Which coaches are on the hottest seat and under the most pressure after Week 3 of the college football season?
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Which ten coaches are going to be feeling it if they don’t win … NOW.
The hot seat rankings are done in two ways. First, the five coaches who need a win for job security – even in a year when most coaches will get a whole lot of benefits of a whole lot of doubts.
Then come the five coaches who aren’t in any real danger of being fired, but could desperately use something positive.
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Coaches On The Hot Seat: Win, Or Else
5. Dana Dimel, UTEP
It’s sort of hard to put him on any real hot seat list after winning as many games in the first three dates of this year than he did in his first two seasons combined, but the 2-1 start is a bit of a mirage. The two wins were too tight over Stephen F. Austin and Abilene Christian, and the loss was a blowout to Texas. Dimel won’t be fired anytime soon, but he could really use a win over an FBS team and win on the road against …
4. Matt Viator, ULM
Army has been great in its two games, so there’s some forgiveness for being off in the 37-7 opening win. However, getting boat-raced at home against Texas State 38-17 hurts. Lose at home to UTEP, and ULM could be facing a winless season.
3. Dino Babers, Syracuse
The games against North Carolina and Pitt were on the road, but those two aren’t that amazing. They’re both good, but not good enough to lose to by a combined score of 52-16. The offense is a disaster because the line is a mess, and now Babers – after winning ten games in 2018 and the 2019 season opener – has gone 4-9 in his last 13 games.
2. Rick Stockstill, Middle Tennessee
Chalk up the 42-0 clunker at Army to start the season as an opening weekend misfire when the team didn’t do much of anything right. Two weeks later, everything was supposed to start working at home against Troy, and … 47-14 loss. Stockstill might be a fixture for the program, but now he’s 5-13 in his last 18 games. Lose at UTSA, and there’s a problem.
1. Will Muschamp, South Carolina
The schedule is unforgiving.
South Carolina doesn’t have to play Clemson this season, but seven of the ten teams on the all-SEC schedule went bowling last year, and three of the first five games are on the road. After going 4-8 in 2019, a bad start with losses to Tennessee and at Florida would set up a true hot seat game at Vanderbilt.
NEXT: 5 Coaches Who Won’t Get Fired, But Need A Win