The season of firings is underway in college football as many are on the hot seat, including Clay Helton who could be fired after USC’s season finale.
The dam has been broken and firings are flooding the news in college football. More coaches on the hot seat are going to be losing their jobs in the coming days and there’s a good indication of the coaches that will be let go.
There are always sure to be some surprises but by this point, everyone knows which coaches are in danger of losing their jobs. Some programs let a coach finish out the campaign and already have their minds made up, while others go down to the wire.
This season, the same coaches that have been on the hot seat from Week 1 to Week 13 haven’t made the strongest arguments. It doesn’t feel as up in the air as much as it is obvious which programs need to make a change. Nonetheless, one win could make a difference and here’s who needs a win this week.
6. Larry Fedora: UNC
The UNC Tar Heels took care of the one given win on their schedule in Week 12 by dispatching of Western Carolina. That being said, the end of the Larry Fedora era could be against North Carolina State on Saturday.
With just two wins on the season after three last year, the Tar Heels have hit rock bottom. They have to decide real fast if Fedora is going to be given the chance to dig the program out of the hole its in. They believed in him enough to give him an extension before the 2017 season, but it’s hard to envision this was going to be the result. Selling five wins in two seasons will be difficult and if he is kept around, he better start hot next season or he’ll be gone fast.
5. Randy Edsall: UConn
The UConn Huskies were left stranded on the tarmac after their game against East Carolina and it’s quite the metaphor for their season. Randy Edsall’s second stint as coach of UConn has been a disaster and it’s really put a blemish on his first run with the program that looks fantastic in hindsight.
His defense has been awful and gives up 600 yards at least like it’s no one else’s business. At 1-10, the Huskies are at rock bottom and need some serious turnaround. One has to wonder if the program shows patience due to his first stint. If not, Edsall could be out the door given how the awful the Huskies are.
4. Kliff Kingsbury: Texas Tech
After starting the season 5-2, the Red Raiders have fallen apart and have lost four straight. Their bowl hopes are in jeopardy as they get ready to face Baylor in the final week of the season. That has Kliff Kingsbury firmly planted on the hot seat.
The start that the Red Raiders got off to made it seem as if the quarterback guru was safe but four-straight losses have quickly brought him back to this point. Unfortunately, it’s the same spot he was in last season too. A collapse would seemingly seal his fate.
3. Chris Ash: Rutgers
Rutgers may want to look to the Kansas and David Beaty situation when they decide what they’re going to do with Chris Ash. Like Beaty, Ash is ending his third season without many wins to show for it in his three seasons.
Kansas showed patience and gave Beaty a fourth season. That resulted in some progress but the Jayhawks still failed to do anything substantial worth keeping around. That means the Scarlet Knights need to identify if they’re going to make substantial progress or burn another year by keeping Ash in charge.
2. Lovie Smith: Illinois
At seven losses the Illinois Fighting Illini won’t be going to a bowl game. That should be the end of Lovie Smith’s disappointing run with the program. Through three years, it’s been uninspiring and a drop off from Ron Zook.
Last week might have been the final straw for Smith. Iowa defeated the Fighting Illini 63-0 and that’s about as bad as it gets for a head coach fighting for his job and his team’s last shot at making a bowl game.
1. Clay Helton: USC
It seems like a foregone conclusion that USC will let Clay Helton go after their final game against Notre Dame this week. The Trojans lost to rival UCLA last week and have spiraled down the drain for some time now.
Injuries have hampered them but the program has been awful in 2018. The win over Washington State was their high point and they never built off of it. The once high-profile program is going to hope they can bring in a top replacement for Helton and elevate the program to prominence.