Hot-Seat Coaching
First a look at last weeks five
Dennis Erickson at Arizona St. got a much needed win. He still needs to reach a bowl game meaning seven wins. He is likely to end up on this list again but an off week keeps him away this week.
Mike Sherman of Texas A&M had an acceptable loss. His offense was ok, his defense was better than expected and his team was competitive in a game in which they were blown out last year.
Bronco Mendenhall of BYU got a very controversial win aided by the replay booth where a BYU employee was working. However it happened, what matters is the victory keeping bowl hopes alive for the Cougars.
Mark Richt at Georgia had a great on field week (another off-field arrest is a problem) with his team carpet bombing Tennessee. He is off the list for now but still needs to pull an upset somewhere along to calm the lunatic fringe that may or may not have any actual power.
We can stick a fork in Mike Locksley at New Mexico. Losing one of the worst games ever played means a likely firing and not a moment too soon. The New Mexico program that went to five bowl games in a seven year stretch last decade may not ever recover from this.
This week’s countdown after the jump
5. Bret Bielema, Wisconsin – Bielema is not beloved as Wisconsin coach and while his job is not in any jeopardy at all, the Badgers have underachieved relative to their preseason ranking nearly every season under Bielema. Lose to Ohio St. this week for a second loss and a season where the BCS was an expectation may not even end in Florida for a bowl game but in some place like Nashville or El Paso.
4. Frank Spaziani, Boston College – Spaziani took over one of college football’s best offense at Boston College and promptly ran it into the ground. Even before it was great, the offense was never a total liability like it has been the last two years. That falls on the defensive minded head coach who moved away from the philosophies of his offensive minded predecessor. Now comes a road trip to Florida St. where a new coach has reinvigorated the team. Boston College has beaten the Seminoles three of the last four years and they need to make it four out of five before the season spins out of control and out of a bowl game for the first time since 1998.
3. Mike Sherman, Texas A&M – Sherman returns to this list with another high profile game. This time at home, the Aggies need to beat unbeaten and largely untested Missouri. For Sherman, this game is an absolute must win to calm the natives unless Missouri turns out to really be a national title contender (not likely). At the very least, there can’t be any dumb mistakes this week.
2. Lane Kiffin, USC – The Trojans have lost two in a row and now Kiffin must keep his team motivated with nothing to play for. All of this is amidst rumblings that Monte Kiffin has lost it (in truth there is no defensive talent on the roster at all) and Kiffin is a loose cannon. With scholarship losses having not really taken their toll yet, the Trojans must turn the season around or risk falling even further into a hole once the cuts kick in. If that happens, Kiffin won’t get the chance to rebuild after probation ends.
1. Dan Hawkins, Colorado – Hawkins has done a good job to even get back to hot seat status this season. He would have been fired after last season if the economy was better. Now, he actually has a chance to see the Pac-12. All he needs is to reach seven wins and it is in reach as long as his team doesn’t lay another egg like last week against Missouri.
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