College Football Coaches Who Will Get off the Hot Seat in 2015-16
In the "What have you done for me lately?" world of college football, hot seats can warm up as fast as the leather interior of a car in the dog days of summer.
As we near the start of the 2015-16 season, guys like Kliff Kingsbury, Al Golden and Kirk Ferentz are starting to feel the pressure to win or be unemployed.
Who among that group will cool his seat, though? Let's find out the five coaches who will escape the jaws of the hot seat this year.
Kevin Wilson, Indiana
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After going just 1-11 in his first season at Indiana, Kevin Wilson won four games in 2012 and then five in 2013.
So it seemed like 2014 was the chance for the Hoosiers to get that benchmark sixth win to be bowl-eligible.
Instead, the Hoosiers backtracked to a 4-8 record, including just a 1-7 mark in Big Ten play, the latter being the worst since Wilson's first year.
Indiana lost 2,000-yard back Tevin Coleman, so why will Wilson and the Hoosiers break through in 2015?
For starters, they have a senior gunslinger coming back in Nate Sudfeld.
Sudfeld led Indiana to a 3-2 start to the year last season, with a road win against Missouri. That start also included an upset loss to Bowling Green.
But then the signal-caller needed shoulder surgery and missed the rest of the year. The Hoosiers went just 1-6 without him in a brutal Big Ten.
Sudfeld is back at 100 percent, and if he stays healthy, that alone will be a big boost to the Hoosiers' offense.
The Hoosiers also have a great answer for the loss of Coleman—UAB transfer running back Jordan Howard.
Because of the UAB football program ordeal, Coleman is eligible to play this year. He was his team's leading rusher at 1,587 yards and was a 2014 All-Conference USA First Team member.
Defensively, while the Hoosiers are no juggernaut, they showed marked improvement last year, particularly in giving up big plays.
According to SB Nation, the Hoosiers allowed 15 40-plus-yard pass plays two years ago, and they brought that number down to seven in 2014.
With the offense likely improving, that'll keep the defense off the field more. And as the defense continues to limit big plays, the Hoosiers should be bowl-eligible in 2015.
Kliff Kingsbury, Texas Tech
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The shtick of being the hottest college coach in the land is starting to wear out—fans in Lubbock want Kliff Kingsbury and Texas Tech to start winning.
After winning the Holiday Bowl and going 8-5 in Kingsbury's first year, the Red Raiders took a step back in 2014 and went just 4-8. Their only two wins in Big 12 play came against Kansas and Iowa State.
Dating back even to his first season, the Red Raiders started 7-0 but then lost out the regular season to finish 7-5. So Kingsbury has won just five of his last 18 games.
But in 2015, the Red Raiders have something Kingsbury hasn't had in his tenure so far: experience.
Texas Tech is tied with Baylor for first in the Big 12 and 10th nationally in returning starters with 17, per Phil Steele.
The turnover-prone offense (minus-13 turnover margin in 2014) of last season has nine returners, so that is bound to fix itself.
The Red Raiders also have a new defensive coordinator in David Gibbs. At Houston, Gibbs orchestrated a unit that forced 30 turnovers (11th nationally) in 2014.
Experience breeds consistency. And the turnover issue in Lubbock should see its head flip in 2015. That's a recipe for a breakthrough season.
Mike MacIntyre, Colorado
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After going 4-8 in his first season at Colorado, Mike MacIntyre went just 2-10 last year, furthering the team's despair dating back to its move from the Big 12 to the Pac-12.
But know this. The Buffaloes were a better team last year than the year before, and they'll continue improving this year.
According to Athlon Sports, the Buffaloes offense jumped 50 spots from 90th to 40th in yards per game offensively last year. With seven starters coming back from that unit, that number could go up even more.
Defensively, Colorado brought in former South Florida head coach Jim Leavitt, who will oversee an experienced unit that has nine returners.
Ultimately, coaches are judged on wins and losses, so going from four to two was a step back.
But Colordado lost four Pac-12 games by five or less last year, including two in double-overtime.
Plenty of returners and a constantly improving offense should be enough to turn some of those close losses into wins.
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Mike London, Virginia
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With another year comes another season Mike London is on the hot seat with the Virginia Cavaliers.
London went 8-5 in 2011, giving UVA fans hope that their squad was on the verge of becoming an ACC contender.
Instead, Virginia backtracked to 4-8 in 2012, 2-10 in 2013 but then improved to 5-7 last year.
But even with that three-win improvement, London went just 1-5 in the second half of the season, leaving fans with the same kind of taste in their mouths that 2012 delivered.
The ACC Coastal Division is wide open, though, with Georgia Tech winning it last year despite being just three games ahead of Virginia.
One of the most important pieces for any team is a bona fide quarterback.
When Greyson Lambert transferred in May, the Cavaliers got that in Matt Johns.
Johns wasn't a superstar last year by any stretch. Over three starts and appearances in all 12 games last year, he averaged just 6.8 yards per pass attempt and threw eight touchdowns and five interceptions.
Without the fear of chasing Lambert, though, Johns can fully settle on his role, giving him more security.
The Cavaliers lost a lot of their defensive stars from a year ago, but London's system is designed to create havoc and force other teams into mistakes.
Expect London, with the hot seat in full afterburner mode, to pull out all the stops on both sides to make the postseason.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
