The college football hot seat is in dire need of air conditioning for some coaches. Is this the week USC pulls the plug on Clay Helton?
As the final month of the season draws to a close before bowl invites are sent out and the College Football Playoff field is set, the futures of several head coaches on the hot seat are about to change.
The first coach to succumb to the hot seat took place fell this past week, when it was announced that Kansas would not be bringing back head coach David Beaty. In four seasons as head coach of the Jayhawks, Beaty totaled just six wins and spent a good chunk of his tenure on the hot seat.
However, he won’t be alone in the unemployment line — other coaches will likely soon be joining him. There are going to be plenty of coaches that will be let go soon and it’s pretty clear which ones are about to be sent packing. Here’s who desperately needs a win in Week 11.
5. Chris Ash: Rutgers
Rutgers doesn’t belong in the Big Ten East and it does a great disservice to the program to have to compete against powerhouses weekly, but nonetheless, they have to be able to tackle the schedule in front of them.
If they’re going to be competitive in such a conference, it’s going to take the right man that’s in it for the long haul to turn them around. Unfortunately, Chris Ash looks in over his head in just his third season as head coach.
Typically, three years feels a little soon to pull the plug on a coach, especially one coaching Rutgers. Still, there’s been nothing promising in three seasons and it just feels like more of the same is on the way for the coach.
4. Larry Fedora: UNC
Larry Fedora has had two straight seasons of football that he would probably like to forget to say the least. There’s been too much outside noise surrounding his football program and on the field, they’ve won just four games over the last two seasons.
This season has seen the Tar Heels bottom out and despite signing an extension last year, it’s clear that a new face is needed to salvage the program. With just one win on the season, the Tar Heels face Duke this week.
It’s always a bitter rivalry when these two programs meet in any sport, but Fedora knows defeating said rivals could restore a little bit of goodwill. He needs whatever he can take if there’s any hope left at this point.
3. Randy Edsall: UConn
The UConn Huskies are always good for giving up 600-plus yards of offense on a weekly basis and it’s SMU’s turn this week to take advantage of their defense. After defeating Houston last week, SMU should put up monstrous numbers this week.
Randy Edsall has one of the longest active tenures in college football, but it’s hard to imagine even he can survive what’s happening with this program right now. The Huskies offense has been bad too, but it’s near impossible to win any game with a defense that lets every single offense have their way.
2. Bobby Petrino: Louisville
If Louisville can find the money to pay a big buyout, then Bobby Petrino is definitely gone. Basically, it’s money that has him remaining as head coach of the Cardinals and that’s always the worst spot for a program to be in.
After letting Clemson hang nearly 80 points on them last week, the Cardinals have rolled over on the season and are showing little to no fight in any game. They have given up huge point totals on a weekly basis and the ship has clearly sailed on the Petrino era. Will Louisville come up with the money to make their current coach go away?
1. Clay Helton: USC
The big question right now is will the USC Trojans fire Clay Helton if they lose this week? The Trojans are in a rather interesting spot right now and they could just as easily find themselves as Pac-12 Champions if chaos ensues within the conference.
If Utah, Arizona State and Colorado can pick up losses and the Trojans take care of business in their final two games, they would represent the division in the Pac-12 Championship Game, against potentially Washington State.
The Trojans, of course, are the team that handed the Cougars their lone Pac-12 loss this season. However, this is a program that is far from being a power right now and it feels like they’re primed to make a splashy hire as they try to make USC relevant again. The Trojans host the Cal Golden Bears this week. If they lose and fall out of Pac-12 South contention, that could be it for Helton.