Is Arizona State Football Coach Dennis Erickson on the Hot Seat?

Many like to refer to current Arizona State Sun Devils' head coach Dennis Erickson as "college football's longest resume."

Holding head coaching positions at Idaho (1982-1985, 2006), Wyoming (1986), Washington State (1987-1988), Miami (1989-1994), Oregon State (1999-2002), and Arizona State (2007-present), he is no stranger to experience.

Not to mention stints as a head coach in the NFL for the Seattle Seahawks (1995-1998) and the San Francisco 49ers (2003-2004), in between college gigs.

Erickson has an impressive 167-83-1 record while holding head coaching positions throughout his extensive years in the college football realm.

However, with the Sun Devils, he suffered something that he had never experienced as a head coach, consecutive losing seasons.

Dennis was brought to Arizona State in 2007 after the termination of Dirk Koetter. His hiring brought in extremely high expectations from the two-time National Champion head coach (with Miami).

The 2007 season, Erickson's first, both met and exceeded those expectations. Going 10-2 in the regular season, winning their first eight games, and being ranked as low as fourth in the national polls.

Erickson led the Sun Devils to a share of the Pac-10 title and a berth in the Holiday Bowl, in which they lost to Texas.

The following 2008 and 2009 seasons were a completely different story. In 2008, the Sun Devils brought in a dreary 5-7 record after being proclaimed to be national contenders.

This was the point in which fans started questioning the 2007 season and second year coach, Dennis Erickson.

Was the 2007 season a fluke? Or was 2008 just a down year?

Hopes remained high heading into the 2009 season, as Erickson reassured the public that they will return the championship level caliber seen in 2007, after all, he had only been there for two seasons so it was tough to criticise his coaching abilities.

The 2009 season ended up being one that fans would rather forget. A 4-8 record is not what they wanted to see, and definitely not what they were promised by the hopeful coach.

The main question remains: Is Dennis Erickson on the hot seat?

Yes and no.

If Erickson puts up a winning season for the Sun Devils, he stays.

On the other hand, if 2010 brings another losing season, it is very hard not to fire a coach who posts three consecutive losing seasons. There is a slim possibility that, if he does bring in a losing season, his main backup, Lisa Love, will stand by him.

Love, who is the athletic director at Arizona State, has stood behind Erickson 100 percent, through the good and the bad.

Erickson, being Love's first high-profile hire after being appointed Athletic Director in 2007, will most likely try her best to keep him on staff, backing her first hire to the end.

Also coming to his defense would be the fact that bringing in a new coach could mean even more "rebuilding" years. This is not something that Sun Devil fans want to sit through anymore, especially with their "win now" attitude.

But as stated before, it is very difficult for a school to keep a coach who racks up three consecutive losing seasons. Most schools are fed up after two, and Erickson already fills that category.

When asked about his teetering position, Erickson stated "I don't worry about that stuff. I've been on the hot seat 100,000 times in my life. It doesn't even phase me."

Sure, with the resume he has compiled over the years, he probably has been on the hot seat quite a few times, but to say he doesn't worry about it draws two conclusions about him: Either he is confident, or he needs to be worried to get the job done

The bottom line is that Erickson needs to bring a winning season to Tempe. Not only for his job security, but for the fans. If Erickson does not put up impressive numbers, fans will be urging for his termination.

Not to mention that ticket sales are dropping dramatically, averaging only 67 percent capacity over the 2009 season, because let's face it, fans in the state of Arizona only show up if the team is winning.

So what does Erickson have to say about the 2010 season?

"We'll be a lot better next year."

Sun Devil fans have heard this promise before, but it has yet to be fulfilled.