Coaching Hot Seat Meter: Oregon running out of patience with Helfrich

Every week, theScore's Coaching Hot Seat Meter will examine those in danger of losing their jobs in college football. Follow along each week to see which coaches are feeling the heat.

Jim Mora - UCLA

Mora will probably get a reprieve this year because star quarterback Josh Rosen is done for the season with a shoulder injury, but Thursday's loss was eye-opening.

UCLA committed 13 penalties in a very winnable game against Colorado, aiding the Buffaloes in their victory. Mora has also continued his trend of not winning big games while with the Bruins, dropping contests to Stanford and Texas A&M earlier in the campaign. The 54-year-old has totaled 40 wins in his four-plus seasons with the program, but only owns one Pac-12 South Division title for his efforts.

What Mora does have going for him is the fact that there aren't many coaches willing to come to UCLA who would actually be an upgrade. Until that changes, expect Mora to be safe.

Rich Rodriguez - Arizona

The Wildcats are in the midst of a six-game slide and seem to be getting worse every week.

Since Arizona dropped a 35-28 contest against Washington in late September, the closest Rodriguez's crew has come on the score sheet is a two-touchdown loss to Utah on Oct. 8. The Wildcats have since been outscored 151-31 in three games, culminating with a dreadful showing against Washington State on Saturday.

Arizona gave up 69 points to the Cougars, which is more than double the Wildcats' offensive output for the past three weeks combined.

Brian Kelly - Notre Dame

Unless something unforeseen happens, Notre Dame will miss out on a bowl game for the first time in Kelly's tenure.

The Irish now have losses to Duke, NC State, and Navy on their resume this year, all programs Notre Dame is expected to beat with regularity. Ironically, losses to typical powers Michigan State and Texas may make Kelly look worse than anything. The Spartans lost seven straight after knocking off Notre Dame, while the Longhorns have been a mess most of the year.

After averaging nine wins a season in South Bend prior to 2016, Kelly was expected to be given a mulligan for this campaign. But he is making it very difficult for the program to give him another chance.

Mark Helfrich - Oregon

It appears one of Oregon's most prominent figures is growing tired of Helfrich.

The title Knight is searching for is slipping further and further away under Helfrich, as the Ducks have lost six of their past seven games and are giving up points at an astronomical rate. Oregon is now an afterthought in a conference with teams like Washington, Washington State, and Colorado all on the rise. Saturday's lopsided defeat at the hands of USC only illustrated how far they have fallen.

Helfrich hasn't been able to maintain Oregon's standing as a perennial power, like it was under Chip Kelly, and he probably doesn't have enough time left on the job to re-establish that stature.

Charlie Strong - Texas

Strong survives another week.

The Longhorns have suddenly won back-to-back games after losing four of five, and Strong may actually have a chance to save his job, which appeared all but lost at one point. The 56-year-old has now equaled his victory total from a year ago and still has a shot at an eight-win season. If Strong can finish with eight wins and a decent showing in a bowl game, that would be a big step up from 2015.

When you consider his performance in recruiting and the support he seems to have among those around the program, Strong just might get one more opportunity in 2017.