College Football Rankings: 10 Hot Seat Coaches Who Need a Week 6 Win the Most
College football's week 6 has seen plenty of activity in the hot seat department. For some, their pants cooled a bit with strong performances against good teams. For others, their seat has turned downright scalding. For some, the heat has returned as poor play seems rampant even in victory.
These are the 10 coaches who could use a fire extinguisher in Week 6. But something tells me they'd settle for a win.
10. Les Miles, LSU
1 of 10
Why His Seat is Warm: Miles' LSU Tigers might be 5-0, but you wouldn't know it from the way fans are clamoring for his head on a silver platter. 2010 saw Les begin the year on the hot seat, only to have it cool as the year progressed. But after Saturday's fluke 16-14 win over Tennessee, which saw the Tigers' late game ineptitude cost them the game until a defensive penalty, Miles finds himself public enemy number one in Baton Rouge once again.
How He Can Cool Off: It's not the winning that's the issue; it's the fact that Miles never seems to quite know what's going on, or how to manage a clock, or how to get his team to fulfill it's potential. So until his in-game I.Q. gets a boost, Miles' name is going to keep popping up on the hot seat radar.
9. Todd Dodge, North Texas
2 of 10
Why His Seat Is Hot: Dodge has been a complete and total bust since the Mean Green hired him to coach their football program in 2006. While North Texas' expectations aren't terribly high in a given season, they hoped Dodge, the former coach of Southlake Carroll High School, could install his "Air-Raid" offense at the school and bring them some modicum of success. But through four and a half years, Dodge has failed to deliver more than three wins in a season, and the Mean Green haven't been competitive.
How He Can Cool it Down: Win. Now. Frankly, Dodge needed to start winning three or four weeks ago, but his team needs a strong showing in Sun Belt conference play. As it stands, Dodge's fate may already be sealed.
8. Bill Lynch, Indiana
3 of 10
Why His Seat is Hot: Lynch needed the upset over Michigan last week to get him off the list, but his Hoosiers once again fell short, a common theme in his tenure at IU. His recruiting has been good, but Lynch's playcalling has been the bane of Hoosier Nation's existence. Plus, the defense is flat out awful.
How He Can Cool it Down: Pull off a convincing victory over someone worth talking about. A trip to Columbus won't help much, but the following weeks, against Illinois and Northwestern, would do wonders for his job security.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
7. Mike Sherman, Texas A&M
4 of 10
Why His Seat is Hot: Sherman had the chance to get his signature win in 2010, as his Aggies jumped out to a 21-7 halftime lead on the road against Oklahoma State. But Sherman's boys collapsed in the second half, ultimately falling 38-35. His teams have yet to beat anyone of consequence in his tenure, and they have yet to win more than 6 games in his three years.
How He Can Cool it Off: A&M gets no. 11 Arkansas this week, and no. 24 Mizzou the next, both of which are winnable games. If Sherman can get one or both of the victories, Aggie fans will relax a bit.
6. Rich Rodriguez, Michigan
5 of 10
Why His Seat is Hot: Sure, the Wolverines are 5-0. But who have they beaten? Notre Dame, who's in the midst of a massive rebuild? Michigan gave up 37 points to Indiana last week. Denard Robinson is the only thing standing between the Maize and blue and a 3-2 record.
How He Can Cool it: The next two weeks pit the Wolverines against no. 17 Michigan State, and no. 15 Iowa, both at home. If Michigan are anything but 5-2 after those games, Rodriguez is probably safe. If he's 7-0, he might be safe for more than next season.
5. Ron Zook, Illinois
6 of 10
Why His Seat is Hot: Zook might be the first coach to have "Fire (coaches name here)" websites at two different colleges. He has failed to take the Illini to a bowl game since their Rose Bowl appearance in 2007, and has yet to have the kind of success people expected from him after said Rose Bowl berth. Despite his excellent recruiting at Illinois, Zook has failed to utilize that talent to its fullest.
How He Can Cool it Off: Zook needs to beat some decent schools to get the administration's good faith back in 2010. They play on the road at Penn State and Michigan State the next two weeks; 1-1 after that stretch would be advisable.
4. Mike Locksley, New Mexico
7 of 10
Why His Seat is So Hot: A 1-16 record halfway through your second season as head coach at New Mexico isn't necessarily a recipe for a flaming posterior, but when it's coupled with allegations of sexual discrimination and violence against assistant coaches, it's a fantastic start. Locksley has flopped royally as Lobos' head coach, and things aren't getting any better as 2010 progresses.
How He Can Cool it Off: I don't even know if winning out in 2010 would save his job for more than a year. Sexual discrimination's a pretty serious charge, and Locksley hasn't had the success necessary to make that disappear.
3. Paul Wulff, Washington State
8 of 10
Why His Seat is Hot: Wulff has gone 4-25 at the midway point of his third season working with the Cougars. Even at Washington State, that's just asking to lose your job.
How He Can Cool it Off: Wulff's squad impressed by hanging tough with an explosive USC offense last week, before falling. If the Cougars can be competitive like that the rest of the year, they should get to 3 or 4 wins and stave off the pink slip brigade for the time being.
2. Tim Brewster, Minnesota
9 of 10
Why His Seat is Hot: Anytime an FBS school gives up that many points and loses to an FCS school, that school's head coach deserves to be on the hot seat, especially if that team is 1-4, and averages 30.2 points per game allowed.
How He Can Cool it Off: Beat Wisconsin this week. Take back Paul Bunyan's axe. Show us that your team is worth something. Otherwise, it's curtains for you, Mr. Brewster.
1. Mark Richt, Georgia
10 of 10
Why His Seat is Hot: Richt really, really, REALLY needed a win last week against Colorado, but the Bulldogs dropped the ball once again. Literally. Georgia cannot keep the ball in it's possession, despite having a thrilling offense with excellent young players. They turned it over twice against the Buffs, and have fumbled five times in five games, along with 3 interceptions. A 1-4 start will not get it done in Athens.
How He Can Cool it Off: Richt cannot lose more than one more game, and if it's to a bad opponent, he might not be able to afford that. The only tough road game left for the Bulldogs is against Auburn in the penultimate week of their schedule, so it is doable.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
