Which coaches are on the hottest seat and under the most pressure after Week 0 and before Week 1 of the college football season?
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Being on the hot seat isn’t just about a guy potentially being fired. It’s also about needing a really, really big win just to keep everyone from talking about a coach being on the hot seat.
It’s about pressure. Which ten coaches are going to be feeling it if they don’t win … NOW.
The hot seat rankings are done in two ways. First, the five coaches who need a win for job security, and then the five coaches who aren’t in any real danger of being fired – yet – but could desperately use something positive.
Coaches On The Hot Seat: Win, Or Else
5. Bob Davie, New Mexico
33-54 coming into the season, this is Davie’s eighth year with the program with just two winning campaigns. Of the eight, he has won just four games or fewer six times, coming off two straight 3-9 seasons. With Sam Houston State, New Mexico State, Liberty, and San Jose State in the first five games – and just one game against 2018 bowl teams in the first seven dates – he needs a hot start.
4. Chris Ash, Rutgers
It’s no fun being the head coach in a division with Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State and Penn State, but Ash needs to come up with wins against the other parts of the schedule. More than that, the team needs to be more interesting, the offense has to be better, and there has to be a sign that things are pointing up after a 7-29 run in three years and coming off a 1-11 2018 campaign. The Scarlet Knights start out against UMass, but they have to go to Iowa and Michigan in the first four weeks.
– Rutgers vs. UMass Game Preview, Prediction
3. Brent Brennan, San Jose State
It’s arguably the toughest head coaching job in college football – it’s almost impossible to consistently win at San Jose State. Brennan hasn’t had much luck trying to rebuild the program with a 3-22 start and a 1-11 2018 season. With Northern Colorado and Tulsa to start, going 2-0 is a must considering the Spartans might not be favored against anyone else the rest of the way.
2. Lovie Smith, Illinois
This hasn’t worked out according to plan, but to be fair, Smith has only had three years to come up with a total overhaul of a program that needed a reboot. Going 9-27 wasn’t how this was supposed to go, but he has a slew of good young players in place, a decent transfer quarterback in Michigan’s Brandon Peters to start the season, and a favorable schedule to make this a bowl-or-bust run. The Illini have to be 3-0 going into the Nebraska game, starting out against Akron, UConn and Eastern Michigan.
– Illinois vs. Akron Game Preview, Prediction
1. Randy Edsall, UConn
It’s not just about wins and losses … but it sort of is. With UConn going into the world of independence next season, Edsall needs to show that he’s the one to lead the way during the chance and the redo of the football program.
He was handed a bad situation when he took over, but he’s just 4-20 in the last two years with a 1-11 2018 season. UConn starts out against Wagner, Illinois and Indiana – three teams that didn’t go bowling last year. There has to be a sign that things are on the upswing.
– UConn vs. Wagner Game Preview, Prediction
NEXT: 5 Coaches Who Won’t Get Fired, But Need A Win
Coaches On The Hot Seat: Won’t Get Fired, But … WIN NOW IN A BLOWOUT
5. Tom Allen, Indiana
Two years, two 5-7 seasons, two losses to Purdue with a bowl on the line. He’s got a good team in place with a nice starting 22 and plenty of good options at the skill spots, but after likely starting 2-0 against Ball State and Eastern Illinois – and at worst 3-1 with a date with UConn coming – Allen needs something splashy.
He needs a win over Ohio State at home, or Michigan State. Six of the first eight games are against teams that didn’t go bowling – he has to get six wins, and beating Purdue would be nice.
– Indiana vs. Ball State Game Preview, Prediction
4. Kalani Sitake, BYU
He’s not on a job hot seat like he was last year at this time coming off a 4-9 season, but things could turn sour in a big, big hurry.
In his fourth season, he’s got a 20-19 record with two bowl wins – but that’s not enough. The opener against Utah will set the tone for the season and his tenure, getting the rival in Provo to make a big statement. That’s followed up by a trip to Tennessee and dates against USC and Washington at home.
On the plus side, 3-1 should lead to a monster year with things easing up in a big, big way, but 2-2 hurts, and 1-3 would be a disaster – especially if one of those three is against Utah.
– BYU vs. Utah Game Preview, Prediction
3. Ryan Day, Ohio State
Again with this part … being on a hot seat sometimes has nothing to do with potentially getting fired.
What coach has more pressure on his shoulders?
Win the Big Ten title, beat Michigan, go to the College Football Playoff. Anything less won’t play in Columbus.
Going 10-2 would be fantastic anywhere else, but not at Ohio State.
Going 11-1 would be fantastic anywhere else, but if one of those losses is to Michigan …
Day has some massive shoes to fill after the Urban Meyer era, and there’s no grace period. He’s taking over one of the most talented teams in college football, and the expectations going to remain at an almost unfair level.
Of course he’s not on any will-get-fired hot seat, and of course he’ll get off to a great start with Florida Atlantic, Cincinnati, at Indiana and Miami University about as soft as can reasonably asked for, but then comes the run of at Nebraska, Michigan State, at Northwestern, Wisconsin. With the season finishing up against Penn State and at Michigan, there’s no room for error.
– Ohio State vs. Florida Atlantic Game Preview, Prediction
2. Kevin Sumlin, Arizona
After starting out his era at Arizona with a clunker of a start – losing to BYU and Houston – the loss to Hawaii in 2019 Week 0 means no Power Five head coach has more losses to teams outside of the Power Five since 2017 than Sumlin.
Others are about to give that a run once the season kicks in, but it’s still not a plus.
The Wildcats were supposed to start out the season hot – with four straight games against teams that didn’t go bowling after the trip to Honolulu – and now the pressure is on to bounce back fast. With a brutal Pac-12 kick to come – including five road games in the final eight – that loss to Hawaii makes going bowling an uphill climb.
– 10 Quick Thoughts on Hawaii’s win over Arizona
1. Jim Harbaugh, Michigan
The guy has three ten-win seasons in his four years, and no one cares.
It’s no longer just about not beating Ohio State. After his statements in John U. Bacon’s book, Overtime, where he mentioned how frustrated he is with “cheaters” he has to go against – without coming out and naming anyone specifically – the glare of the spotlight is even brighter now.
Ohio State has a new head coach, a new starting quarterback, and the showdown at the end of the regular season is in Ann Arbor.
The Wisconsin and Penn State games are on the road, but Michigan State is a home date, as is the non-conference showdown against Notre Dame.
The bar is set higher this season. Michigan can be fantastic and win ten games, but this is supposed to be the year. The offense is in place, the defense is going to be great again, and …
Beat Ohio State.
– Michigan vs. Middle Tennessee Game Preview, Prediction
