College football's Rivalry Week is the fiercest in the whole sport. Careers are defined and legacies are born from accomplishments and mistakes alike.
For head coaches, the same rule applies. If you can't beat your school's biggest rival, it doesn't matter how good of a regular season you had leading up to it. Just ask Ryan Day at Ohio State; even a national championship doesn't fully expunge the crime of losing to Michigan.
There will be some sideline bosses that will have hell to pay for not vanquishing ancient foes, especially those that should be easily taken care of. Let's take a look at a few of the most high-profile candidates.
3 CFB coaches with the most to lose at the hands of their schools' arch rivals
Lincoln Riley, USC
Trojans fans are already at wits end with Riley's disappointing tenure in Los Angeles. Ironically, this season has probably been his most successful since the program joined the Big Ten. USC was considered a College Football Playoff bubble team just a week ago, and at No. 17, its Rivalry Week matchup with cross-town foe UCLA should be an easy win on paper.
However, the Bruins found a resurgence once they fired head coach DeShaun Foster in September, which included a three-game winning streak. Since then, they've lost four straight and travel to the Coliseum with a chip on their shoulder. This would be the perfect trap game to ensnare someone like Riley in his own arrogance. Getting embarrassed at home should be the last straw, and it would be one hilarious end to what was supposed to be a championship-filled tenure.
Steve Sarkisian, Texas
It would be fair to say confidence is wavering down in Austin. Not necessarily to point where the school would consider firing Sarkisian (yet), but still: Arch Manning was the prince that was promised down in the heart of Texas, and this year hardly any promises were kept.
Sarkisian tried to temper expectations ahead of the year, but the 21-year-old has disappointed by comparison. His 2,763 passing yards, 23 touchdowns and seven interceptions have translated to an 8-3 record for the No. 16 Longhorns — something that a lot of programs would kill for. But not returning to the SEC Championship Game, let alone winning it and getting back to the CFP, is a complete failure after all the preseason hype. Beating No. 3 Texas A&M would be a crowning achievement after topping Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry, but losing could start stirring seditious thoughts among the Longhorn faithful about what life would be like with a new face at the helm.
Lane Kiffin - Ole Miss
With a new lucrative gig at LSU and/or Florida (allegedly) around the corner, one would think things are looking up for Kiffin. But there's still a lot he could lose in Friday's Egg Bowl. For starters, the result of the game could determine whether Ole Miss decides to send him on his way to Baton Rogue early instead of coaching the Rebels in the CFP (and possibly the SEC title game). There had been reports swirling whether it would even be fit for Kiffin to be on the sidelines for the rivalry game if he's already decided to jump ship for greener pastures.
A win may not even stave off that possibility, but aside from his fate at Ole Miss, losing to 5-6 Mississippi State wouldn't send the most confident message to a new fan base and administrators. It would be a pretty unceremonious end to a rather successful tenure in Oxford and an awfully awkward start to his new job with the Tigers or Gators