2011 College Football Season: Five Coaches on the Hot Seat

There is a simple fact when it comes to coaching college football: winning, within the rules, ensures job security.

A coach can have a history of moving every few years (see Alabama's Nick Saban and Arkansas' Bobby Petrino), but as long as he piles up W's, when he leaves he will do so on his own terms.

But, as every game must have a winner, it also must have a loser. Come up on the wrong end of too many of those and you could find yourself sending out your resume to find new employment.

The 2011 season will be a proving ground for many coaches on the hot seat. Here is a look at five.

1. Jim Tressel, Ohio State—The man in the sweater vest isn't here because of wins and losses. After all, when you have a record of 106-22 that includes two 19-game winning streaks and three BCS National Championship Game appearances (with a victory in the 2002 season), you aren't the most logical candidate to be worried about your job.

However, Tressel put himself in a bind when he knowingly failed to notify Ohio State of NCAA violations involving players accepting tattoos for OSU merchandise and apparel in order to keep those players eligible. Because he was untruthful in the matter, Tressel was given a two-game suspension and was fined $250,000 by the university. He asked to have his suspension increased to five games to match the punishment his players received, and school athletic director Gene Smith accepted that.

School president Gordon Gee has said Tressel's job isn't at risk, but with the NCAA still investigating what it has called "potential major violations", public outcry could force that stance to change.

2. Mike Locksley, New Mexico—A former assistant at Army, Maryland, Florida and Illinois, among others, Locksley has gone 1-11 in each of his first two seasons with the Lobos.

Also, in May of 2009 a former administrative assistant filed a sex discrimination complaint with the Equal Opportunity Commission against Locksley, but that was withdrawn before a ruling was made. And, in September of 2009, Locksley was reprimanded and suspended without pay for 10 days after a physical altercation with an assistant coach.

Despite a pricey buyout, Locksley's team probably needs to show great improvement for him to coach a fourth season in Albuquerque.

3. Ron Zook, Illinois—Zook earned some potential good will in his sixth year on the job after leading the Fighting Illini to a 7-6 record that included a 38-14 victory against Baylor in the Texas Bowl.

The problem with Zook has never been luring talent. After all, his recruiting was responsible for a large percentage of Florida's players on the 2006 BCS national championship team, and at least one Illinois player has been selected in the first two rounds of the NFL Draft in each of the last four years. In this years draft, three former Illini standouts (DL Corey Liuget, RB Mikel Leshoure and LB Martez Wilson) were among those chosen in the first three rounds.

However, his overall record in Champaign is 28-45. He's had just two winning seasons, and his teams have posted records of 2-9 (2005), 2-10 (2006) and 3-9 (2009), and Illinois finished 11th, 10th and ninth, respectively, in the Big 10 those seasons.

4. Paul Wulff, Washington State—After a 53-40 eight-year run at Eastern Washington, Wulff was hired by Washington State in 2008. 

But in three seasons under Wulff, the Cougars have gone a combined 5-32, finishing last in the Pac 10 twice and ninth once. Once a quarterback factory (WSU produced Drew Bledsoe, Timm Rosenbach, Mark Rypien and Ryan Leaf), the Cougars are 2-25 in conference play since Wulff's arrival.

5. Rick Neuheisel, UCLA—A former Bruins' quarterback, Neuheisel was hired in 2008 to restore glory to his alma mater.

However, in three years he has led UCLA to a combined record of 15-22, and none of his teams have finished higher than eighth in the Pac 10. That said, the 2009 Bruins finished 7-6 overall and defeated Temple, 30-21, in the EagleBank Bowl.

Despite his annual $1.25 million salary, Neuheisel might have a longer leash than the rest of the names on this list because he has a history of winning. That includes 10-2 records in 1995 and 1996 at Colorado, and an 11-1 mark that included a Rose Bowl victory in 2000 with Washington.