Hot seat watch, Week 12: Will Colorado fire Mike MacIntyre?

Chopping block season has officially begun for coaches in college football. Will Colorado fire Mike MacIntyre soon?

The firings are underway in college football and that means that the end of the season is near. The end is also near for coaches awaiting their notice that they will no longer be the head coach of their program. For those still on the hot seat, time has about run out.

David Beaty and Bobby Petrino are done for after lengthy tenures on the hot seat and it’s just a matter of who is going to be joining them at this point. Everyone knows who the coaches fighting for their jobs are and very few are likely to be safe, if any.

In Week 12, it might be the final stand for some as there could very well be more firings right away this week. Programs are now going to try to get the jump on getting a head coach in place especially with early National Signing Day around the corner. Here’s who is feeling the heat in Week 12.

5. Chris Ash: Rutgers

The plug on the Chris Ash experiment in Rutgers could be pulled anytime now. The disciple of Urban Meyer has failed to build a winning product through three years as head coach and he’s simply hoping he gets a fourth year and some patience.

That’s going to be a tough sell given he’s likely to finish without a win in conference play two of his first three seasons as coach. It’s one thing for him to not win a conference game his first season as coach, which is by no means a strong start, but Rutgers won three last year. This is serious regression and Penn State should be their latest loss this week.

4. Larry Fedora: North Carolina

Despite having lost 17 of their last 21, Larry Fedora still has a 44-42 record in his seven years as head coach of the Tar Heels. However, the Tar Heels have been so uninspiring the last couple of seasons, Fedora better hope the first five years are enough to buy him one more season.

It’s not like North Carolina has been like other one-win teams getting blown out every week. They’ve been probably the most competitive one-win team in history and have been in just about every contest. That’s not a locker room that is lost and that has to be Fedora’s selling point. What’s going against him is the fact that losing 17 of 21 in the ACC isn’t going to cut it.

3. Randy Edsall: UConn

Having lost 18 of their last 22, UConn is in need of a reset after 13 seasons of Randy Edsall. His overall record with the Huskies isn’t anything that jumps off the page and at this point, standing by Edsall means committing to a long turnaround that may or may not happen under his watch.

The defense is awful and needs a fresh voice and the offense is a roller coaster of emotions. Their loss to SMU was one of the most maddening for sure. They scored 40 points in the second half, but the defense had already given up 62 and it didn’t matter.

2. Mike MacIntyre: Colorado

Despite reports that Mike MacIntyre and Colorado are heading for a divorce after the season, the coach is denying it and is carrying forth as the head coach of the program. As we have seen in these types of cases before, that could mean almost nothing,

The Buffaloes had higher hopes earlier in the season and have now racked up some disappointing losses. They are still one win away from being bowl eligible and it’s going to be tough to get that win against Utah or on the road against Cal. This program hasn’t been the same since they claimed the Pac-12 South and put themselves back on the map. This is a situation to keep an eye on.

1. Clay Helton: USC

After an ugly loss to Cal at home last week, the USC Trojans are in danger of missing a bowl game if they don’t defeat UCLA on the road this week. With Notre Dame looming next week, the Trojans might have an unceremonious exit to the Clay Helton era. Last week’s 14-point offensive output was likely the final nail in the coffin.

Chip Kelly’s UCLA program has had a lot to endure in his first season on the field, but they’ve made some strides as this season has gone on. Defeating their rivals would be a big step forward for his program. Right now, it feels like USC is in a spot to go down and bow out on the season next week. This is a pretty open and shut case.