College Football 2014 Hot Seat Update: Hoke, Muschamp and Beckman Need Wins
By Ty Duffy
Here is a look at the “coaching hot seat” as we round the halfway turn on the 2014 college football season, sticking to power five and major independents.
Many teams have changed head coaches in the last couple years. About half our 2014 hot seat list coaches, most notably Dan Mullen, have gotten off to hot starts and coached themselves out of the weeds. The list of those facing imminent departure is rather short. So, we threw in a few coaches “trending downward” for 2015 to keep an eye on.
Win or Fin
Brady Hoke [Michigan] Michigan won ugly against Penn State Saturday Night. The players are still fighting. It may not matter. The Rutgers loss all but sealed Hoke’s fate. Instead of 4-3, the Wolverines are 3-4. They must beat both Michigan State and Ohio State on the road, as well as everyone else, to get to eight wins. A reprieve could come at 7-5 with a narrow loss at MSU and a win over Ohio State. But that would be pushing it.
Will Muschamp [Florida] Muschamp turned white at the close of Florida’s 30-27 loss to LSU. That’s understandable. He needed that one. The Gators are now 3-2, with two thoroughly unimpressive wins against Tennessee and Kentucky. If we presume Florida can beat Vanderbilt and Kentucky, that gets the Gators to five. If we presume Florida will lose To Florida State, the Gators would need to sweep Missouri, Georgia and South Carolina to get 8-3. Would that be enough?
Tim Beckman [Illinois] Few expected the Illini to do much on the road, but that loss dropped Beckman to 1-18 in the Big Ten. The one win was against a winless vs. FBS Purdue in 2013, by four points. There’s not much farther to read into it than that. His next three opponents – Minnesota, Ohio State and Iowa – have a combined record of 14-3 this season. It’s possible he could win 3/5, get to a bowl game and stay. It’s almost impossible to see that happening.
Trending Downward For 2015
Larry Fedora [North Carolina] Fedora won eight games his first season and earned his team some pretty snazzy ACC Coastal tiebreaker champion rings. He won seven the next year. In 2014, the floor has fallen out from under the defense. UNC is now 1-4 vs. FBS teams. The one win was coming back from a double-digit 4th quarter deficit at home against San Diego St. His Freak Show will survive one down year. Two could get dicey.
Al Golden [Miami] Miami has been consistently mediocre since Golden arrived. They out-talent bad teams. They unravel against good ones. Front-running fans have already bailed. His insulating grace right now is a contract through 2020, signed to keep him during sanctions. A strong finish with a young QB could be a building point for next season. A probable finish with FSU still to play and road trips to Virginia Tech and Virginia would leave him on the hot seat.
Kliff Kingsbury [Texas Tech] The Red Raiders are 2-4, with one-score wins over Central Arkansas and UTEP. They have lost nine of their last 10 regular season FBS wins. They will have to beat at least one of TCU, Oklahoma and Baylor to get to a bowl game. He’s a Texas Tech guy. He will get a long leash. But, being cool only gets you so far. If the Red Raiders finish poorly and start slowly next year, things could become interesting.
Mike Leach [Washington State] Leach has had some hard luck this season. Still, the Cougars are 2-5, with five better teams than them left on the schedule. Leach is 6-16 in Pac 12 play in his third year. He has a lot of administrative support and just received a contract extension. He’s fighting up hill. But, Washington State hired him to get football back on the map. If they are still struggling next year, that could be a problem.
Derek Mason [Vanderbilt] Vanderbilt has two wins so far: 34-31 over 1-6 UMass and 21-20 over Charleston Southern. Either James Franklin did a more amazing job than he’s being credited for or the team has cratered under Mason this season. He will get another season. Beyond that depends on what he does with it.