The Coaches' Hot Seat Might Not Be As Hot As You Think

December 13, 2020 by Dave Congrove

Any way you look at it, 2020 was an exceptional year. Don't expect it to be any different on the Coaching Carousel.

One can certainly argue for a free pass for programs that struggled through the pandemic. Head coaches dealt with no spring ball, and fall practice was all over the map. Conferences were playing, then not playing, then playing again.

Many of the head coaches and staff members were tested ad nauseam, and had to verify daily which players would and would not be available for practice and, ultimately, for that week's game.

Opponents could change on the drop of a dime. Games could be canceled on game day, after traveling, and after days of cobbling together enough players who knew what their responsibilities were within a given unit.

Tight ends might have to return punts, wide receivers and running backs could wind up at quarterback, linebackers could become safeties. 

Breaking down film and game-planning was a luxury rarely afforded. The only thing coaches could expect on a daily basis was that expectations will go out the window.

Players were on empty campuses for months, away from family and friends, and devoid of normal social life.

Coaches got covid and quarantined from families they saw all too rarely. Covid even had the audacity to sideline Nick Saban for a week.

When gameday came, it wasn't often that the players were rewarded by thunderous cheers from live audiences. Notable entrances that drove fans into a frenzy, such as Enter Sandman, were absent. Players on the sideline had to create their own crowd noise.

I mean, seriously, this was nuts. As college football fans, we should appreciate the hell they went through. And odds are, most administrators will see it that way.

Fans may want Jim Harbaugh (Michigan) and Justin Fuente (Virginia Tech) gone. Those programs didn't live up to the wins and losses that were expected. But their daily life wasn't anything near what they expected, either.

Is James Franklin (Penn State) on the hot seat? The Nittany Lions' win over Michigan State on Saturday prevented the school from enduring its first winless season at home since 1918.

Is Walt Bell ripe for dismissal at UMass? The program cobbled together a 4-game schedule because players wanted to play - with no guarantee of winning anything. The Minutemen went 0-4 and were outscored 161-12. But they played.

What do you tell that head coach on the way out the door? "Thanks for working your tail off and endangering your health for football - now hit the road."

2020 was so wacky that you don't have to look far to find teams that were picked near the bottom of their conference but wound up on top - such as Coastal Carolina, Tulsa, San Jose State, Colorado, and Northwestern. In what decade did anyone outside of Ames see Iowa State playing for the Big12 championship?

But for all those teams that surprised on the upside, there has to be an equal number who disappointed on the downside. Wins and losses work that way.

Florida State, Minnesota, Western Kentucky, Southern Miss, California, Utah, Tennessee, LSU, Arkansas State all finished far below expectation and desire. A couple (Southern Miss, Arkansas State) either ran off their coach (USM) or lost him to another school (ASU). Southern Miss needed one head coach and two interim head coaches to get through the season.

So, in conclusion, I'm not saying there won't be some heads that roll, and it is possible that an avalanche can start with one sudden movement. But don't expect it to necessarily be so. After all, this is still 2020 - a very exceptional year.