Hot seat watch, Week 1: Clay Helton and 5 coaches feeling the heat

1. Gus Malzahn – Auburn

Gus Malzahn enters the 2019 season with an Auburn team that is stacked in talent and is turning over the quarterback position to a freshman. Bo Nix is being handed the keys to a program that should surround him with plenty of talent.

Auburn has one of the best defensive lines in the nation. Which means it’s going to be a great test for them Week One when they battle the Oregon Ducks in Arlington, Texas.

The Ducks have a strong offensive line that might not get as much recognition as some of the others across the nation. Malzahn’s found himself on this list before and the fact that he coaches in the SEC almost works against him.

What is working against him is the fact that Auburn has a daunting schedule, even by SEC standards this year. They have six games against ranked opponents.

They will be facing all the SEC heavyweights and of course, they close things out with the Iron Bowl. Malzahn’s taking on a very large order in a pivotal year for him. The waters of the SEC are always going to be uneasy, but he has to coach his program to a win against Justin Herbert and Oregon.