Hot Seat Coaches Cool Their Cushions With Big Win

By: Chad Wilson – Editor GridironStuds Blog
Twitter: @GridironStuds

Few things are more brutal than Monday morning traffic on the way to work.  That is unless you have opened up the Twitter app on any Sunday morning during the college football season.  It can be the purest of entertainment to watch fans meltdown and fire entire coaching staffs, administration and swear off their program loyalty.  At first it can be comedy but when it persists, it can turn into problems for coaches, teams and programs.  With that said, some coaches that social media fired a few weeks ago have reclaimed their temporary pass with big wins last week.

Comeback LSU

Not even halfway into his first full season as LSU’s head coach,  Ed Orgeron had received his pink slip from LSU Twitter.  Getting blown out by Mississippi St. was a sobering experience for the Tiger faithful but when that was followed up by a home loss to Troy St.,  LSU fans were driven to drink and offered to drive Orgeron to the nearest airport.  Fortunately, fans don’t directly do the hiring and firing so Orgeron kept his job past Troy St.  Since the Troy St. debacle,  Orgeron and the Tigers went on the road and upset the Florida Gators then pulled a rabbit out of a hat last week to defeat the Auburn Tigers.  LSU was down 20-0 at one point during the game and fans had plugged in Orgeron’s hot seat only to have him and the Tigers unplug it with a dramatic come from behind win 27-23.  Orgeron can enjoy a lukewarm seat until their trip to Tuscaloosa to face the Fighting Nick Sabans.  That game is in two weeks.  Yikes, no one said this coaching thing was easy.

The Benevolent Gators

The Florida Gators were gracious enough to cool Orgeron’s seat off for him two weeks ago and once again were feeling the early holiday giving season spirit when they allowed Kevin Sumlin to get some relief after losing the Texas A&M 19-17 last week.  It’s been a long time since the Gators lost back to back home games but in so doing,  Jim McElwain may have transferred the heat from his two SEC foes’ seat to his own.  Sumlin’s rear end was getting blistered after the UCLA collapse earlier this season and mediocre performances vs. Nicholls St. and Louisiana Lafayette.  A win at Florida was needed and Sumlin got it.  Now he can enjoy some comfort as his 5-2 Aggies take a bye week before hosting Mississippi St.

Graham Pass Granted

On the heels of back to back losing season’s in Tempe,  Arizona St. head coach Todd Graham entered this 2017 season with a flame broiled keister.  Most in the desert consider Graham to be a dead man walking.  He did himself no favors by struggling to get by New Mexico St. in the opener and then losing consecutive games to Texas Tech and San Diego St.  A good showing against Oregon and Stanford left Graham in a holding pattern until last Saturday night.  The Washington Huskies were / are everyone’s pick to win the Pac-12 and represent the conference in the college football playoff.  However,  Graham’s Sun Devils threw a king Craftsman sized monkey wrench in those plans when they upset the Huskies 13-7.  Now Graham is the man in the Tempe (well not quite) but at least he can breathe easy.  That is until he travels to Utah this Saturday to face a strong and angry Utes team seething after their one point loss to USC last week.  Don’t remove that real estate listing just yet Todd.

I wonder if any the sportsbooks are offering odds on whether these guys will get fired this year.

 

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