TYRONE WILLINGHAM WILL RESIGN AT END OF SEASON

Washington coach Tyrone Willingham says he will resign at the end of the season."It is my desire to complete and finish the football season and do that in the manner that I have done it, unwavering in my approach and commitment to my young men,” Willingham told reporters today. “We didn’t win enough games. That’s it. But I do believe we put the program in a position where it will be able to win football games."Washington athletic director Scott Woodward said Washington will fulfill its contractual obligations to Willingham, apparently including paying him a $1 million buyout. But Woodward said it’s the right time for Willingham to go."Now we can focus on the five games in front of us,” Woodward said. “It became quite obvious with the performance on the football field that it wasn’t what we talked about at the beginning of the season and previous to the season and it became more obvious as time wore on this season."Willingham is 11-32 at Washington, including 0-7 this season.Among the names that have been discussed as possible future Washington coaches are Missouri coach (and former Washington assistant) Gary Pinkel, Boise State coach Chris Peterson, Fresno State coach Pat Hill, former Oakland Raiders coach Lane Kiffin, Oregon offensive coordinator Chip Kelly and Texas defensive coordinator Will Muschamp.An intriguing question is whether Seattle Seahawks assistant Jim Mora will throw his name into the mix. When Mora was the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons, he created a stir by referring to the head-coaching job at Washington as his “dream job.” Mora, a former Huskies defensive back, is slated to become the head coach of the Seahawks when Mike Holmgren retires at the end of the year. But with the Seahawks in the midst of a terrible season, it’s possible that the Seattle brass will want to go in a different direction and be only too happy to allow Mora to seek his dream job.