Kirk Ferentz on the Hot Seat?

Iowa's 27-7 loss in Happy Valley added to an already staggering statistic. Not only has Kirk Ferentz's squad extended its losing streak to four (Iowa State, Wisconsin, Indiana, Penn State), but it is the eighth straight conference game Iowa has dropped. Eighth straight? Those numbers are downright Zookish. (Well, they used to be Zookish.)

But if you take a look at Ferentz's last three seasons with the Hawkeyes, I think you'll see that the honeymoon is clearly over in Iowa City. He used to be the hot up-and-coming coach, but my, has the sky fallen. Since the start of the 2005 season, Iowa is 15-16 overall and a surprising 7-12 in Big Ten play. He is 0-2 in his last two bowl games (2005 Outback and 2006 Alamo). It's amazing that a team with a 2-6 conference record can still play in a bowl.

After a shaky 4-19 start in 1999 and 2000, Ferentz started to pull things together, taking his first bowl win in the 2001 Alamo Bowl vs. Texas Tech. From 2001-04, Ferentz rattled off a 38-12 record. He went 3-1 in bowl games, with the sole loss at the hands of USC in the 2002 Orange Bowl, Iowa's first BCS berth. But here we are now with a 2-4 Hawkeye team that's 0-3 in Big Ten play, with Ferentz's consecutive bowl streak (currently at six) in jeopardy.

Does Kirk Ferentz deserve to be fired? No. Is his seat heating up? You better believe it. Eight straight conference losses. That just leaves a bad taste in your mouth, doesn't it? And I think we're all aware that we're no longer in the Joe Paterno age of job security. (Just ask Glen Mason.) Even if you win a National Championship at your school, your job is not nearly set in stone. (Just ask Larry Coker.)

In an age of instant gratification for athletic directors, any streak as egregious as this will not go unnoticed. Kirk Ferentz better right this ship soon or else the whispers are going to going to get louder soon.