College football coaches on the hot seat heading into the season

Applewhite is entering just his second full season at Houston, so it may be a stretch to say his job is in jeopardy. However, Houston put up a pedestrian 7-5 mark a season after the school felt it had a chance at a playoff berth and was flirting with a Big 12 invite. All that seems so distant, which may not be Applewhite's fault, but if he continues to have so-so seasons with the Tom Herman era fresh in everyone's minds (not to mention Applewhite's rough go as Texas' offensive coordinator), the school may feel the heat to cut bait. 

Not only does Beaty sport a 3-33 mark with the Jayhawks, but he also is working under a new athletic director so it doesn't look good for him. Kansas is a tough job, and the program has struggled to find success since the Mark Mangino era a decade ago. Beaty needs to show something resembling improvement for the school to consider keeping him on.

Davie got the Lobos to bowl games in 2015 and 2016, but things have fallen off quite a bit. New Mexico went just 3-9 last year, and then Davies was suspended for 30 days as he and the program were being investigated. He's gone just 30-45 in his stint with the Lobos, and it is a small miracle he survived his off-field controversies. He may need another bowl bid to keep his job.

Edsall is the winningest coach in UConn history and took the Huskies from the FCS to ultimately playing in a BCS bowl. Right after that game, he left for what would become a disastrous five-year stint at Maryland. He came back last season — a hire that divided the fan base — and posted an uninspiring 3-9 mark. He was also involved in a political scandal as a state bill passed through that allowed him to hire his son as an assistant. Needless to say, the second Edsall era is off to a rocky start.

Fedora is just three years past leading the Tar Heels to the ACC Championship Game, but his other five seasons in Chapel Hill haven't been rosy. It all cratered last season with a 3-9 season and just one conference win. Add in his recent controversial comments at ACC media day, and Fedora will most likely need a sharp turnaround this year if he wants to stick around.

The Bearcats program has been sliding downhill since Brian Kelly left for Notre Dame. Fickell replaced Tommy Tuberville, who did a nice job in Cincy but laid an egg in his last season. Fickell most likely makes it to 2019 (he's got a sizable buyout), but he has yet to show he has what it takes to be a head coach — remember he took Ohio State to a 6-6 season after Jim Tressel was ousted and went just 4-8 in his first season in Cincinnati.

Harbaugh's inclusion on this list comes with an asterisk — unless this team bottoms out, he will not get fired. However, not many coaches are under the kind of scrutiny he is right now. He is just 1-5 against the Wolverines' hated rivals, Ohio State and Michigan State. He hasn't finished higher than third in his division in three seasons in Ann Arbor. Again, barring a losing season I think he keeps his gig, but the heat is squarely on Harbaugh to reach Michigan's potential. 

This all comes down to a fan base that is divided about Holgorsen. Some fans point to the fact that his constant seven- or eight-win seasons pale in comparison to what Rich Rodriguez and Bill Stewart put up. True, but neither of them had to coach the Mountaineers through the Big 12. Holgorsen brings back a talented bunch and should show well in the conference, but that may not be enough for fans who just want to move on.

There are a lot of issues going on at Bowling Green that aren't on the field. There have been five player arrests in the last six months from incidents ranging from drunk driving to assault to a spring break brawl. Add in the Falcons' six wins over the past two seasons, and it is easy to see how Jinks is holding onto his job by a thread. Not only does he need to turn around Bowling Green's fortunes on the field, but he's got to do it with all his players toeing the line. 

The Texas Tech Red Raiders want Kingsbury to continue to be their coach, but they need a bit more than finishing near the bottom of the Big 12 every year and getting to a lower-tier bowl. The Red Raiders have not had a winning conference record during his time in Lubbock, and patience is wearing thin. He's got to find a way to get the defense to do anything if he wants to survive past this season.

Lambert has been tasked with creating a football program from scratch, which is difficult no matter who you are. The 49ers have won just seven games since joining the FBS in 2015, and new athletic director Mike Hill will likely need to see a sizable leap forward if Charlotte is going to stay the course with Lambert. 

Many felt the Buffaloes finally reached a point at which their grueling rebuilding effort paid off with their Pac-12 Championship Game appearance in 2016. That balloon was popped with a 5-7 season last year and only two conference wins. Aside from that magical 2016 season, MacIntyre's Buffs have gone just 4-32 in Pac-12 play. 

Defense is Mason's calling card, and the Commodores gave up over 43 points per game against SEC foes last season. Vandy has been to just one bowl game in Mason's four seasons, which followed the successful James Franklin era, and has won just six of 32 conference games. Unlike most SEC schools, this program knows it isn't a perennial power, but it needs to get better than this in a hurry.

ECU may have overreacted when it fired Ruffin McNeill after a down season in Greenville. He was replaced with Montgomery, who has put up a pair of 3-9 seasons and whose defense is one of the worst in the nation, with the offense not much better. The proud program is in a tailspin and needs to right the ship if it wants to look attractive in the next round of Power 5 conference realignment. 

Odom's job was in jeopardy during last season, but a strong finish bought him another year. Last season Missouri went 0-6 against bowl teams and 7-0 against everyone else. Star quarterback Drew Lock returned to school, and the SEC East is in a bit of flux so there really aren't any excuses why Odom cannot get the Tigers to the top half of the division. 

Orgeron is entering his second full season in Baton Rouge but is already feeling immense heat. He wasn't the school's first choice, and while he didn't have a bad 2017 season, the lack of a stellar recruiting class and the usual brutal schedule won't lend for a long honeymoon period after the successes of the Les Miles era. 

Look, times are tough in Louisville. The basketball program abruptly dumped Rick Pitino (and AD Tom Jurich) and is involved in a series of investigations. The Papa John's incident is a bit of a public relations nightmare for a school that was closely affiliated with the company. Enter Petrino, whom you could say got less than value from two seasons of electric play from Lamar Jackson. Jackson is gone, and the roster isn't as good as in recent years. Playing in the ACC Atlantic Division is difficult, but a lot is expected of this football team. Another weird and underwhelming season could see Cardinals fans clamoring for former QB and current Purdue head coach Jeff Brohm to replace Petrino. 

BYU has always been known as an offensive-minded team, so it was a bit of a shock to see how bad the Cougars were last season. The offense was dreadful, especially against winning teams. The school's 12-year bowl streak was snapped last season, and as an independent that is a killer. If BYU misses out on a bowl game again, Sitake most likely is out of a job.

Smith inherited a massive rebuilding project in Illinois, and he does have time to turn this around. His third year should hopefully show some progress. Smith is just 5-19 in his first two seasons, but his team took a step back last year by going 0-9 in Big Ten play. Again, everyone knows this will take time, but another two-win season could force the university to re-evaluate the direction the rebuild is going. 

Sure, getting Texas State through the FBS growing pains is difficult, but more is expected from the Bobcats than four wins in two seasons. Withers, who did an admirable job as interim head coach at scandal-ridden North Carolina after Butch Davis was fired, will need to get near six wins if he wants to stay in San Marcos.