By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

Les Miles was fired the day after LSU lost 18-13 at Auburn. Miles was on the hot seat last season and he was almost fired in November. We all know coaching can be a high-pressure profession so this comes with the territory.

Personally I think it would have made more sense for LSU to make the coaching change at the end of the season. On the other hand, sometimes I wish other programs would be that decisive when they fire their coach. The perfect example is USC in 2013 firing Lane Kiffin 6 hours after a blow-out loss to Arizona State. I’m going to take a look at other coaches on the hot seat.

I’ll start with Gus Malzahn at Auburn. It’s ironic that a coach was fired after losing to his team. I think Malzahn could have been in the same position if the game-winning touchdown was not overturned. Auburn fired Gene Chizik two years after he won the 2010 national championship so they have history with letting go of a coach with recent success.

In Malzahn’s first season in 2013 the team played in the national championship. They lost in the final seconds to Florida State and finished with a 12-2 record. He is 7-11 in the SEC since 2013 and last season 2-6 in the conference.

He’s known as an offensive coach but the offense has not looked good this season. If the Tigers aren’t at least .500 in the SEC I think he will get fired before the season ends.

Paul Johnson at Georgia Tech also has concerns over his job security. Last year they finished 3-9, which was his worst season in Atlanta. He has had a few mediocre years like 6-7 in 2010, 7-7 in 2012 and 7-6 in 2013.

In 2012 Tech lost 49-28 at home to Middle Tennessee State. Personally, I thought he should have been fired right after that game. Johnson does not recruit well so they have inferior talent compared to most teams in the ACC.

He also is only 2-6 against Georgia. I think best-case scenario this year is finishing 6-6. They have already lost to Clemson and if they lose to Miami, North Carolina, Virginia Tech and UGA he should be fired. Those are teams the Georgia Tech plays every year and he has a losing record against each opponent.

Texas A & M’s Kevin Sumlin is another coach that needs a good season. I’m sure that raised an eyebrow since the Aggies are 4-0 and ranked No.10 in the nation. The Aggies started 5-0 in 2014 and 2015 but finished 8-5 both seasons. They also don’t have the quarterbacks from those seasons. Three of them (Kenny Hill, Kyler Murray, Kyle Allen) have transferred. Where there’s smoke there’s fire so that does not look good.

Sumlin’s first season in 2012 was his most successful. He finished 11-2 including a win at Alabama. That’s his only win against the Crimson Tide. He also has not beaten LSU since joining the SEC

I think he has to win ten games to keep his job. That means the worst he can do in the regular season is finish 9-3 and he has to win his bowl game. Anything less is not significant improvement from the last couple of years.