Before the calendar even flipped to November, two coaches had been fired. Minnesota is already looking for a replacement for Tim Brewster, and North Texas is in search of someone to follow Todd Dodge.
Both were in precarious positions, and both managed one victory the first half of the season.
On the bright side, Georgia’s Mark Richt looked like a coach walking toward the end of the plank when the Bulldogs lost four straight. Put that call to the search firm on hold. Richt has guided Georgia to three straight victories and enters Saturday’s rivalry game against struggling Florida in the hunt for an SEC East crown.
Of course, another losing streak could put Richt right back on the hot seat.
Here are six other coaches who probably need to finish the season strong to keep their jobs.
Dan Hawkins, 19-37 in fifth season at Colorado. Money, or a lack thereof, was probably the biggest reason Hawkins wasn’t bought out of his contract after going 3-9 last season. The Buffaloes are 0-3 in the Big 12 heading to Oklahoma this week. Good luck with those surly Sooners. After that they play at Kansas, followed by home games against Iowa State and Kansas State before finishing at Nebraska.
Ending the season with four straight wins would do the trick, but how realistic is that?
