Coaching Hot Seat Meter: Could Brian Kelly be in trouble at Notre Dame?

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.

Brian Kelly - Notre Dame

No one would have deemed Kelly on the hot seat coming into 2016, but Notre Dame's first four games may have changed things.

The Irish find themselves at 1-3, with their defense in complete shambles after bottoming out in a home loss to Duke on Saturday. Sure, the Irish lost several key contributors like Will Fuller, C.J. Prosise, Ronnie Stanley, and Jaylon Smith to the NFL in the offseason, but as long as it says "Notre Dame" on your jerseys, you can't lose to a Blue Devils team that's playing a backup quarterback.

It would still take something significant for Kelly to lose his job, but another loss or two like the one from Saturday, and the 54-year-old is going to feel his seat getting warmer.

Mark Helfrich - Oregon

Ask any Oregon fan and they'll tell you: Mark Helfrich is no Chip Kelly.

Helfrich's tenure as the head coach of the Ducks began well, winning 24 games in his first two years and earning an appearance in the Rose Bowl in 2014. Since then, things have been slowly unraveling. Oregon blew a massive lead to TCU in last year's Alamo Bowl, and the disappointment has carried over to this year.

The Ducks have dropped two straight in shocking fashion, thanks to Helfrich opting to go for two after every touchdown against Nebraska two weeks ago and failing on four of them. Oregon lost that contest by three points, then dropped a home game to Colorado on Saturday in a contest where the Buffaloes were using their backup quarterback.

Helfrich needs something positive to happen, and fast.

James Franklin - Penn State

Franklin is a meager 16-14 since joining Penn State, and a woeful 6-11 in conference play.

There was no shame in losing to No. 4 Michigan, but the Nittany Lions didn't even look like they were in the same league. The 49-10 drubbing came after Franklin's team barely squeaked by Temple and gave up 42 points in a loss to Pitt.

Many figured he would have somewhat of a free pass with the recruiting sanctions the program was feeling when he arrived, but with a high-profile name like Les Miles available, Franklin may have to turn this season into something special to save his job.

Clay Helton - USC

Helton had the interim tag removed from his title in the offseason, but is USC regretting its decision?

The Trojans were beaten handily by Alabama and Stanford before blowing a big lead against Utah. A season that began with so much optimism is quickly turning into a disaster, as Max Browne has already been replaced by Sam Darnold at quarterback after only three games, perhaps indicating Helton's evaluation of the two during spring and fall camps was off base.

With games against Cal, Washington, and UCLA still to come, it's possible Helton's stay as head coach will be a short one.

Gus Malzahn - Auburn

Had Auburn not escaped with a win over LSU on Saturday, it could have very well been Malzahn receiving a pink slip instead of Miles.

If LSU got that final snap off in time, it's likely we would be asking where Malzahn would end up next, as he's taken his team straight downhill since an appearance in the national title game during his first season as head coach. A noted offensive guru, Malzahn hasn't been able to produce a competent quarterback for Auburn since Nick Marshall.

Even with the win over LSU, it's probably going to take another seven victories for Malzahn to save his job.