Hot Seat Watch, Week 1: 5 coaches who need to win

SOUTH BEND, IN - OCTOBER 15: Head coach Brian Kelly of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish is seen during the game against the Stanford Cardinal at Notre Dame Stadium on October 15, 2016 in South Bend, Indiana. Stanford defeated Notre Dame 17-10. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

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STARKVILLE, MS – NOVEMBER 5: Head coach Kevin Sumlin of the Texas A&M Aggies reacts to a call during the first half of an NCAA college football game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Davis Wade Stadium on November 5, 2016 in Starkville, Mississippi. (Photo by Butch Dill/Getty Images) /

2. Kevin Sumlin

To his credit, Kevin Sumlin has had to deal with a lot in his tenure. Navigating life in the SEC West is one of the toughest tasks for a college football head coach. All things considered, he’s fared as well one could expect.

Unfortunately, tough losses and transfers have tied him down. This year, Sumlin has to get his team back into a big bowl game. It doesn’t have to end up being the College Football Playoff, but a meaningful bowl game nonetheless.

After the Aggies were in the first CFP poll last season, they went out and lost right away. That was a real momentum blow and the team seemingly drifted away after that tough loss in Starkville that Saturday.

Going on the road and getting a win against UCLA would be a good start. The teams played a classic last season to begin the year and Sumlin will need his team to pull out one on the road. He’s not a candidate to be fired right away, but he’s going to need to have his team competing for big things when all is said and done.

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