College Football Hot Seat Coaches: Win NOW, Or Else
These five coaches will likely hang on to their respective jobs with an okay final record, but they all need to put together a strong string of wins NOW.
5. Scott Satterfield, Louisville
Up Next: Pitt
It’s the theme for a few ACC coaches this week after getting time off to recharge – win now.
Unfortunately for Satterfield and Louisville, Pitt had two weeks off, too.
The base wants Louisville to be a major player in the ACC, and it’s trending downward after two straight losing seasons and a 3-3 start. On the plus side, the Cardinals lost to Florida State and Boston College in nail-biters, and losing at Syracuse to start the season now seems okay.
Pitt, Wake Forest, James Madison. Three home games, and these have to be three wins with at Clemson, NC State, at Kentucky to close.
Helping create this tough spot was a loss to …
4. Jeff Hafley, Boston College
Up Next: at Wake Forest
Here’s where the run has to start. Boston College had two weeks off to rest up after the loss to Clemson, it has a decent run of winnable games coming up soon, and first it all has to work at Wake Forest.
With at UConn and Duke to follow, there’s a solid shot at being 4-4 with a win over the Demon Deacons and everything turns around. Lose, and at 2-5 with at NC State, at Notre Dame, and Syracuse still to deal with, this won’t be the step forward in Year Three after two six-win seasons.
3. Tim Lester, Western Michigan
Up Next: Pitt (Oct. 22)
Every year Western Michigan has been solid under Lester.
He has yet to have a losing season in his first five years, the team won a bowl with an era-high eight victories last season, and all was poised and ready to make some noise in the MAC this season and maybe get to the conference title game.
Ball State is the only FBS team the 2-5 Broncos have beaten. Losing to Michigan State, Pitt, and even San Jose State was excusable, but dropping the home game to Eastern Michigan 45-23 and following it up with a 33-14 loss to Ohio is a problem.
Three of the next four games are on the road before dealing with the best team in the conference, Toledo. It’s going to take something special to get to six wins.
2. Jeff Scott, USF
Up Next: at Houston
This isn’t fair because his team is playing its butt off.
The Bulls pushed Florida, had Cincinnati in big trouble, and gave Tulane a run last week in a 45-31 loss. But that continues to be the problem – they can’t turn a corner.
It comes down to wins, and there aren’t any. USF has yet to beat an FBS team this season, Scott is 4-24 so far, and up next are three road games in four weeks with a home game against SMU before finishing up against UCF.
All he needs are a few victories, but going to Houston will be tough, and there’s going to be a massive issue if USF loses to Temple the week after.
1. Bryan Harsin, Auburn
Up Next: Arkansas (Oct. 29)
The offense perked up and gave Ole Miss a fight in a 48-34 loss, but that’s three straight losses, four in the last five games, and it took a miraculous fumble from Missouri to keep it from being a six-game losing streak.
At 3-4 it’s been rough, and it doesn’t get easier with a bulk of the SEC West slate to go along with a date against WKU. However, beat Arkansas in two weeks and maybe the narrative starts to turn.
Win a few games and all of a sudden everything might start to change. Beat Bama, and …
Harsin’s Tigers need to take down the Hogs at home first.
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