Ever since Florida head coach Ron Zook was hired in 2002, he has been under constant pressure.He had the enormous task of following Steve Spurrier, one of the best Southeastern Conference coaches ever. Gators faithful constantly doubted Zook after he jumped from defensive coordinator of the NFL’s New Orleans Saints to one of the most visible positions in collegiate athletics.Fans and media said he was not qualified for the job and called for his resignation before Zook even coached a game. He was faced with a depleted team weakened by poor recruiting in Spurrier’s final seasons. Things did not bode well for Zook.And after three tumultuous years, Florida officials have seen enough of Zook. After the completion of this season, he will no longer be UF’s head coach.’In the final analysis, as you evaluate our football program and take a look at the last three years, it was apparent to me that something was not working here,’ said Jeremy Foley, athletics director at Florida. ‘Certainly it wasn’t working as I had envisioned it three years ago when I hired Ron Zook, and I accept full responsibility for making that decision. It’s the honorable thing to do in our opinion. Now we turn our attention to the future.’The final straw for Zook came Saturday. Though the Gators entered as heavy favorites, Mississippi State upset the Gators, 38-31. After UF fell out of the Top 25, Zook’s departure from Florida looked imminent.More than just the loss to Mississippi State led to Zook’s departure. On Sept. 16, Zook confronted UF fraternity members after he was called to break up a dispute between football players and members. He allegedly told them he would do anything in his power ‘to take their house down.’ Zook didn’t suffer any repercussions. But Foley, it seems, started getting fed up with his football coach.And while most expected Zook’s departure soon anyway, no one expected it to happen in such stunning fashion. Rarely has college sports seen a coach fired in the middle of the season, much less at Florida. Foley’s decision may set a precedent that no coach wants to think about.’It’s hard for me to comprehend that,’ said Mike Shula, Alabama head coach. ‘It’s not an easy job. You take pride in what you do and you have a responsibility to the players. You come to work knowing that you won’t be doing that next year. That’s a challenge.’Zook and the Gators are not adverse to a challenge. With a game against rival Georgia on Saturday, Zook hardly has time to reflect on his future. Instead, he is concerned for the future of the program that let him go.’The most important thing for me is to spend time getting my team ready to play a very good Georgia team,’ Zook said. ‘The players deserve that. The fans deserve that. Right now, I have a team to coach.’Even though Zook no longer has the pressure of being Florida’s coach, he still struggles to emerge from Spurrier’s shadow. While news of Zook’s dismissal made its way around Florida, many Floridians buzzed about the possibility of Spurrier returning to the Gators.’Coach Spurrier and his situation has no bearing on this decision at all,’ Foley said. ‘We will discuss this job with a number of coaches, and, obviously, if Coach Spurrier is interested, we will sit down with him.’As Zook plays out his final weeks with the Gators, the focus turns to who UF will hire. Names like Utah’s Urban Meyer, Louisville’s Bobby Petrino and West Virginia’s Rich Rodriguez have been mentioned along with Spurrier.But Zook knows there will be life after Florida. It’s only a matter of time until he gets another chance.’We expect to get fired,’ said Sylvester Croom, Mississippi State’s head coach. ‘I have a lot of practice with that. A coach at Alabama once told me, ‘You’re not a real ball coach until you’ve been fired.”

Maybe the inconsistent play of the Northwestern football team has taken a toll on head coach Randy Walker.Walker was diagnosed with myocarditis, inflammation of the heart muscle, on Tuesday after becoming ill prior to a press conference Monday afternoon. There are a variety of conditions that cause myocarditis, the most common being an infection due to viruses.He checked into Evanston Northwestern Hospital immediately after feeling ill and stayed overnight for observation.’We visited him (on Tuesday),’ said Mike Dunbar, Northwestern’s offensive coordinator. ‘He’s feeling much better. He’s comfortable and driving the nurses insane.’It’s still unsure whether Walker will be on the sideline for Saturday’s game against Purdue.

Ohio State-Michigan is considered one of the oldest and most fierce college football rivalries in the nation. And now it has an owner.SBC Communications reached a two-year agreement with both universities for the naming rights to their annual game. SBC will pay each university $530,000.The SBC logo will be on the scoreboard and on billboards around Ohio Stadium. The name has also been changed to the SBC Michigan-Ohio State Classic. The order of the teams’ names will be switched for next year.The Buckeyes and the Wolverines meet on Nov. 20.