8 College Football Head Coaches Facing Make It or Break It Seasons in 2015
The head coach is the undeniable face of a college football program. Though he's not the only person responsible for the success or failure of the program, he's the one who gets the most criticism, whether positive or negative.
When things go wrong, athletic directors and other administrators aren't going to fire themselves. Therefore, the head coach gets the axe, regardless of whether he's the primary reason for the program's woes. In any case, though, head coaches have a lot of control over the team's performance: he recruits, he installs strategies, and he hires the other coaches.
There are programs around the country that need changes, and soon enough, they'll show they've had enough of losing by firing their head coaches. Today, we're looking at eight head coaches that are still around, but shouldn't be with another poor season.
A major factor in determining which head coaches made this list was declining performance. How much worse has his team gotten since he started?
Another factor was how long these men have held their current positions. There are coaches who haven't shown much in their one or two seasons on the job, but they still have time to get the players that best fit their systems on the field, so newly-hired guys weren't considered. The program coached made a huge impact as well. All of these men coach in Power Five conferences.
With that, here are the coaches. If you're a fan of one of these schools, I hope your current leader can finally turn it around, or your administrators realize the incompetence and find someone else.
Kirk Ferentz, Iowa
1 of 8
I'm not going to reiterate what fellow B/R columnist Greg Wallace said about Kirk Ferentz to begin the new year, but I agree with Wallace in that Ferentz and Iowa should part ways if he doesn't bring the program a Big Ten West title.
Fans have put Ferentz on the hot seat for years now, but the power brokers haven't budged. A buyout of Ferentz's contract would cost $13 million, and frankly, how many legitimate candidates would be a clear upgrade over Ferentz? These are two justifiable reasons why Iowa has kept Ferentz around despite a drop-off in performance.
Unless Ferentz turns back the clock about 10 years, the university should listen to the fans a little more.
Iowa hasn't won a bowl game since 2010, and the last three bowl appearances have ended in defeat. Many programs would love to go bowling every season, but that's not enough for the Hawkeyes, who went to a BCS bowl with this very coach. Additionally, under Ferentz, the Hawkeyes have finished four seasons ranked in the top 10, but Iowa hasn't been ranked at any point since before Thanksgiving 2010.
With another weak campaign in 2015, I believe the voices will finally be too loud for athletic director Gary Barta to ignore, and he'll have no choice but to mutually part ways with Ferentz.
Al Golden, Miami (FL)
2 of 8
The Miami Hurricanes can do better than what Al Golden has given them, and if they put together another mediocre season, they'll start looking for that better man.
Golden was brought in to return Miami to college football royalty, but after five seasons, he's proven no better than his predecessor Randy Shannon. Last season was particularly telling, as the Hurricanes went 6-7 despite having a rising star quarterback in Brad Kaaya and quite a few guys who will get drafted into the NFL this year.
Miami has done right by not firing Golden yet, but now that he's entering his fifth season, fewer excuses can be used. Golden did achieve the monumental task of leading Temple to a bowl game, but he still hasn't won one in three tries.
Another loss in a secondary bowl game wouldn't be enough to ensure Golden stays at The U.
Dana Holgorsen, West Virginia
3 of 8
After dominating the Big East, West Virginia hasn't found success in the Big 12 after three seasons there. Dana Holgorsen ran prolific offenses in the Big 12 prior to arriving in Morgantown, so he seemed like the right guy to lead the Mountaineers into the conference, but he hasn't shown that. If West Virginia struggles again in 2015, then Holgorsen must get the pink slip.
The Mountaineers are 0-2 in bowls as Big 12 members, and in the other season (2013), they won four games. Either the Big East was a very weak conference, or West Virginia needs to make changes.
Michael Walker of BlueGoldSports.com believes Holgorsen will only get one more season to prove himself, because supportive athletic director Oliver Luck has moved on and the team committed too many turnovers last season.
Holgorsen can bring a Big 12 team to great heights, but maybe not as a head coach.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Mike Leach, Washington State
4 of 8
Under Mike Leach, the Washington State offense continues to improve (albeit gradually), but thanks to a putrid defense, the Cougars haven't been competitive in the Pac-12. Leach finally changed coordinators this offseason, but if former Missouri safeties coach Alex Grinch doesn't bring immediate results to the unit, then Leach will pay the price.
Chip Kelly gave Grinch, with whom he worked at New Hampshire, a rousing endorsement. Bud Withers of The Seattle Times, via a Washington State press release, reported Kelly as saying Grinch is one of the best teachers he's been around.
Washington State hasn't had a winning season since 2003, but when it was winning, it was one of the best teams in the country. This proves the Cougars have the ability to compete in the Pac-12, but they'll need to assemble a complete staff before that happens again. Leach has gotten plenty of time to prove whether he's the leader of that staff, so this should be his last chance to actually do it.
Mike London, Virginia
5 of 8
Mike London's Virginia Cavaliers have been a model of inconsistency since he took over as head coach in 2010. Unless London leads Virginia to a bowl victory or a Top 25 ranking at any point of the season, the Cavaliers shouldn't force themselves to take another ride on the roller coaster.
George Welsh and Al Groh, the two previous head coaches of the program, were more successful than London has been so far. After finishing his debut 5-7, Groh led the Cavs to four straight bowls in which they went 3-1. Before that, following a 2-9 debut, Welsh had only one more losing season in a 19-year tenure. In five seasons, London has a 23-38 record, including a loss in his only bowl game.
In 2014, Virginia lost five games by eight points or less. If London turns close games into wins in 2015, then he stays; if not, then he should go.
Mike MacIntyre, Colorado
6 of 8
Not too long ago, Colorado fielded a strong football team. In fact, with the exception of 2004 (which ended in a bowl victory nonetheless), the Buffaloes were ranked in the AP Top 25 at some point in every season from 1988 to 2003. Colorado has won big in the past, so the university shouldn't have to subject itself to Mike MacIntyre much longer.
MacIntyre was brought in following the 2012 season in hopes that he would rebuild the program. In just three seasons with San Jose State, where Colorado lured him away from, MacIntyre led the team from one win to its first-ever finish in the Top 25. In two seasons with the Buffaloes, he's actually regressed.
Under MacIntyre, Colorado has only one conference win. A five-win season would probably be enough for McIntyre to keep his job, but a three-win improvement in a strong Pac-12 won't be easy to achieve.
Paul Rhoads, Iowa State
7 of 8
After his first season, Paul Rhoads showed Iowa State he would finally end the program's long string of futility. Now heading into his seventh season, Rhoads has shown he really isn't the guy the Cyclones thought they were getting.
In Rhoads' first season, 2009, Iowa State won its first bowl game since 2004. Since then, the Cyclones have gone 0-2 in bowl games, and for the past three seasons, they've lost more games than they did the previous year.
There are five million reasons why Rhoads still has his job. Firing Rhoads would cost Iowa State a huge sum, but if he leads the program to more losses, then this reaction might make more sense. From a purely football perspective, there's little reason why Rhoads continues to get chances.
Rhoads has the hottest seat in the country, according to Coaches Hot Seat.
Kevin Sumlin, Texas A&M
8 of 8
Texas A&M has gotten progressively worse in the SEC West since arriving there in 2012. The Aggies are still a borderline Top 25 team, as B/R's Brian Leigh demonstrated in this table, but to compete in the toughest division in college football, you need to be more than that.
Primarily, Texas A&M hasn't played the defense necessary to win in the SEC. In 2013 and 2014, the Aggies finished 96th and 80th in the nation in scoring defense, respectively. Kevin Sumlin has addressed that problem by hiring John Chavis from LSU, but if Chavis can't turn the unit around immediately, then Sumlin will get the blame.
Sumlin doesn't need to reach the 2016 College Football Playoff to keep his job, but he shouldn't expect anything with another four- or five-loss season.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
