Colleges are clipping failed coaches left and right. Universities are hot in pursuit of top candidates.

Ohio State is current first in line with its recruitment of Urban Meyer, who has apparently grown weary of family time.

So Illinois athletic director Mike Thomas didn’t dawdle. He ended Ron Zook’s erratic seven-year, 34-51 run Sunday and began his own coaching search.

Here is a sampling of media opinion about Zook’s failure and the challenges ahead for Illini football:

Herb Gould, Chicago Sun-Times: “It’s not simply about winning and losing games. You can’t lose the fan base. That’s why, even when Illinois was 6-1, I wrote that coach Ron Zook might have the orange-and-blue rug pulled out from under him if the team didn’t finish strong. The Illini didn’t do that, losing their last six games . . . Despite its fast start and an attractive home schedule that featured Ohio State, Michigan and Wisconsin, Illinois averaged 49,548 fans at Memorial Stadium, more than 10,000 less than capacity.”

Brian Bennett, ESPN.com: “A change was necessary, since Zook had never shown the ability to consistently compete at a high level, either in Champaign or at his previous head-coaching stop at Florida. His job status was hovering over the program and fans had long since lost faith in his ability to get the job done. It's better to do this now and get started on the coaching search. (Vic) Koenning will serve as interim coach now and through a possible bowl game, and the players will somehow have to regroup after the deflating losing streak and this transition.”

Don Doxie, Quad-City Times: “Did Illinois coach Ron Zook deserve to be fired? The short answer is yes. The long answer: Heck, yes. After winning their first six games, the Illini completely fell apart and lost the last six, including the season finale against the worst team in the Legends Division. The website FireRonZook.com took note of the fact that the Chicago Tribune reported they appeared to be ‘energy depleted’ in Saturday's loss to Minnesota. ‘Energy depleted?’ the website's blog asked. ‘Is that what the fancy journalists call giving up? That's what this was, a team that simply gave up. They gave up on the season, they gave on themselves, they gave up on their fans and they gave up on Ron Zook.’”

Jeremy Werner, OrangeandBlueNews.com: “After Ron Turner left the program almost bare of talent (except for future NFL star Rashard Mendenhall), Zook had a two-year reprieve to rebuild the program, so his 4-19 record over his first two season should be ignored. After the quick turnaround in 2007, aided by high-profile recruits Juice Williams and Arrelious Benn, the Zooker plan was in full force: bring in talent, win games. Zook somehow persuaded recruits to come to Champaign when Illinois football was the laughing stock of the Big Ten. In two short years, Zook was posing with Pete Carroll in front of the Rose Bowl trophy in Pasadena. But he never fully took advantage of the Rose Bowl appearance. Without Mendenhall, the Illini inexplicably missed a bowl in 2008. Another embarrassing season followed as Zook's team finished 3-9 in 2009. Recruiting remained solid, but Zook never again landed the five-star recruits.”

Mark Tupper, Decatur Herald & Review: “Face it: Football success has been nearly impossible to maintain at Illinois. Just four Big Ten titles have been won since 1954. And for every spike in success there are quick dropoffs back to mediocrity or worse. No one has been able to solve the "consistency" riddle. But Thomas, who found a winning formula at Cincinnati despite horrible facilities, is convinced it can happen at Illinois. I, for one, admire his view and I think you will agree: If he can find that football savior who can consistently field football teams that challenge Wisconsin, Ohio State, Michigan and Nebraska for Big Ten championships, both Thomas and that new head coach will own Champaign-Urbana and beyond. They'll build statues of them.”

Rich Cirminiello, College Football News: “The Illini has some built-in advantages, such as being able to recruit Chicago and St. Louis, but the program has never been able to break into the upper echelon of the Big Ten that’s occupied by the likes of Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State . . . Illinois just isn’t a football school and it’ll have to either go with the hot young coach or a retread. (Tim) Beckman might be the type of ground floor hire who could blossom into a superstar. Great offenses play big in Champaign, and he’s been able to do a great job restoring the (Toledo) Rockets into a MAC power.”

GOOD-BYE TURNER GILL

Mizzou sent another Kansas football coach packing with its lackluster victory Saturday. KU is looking for a gridiron savior, again, as the bowl-bound Tigers move along to their new SEC neighborhood.

Blair Kirkhoff of the Kansas City Star noted that the firing was not shocking: “An abundance of noncompetitive defeats proved Turner Gill wasn’t the right man for the job. Two years typically isn’t enough time for a proper evaluation. That’s one full recruiting class, and half the roster recruited by the predecessor. But a second season must produce some signs of progress. Instead, Kansas regressed in 2011.”

Our advice: Hire the pirate, Mike Leach, and unleash him in full revenge mode. He has unfinished business in the Big 12 Minus 4, Plus 2 Conference.

MYSTERIES OF THE UNIVERSE

Questions to ponder while wondering if the hapless Rams will win another game for Steve Spagnuolo:

Is it wrong to reenact accidental shootings during touchdown celebrations?

Is it time to concede that Ndamukong Suh is a dirty player?

Say, didn’t Jim Boeheim assure us that Bernie Fine’s accusers were liars trying to make money off false assertions? Now that Syracuse has fired Fine over child molestation allegations, is Boeheim next?

How can anybody doubt Tim Tebow now?

Say, did anybody out there expect Mizzou and SLU to have Top 25 basketball programs this season?

MEGAPHONE

“We’re riding with him and he’s riding with us. Who cares about his throwing motion or a hitch or whatever? We are winning with him.”

Broncos safety Quinton Carter, on Tebow.