UPDATED HOT SEAT LIST!!!

Who will be the first coach fired in 2008? Check out Football Rumor Mill’s UPDATED HOT SEAT LIST!!!

Rapid Fire: Focus on Fulmer, Glenn, Robinson, Ferentz, Bowden, Chuck & Rocky Long – 10/01/2008

“The Firing Line” at Football Rumor Mill focuses on coaches around the country who are in serious jeopardy. The latest edition centers on no less than seven head men on the proverbial “hot seat”…

As losses become more plentiful than they used to be, opponents start winning a few more recruiting battles and ticket sales aren’t as brisk as they once were, college football coaches can find themselves fending off talk of hot seats and employment prospects. There never seems to be an offseason for speculation on which coaches will survive or who will be moving on. And in a world where fans want success and want it yesterday, patience is in short supply. After only a month of the season, Internet fan forums and talk radio shows are already overflowing. Phillip Fulmer is the subject at Tennessee, where the Volunteers are 1-3. Greg Robinson, 8-32 in his fourth year at Syracuse, is as good as gone, if many fans are to be believed. Virginia’s Al Groh is a target after a 1-3 start that includes lopsided losses to Connecticut and Duke. Washington’s Tyrone Willingham is a loss away from the Huskies’ first 0-5 start in almost four decades. Clemson was picked to win the Atlantic Coast Conference, but coach Tommy Bowden’s club is a disappointing 3-2, including 1-1 in the league. – USA Today

Phillip Fulmer – Tennessee

Once, Johnny Majors was an embattled football coach at the University of Tennessee. There is another coach in the same situation now. Just don’t draw any more parallels than that. “I wouldn’t put myself in comparison in Phil Fulmer with anything you ask,” Majors said Tuesday night before speaking to the Huntsville Quarterback Club. “I don’t want to compare what I’ve been through any time, any situation where ever, compared to who the head coach is there. I’m above that, compared to what I had to do, to rebuild three programs.” But here are some comparisons: Majors and Fulmer both coached 16 full seasons at Tennessee. Majors’ last six seasons he won 53 games. The six seasons going into this year, Fulmer had won 52. – Huntsville Times

Joe Glenn – Wyoming

Wyoming’s Joe Glenn is in his sixth season in Laramie, Wyo., and in big trouble. His team’s only wins were a 21-20 squeaker over Ohio in the season opener and a 16-13 victory over North Dakota State, a Football Championship Subdivision team. The Pokes (2-3, 0-1 MWC) have lost their past two games by a combined score of 89-16, and with games the following two weeks against 15th-ranked Utah and TCU, easily could lose five in a row if they can’t get past New Mexico (2-3, 0-1) on Saturday night. – Coloradoan

Rocky Long – New Mexico

Rocky Long, who is in his 11th season at New Mexico with a 63-64 record, isn’t on the same kind of hot seat as Glenn. But the Lobos (2-3, 0-1) are limping along since losing quarterback Donovan Porterie to a season-ending knee injury in a 56-14 loss two weeks ago at Tulsa. Redshirt freshman Brad Gruner led the Lobos to a 35-24 victory this past Saturday at New Mexico State, but it remains to be seen whether he’s capable of leading the Lobos through MWC play. – Coloradoan

Greg Robinson – Syracuse

Well, if now former Oakland Raiders coach Lane Kiffin is high on your list of candidates to replace Greg Robinson as head coach of the Syracuse Football team if and when he goes, this must be like Christmas morning in the timing department for you. … Lane Kiffin has absolutely been one of the most popular names mentioned as a possible candidate to replace Grob. That conversation was made all the more interesting when Daryl Gross told me last week that Kiffin would be a candidate in any coaching search that would be done here. — Syracuse Post-Standard

Kirk Ferentz – Iowa

If Ohio State coach Jim Tressel is “The Senator,” Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz should be called “The Junior Senator.” Ferentz’s calm and smooth approach to handling questions from reporters has served him well throughout his tenure as Iowa’s coach. It has been especially valuable in recent months, as Iowa endured a wave of off-field problems involving players. Now Ferentz finds himself in the crosshairs after Iowa suffered back-to-back losses… It’s important to note that Ferentz signed a contract extension through 2012 that includes a large buyout, so he’s probably not going anywhere. But if Iowa continues to slide — Saturday’s game at Michigan State is absolutely critical — Ferentz will continue to be asked about his job security, as he was on Tuesday’s Big Ten coaches’ teleconference. “I’m not aware of the reports on my job status,” he said. “Maybe our kids are more in-tune than I am. That’s the last thing I’m worried about.” – ESPN

Chuck Long – San Diego State

Chuck Long is struggling to get San Diego State over the hump. He is in his third season and is just 8-20. The Aztecs are 1-3 this season, though they are coming off their first win (Idaho) of the season. Given the rest of the schedule, San Diego State could finish 1-11. If a change is made, don’t be shocked if former Minnesota coach Glen Mason becomes a prime candidate. The hire makes sense, because the program needs a veteran hand. The Aztecs haven’t been to a bowl since 1998, when Ted Tollner was coach. The best SDSU has managed since is a 6-6 mark in 2003. – Rivals.com

Tommy Bowden – Clemson

“I’ve defended Bowden to no end, but I’m done defending him,” he said. “People have seen this before, and here we are again. … It just kills you. It takes the wind right out of the sails.” Smith’s dissatisfaction appears to represent a growing number of Clemson supporters who have soured on Bowden and the direction of his team. Fan criticism of Bowden is nothing new, but recent events have brought disillusionment even among people who previously supported Bowden… Dr. Jim Bostic, president of IPTAY, said he’s heard some criticism from boosters but didn’t want to discuss specifics. “I’m hearing the same things you’re hearing,” he said. “I don’t think we ought to be in a crisis mode or anything like that, but I’m hearing that people are very disappointed about what’s happening with the team. Anytime you have people who are not happy about what’s going on, you have to listen to those people.” Bowden, who last December signed a contract extension through 2014, said he can’t preoccupy himself with questions about his job security. – Post and Courier