Hot Seat Watch, Week 13: 5 coaches who need to win

Lovie Smith

When Lovie Smith took the job with Illinois, it was one of the more strange hires in the nation. He certainly had his fair share of head coaching experience in the NFL and had a strong background in calling defenses, but college was just an avenue that didn’t seem fit for him.

In his second year, that perception hasn’t changed, and Illinois could end up finishing with just two wins this year after only being able to scratch across three in the first year under their head coach.

While it’s only his second season with the program, some situations that aren’t a good fit become more clear a lot quicker than others. It doesn’t exactly take a genius to figure out that this isn’t the perfect fit.

Smith has to be hoping for a win in the final week against Northwestern, or it could be his last game. His best fit is probably as a defensive coordinator in the NFL, or working with a defense at the pro level in some capacity.

Working with college students hasn’t proven to be his calling card. Maybe it could turn out to be, but right now things aren’t looking that way.