Every year without fail a dozen or so coaches start the year on the hot seat and this year will be no different. Coaching big time college football is a tough and stressful job. You get lots of money but the stress probably takes years off your life span, especially in the SEC. Here are some coaches who are in trouble if they can’t turn things around. This will be a shorter list than I thought since Randy Shannon, Rich Rodriquez, and Butch Davis have all been fired already.
Just Barely Warm
Les Miles, Head Coach for the LSU Tigers
What I think: Calm down LSU fans I don’t put Miles on this list like I do Nutt and Richt. His seat is just barley starting to heat, but I do believe the heat is there at least a small amount. LSU has the talent, prestige, and facilities to be a national title contender almost every year. I don’t think I’m stretching here in saying that out of every coach in the world who has won a national title I would put Miles dead last on the list of coaching ability. He won his national title with two losses (against Kentucky and Arkansas) and some unbelievable luck. But hey he did win one and I give him credit for that. After that though, with teams with arguably more talent than the 2007 squad he has floundered. 2008 he goes 8-5 with a loss against almost every LSU rival. He goes 9-4 and loses the bowl game in 2009. In 2010 he finally beats Bama but loses to Auburn which is no big deal but then loses a clunker to Arkansas to move LSU out of a BCS bowl. The “Mad Hatter’s” tricks are running out. Did anyone see that horrific clock managment against Ole Miss or the travesty that was the LSU/Tennessee game last year. This year LSU is going to be a top 5 team and will start their year against the Oregon Ducks who will also be ranked inside the top five. It’s put up or shut-up time.
Joe Paterno, Head Coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions
What I think: I want to start out by saying I don’t think Joe Pa is going to be fired by Penn State. At least I hope not. The guy is a legend with over 400 wins, two national titles, and numerous bowl appearances. But the guy is 84. He’s past retirement age and into, getting your affairs in order age, and that is not a joke. The last great season Penn State had was in 2008 when they went to the Rose Bowl (where they were blown out by USC) and Joe Pa was sidelined for much of it with hip replacement surgery. Look this is starting to get embarrassing for him and for Penn State. At the 2011 Big 10 media days he said he envisions coaching for years to come. Did Penn State boosters cringe or what? He is killing that university and the storied football program he created. They went 7-6 last year and looked outclassed against a Saban coached Bama and a Meyer coached Florida. I admire everything Coach Paterno has done for college football, but he needs to retire soon and not force Penn State to drive him off. If he could knock off Alabama at Beaver Stadium in the Fall it might help matters, but that’s a big if. (In a smaller degree, Mack Brown will be going down this same road unless he gets his shit together)
Getting Very Hot
Mark Richt, Head Coach for the Georgia Bulldogs
What I think: Bulldogs fans it’s time to get greedy. You have to start asking yourself hard questions. Is being a good 10 win team every year good enough or do you want to be a national title contender? Mark Richt has shown me that he is a mediocre to good coach at best and has squandered some very talented teams and mired them in mediocrity. Then when the seat is beginning to heat up last year he goes 6-7 with horrific losses to Mississippi State, Colorado, and an awful 10-6 loss to Central Florida in the Liberty Bowl. No, no, no, Georgia fans this is unacceptable. Give him one more year to make some noise. If he can’t at least get you to Atlanta, show him the door.
Houston Nutt, Head Coach for the Ole Miss Rebels
What I think: In 2008 Ole Miss surprised some people and had a solid season and won the Cotton Bowl. They were picked in 2009 as a national title sleeper team and the hype was crazy for them. They then went on to lose four games and ended their year with another Cotton Bowl win and 9-4 record. I’m sure the Ole Miss faithful were disappointed but thought, “oh well there is always 2010.” You poor naïve Ole Miss fans. Ole Miss’s 2010 season was nothing short of a train wreck. They lost their first game to Div. II School Jacksonville State, and went on to have a 4-8 season. No bowl game, a second loss to Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl. Nutt has to turn it around and quick or he will be out on the street dancing for dimes, or working as an analyst for ESPNU.
Dabo Swinney, Head Coach of the Clemson Tigers
What I think: In 2008 Tommy Bowden and his Clemson Tigers were riding high, they were picked to win the ACC and possibly a national title. To start off their season they would smack down Alabama in Atlanta. Except no one told Bama the plan and they killed Clemson 34-10. Bowden then won three easy games, but lost the next two ACC games and resigned under heavy fire. Dabo Swinney, the wide receivers coach, took over and led the Tigers to a 4-3 record the rest of the year. Because of that and the fact he beat South Carolina, Dabo was given the job to stay on as head coach. 2009 was better as Swinney led Clemson to the ACC title game which they lost in a close effort. Then in 2010 the Tigers looked very average going 6-6 in the regular season and losing their bowl game to South Florida. i guess you can see how bad the 2009 team would have been with C.J. Spiller. Dabo is 19-15 as a head coach so maybe he shouldn’t be on this list. But if you listen to sports radio most people say he is on his way out. He is a great recruiter that is in way over his head. He needs to go back to coordinating and recruiting then come back to head coaching. He might be a good one someday. But not here and not now.
Scalding and on their Way Out
Rick Neuheisel, Head Coach of the UCLA Bruins
What I think: You might remember a few years ago when ole Rick took over for the Bruins that he took out a full page add in a LA newspaper and proclaimed the dominance of USC was over. How’s that been working out Ricky? In 2008 they went 4-8, in 2009 7-6 with a big win in the EagleBank Bowl, and in 2010 back to 4-8 with losses against Stanford (35-0), Cal (35-7), Oregon (60-13), Arizona State (55-34), and Washington (24-7). Really the fact that he is coaching this year is kind of a head scratcher. How much better are the Bruins really going to be in 2011? I think it’s pretty much over already in Bruin country for Mr. Neuheisel.
Needs a National Title to Save Their Jobs
Ron Zook, Head Coach of the Illinois Fighting Illini
What I think: Ron Zook has more lives than some sort of magic laser cat with a lot of lives, nine I suppose. Zook was shown the door at Florida after he lost to Mississippi State in 2004. He then brought his "coaching talents" to Illinois. In 2006 Illinois went 2-10, yeah 2-10 you heard me right. Then in 2007 he went 9-4 and got blown out in the Rose Bowl, but the year was considered a success. Then when Illini faithful were thinking repeat trip to Pasadena apparently Zook was thinking 5-7 record and no bowl which is what happened in 2008. Oh well it couldn’t get any worse, after all in 2009 they were predicted as a dark horse candidate to win the Big 10. They finished the year 3-9, *crickets*. 3-9 when people thought they might be conference champs. In 2010 they beat Baylor in the Texas Bowl and finished the year 7-6. Again very average. This guy is awful to average at BEST. How is he still a coach? Really I’m asking the world at large to tell me.
Jim Grobe, Head Coach of the Wake Forest Demon Deacons
What I think: From 2001 to 2005 Wake Forest and Jim Grobe were a poor team to say the least. In 2004 and 2005 they went 4-7 both years, but then in 2006 a miracle. Wake Forest went 11-3 won the ACC title and went to a BCS bowl which they lost to Louisville. Things were looking great for old Grobe. In 2007 with expectations pretty high they regressed a little but still ended the year 9—4. In 2008 they trailed off a little again to go 8-5. Then in 2009 a big drop off to 5-7 and no bowl game. With his seat growing warm Grobe had his worst season at Wake Forest ever going 3-9 in 2010, and winning only one conference game. This is a spiraling trend that needs to be stopped with Grobe’s firing. Who knows maybe they can get back to 6-6 in 2011.
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