COLLEGE FB UPDATE…NEW NAMES ON HOT SEAT? by The Gold Sheet’s Bruce Marshall

A: Numerous names are once again popping up on the list, some of those expected to be “safe” as recently as a few weeks ago.  But just as the weather cools in November, the temperature rises on coaches in various locales.

Following are some of those coaches who seemed off of the “hot seat” not long ago but should start to worry about their jobs in the final weeks of the season.

Dennis Erickson, Arizona State…All seemed to be on course for Erickson to safely make it through what by all accounts was a “must win” season when his Sun Devils started the campaign fast and whipped Southern Cal by a 43-22 count in Tempe on September 24.  At that point, and after handy wins over Oregon State and Utah the next two weeks, ASU seemed in complete control of the Pac-12 South Division (especially with USC on probation and ineligible for the postseason).  But three losses in four games, including hard-to-explain road losses at so-so UCLA and Washington State the past two weeks, has suddenly put the Sun Devils in jeopardy of blowing their half of the league, which seemed highly unlikely a few weeks ago.  The manner of the defeats against the Bruins and Cougars, with mistakes both weeks, plus special teams shortcomings proving costly against UCLA and an unexplained defensive collapse vs. a little-used Wazzu QB (RS from Conner Halliday) last week suddenly putting out the red flag warning in Tempe.  ASU can still win the Pac-12 South, but Erickson is best advised to take care of business this week vs. Territorial Cup rival Arizona and in the finale vs. Cal before feeling really comfortable about returning in 2012.

Greg McMackin, Hawaii…McMackin has always had big shoes to fill in Honolulu since succeeding predecessor June Jones in 2008, the year after the Warriors went unbeaten in the regular season and were an unlikely BCS rep behind record-setting QB Colt McCoy.  McMackin, a veteran assistant who had been Jones’ defensive coordinator before ascending to the top spot, kept Jones’ pet Red Gun offense in place, which placated most of the island fan base.  But the natives are getting restless at Aloha Stadium after a succession of listless efforts that included a hard-to-explain 35-31 loss to visiting Utah State on November 5 when the Utags rallied from a double-digit deficit in the second half behind backup QB Adam Kennedy.  And after a subsequent 42-28 loss at Reno against Nevada, Hawaii needs to win two of its last three (all at home, vs. Fresno State, Tulane, and BYU) to qualify for the hometown Sheraton Hawaii Bowl, which most WAC scouts believe will be the determining factor if McMackin stays, or goes.  And work over the next three games might have become even more difficult if the ankle injury that knocked QB Bryant Moniz out of last week’s game vs. the Wolf Pack keeps him sidelined for upcoming action.  Backup Shane Austin completed just 17 of 38 passes with 3 picks in last week’s loss vs. the Wolf Pack.

Mack Brown, Texas…A few weeks ago it seemed far-fetched to believe that Brown could be in trouble.  But a quick look at the Big XII table sees the Longhorns fading at 6-3 and with three pretty difficult games (Kansas State, Texas A&M, and Baylor) still on the slate.  Injuries have hurt Texas in recent weeks, especially with some key offe nsive cogs (RBs Malcolm Brown & Fozzy Whittaker, plus WR Jaxon Shipley) all going down.  But those hurts have exposed frosh QB David Ash, and last week’s ugly 17-5 loss at Missouri has the rumor mill beginning to whirr in Austin.  If the Horns slip to 6-6, will Brown survive?

Mike Sherman, Texas A&M…Sherman was a familiar name on most hot seat lists last year when his job appeared to be in some jeopardy, but the Aggies rallied to a 9-4 mark and a  berth in the Cotton Bowl after Sherman inserted QB Ryan Tannehill into the lineup.  Wins over Oklahoma and Texas kept the “Aggie-exes” everywhere quiet a year ago.  But he 2011 campaign has been disappointment, as the spiral downward began when blowing a double-digit halftime lead at hoem vs. Oklahoma State back on September 24.  Various defensive collapses have ensued, including a late loss vs. Arkansas at Jerry Jones’ Cowboys Stadium in Arlington and three straight setbacks, capped by blowing another double-digit lead in a four overtime loss at Kansas State.  The Ags can get bowl-eligible with a win this week over Kansas, but a loss in the finale vs. Texas would pout A&M at 6-6 and Sherman at just 25-25 in four years on the job.  With the bold move to the SEC on deck for next year, there is no guarantee the College Station braintrust is going to commit any loner to Sherman.  His job could well be on the line for the finale vs. the Longhorns.

Frank Spaziani, Boston College…Perhaps the Eagles and Spaziani are simply victims of the program’s surprising success which has seen BC qualify for a school-record 11 bowl games in a row.  But that streak has already been put paid this year and  many ACC sources have noted that boosters are grumbling about an unmistakable downward slant to the program since Spaziani predecessor Tom O’Brien left the program after 2006.  Jeff Jagodzinski was a brief replacement for O’Brien until running afoul of AD Gene DeFilippo, who then promoted defensive coordinator Spaziani, who had earlier filled in on a one-game basis for O’Brien (who had left to take the NC State job) in the 2006 Meineke Car Car Bowl win over Navy by a 25-24 count.  But in an age of high-tech offenses, BC is running a comparable horse-and-buggy attack minus any bells and whistles.  The Eagles are not fun to watch on Spaziani’s watch, unless rock-ribbed defense is preferred.  Many ACC sources believe Spaziani is better suited for assistant coach duties anyway (as a defensive coordinator, of course) and wonder if DeFilippo might be considering a change.  Of course, that means running the risk of confronting the menacing Spaziani, one of the most fearsome-looking and physically intimidating coaches in the country.  We’re sure DeFilippo will be properly prepared if need be.

Pat Hill, Fresno State…Hill hammered out a contract extension last year but after 15 seasons on the job, some believe a change could be coming soon in the Central Valley.  Hill was reportedly inquiring about other opportunities in recent years (including an opening two years ago at UNLV) and the fact is that his regime looks to have run its course in Fresno, where the Bulldogs are going to miss the postseason for the first time since 2006, which has been the only non-bowl season to this point for the Bulldogs since 1998.  Hill has been on the job for fifteen years in Fresno, and a succession of uninspired efforts this season (including a hard-to-watch 57-7 home dismemberment by Boise State on October 7, the latest in a series of lopsided losses to the Broncos) had put his position in some jeopardy.  How the Bulldogs close vs. Hawaii, San Jose State, and San Diego might determine Hill’s fate, although the school would need some help from well-heeled boosters to pay off Hill’s contract.

Ron Zook, Illinois…Zook, much like Texas A&M’s Sherman, was on plenty of hot seat lists last season before pulling out of the spiral with an unexpected bowl berth for the Illini.  Some felt Zook was fortunate to survive after another losing season in 2009, when reportedly financial concerns prevented a change from being made at that time by then-AD Ron Guenther.  After last year’s recovery, no one was dreaming Zook could be in trouble a month ago when Illinois opened the season 6-0, but four straight losses since have got the alarm bells ringing in Champaign-Urbana.  Moreover, the Illini have been blanked in the first half of each of those losses, rekindling the old Zook criticism that too often his teams look unprepared and unfocused, reflected in those sorts of slow starts.  Illinois is already bowl-eligible, but will be an underdog this week vs. Wisconsin, and a loss in the finale vs. Minnesota would really get the war drums beating.   A six-game losing streak at the end of the season would be tough for Zook to overcome, especially with new AD Mike Thomas on board via Cincinnati.  Moreover, an off-field incident involving players and gunshots after last week’s loss to Michigan is further bad news.  Some Big Ten sources suspect Thomas might try to lure his former Bearcat coach Butch Jones to Champaign-Urbana.

Randy Edsall, Maryland…First-year coaches rarely find themselves in trouble in the college ranks, and this still looks to be an unlikely hot seat spot at the moment.  But the anger in the Maryland supporters’ ranks for the way in which Edsall predecessor Ralph Friedgen was removed, losing out on coach-in-waiting James Franklin (who is doing a bang-up job in his debut season at Vanderbilt), and luring the so-far disappointing Edsall from UConn could have repercussions beyond the normal fan base angst.  Crowd counts at Byrd Stadium have dropped to embarrassing levels for this season’s Terps, who look to have quit on Edsall while losing 8 of their last 9 games since opening the season with a win over Miami.  Rumors of chemistry problems and internal friction continue to circulate in College Park, where there have also been several suspensions this season.  And Edsall, at the moment, might be wondering why he left his cushy gig at UConn, where he likely had a lifetime appointment if he so chose after last year’s Big East title and BCS berth.

Rick Stockstill, Middle Tennessee State…Two years ago, Stockstill was one of the coaching “flavors” of the season, getting plenty of attention after leading his Blue Raiders to a New Orleans Bowl win in 2009.  Since then it has all gone pear-shaped in Murfreesboro for the long-ago Florida State QB for some of Bobby Bowden’s best early Seminoles teams, with Stockstill reportedly turned down a chance to take the East Carolina job after the 2009 campaign.  The thought in Sun Belt circles was that Stockstill might have been thinking he had a shot at a direct move into a higher-profile ACC or perhaps SEC job with one more big year with the Blue Raiders.  The 2010 campaign got off to a bad start when QB Dwight Dasher was suspended for the first four games, and though MTSU rallied back to bowl eligibility (where it eventually lost to Miami-Ohio in the GoDaddy.com Bowl in Mobile), 2010 still ended a disappointing 6-7.  And now MTSU is in the midst of a campaign that has gone terribly wrong, with a 2-7 mark and a no-show effort last week at UL-Monroe in a 42-14 loss.  Belt sources say Stockstill is likely safe unless the team completely disintegrates in the final two games of the season, but for the moment his name is certainly off any “in demand” coaching lists.

Derek Dooley, Tennessee…In his second year at Knoxville, Dooley has coached in some bad luck this season, with injuries claiming QB Tyler Bray and top WR Justin Hunter.  But Dooley’s honeymoon with the Vol fan base is over after five losses in six games, with the Vols held to 12 points or fewer in each of those defeats vs. SEC foes.  The offense, say the critics, should not have stalled so completely in Bray’s absence, and Dooley himself could not have been too comfy at the prospects of mom Barbara, an on-air radio host at WGAU in Athens, Georgia, calling out some Knoxville scribes last month who questioned if her baby was up to rigors of SEC coaching.  The injury to Bray likely gives Dooley the excuse he needs to survive for another year, but in the topsy-turvy world of SEC football, you never know.

Robb Akey, Idaho…The glow of the Vandals’ unexpected bowl campaign in 2009 is beginning to wear off in Moscow, where Akey’s 5-year mark is now 19-41 after Saturday’s 42-7 loss at BYU.  Idaho did rally for a win at San Jose in its previous game but the program has lost momentum this season.  WAC sources say that Akey’s fate could be determined how the Vandals perform in their final two games vs. Utah State and Nevada.