Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Coaches on the hot seat

Every year, some new names and some familiar faces prop themselves up on the proverbial coaching "hot seat". These guys are just one bad season away from losing their jobs. Some may not even make it through the full season before getting canned.

Phil Steele recently listed 13 coaches whose seats are dangerously warm: Michigan's Rich Rodriguez, Illinois' Ron Zook, LSU's Les Miles, Colorado's Dan Hawkins, Minnesota's Tim Brewster, North Texas' Todd Dodge, Maryland's Ralph Friedgen, Indiana's Bill Lynch, NC State's Tom O'Brien, Kent State's Doug Martin, Arizona State's Dennis Erickson, Arkansas State's Steve Roberts and Texas A&M's Mike Sherman.

He's got his theory on why these guys need to step their game up. Below, I've got my analysis for his five hottest seats. The rest of his article can be found on his blog at www.philsteele.com.

1. Rich Rodriguez, Michigan – Any time you're taking a job at a Michigan, an Ohio State, a Texas or an Oklahoma-type program, it comes with immediate expectations of winning, and winning big. You can't hover at or below .500 for too long. Well, RichRod practically fell out of the gate with two losing seasons in a row. He's got to win at least eight games to avoid a severance package.

2. Ron Zook, Illinois – Zook has had an up and down head coaching career. He's always been a good recruiter -- at Florida and Illinois -- but outside of a single, seemingly out-of-nowhere Rose Bowl in 2007, his results on the field have fallen short of expectations. He's in trouble this year without long-time starter Juice Williams, and will have to pull something miraculous out to not only become bowl eligible, but keep his job.

3. Les Miles, LSU – Miles started off amazingly well in his first three years, consistently remaining in the top five and winning the 2007 National Championship. But just the next year, his team was unranked. Despite a tough-as-nails schedule, he's got to get them back to being the perennial powerhouse that LSU fans have come to expect.

4. Dan Hawkins, Colorado – Before Colorado heads to the Pac-10, Hawkins will have to prove himself worthy of staying on as head coach. His record so far doesn't indicate he's a good long-term investment, and the Buffaloes could easily go with a new face to the team when they join their new conference.

5. Tim Brewster, Minnesota – Brewster turned the Gophers around big time in 2008, improving six games from their 1-11 record in 2007. But this year's squad looks to take a big step back with just two returning defensive starters. A three- or four-win season could be all it takes to get Brewster back in the unemployment line.

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