SEC Football Preview '07: The Hot Seat

(Image via Georgia Sports Blog and Kit Kitchens)

Being a coach in the SEC can be lucrative (just ask any coach at Alabama). But because of the insanely high expectations each fan base has for its team, it can also be a pressure cooker (just ask any former coach at Alabama). Coaching in the SEC is kind of like being a salesman in Glengarry Glen Ross: first place, an SEC championship; second place, a set of steak knives; third place, you're fired.

Alright, so maybe third place isn't grounds for immediate dismissal, but it makes the barbecue circuit in the spring a little more uncomfortable. More than half the coaches in the league have been with their teams for less than five years, so turnover isn't unusual. Before we take a look at coaches who need to impress this fall to remain on their respective sidelines, let's be clear about who most likely isn't worried about losing his job anytime soon.

1. Urban Meyer -- current king of college football
2. Nick Saban -- even if he's not Bear Reincarnate, Bama's got a lot of money tied up in him.
3. Steve Spurrier -- If you can charge $100/year for access to your website, you've got job security. Click clack.
4. Tommy Tuberville -- Steadily maintains one of the best programs in the SEC this decade.
5. Mark Richt -- see also Tommy Tuberville
6. Les Miles -- Goofy hat, goofier comments, but wins.

Surprisingly, Bobby Johnson still isn't on the hot seat. He's managed to do something that nobody else has done since George McIntyre in the early 80s: hold the Vandy job for more than five years. And whether or not he also becomes the first coach to lead the 'Dores to a bowl since McIntyre, he's well-liked in Nashville and should be around for awhile. Also, Rich Brooks has gone from fans wearing "Rich Brooks Farewell Tour" t-shirts to writing songs about him, and could take the 'Cats to back-to-back bowl games for only the third time in 25 years.

So which of the four remaining coaches are on the hot seat? After the jump...

1. Houston Nutt, Arkansas

If you didn't follow the soap opera that was Houston Nutt's offseason (the Springdale Five, Gus Malzahn, Mitch Mustain's transfer, phone records, lawsuits... good lord, the room is spinning), then I recommend Orson's Las Cronicas de Boss Hawg to get you caught up. Between las cronicas (which are in every way hilarious), and the recent illness of Nutt's assistant coach and brother Danny (which is in no way anything but tragic), I'm surprised Nutt has made it this far. High drama and winning can be entertaining, but drama and losing = get out of town. He's got Darren McFadden and Felix Jones to help him this year, but it might not be enough to save his job.

2. Sylvester Croom, Mississippi State

Much was made about Croom being the first black head coach in the SEC when he was hired four years ago. But a 9-25 record later, it wouldn't matter if he was green with pink polka dots. There's only so much losing a fan base will put up with, and Bulldog fans are about at their limit with Sly. In the Croom era, State has beaten Florida and Alabama, but they've also lost to Tulane and I-AA Maine, as well as being blown out by nearly every team in the conference at least once. MSU's first four SEC games are against LSU, Auburn, South Carolina, and Tennessee, and if they don't win at least one of them, Croom might be out the door.

3. Ed Orgeron, Mississippi

For comedy's sake, I hope Orgeron stays around a few more years. But that whole "wildboys" thing hasn't worked out yet, and the program's savior at quarterback, Tennessee castoff and JUCO transfer Brent Schaffer, probably won't even be the starter this year. Orgeron is a good recruiter, but that doesn't mean wins. Just ask Ron Zook.

What about Fulmer?

There's been a lot of talk this offseason about Phil Fulmer being on the hot seat in Knoxville, as pointed out by Fanhouse's Ryan Ferguson. As a Vol fan myself, I can confirm that there has been a lot of grumbling about Tennessee's lack of an SEC championship in the last eight years. And of course, as the head coach, Fulmer gets the brunt of the criticism. But I can also confirm that there was grumbling during UT's great runs in the 90s (why can't we beat Florida? why can't we win by 40 points instead of 20?) and Fulmer survived that. The other thing Fulmer has going for his is deep-pocketed boosters that like him. So barring complete and total disaster, Fulmer will be the head coach at Tennessee for awhile, probably as long as he wants it.