish and a bowl game wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. There haven't been too many three-game losing streaks around here lately -- thank goodness!

On the other hand, the wheels could fall off and we could finish 4-8, playing Cal Poly in front of thousands of empty seats on November 22. I still don't think Bielema would be fired at that point, and would be given another year or maybe even two to get things moving in the right direction again.

Fire Bret Bielema? I don't think so. Unfortunately, it took me 496 words to explain why instead of three.