Hot seat watch: USC has to fire Clay Helton after UCLA loss

Who will be the next college football coach to get their walking papers?

There is not enough ice to cool the seats for these coaches on the hot seat, especially for Clay Helton.

Last Sunday, it was Bobby Petrino getting the ax by Louisville. He followed David Beaty who got the boot from Kansas and they’re at the finish line waiting to finalize a deal with Les Miles. But who’s going to be the next coach to get their pink slip?

All year, it seemed like USC head coach Clay Helton was living on borrowed time. This despite leading USC to a Rose Bowl win and a Pac-12 title in his first two years. Nevertheless, the state of the offense, regression from JT Daniels and the apathy from the fans make it seem like a foregone conclusion that he’ll be out by the end of the season. The announced attendance of 57,116 was the lowest for a USC-UCLA game since 1950. It’s also the first time USC lost to an eight-loss team since 1960.

That’s a problem. And that’s why a change is needed. The fans are done with this guy after losing to Chip Kelly and UCLA 34-27. This marks the first time since 1996 that USC lost to Stanford, Cal and UCLA in the same season. USC had at least five losses for the next six seasons before Pete Carroll was hired.

I think Helton is a dead man walking and will be fired after USC’s game next week vs. Notre Dame. It’ll be a tough watch for Trojans fans to see a rival clinch a playoff berth while their coach gets canned. Then again, they’ve wanted him fired since he was hired, so maybe they’ll be taking a Mr. Brightside approach to the change, as they should.

It’s been a tale of two seasons for Colorado.

The Buffs started out 5-0 and entered the AP Top 25. Since then, they’ve lost six straight games and Mike MacIntyre might be out the door. There were reports earlier in the week that he was fired, but they have since been refuted. However, after losing to Utah, it’s time for MacIntyre to clean out his desk.

Chris Ash has sat on the hot seat all year as Rutgers hasn’t won a game since the season opener. A 20-7 loss to Penn State on Saturday was to be expected, but credit the Scarlet Knights for at least making it a respectable final score. Whether it’s this week or after next week’s game vs. Michigan State, I don’t think Ask returns next year.

Lovie Smith was a popular name on hot seat lists for much of the year. I didn’t really think he was on the hot seat to begin the year, but I definitely think he’s in some trouble after a dreadful second half. Illinois’ 63-0 loss to Iowa is tied for its worst shutout loss in program history and equals the largest shutout loss when they lost 63-0 to the University of Chicago in 1906.

The Fighting Illini have allowed at least 46 points in their last six losses. That’s not a ringing endorsement for the defensive coach to return next year. If Illinois thinks they need a change and can bring in a guy with local ties like Army’s Jeff Monken, that might be curtains on Lovie.

Texas Tech started 5-2 but after four straight losses, Kliff Kingsbury’s team needs a win vs. Baylor at AT&T Stadium in the finale just to get to a bowl game. AD Kirby Hocutt will face a difficult decision about Kingsbury’s future. I’d think he gets another year.

Randy Edsall just isn’t getting the job done at UConn. They’ve lost seven straight entering Saturday night’s game vs. East Carolina with their lone win coming against Rhode Island. They have the worst defense in the nation and show no signs of any hope whatsoever. Edsall must know his fate is sealed. He’s gone.

The good news for Larry Fedora is North Carolina snapped their six-game losing streak. The bad news is it came against a 3-8 Western Carolina so it doesn’t mean anything. I still can’t believe this team beat Pitt earlier this year, 38-35, and the Panthers are playing in the ACC Championship Game. That’s not going to be enough to save his job though.