There will be plenty of eyes on these college football coaches

The fifth and final story line advancing the college football season.

Five intriguing coaching situations:

1. Rich Rodriguez at Michigan.

It happens. You set up two people on a blind date thinking they’d be perfect for each other only to see the relationship end with cold stares across the table followed by “Check, please.”

We’re wondering how much longer Ann Arbor is going to tolerate Rich Rodriguez. The hotshot coach from West Virginia, brought in to shake up the offense and a blue-blood culture, is 8-16 entering his third year and is about as popular in the Motor City as unemployment. The Wolverines’ shaky play has been matched by rule-book sloppiness that has led to NCAA violations, brutalizing Rodriguez’s reputation even as he still owns a 113-78-2 career record.

If things don’t turn around, this could be the last waltz for Rich and Miss Arbor.

2. Lane Kiffin at USC vs. Steve Sarkisian at Washington.

Debate question: Which one of these former whiz-kid co-coordinators under Pete Carroll at USC is the real deal and which one is Lane Kiffin?

OK, it’s too early to call. So far, Kiffin appears to be the petulant child who has been handed three plum head-coaching jobs — the Oakland Raiders, Tennessee, USC — for no compelling reasons.

Sarkisian, by contrast, took over two years ago at 0-12 Washington and led the Huskies to 5-7 in his first year, with a win over Carroll and USC. We can’t wait for Washington’s Oct. 2 visit to the Coliseum to see Lane and Sark match X’s and O’s. Both coaches have future NFL quarterbacks to build game plans around. That should be good for a few passes (and kicks).

3. Brian Kelly at Notre Dame.

Charlie Weis, after five years at South Bend, proved to be the perfect hire … for the Kansas City Chiefs. Now it’s on to Brian Kelly, with a sense that Notre Dame finally got it right after a procession of coaches who failed to succeed Lou Holtz. Kelly is a natural-born winner, having done wonders at Grand Valley State, Central Michigan and Cincinnati, where he had the Bearcats in late-season contention for the national title. Kelly is going to play his spread offense at warp speed, cramming in as many as 120 plays per game. The unknown remains whether Notre Dame’s defense can stop anyone.

4. Rick Neuheisel at UCLA

It’s year three of the Neuheisel Era, the crosstown rivals have been hit with NCAA sanctions and the Bruins return their starting quarterback. And UCLA has been picked to finish eighth in the Pac-10?

Year three is usually the “show us” transition in a coach’s five-year contract, yet the Bruins’ 7-6 finish last year doesn’t seem to have traction. The reason: a brutal schedule and a conference that seems to be improving faster than they are in Westwood.

5. Jimbo Fisher at Florida State

It’s still hard to fathom that Bobby Bowden is not the coach, and now comes the intriguing question: Was Florida State football a program or a person? No one really knows, because Bowden built a dynasty from scratch, starting in 1976. It was tough enough for Bowden to hold it together the last few years before he was nudged/pushed/shoved out the door. Fisher does have a talented returning quarterback in Christian Ponder.

chris.dufresne@latimes.com

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