NCAA Football: What Coaches Are On the Hot Seat -

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College football will be whole again when it comes to the power five conferences. The Big Ten starts today and the Pac-12 will start in a couple of weeks. Early on, we will see the teams that will probably most likely be in the college football playoffs. The usual suspects like the Clemson Tigers and Alabama Crimson Tide will be there. When all the power conferences are back playing, how many of the coaches will be on the hot seat? I believe that some of the coaches will be there because of last season and if they start slow this season. It will be hard to judge that with the circumstances we are currently in. Some teams are up to par, while others have not played a game yet. Let us look at a list of coaches that could be on the hot seat.

Tom Herman-Texas Longhorns

Being a head coach at the University of Texas is hard. Especially if the coach is not winning. Up to this point, Tom Herman has not met the exceptions that he was brought in for. At this time, the Longhorns are 2-2. They are coming off a loss to their biggest rival, the Oklahoma Sooners. This game was a thriller that ended in four overtimes and the Sooners won 53-45. It is the second year in a row that Texas has lost to Oklahoma. The one thing that drives alumni and fans crazy is losing to your biggest rival. The Longhorns could be 1-3 if not for a huge comeback against Texas Tech. They won that game in overtime, 63-56. With Jimbo Fisher doing good at Texas AM, look for alumni to try and push Herman out the door unless things get better soon.

Gus Malzahn-Auburn Tigers

With Gus Malzahn, there have been rumors for a while that his time with the Tigers is running short. Just like with Herman, Malzahn has struggled against his biggest rivals. The Alabama Crimson Tide have been at the top of the rankings for what seems like an eternity. The question is, can he beat the Tide? Considering what has happened recently, that would be a no. Auburn is currently at 2-2 and is coming off a loss to the South Carolina Gamecocks. In that game, South Carolina looked like the better-coached team. With sophomore quarterback Bo Nix at the helm, it has been an up and down year. If it were not for a penalty that got called back when Nix fumbled, the Tigers would be 1-3. The games that they have left on their schedule do not bode well for them which could spell the end for Malzahn at Auburn.

Les Miles-Kansas Jayhawks

Miles did not make the trip to Morgantown this past Saturday because he tested positive for Covid-19. I am not sure how he felt at the Jayhawks loss in a lopsided game against the West Virginia Mountaineers. Many say that they are the worst team in the Big 12 once again. They have lost to Coastal Carolina for the second year in a row. Both times, they have lost it has been an embarrassment on their resume. Their schedule does not look promising for them to turn it around either. Many say that Miles might survive. Either way, time might be running out on Miles who has not recruited too well at Kansas.

Derek Mason-Vanderbilt Commodores

This one is hard because not many look at Vanderbilt as a football powerhouse. Their season started with a hard-fought loss to the Texas AM Aggies, 17-12. It was a good start many people thought was erased by back to back 41-7 losses to the LSU Tigers and South Carolina Gamecocks. The Commodores game against the Missouri Tigers was postponed because of coronavirus. They will have a chance to play and win later this year. If Vanderbilt goes 0-10, Mason will not be the head coach next year. It will be a daunting task for Mason to squeeze out a win that might save his job.

Seth Littrel-North Texas Mean Green

When Mason Fine was an outstanding quarterback at North Texas, Seth Littrell was one of the coaches that were bound for a bigger coaching job. That was the past two years, in 2017 and 2018. Both seasons, the Mean Green won nine games. Littrell stayed with the team and their 2019 was not even close to the previous two seasons. The Mean Green finished 4-8. So far in 2020, they are 1-3 after a win over Middle Tennessee who is one of the worst teams in college football. If, with their remaining schedule, they can get two or three wins, Littrell will have to answer some tough questions. If that does not happen he might be gone.

Like I said before, it is going to be hard on coaches on the hot seat. With Covid-19 going on, it made recruiting hard. With some teams not playing, or getting a later start ,how do you do put a coach on the hot seat? The five coaches above are some being judged from last year and their programs have not gotten off to great starts this year. I believe that some of them can turn their season’s around. On the other hand, many will probably save their job because of the size of their program. I will have to wait to see how many out of the five I listed get the boot. Who do you think will get fired before the end of the season or at the end of the season?