On The Hot Seat: Week 14

1. David Bailiff—Rice went 4-8 this season and had its fourth sub-.500 season under Bailiff in his five seasons leading the program. Under Bailiff, the Owls have never won more than 3 conference games in a season except for the 2008 season where Rice won the Texas Bowl.

2. Robb Akey—The Vandals finished their fifth season under Akey, going 2-10. Akey has an overall winning percentage of .306 and a winning percentage of .259 against FBS opponents.

3. Mike Riley—Oregon State finished the season 3-9, losing the season finale to Oregon by a score of 49-21. The Beavers have now lost the last four Civil Wars. Mike Riley had his worst campaign as a head coach and has brought Oregon State fans back-to-back losing seasons.

4. David Cutcliffe—Cutcliffe is a good coach but in a very tough place to win. However, Duke seems to be paying him way too much money, $1.65 million per year, for providing four losing seasons. Furthermore, Cutcliffe’s Blue Devils are only 2-2 against FCS teams.

5. Derek Dooley—Dooley is 11-14 after two seasons. Surely Tennessee will need a lot of time to rebuild into the great program it once was, but Volunteer fans have a short fuse. Dooley will need to get at least 7 wins in the regular season next year to survive.

6. Mike Price—Mike Price finished his eighth season in El Paso with a 5-7 record. Each of Price’s last six seasons has featured more losses than wins. Price is 0-3 in bowl games during his eight-year tenure. How long will the Miners athletic department be complacent with subpar performance?

7. Frank Spaziani—Boston College is not going to a bowl game for the first time since the 1998 season. Boston College’s offense was atrocious this season, scoring more than 19 points only in three games. Spaziani’s record as a head coach plummeted to 20-19 after a 4-8 season.

8. Randy Edsall—Edsall inherited a 9-4 team and went 2-10 in his first season. One such loss was from a 38-7 thumping by Temple, Maryland’s first loss to Temple ever. Eight of the ten losses were by double-digit margins. Usually coaches shouldn’t be judged after one or two seasons, but Maryland has become the ACC’s blow-up doll.

9. Bobby Hauck—Hauck is 4-21 after his first two seasons. His winning percentage of .160 is the worst in the history of UNLV Rebels football.

10. DeWayne Walker—Walker’s Aggies are 9-29 in three seasons. Walker needs to show improvement in a WAC that becomes weaker next year with the departure of Hawaii, Fresno State, and Nevada.

Waiting list: Jeff Quinn, Dan Enos

Fired: Paul Wulff, Neil Callaway, Ron Zook, Steve Fairchild, Dennis Erickson, Turner Gill, Rob Ianello, Larry Porter, Rick Neuheisel, Mike Sherman, Pat Hill

On The Hot Seat: Week 12

1. Paul Wulff—Washington State upset Arizona State on November 12^th and lost to Utah in overtime on November 19^th. The Cougars are slowly improving, but that does not take away from the fact that Washington State will have its fifth consecutive losing season, and fourth under Wulff. Wulff is 4-31 in Pac-12 games. He needs to go.

2. Neil Callaway—UAB got a huge 34-31 upset over No. 22 Southern Mississippi on November 17^th. With a 3-8 record, Callaway will have his fifth consecutive losing season. Callaway is 18-41, or .305, in Birmingham with one game left to play.

3. Ron Zook—After starting out 6-0 this season, the Illini had a meltdown and lost their next five games. The Illini play a 2-9 Minnesota squad in their finale Saturday. If it is their sixth straight loss, Zook will probably be canned.

4. Steve Fairchild—Colorado State started the season 3-1, then dropped six consecutive games to fall to 3-7. Fairchild is 7-22 in Mountain West games during his tenure. If the Rams cannot beat Air Force or Wyoming, they will finish the season with their third consecutive 3-9 season.

5. David Bailiff—Bailiff is 23-37 with one game left to play in his fifth year. The Owls will have their third straight losing season and fourth losing season in Bailiff’s five seasons.

6. Dennis Erickson—A few weeks ago, the Sun Devils were looking good with a 6-2 record and a Top 25 ranking. The following three weeks, Arizona State dropped to 6-5, losing to UCLA, Washington State, and in-state rival Arizona inside Sun Devil Stadium. The Sun Devils are having a meltdown.

7. Mike Riley—Just when you thought the Beavers bottomed out last season, things get even worse in 2011. The Beavers are 3-8. The last time Oregon State was that bad was 1997 when they finished the season 3-8. Oregon State has the Civil War left to play against the Ducks, which will likely put them at 3-9.

8. Turner Gill—Kansas is 2-9 this season, with a 1-15 record in Big 12 games. All but two of the Jayhawks losses were by double-digits. Gill needs to start making some progress in Lawrence before the administration and fans lose their patience.

9. Rob Ianello—Rob Ianello is 1-10 in 2011 and 2-21 overall in almost two seasons. Is Akron happy with one win per season? Will Ianello be back for a third season?

10. Larry Porter—Larry Porter is 3-20 in two years at Memphis. The former Tigers running back is struggling, having beaten only one Conference USA opponent in two years. Two seasons may be too early to cast judgment, but the past two seasons have been dismal.

Waiting list: Robb Akey, Frank Spaziani, Rick Neuheisel

Fired: Joe Paterno

We will revisit On The Hot Seat after Week 14.

On The Hot Seat: Week 10

1. Paul Wulff—Washington State is on a five-game losing streak. Out of those five losses, only one game was close. The Cougars fall to 3-6 on the season and will not go to the postseason for the eighth straight year unless they can win all of their last three games: Arizona State, Utah, and Washington at CenturyLink Field in Seattle. Wulff is 8-38 in his career at Wazzou.

2. Neil Callaway—Ever since Callaway’s hiring almost five years ago, rumors have chimed that the University of Alabama Board of Trustees wanted to keep the Birmingham campus’s football program inferior to the Tuscaloosa campus’s football program, and that is why Callaway was hired over more sought after coaches for the opening in Birmingham. Is the administration still trying to hold UAB down by not letting them get rid of a coach with a 16-45 record? The Blazers were outscored in their last two games 115-27.

3. Mike Riley—Oregon State is 7-14 over their last 21 games. Mike Riley’s squad has plummeted to Pac-12 doormat status along with Washington State and Colorado. Riley is contracted to coach the Beavers through the 2019 season. Oregon State should not have made such a lengthy contract extension.

4. Frank Spaziani—The Eagles finally beat a FBS team when they took down a bad Maryland team on Halloween weekend, but on the following Thursday, Florida State went to Chestnut Hill and blasted the Eagles 38-7. Boston College’s streak of 12 consecutive bowls came to an end as the Eagles fell to 2-7 on the season.

5. Steve Fairchild—Colorado State has been just plain bad this season. On its current four-game losing streak, it has lost to teams like San Jose State, UTEP, and UNLV. The Rams have four games left, with three games at home, but it is unlikely the 3-5 Rams will see the postseason with San Diego State, TCU, Air Force, and Wyoming on deck. Fairchild will likely have his third consecutive losing season.

6. Robb Akey— The Vandals beat San Jose State 32-29 November 5^th, getting their first win over a FBS team this season. Since the Vandals are 2-7 with three games left, Akey will have his fourth losing season in his five years in Moscow. Robb Akey is 19-40 in his fifth season.

7. David Bailiff—The Owl defense allowed Houston to put up 73 points on them in Bayou Bucket Classic on October 27^th. Rice is 3-6 overall and 2-4 in conference games. Bailiff is 22-36 in his fifth year. Bailiff will have his fourth losing season in five years unless he can win out against Northwestern, Tulane, and SMU.

8. Rick Neuheisel—After a brawl with Arizona on October 20^th and the resulting suspensions of six players, Neuheisel got his team refocused and picked up quality wins over California and No. 20 Arizona State the last two Saturdays. With games against Utah, Colorado, and USC left, Neuheisel should be able to go 7-5 or even 8-4 f he can beat the Bruins’ cross-town rival. Neuheisel’s chair is cooling off a little.

9. Turner Gill—Gill does not seem to be making much progress in Lawrence.  Kansas is 5-16 during his 1 ¾ year tenure. The Jayhawks are just 1-13 against Big 12 opponents since Gill took over at Kansas. Kansas is in last place in the Big 12 with a 0-6 record. Games against Baylor, Texas A&M, and Missouri remain. Will Kansas get another win this season?

10. Rob Ianello—Rob Ianello and the Zips went 1-11 in 2010 and are currently 1-8 in 2011. If J.D. Brookhart got fired for going 3-9 in 2009, Ianello’s stool has to be getting very hot. Akron is a tough place to coach, but two wins in two seasons doesn’t cut it.

Waiting list: Danny Hope

Resigned: Houston Nutt

We will revisit On The Hot Seat after Week 12.

On The Hot Seat: Week 8

1. Neil Callaway—The Blazers finally won their first game of the 2011 season last Thursday against Central Florida in front of a home crowd of 8,872. Regardless, the Blazers are 1-6 this season and almost assuredly will have a losing season, resulting in Callaway having five consecutive losing seasons. The Callaway era at UAB can best be summed up as a train wreck.

2. Paul Wulff—Wulff is 8-36 in slightly over three and a half years at Washington State. The Cougars have lost their last three games and have fallen to 3-4 now. In Pac-12 games, Washington State is 1-3. While three W's are more victories than Wulff has gotten over his first three seasons in Pullman, it is still subpar. The Cougars still have to play Oregon and California on the road, then Arizona State and Utah at home, before finishing the season with the Apple Cup in Seattle. It is not looking good.

3. Mike Riley—Oregon State is 2-5, losing to BYU and beating Washington State over the last two weeks. Looking ahead, the Beavers have Utah, California, and Oregon on the road, and Stanford and Washington at home. At best, the Beavers might get two wins out of their last five games, considering the way they have been playing. Riley will almost assuredly have his second consecutive losing season.

4. Rick Neuheisel—The Bruins had two weeks to prepare for an Arizona Wildcats team that had lost ten straight games against FBS opponents, yet lost by a margin of 36 points on primetime national television. To make matters worse a brawl erupted just before halftime that led to the suspension of six Bruins. Rick Neuheisel cannot afford to lose any more games, or he'll be out before the season is over.

5. Frank Spaziani—Boston College is a dismal 1-6 with a away game at Maryland next Saturday, followed by a home game five days later against Florida State. Boston College has lost seven straight to FBS foes. Spaziani was a great defensive coordinator, but he isn't cutting it as a head coach. One more loss will send his winning percentage south of .500.

6. Robb Akey—One more loss will guarantee Idaho its fourth losing season in Robb Akey's five seasons as head coach in Moscow. The Vandals are 1-6 with their only win coming over an FCS program. Attendance at home games so far this has averaged 13,300 per game, well below the NCAA's attendance requirement for the Football Bowl Subdivision.

7. David Bailiff—Bailiff has a .375 winning percentage in his fifth season at Rice. The Owls are 2-5 after eight weeks of play and need to win four of their last five to be bowl eligible and also avoid the program's fourth losing season in Bailiff's five years. The Owls play cross-town rival Houston on Thursday in the Bayou Bucket Classic.

8. Steve Fairchild—Fairchild is 16-28 in his fourth season, with a record of 7-19 in Mountain West Conference games. The Rams are 3-4 this season with games against UNLV, San Diego State, TCU, Air Force, and Wyoming remaining. Colorado State will probably be favored in only one of the last five games.

9. Houston Nutt—Ole Miss played Arkansas tight last week, losing by a score of 29-24. Unfortunately, the Rebels are still 2-5 and 0-4 in SEC games this season. Nutt will likely have his second consecutive losing season. It will cost $6 million to buy out Nutt's contract, so firing might be out of the question for Mississippi in 2011.

10. Turner Gill—Gill is only in his second season at Kansas, but his record against Big 12 teams is 1-11, and his overall record at Kansas is 5-14. Last Saturday, in-state rival Kansas State utterly destroyed the Jayhawks at home by a score of 59-21. Kansas has been getting blown out left, right, and center; the Jayhawks are 120^th in the nation in total defense and scoring defense.

Waiting list: Rob Ianello

Resigned: Bob Toledo

We will revisit On The Hot Seat after Week 10.

On The Hot Seat: Week 6

1. Neil Callaway—The Blazers are 0-5 after six weeks of football, with two of the losses being in conference games. Callaway is now 15-38 at UAB. The Blazers’ 2011 campaign will likely be their seventh losing season. I do not see how Callaway will be retained as head coach. Look for him to be canned in the next couple weeks.

2. Paul Wulff—The Cougars defeated Colorado on the road and lost to UCLA narrowly on the road over the past two weeks. The Cougars, now 3-2, are looking better than they have been the last three seasons, but Wulff is still 8-34 (.190) in three and a half years. He has won only three conference games as the Cougars head coach, and three of his other victories were over 1AA programs.

3. Mike Riley—The Beavers are 1-4 after six weeks of football. Oregon State finally ended a six-game losing streak dating back to last year by beating Arizona 37-27 October 8^th. Mike Stoops was canned as a result of Mike Riley’s good fortune, but Riley might also be out of a job if things keep going the way they are in Corvallis.

4. Bob Toledo—Tulane was humiliated 45-6 by Army October 1^st and played Syracuse tight in a loss at home on October 8^th. Bob Toledo is 15-39 in his fifth season. Tulane is 2-4 this season. Trying to be positive, the Green Wave has seven games left to make something happen in 2011: six conference dates and a season finale at Hawaii.

5. Frank Spaziani—Boston College is 1-5, their only win coming over 1AA UMass. Four of Boston College’s last six games will be on the road. Things are not looking up for the Eagles. Spaziani just might have a chance at returning for another year if he can pull a few upsets. I hear Jeff Jagodzinski is available for interviews.

6. Robb Akey—So far the highlight of the season for Robb Akey’s 1-5 Vandals was taking Virginia to overtime on October 1^st, losing the game trying to steal a victory by going for a two-point conversion instead of kicking a PAT to force a second overtime. Idaho’s only win was over 1AA North Dakota. Idaho does have some winnable WAC games coming up, but they likely won’t get close to bowl eligibility.

7. David Bailiff—The Owls are at 1-1 in Conference USA play and 2-3 overall. Rice walked over Memphis like a doormat last Saturday, but got doubled up by Southern Mississippi 48-24 on October 1^st. The Owls will need to become bowl eligible for Bailiff to have any chance of returning for another season. If Rice cannot win four more games, David Bailiff will have four losing seasons in five years.

8. Rick Neuheisel—Rick Neuheisel has the Bruins sitting at 3-3 with a 2-1 conference record. The good news is that the Bruins have the better part of two weeks to prepare for a 1-5 Arizona team that just lost their coach. If Neuheisel can get his team to a bowl-eligible and win a bowl game, I think he will remove any doubt about his leadership.

9. Houston Nutt—Ole Miss was able to get a win over Fresno State on the first Saturday of the month, but the 2-3 Rebels have otherwise looked sad this season. Mississippi has AAA the next three weeks: Alabama, Arkansas, and Auburn. If the Rebels keep playing the way they have, they could easily go 0-3 over this stretch and Nutt could be sent packing.

10. Mike Price—The Miners are sitting at 2-3. UTEP's defense gave up 101 points in the last two games to South Florida and Houston. Price needs to get some momentum going in El Paso or he will have his sixth straight losing season.

Waiting list: DeWayne Walker, Danny Hope, Steve Fairchild

Fired: Mike Stoops

We will revisit On The Hot Seat after Week 8.

On The Hot Seat: Week 4

1. Paul Wulff—Paul Wulff has got the Cougars at 2-1 after four weeks of football. Wazzou beat FCS Idaho State 64-21 and UNLV 59-7, before falling to San Diego State in Week 3 by a margin of 18. Wulff is still 7-33 at his alma mater and needs to show he can win in the Pac-12.

2. Mike Riley—The Oregon State Beavers are 0-3 after losing to FCS Sacramento State, getting shutout 35-0 by Wisconsin, and losing at home this past Saturday to a suspect UCLA team whose coach is also on the hot seat. Riley also posted a meager 5-7 record last year after high expectations in Corvallis.

3. Neil Callaway—The Blazers are 0-3 to start the season and 0-2 in conference games. Things are not looking good in Birmingham. UAB has a tough road game against Troy next week.

4. Bob Toledo—The Green are 2-2 overall and 1-1 in Conference USA games. Things could be better, and things could be worse. Tulane needs to win games and beating Army on the road next week would help Toledo get off the hot seat.

5. Rick Neuheisel—The Bruins have started the season 2-2, which includes wins over San Jose State and Oregon State—two teams that don’t look to be too good this year. The results of UCLA’s eight upcoming Pac-12 games will determine whether Neuheisel will be out of a job or kept on.

6. Houston Nutt—After two 9-4 seasons in 2008 and 2009, Ole Miss dropped to 4-8 in 2010 including a loss to 1AA Jacksonville State. The 2011 season has started out poorly with losses to BYU, Vanderbilt, and Georgia. SEC bottomfeeder Vanderbilt beat the Rebels 30-7. The only win came over 1AA Southern Illinois.

7. David Bailiff—Rice upset Purdue 24-22 on September 10^th. While the Owls are 1-2, they have yet to play a conference game yet. If the Owls can make some noise in the C-USA West Division this year, Bailiff may be still around.

8. Robb Akey—Akey is 1-3 this season, only beating FCS school North Dakota. Akey has had only one winning season and is now in his fifth year. There is little excitement in Moscow over Vandals football, depicted by the empty seats in the Kibbie Dome.

9. Frank Spaziani—Boston College started the season 1-3, with the only win coming over 1AA UMass. The Eagles have lost at home to Northwestern and Duke and on the road to UCF. Spaz is also 0 for 2 against Notre Dame during his tenure. Boston College needs to defend its reputation.

10. DeWayne Walker—Walker got the biggest win of his head coaching career against Minnesota Week 2. Other than the big upset in Minneapolis, NMSU has lost to rival UTEP, Ohio, and SJSU. Will the Aggies follow the Lobos example and hit the reset button this season?

Waiting list: Mike Price, Ron English, Steve Fairchild, Mike Stoops

Fired: Mike Locksley

Off the hot seat: Ron Zook, Dennis Erickson

We will revisit On The Hot Seat after Week 6.

On The Hot Seat: Preseason

1. Mike Locksley—The Mike Locksley era at New Mexico is a train wreck. He is 2-22, with New Mexico getting massacred in most of those 22 losses. The Lobos ranked dead last in total offense last season and second-to-last in total defense out of 120 FBS teams. Toss in his off-the-field infractions and you have an absolutely pathetic head coach.

2. Paul Wulff—Paul Wulff is lucky to be coaching at a school that allows you to come back after going 5-32 in three seasons. Any other school, no matter what the circumstances, would not accept a .135 winning percentage. Wulff needs to turn the Cougars around 180 degrees this season.

3. Bob Toledo—The Green Wave have finished in last place in the C-USA’s West Division each of the last two seasons and have never won more than four games in a season under Toledo’s leadership. If Tulane does not become bowl-eligible, Bob Toledo is going to get kicked to the curb.

4. Neil Callaway—The Blazers have not had a winning season under Callaway, nor finished better than fourth in their division. With 15 starters returning, UAB should be able to string together wins and possibly save Coach Callaway’s job.

5. Steve Fairchild—Fairchild is heading into his fourth season, going 3-9 in both 2009 and 2010. The Rams have an uncompetitive 2-14 record in the Mountain West the past two seasons. Fairchild will get canned if he cannot produce at least a half dozen wins in 2011.

6. Dennis Erickson—This is the final year of Erickson’s contract, and if he does not win at least seven games, it is certain is contract will not be renewed. Erickson has lost 21 games over the last three seasons, making his last three years in Tempe the worst three seasons of his head coaching career.

7. David Bailiff—The Owls have gone 6-18 over the last two seasons since their great run in 2008. The Owl pass defense has been almost nonexistent. If Bailiff can get his defense to improve and put together a respectable conference record, he has a chance of coming back for a sixth season.

8. Ron Zook—The question of whether to fire Zook or not has been swirling around Urbana-Champaign over the past three seasons. By going 7-6 last season and getting the Illini’s first bowl win in eleven years, Zook seems to only be on a warm seat at the moment, but a fifth sub-.500 season will get him fired.

9. Rick Neuheisel —Rick Neuheisel’s time at his alma mater has been a subpar 15-22, with a pathetic 8-19 conference record. The Bruins have finished eighth, eighth, and ninth in the final three years of the Pac-10. Slick Rick needs to turn things around at UCLA this season, or he’s out.

10. Mike Price—The Miners have not had a winning season since 2005, Price’s second season in El Paso. With a record of 40-45, Mike Price is going to have to become bowl-eligible like last season to feel safe about his livelihood. It won’t be an easy task with 1 starter returning on offense.

Waiting list: Ron English, DeWayne Walker

We will revisit On The Hot Seat after Week 4.

On The Hot Seat: Week 14

1. Paul Wulff—Washington State lost the Apple Cup after having two bye weeks to prepare. Paul Wulff is statistically the worst head coach in Cougar history, yet the administration has decided he will stay. Wulff is 3-32 against FBS teams in his three year tenure! What is the athletic department thinking?

2. Mike Locksley—Mike Locksley is 2-22 after two horrendous seasons. The University of New Mexico may not be able to financially afford to buy out his contract for another season or two. The moral of the story: don’t give money-spinning contracts to unproven coaches. If your team has the Lobos on their schedule for the 2011 season, they have a guaranteed W.

3. Bob Toledo—Bob Toledo is 13-35 after four seasons at Tulane. Other than a winning football team being low on the priority list for a university such as Tulane, I have no clue why Toledo will be returning to coach the 2011 season.

4. Neil Callaway—Neil Callaway is 15-33 in four seasons at UAB. Like Tulane, UAB will retain a head coach with four consecutive losing seasons for a fifth season. The tolerance for losing in Birmingham is apparently much higher than it is for other programs around the country, where a headman gets canned if improvement is not seen after three or four seasons.

                                

5. Ron Zook—Illinois lost to Fresno State for the second straight year in its season finale. Illinois ends the season 6-6 and will play in the Texas Bowl against Baylor on December 29^th. If the Fighting Illini lose, Ron Zook will have five losing seasons in his six years at Illinois.

6. Steve Fairchild—Fairchild has been talking about how the Rams’ football program is heading in the right direction. The 13-24 record and the fact that the Rams were routed eight times during the 2010 season say otherwise.

7. Dennis Erickson—Arizona State ended the season positively, beating rival Arizona in a close game. Despite being 6-6, the Sun Devils cannot play in the postseason since two of their six wins were over FCS schools. Only one FCS-win counts towards bowl eligibility. Erickson will be allowed to stay the last year of his contract despite being 17-19 in Pac-10 play over his four years.

8. David Bailiff—Lucky for David Bailiff one bowl win and a 19-30 record in four years is acceptable at Rice, a school with less than 3,500 undergraduates. The administration has decided to let Bailiff stay, but the pressure to win next season will be 3,500 pounds per square yard of Rice Stadium.

9. Rich Rodriguez—The way Rodriguez’s contract is drawn up, it will be $1.5 million cheaper to fire him come January 1^st than prior to that date. With athletic director David Brandon stating he will evaluate Rodriguez after Michigan’s bowl game, many are thinking Dick Rod will be fired if he loses to Mississippi State in the Gator Bowl on January 1^st. Rodriguez has never beaten rivals Michigan State and Ohio State. He is 6-18 in conference games.

10. Ron English—Ron English got two wins this season, an improvement over a winless season in 2009. English will need to get at least double his wins next season if he wants to stick around in Ypsilanti.

Waiting list: DeWayne Walker, Rick Neuheisel

On The Hot Seat: Week 13

1. Paul Wulff—Paul Wulff has the lowest winning percentage of any Washington State head coach in the history of the program, .139. Washington State faces Washington in the Apple Cup Saturday. Win or lose, Wulff is probably fired. Winning the Apple Cup is his last gasp at trying to save his job.

2. Mike Locksley—Mike Locksley is 2-22 after two horrendous seasons. The only thing holding the University of New Mexico back from canning this guy is the contract they signed him to: $4.5 million across six years. Right now, it would cost $3 million to buy him out. What idiot wrote up such a lucrative deal for an unproven head coach? I guess the Lobos are guaranteed to be the Mountain West doormat for a few more years.

3. Bob Toledo—Bob Toledo is 13-35 after four seasons at Tulane. With a 4-8 record this season, Toledo matched his best season, 2007. After four losing seasons, the Green Wave need to wave goodbye.

4. Neil Callaway—Neil Callaway is 15-33 in four seasons at UAB. UAB has not gone to a bowl during Callaway’s tenure, nor finished better than fourth in the C-USA West during those four years. Legion Field has been a ghost town. UAB needs to bring in a coach that can reinvigorate the Blazers fan base.

5. Dennis Erickson—The Sun Devils beat UCLA last Friday, but are likely to finish 2010 with their third-straight losing season after facing Arizona on Thursday. Despite beating only subpar teams the past three seasons, the administration at Arizona State are saying they will honor the final year of Erickson’s contract. Going to bowl games and winning the Pac-10 title must not be a priority in Tempe.

6. Ron Zook—The Fighting Illini are finally bowl-eligible after bullying a Dan-Persa-less Northwestern team at Wrigley Field in Week 12. With a game left to play against Fresno State in Week 14, the Illini are sitting at 6-5 and Zook is a meager 27-44 in almost six seasons. A loss to the Bulldogs in consecutive years could mark the end for Zook.

7. David Bailiff—Bailiff is 19-30 after four seasons at Rice, finishing 4-8 after the finale Saturday. Rice has had losing seasons in 2007, 2009, and 2010. Is 2008’s 10-3 campaign too far in the past to save Bailiff? Bailiff still has three years left on his contract, but contracts can be bought out.

8. Steve Fairchild—Fairchild is 13-24 after three years at the helm in Fort Collins. The 2010 campaign ended with a 44-0 beatdown from Wyoming in the Border War. Wyoming had not won a conference game before drubbing Colorado State. Out of nine losses this season, only one was by single digits

9. Ron English—The Eagles got their second win of the season on November 20^th, beating Buffalo 21-17. Six days later in Eastern Michigan’s final game, English’s team got smoked 71-3 by Northern Illinois. Ouch! Ron English has a .083 winning percentage after two seasons.

10. DeWayne Walker—DeWayne Walker is 5-20 after two years at New Mexico State, a graveyard for coaches. One plus on Walker’s body of work is winning the Rio Grande Rivalry both years. New Mexico State is ranked 116^th out of 120 teams in both points scored and points allowed.

Waiting list: Rich Rodriguez, Rick Neuheisel

Fired: Stan Parrish, Randy Shannon, Bill Lynch, Rickey Bustle

Off the hot seat: Mark Richt

We will revisit On The Hot Seat after Week 14.

On The Hot Seat: Week 11

1. Mike Locksley—Mike Locksley is 2-20 (.091) in two seasons. How has he not been canned already? University of New Mexico athletic director Paul Krebs needs to be dismissed as well. Krebs (1) forced out Rocky Long, the most successful head coach in New Mexico football history, (2) hired deadbeat Mike Locksley, and (3) refuses to get rid of Locksley. Three strikes and you’re out.

2. Dennis Erickson—Dennis Erickson’s teams have not beat a single team with a winning record over the past three seasons. Even if 4-6 Arizona State wins out and gets to .500 by beating UCLA and Arizona, it cannot go to a bowl because two of its wins were against FCS schools! Dennis Erickson is done, stick a fork in him.

3. Paul Wulff—Wazzu did something amazing Saturday: They beat an FBS team for the first time since November 22^nd, 2008. Washington State gave Oregon State a pretty good 31-14 licking on the road. For this, I’ll drop Paul Wulff down one spot this week. The Cougars have a three week bye before the 103^rd installment of the Apple Cup. If the Cougars can beat the Huskies on December 4^th, Wulff still has a very, very, very slight chance of keeping his job as head coach. If he loses, he will surely be fired.

4. Neil Callaway—Neil Callaway is 14-32 in almost four years in Birmingham. All four campaigns have been losing seasons. Even if the Blazers can finish out with wins over Memphis and Rice, they will still only be 5-7.

5. Bob Toledo—Bob Toledo is 13-33 in his fourth season at Tulane. At 4-6 the Green Wave still have a very slim chance at going to the postseason, but they’d have to beat UCF and Marshall. More than likely, Toledo will have his fourth straight losing season in New Orleans.

6. Ron Zook—Two weeks ago, Illinois was 5-3 and all three losses came to ranked teams. It looked like Zook had the Illini back on track and they’d would be bowl eligible with a win over Michigan. The defense did not show up, and they lost 65-67 in three overtimes. The following week, the Illini lost 34-38 to the worst team in the Big Ten, Minnesota. The Illini are 5-5, reeling, and desperate to get bowl-eligible.

7. Bill Lynch—Lynch has not won a Big Ten game this season and is 5-25 in conference games. Indiana is a hard place to develop a winning football program. Football takes the backseat to basketball. Lynch has brought in better recruits and did take Iowa and Northwestern to the wire this season, but the Hoosiers may still hit the reset button.

8. David Bailiff—When your athletic director gives you a vote of confidence, you know you are on the hot seat. Since going 10-3 and winning the Texas Bowl in 2008, the Owls have lost 18 of their last 22 games. Welcome to the hot seat David Bailiff.

9. Ron English—Eastern Michigan is a tough place to coach. Ron English is 1-21 with two games to play in his second season with the Eagles. English has a chance of sticking around for a third year considering two seasons isn’t long enough to rebuild a program.

10. Mark Richt—Should one subpar season in a decade of dominance justify firing a coach? Probably not, but some Georgia fans think so.  Georgia plays in-state rival Georgia Tech at home on November 27^th. If the Bulldogs can get the win, they will be .500 and going to their tenth straight bowl game under Mark Richt. If they win that bowl game, they will have their tenth straight winning season under Mark Richt.

Waiting list: Rickey Bustle, DeWayne Walker, Steve Fairchild, Stan Parrish, Randy Shannon

Fired: Dan Hawkins

Off the hot seat: Mike Sherman, Rich Rodriguez

We will revisit On The Hot Seat after Week 13.

On The Hot Seat: Week 9

1. Mike Locksley—The Lobos are 0-8 this season, losing by an average of 29.8 points per game. The Lobos have the 118^th offense and 119^th defense in the country out of 120 teams. What is wrong with the athletic department at New Mexico? Why are they not firing a classless coach with a 1-19 record?

2. Paul Wulff—Let’s take a look at Paul Wulff’s resume: 4-30 with three games left to play in his third season, 2-30 against FBS schools, 1-23 against Pac-10 schools. The numbers speak. The Cougars program has spiraled into a deep abyss. At least Bill Doba’s teams were mediocre. The administration at Washington State needs to just pull the trigger and get a jump on the search for a new head coach.

3. Dan Hawkins—The Buffs are 0-4 in Big 12 games this season. With a 3-5 record on the season, Hawkins has a very slim chance at reaching the postseason. Colorado plays at Kansas, then has Iowa State and Kansas State at home, and finishes the season against Nebraska on the road. Dan Hawkins is 19-38 in four and two-thirds years in Boulder.

4. Rich Rodriguez—After starting the season 5-0, the Wolverines have gone winless in their last three Big Ten contests. Rodriguez has proven his spread offense can beat cupcakes, but his defense can’t stop legitimate teams. Rodriguez is 4-16 in conference games.

5. Dennis Erickson—Dennis Erickson has a .511 winning percentage at Arizona State. Take out the FCS wins and Erickson is .463 against real competition. With USC, Stanford, UCLA, and Arizona left on the schedule, the Sun Devils will be lucky to muster one more W.

6. Bob Toledo—Bob Toledo is 12-32 in his fourth season at Tulane. The Green Wave has three home games and one road game left to play. Tulane has never finished better than 4-8 under Toledo’s leadership.

7. Neil Callaway—Neil Callaway is 14-30 in his fourth season. Unless Callaway can finish 3-1 or better down the stretch, the 2010 campaign will be his fourth consecutive losing season. The Blazers have never finished better than fourth in the C-USA East Division during his tenure.

8. Mark Richt—Richt has put together an impressive 94-32 record over the last decade, but is currently 4-5 in 2010 coming off of a 34-31 loss to rival Florida. Even if Richt does end up having his first losing season that should not take away the fact the Bulldogs’ chief has taken them to nine straight bowl games, winning seven of them. While Bulldogs fans are calling for Richt to be fired, it is unlikely that will happen with the insane $8 million buyout the university would have to foot.

9. Ron English—Eastern Michigan is a coaching graveyard make no doubt about it. It is not a question of whether English will be fired or not. It is a question of when: this season or next season. English’s predecessor, Jeff Genyk, coached the Eagles for five seasons before being fired, averaging 3.2 wins per season. English is averaging 0.5 wins per season.

10. Mike Sherman—Texas A&M has not been a national contender since 1998 and more and more it is looking like Mike Sherman is not the guy that will lead the Aggies back to prominence. Sherman is 7-12 in Big 12 play. The Aggies play Oklahoma, Baylor, Nebraska, and Texas in November. Sherman must win at least two of these games if he wants to stick around in College Station.

Waiting list: Stan Parrish, DeWayne Walker, Rickey Bustle, Steve Fairchild, David Bailiff

Off the hot seat: Ron Zook

We will revisit On The Hot Seat after Week 11.

On The Hot Seat: Week 7

1. Mike Locksley—Mike Locksley is 1-17 during his tenure in Albuquerque. To make matters worse, the Lobos were beaten by a previously winless New Mexico State team in Week 6. Mike Locksley is now 0-2 against his instate rival. This is getting crazy; my suspicion is that the University of New Mexico does not have the money to buy-out Locksley, or they fear firing a black coach in a politically correct world.

2. Paul Wulff—Washington State got smashed by Oregon and Arizona the past two weeks and should expect the same from Stanford this coming Saturday. Wulff is 4-28 all time at Wazzu. Two of those four wins were actually FBS schools. Paul Wulff can expect a pink slip by the end of the season.

3. Rich Rodriguez—Michigan has gone 0-2 over the past two weeks, losing to instate rival Michigan State and Iowa. The Wolverines can’t match up against real competition. Dick Rod has never beaten either of Michigan’s rivals.

4. Dan Hawkins—Dan Hawkins looked to be silencing the doubters after the Buffaloes beat Georgia two and a half weeks ago. The subsequent two weeks were loses to conference foes Missouri and Baylor. Hawkins is climbing back up the hot seat with a 0-2 start to Big 12 play. Three of Colorado’s last six games are against ranked opponents. It is not looking good for Coach Hawkins.

5. Ron Zook—The Illini look somewhat competitive this year; they trounced on the Nittany Lions 33-13 at Beaver Stadium. The following week they lost to Michigan State 26-6. The jury is still out on Ron Zook; if he can get the Illini to a bowl game, he may be able to skirt into 2011.

6. Dennis Erickson—Arizona State got its first win over an FBS school on October 9. The Sun Devils are 3-3 and 1-2 in the Pac-10. Dennis Erickson is 22-21 in his fourth season at Arizona State.

7. Bob Toledo—Toledo is 11-31 in his fourth season at Tulane. The Green Wave is 2-4 so far this season and look to be well on their way to their eighth consecutive losing season.

8. Neil Callaway—The UAB Blazers are 2-4 overall. Neil Callaway is 13-29 in his fourth year as the Blazers’ skipper. Callaway has never had a winning season in Birmingham, and it is unlikely the 2010 campaign will be any different.

9. Mark Richt—The Bulldogs started 1-4 but have been able to get back-to-back blowout wins over Tennessee and Vanderbilt the past two weeks. If Richt can lay the wood to Kentucky Saturday, he may be able to get himself off the hot seat and into a bowl spot.

10. Ron English—The Eagles were able to beat Ball State in overtime last Saturday to get the first win of the Ron English era. For this, I’ll drop Ron English to the ten-spot. Wins are hard to come by in Ypsilanti. The Eagles are 1-18 during the Ron English era.

Waiting list: Mike Sherman, DeWayne Walker, David Bailiff

Fired: Tim Brewster, Todd Dodge

We will revisit On The Hot Seat after Week 9.

On The Hot Seat: Week 5

1. Mike Locksley—Locksley is now 0-5 this season and 1-16 overall. New Mexico hasn’t even been competitive in any of its five losses. There are rumors that the Lobos have been in negotiations with Mike Leach.

2. Tim Brewster—Minnesota hasn’t won a game since the season opener they barely won against MTSU. The Golden Gophers are 1-4 and likely not going to a bowl. There is no way Brewster will avoid the chopping block.

3. Mark Richt—The Bulldogs’ skipper is 1-4 this season, his only win coming over Louisiana-Lafayette. Georgia is 0-3 in the SEC and won’t be relevant other than as a spoiler. To make matters worse, the Bulldogs lost to Colorado last Saturday. Colorado fans stormed the field, adding further insult to what will likely be Mark Richt’s first losing season at Georgia.

4. Paul Wulff—Washington State is 1-4 (beating Montana State by 1) The Cougars have not beaten an FBS school since September 19, 2009. With ranked opponents in Oregon and Arizona the next two weeks, things look to get only worse.

5. Ron Zook—Ron Zook is sitting at 2-2 this season. The Illini have beaten two teams lower in the pecking order, but have not beaten a school from a BCS conference this year. Zook moves down the hot seat a few spots since the Illini lost to the Buckeyes last Saturday in a somewhat competitive game.

6. Dennis Erickson—The Sun Devils are 2-3 this season with the two wins coming over FCS schools Northern Arizona and Portland State. The Sun Devils have proven to be just as lackluster as the past two seasons. Erickson is 21-21 in his fourth season at Arizona State.

7. Todd Dodge—High school coaching phenomenon Todd Dodge is 1-4 this season at North Texas. The North Texas program is a long way off from its peak in 2002-2004. The Mean Green has been hindered by injuries more than any other team in the FBS. Hopefully Dodge’s critics will take that into account

8. Ron English—English is 0-17 during his tenure at Eastern Michigan. The Eastern Michigan program is abysmal and does not have much to work with, but English needs to muster a win sooner than later.

9. Dan Hawkins—Dan Hawkins continues to move down the hot seat with a 3-1 campaign no one in Boulder saw coming. Last week’s 29-27 win over Georgia was huge for Hawkins. With the non-conference schedule finished, the Buffaloes need to run the Big 12 gauntlet and get to a bowl, or else Hawkins may be handing out resumes.

10. Rich Rodriguez—It looks as if Dick Rod can avoid the pink slip if he can keep winning. The Wolverines have not defeated anybody above mediocre yet and were not far off from being 2-3. Remember, last year Michigan did not beat an FBS opponent in its final eight games last season.

Waiting list: Neil Callaway, DeWayne Walker, Les Miles

Off the hot seat: Ralph Friedgen, Butch Davis

We will revisit On The Hot Seat after Week 7.

On The Hot Seat: Week 3

1. Mike Locksley—Locksley is now 0-3 this season and 1-14 overall. New Mexico’s losses include a 72-0 rout in the opener against Oregon, a train wreck 52-17 loss to Texas Tech, and a 56-14 smack down from Utah. Supposedly, Locksley was hired because he was such a great recruiter. This clown needs to be fired ASAP.

2. Ron Zook—Zook is sitting at 2-1 this season, losing to Missouri and beating Northern Illinois and FCS Southern Illinois. The final verdict will be known when Big Ten play starts. What’s interesting is that Mike Locksley used to be Ron Zook’s offensive coordinator at Illinois. Cancer always spreads.

3. Tim Brewster—Brewster is off to a 1-2 start, highlighted by a loss to FCS South Dakota. Minnesota’s only win was against Middle Tennessee State, sans Dwight Dasher (suspension). Brewster is currently 15-26 as the Golden Gophers’ skipper.

4. Todd Dodge—If you are familiar with what Todd Dodge did as a high school football coach at Westlake Carroll in Texas, then you know he is a great coach. Three games into his fourth season, Dodge’s record is 5-34 (0-3 in 2010). Unfortunately for Dodge, 10 starters are already injured, and he is down to his third-string quarterback.

5. Paul Wulff—Wazzu is 1-2 this season so far. Their only win was against FCS Montana State and barely, 23-22. Paul Wulff has nine conference games to look forward to, and the Cougars will be lucky to win one of them.

6. Rich Rodriguez—He actually looks like he might be able to get off The Hot Seat if things keep going his way. Two things to keep in mind: 1) Michigan will derail if Shoelace gets injured. 2)Michigan started out 4-0 last year only to go 1-7 the rest of the way. Lets wait and see on Dick Rod.

7. Dan Hawkins—Dan Hawkins moves down the list a little bit for beating state rival Colorado State handily and a solid win over Hawaii.  However in Week 2, The Buffs got slaughtered 52-7 by Cal due to their own mistakes—three interceptions and two fumbles.

8. Dennis Erickson—Sure the Sun Devils are 2-1 this season, but both wins came over FCS opponents (Northern Arizona and Portland State). Dennis Erickson has a competitive Pac-10 schedule set to start this Saturday.

9. Ralph Friedgen—The Fridge has already equaled last season’s win tally with a 2-1 record. Maryland got a big win over Navy in their opener in Baltimore. With a weak ACC this year, Friedgen has the opportunity to silence the doubters and get off the hot seat.

10. Butch Davis—With two 30-24 losses and a football program under NCAA investigation, Butch Davis has come under scrutiny. With all the turmoil taking place under Davis’s watch, it may be best to just start with a clean slate in Chapel Hill.

Waiting list: Neil Callaway, Ron English, Mark Richt, Les Miles, Bob Toledo

Off the hot seat: Mike Price

We will revisit On The Hot Seat after Week 5.

On The Hot Seat: Preseason

1. Rich Rodriguez--Going 3-9 and 5-7 at Michigan just isn’t going to cut it. Rodriguez is going to need to win at least 7 games this season to save himself —not an easy task when you play in the Big Ten and have possibly the worst defensive backfield in the conference. With Michigan coming under NCAA scrutiny for the first time ever, Rodriguez may be finished even with a reputable record.

2. Dan Hawkins--Hawkins is 16-33 during his tenure at Colorado. With Colorado’s eminent move to the Pac 10 and Cody Hawkins playing as a senior this year, cleaning the slate may be appropriate unless the Buffs have a breakout season.

3. Ron Zook--Zook took the Illini to the Rose Bowl in 2007 season, but every other season he coached at Illini was a losing season 2-9 (2005), 2-10 (2006), 5-7 (2008), 3-9 (2009).

4. Ralph Friedgen--Friedgen is coming off his worst season by far at Maryland, 2-10. Maryland’s AD was quoted as saying The Fridge will need to win at least seven games if he expects to finish out his contract.

5. Mike Locksley--Locksley led the Lobos to a pathetic 1-11 record last year, all the while assaulting his receivers coach. Locksley also sexually harassed his administrative assistant. This guy is bad news for New Mexico. Cut out the cancer before it spreads.

6. Dennis Erickson--Arizona State is looking to be the Pac 10’s blow-up doll in 2010. The offensive line is in disarray and the quarterback situation is shaky. Look for another losing campaign similar to the previous two seasons (5-7 in 2008, 4-8 in 2009), if the Sun Devils are lucky.

7. Paul Wulff--You have got to feel bad for Paul Wulff. This guy loves his alma mater but is in a hopeless situation. With a 3-22 record over 3 seasons, Wulff is undoubtedly on the hot seat, but who wouldn’t be at Wazzu? How do you recruit talent to come play in a podunk in eastern Washington?

8. Tim Brewster--Brewster is 14-24 in three seasons at Minnesota. Brewster has led the Golden Gophers to two Insight Bowls over the past two seasons. Both bowls ended in losses. Keep in mind Mase the Ace (64-57) was fired after blowing a 38-7 lead in the 2006 Insight Bowl.

9. Bob Toledo--Toledo is 9-27 after three seasons with the Green Wave. Without improvement, he will be receiving a pink slip.

10. Mike Price--UTEP’s skipper is 34-38 over six seasons, the last four of which have been below .500. Mike Price is going to need to win more games than he loses and get to a bowl game to quell his critics in El Paso.

Waiting list: Todd Dodge, Ron English, Neil Callaway, Mike Sherman

We will revisit On The Hot Seat after Week 3.