College Football Teams Under the Most Pressure This Offseason

Every college football team wants a good offseason.

Some college football teams need one.

In most cases, the reasons behind that are similar. Pressure exists when performance fails to meet expectations. The majority of teams in this article have failed to reach the level fans and boosters expect, so they need things to turn around ASAP.

However, certain teams face pressure from outside forces, including fast-rising rivals or NCAA investigations. They need to develop talent well this offseason, or they risk falling behind when another team emerges or they fail to meet recruiting benchmarks.

Here are six teams that fall into one of those categories.

Sound off below and let us know whom you would add!

LSU

Stacy Revere/Getty Images

Les Miles' personality, combined with a Week 13 win over Texas A&M, saved his job for at least one more season.

"I want to make it very clear and positive that Les Miles is our football coach, and he will continue to be our football coach," LSU athletic director Joe Alleva told reporters after fans spent the regular-season finale chanting for Miles and players carried the coach off the field.

According to ESPN.com's Joe Schad, however, the decision to keep Miles wasn't made until the third quarter of that game, when higher-ups realized the extent to which Miles is beloved. Before that, the plan was to fire him for another subpar season.

So basically, Miles bought himself a lifeline. But now, he's expected to capitalize. Running back Leonard Fournette returns on offense, defensive coordinator Dave Aranda arrives on defense, and the Tigers, per SB Nation's Bill Connelly, return more experience than any team in college football. Because of that, they rank No. 2 behind Alabama in the projected S&P+ ratings.

It's rare for a coach on the hot seat to enter with national title-sized expectations, but that's where Miles finds himself. He needs to bring these pieces together—and fast. Even if LSU plays well, nothing short of competing for a spot in the College Football Playoff will suffice.

If that's not pressure, I'm not sure what is.

Michigan State/Ohio State

Rey Del Rio/Getty Images

Harbaugh is coming.

That's all you need to know.

Unlike the other five teams on this list, Michigan State and Ohio State have done nothing wrong themselves to belong here. They're here because Jim Harbaugh is coaching Michigan back into a power, and especially after losing so much talent—Ohio State in volume, Michigan State in important spots—they both stand to suffer because of it.

They also both need to prove something nationally. Alabama embarrassed the Spartans in the Cotton Bowl, drilling them 38-0. Ohio State, meanwhile, looked entitled after winning a national championship, which reflects shade on head coach Urban Meyer.

In that way, Harbaugh and Michigan have all the momentum. You'll see that in early rankings across the Internet, where the Wolverines are projected to win the conference. Per SB Nation's composite of 13 sites' preliminary polls (including Bleacher Report's), Michigan is No. 5, Ohio State is No. 7, and Michigan State is No. 13 before the offseason.

It's amazing how fast this two-team race added a third.

Ole Miss

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

Ole Miss is in a curious spot.

Head coach Hugh Freeze has restored the program to unexpected heights, but getting there came not without a cost. Earlier this month, the NCAA cited the football program with 13 violations, and although only low-level infractions occurred under Freeze, per ESPN.com, it remains to be seen how the school will be punished.

Even if nothing happens, which is possible, the Rebels still lose the heart of their 2013 signing class—the signature group that made outside viewers so dubious of the program in the first place.

Defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche, offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil and wide receiver Laquon Treadwell, all of whom enrolled as the top players in the country at their positions, declared for the NFL draft in the same fashion. Even Alabama would struggle to replace them.

How, then, will Ole Miss respond? To stay among the SEC's cream, Freeze must coach a productive offseason. Quarterback Chad Kelly returns, and true freshman Shea Patterson is enrolled to learn behind him, but how will the Rebels account for losses elsewhere?

Next year, we'll learn if this program is for real.

Oregon

Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images

Chip Kelly's NFL experiment has hurt both himself and his former school.

Yes, Oregon reached the national title game in year two under Mark Helfrich, but it slipped to 9-4 in Year 1 A.M. (After Marcus Mariota) and is flirting with danger if it can't fix some problems this offseason.

Demoting defensive coordinator Don Pellum back to linebackers coach was smart, but hiring former Michigan head coach Brady Hoke to replace him, while certainly not without upside, comes also with substantial risk. Hoke was a fine coach prior to Michigan, but there's a reason no team hired him before the Ducks.

There's also the matter of quarterback, where FCS transfer Dakota Prukop, the presumed starter, has little proven experience behind him. What if he's not Vernon Adams Jr.? What if he's only average? Jeff Lockie's not the answer, and it's unclear if redshirt freshman Travis Jonsen, whom Comcast SportsNet Northwest's Aaron Fentress called "essentially Oregon's Luke Skywalker," is ready to assume command.

With Stanford growing stronger every season (and returning Christian McCaffrey) and Washington showing signs of becoming a power under head coach Chris Petersen, Oregon could, theoretically, become the third-best team in its own division.

It needs a productive offseason to stop that.

Texas

Jon Durr/Getty Images

Head coach Charlie Strong won big on national signing day, proving to fans and boosters he can succeed on the recruiting trail.

Now he needs to prove that on the field.

The defense will be fine with loads of talent as well as Strong and Vance Bedford on the sideline, but how will Texas ever score points? It broke the bank for offensive coordinator Sterlin Gilbert—who never coached under Art Briles but learned from disciples Dino Babers and Philip Montgomery—but Gilbert, for all his promise, can't play quarterback. One of Tyrone Swoopes, Jerrod Heard and true freshman Shane Buechele needs to step up and command the job this offseason.

If they don't, the Longhorns won't beat Notre Dame in next year's season opener. If they lose that game in Austin—and especially if they don't stay competitive—things could spiral quickly out of control. Road trips to California and Oklahoma State, plus the Red River Shootout against Oklahoma, all greet Texas before mid-October.

This team needs to be ready from the get-go.

Texas A&M

Rogelio V. Solis/Associated Press

No head coach or program—at least not in recent memory—has lost momentum faster than Kevin Sumlin and Texas A&M.

A roster with two 5-star quarterbacks, Kyle Allen and Kyler Murray, now has zero. Both transferred out this offseason after struggling to lead an offense loaded with playmakers. True, part of that might have concerned them, but really the entire offense looked discombobulated. The entire program lacked direction.

"I think the culture was a big part of [why I left]," Allen told CBS Sports' Dennis Dodd this winter. "And I think that stems from Johnny (Manziel)'s era there—the way that they let Johnny and [others] act there. ...

"A lot of people were riding off that, 'I can do whatever the hell I want and win on Saturday.'"

Allen's statement and last year's results call Sumlin's coaching into question. This program was on the uptick after Manziel's Heisman Trophy in 2012, but now it appears to be plummeting. It needs a successful season to stop the bleeding and right the ship.

Getting there will require a productive offseason. Sumlin and new offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone must integrate Oklahoma transfer Trevor Knight, the quarterback who beat Alabama in the 2014 Sugar Bowl, while defensive coordinator John Chavis must continue his restoration of a previously soft defense.

It won't be easy, but it's what has to be done. Otherwise, the Manziel years might be the apex of this program.

Note: All recruiting info refers to 247Sports' composite rankings.