Coaching Hot Seat Meter: Sumlin, Jones under pressure after slow starts
Three games into a regular season may not be a good sample size for judging a head coach's ability to guide a program, but job security can be fleeting in college football.
A slow start combined with a disappointing track record can make a coach's seat grow increasingly toasty. Here are four men who could be inching ever closer to cleaning out their desks:
Bret Bielema - Arkansas
Bret Bielema arrived at Arkansas in December of 2012 following an impressive tenure at Wisconsin, but he clearly hasn't brought that success with him.
The Razorbacks enjoyed a number of highly successful seasons under Bobby Petrino from 2009-11, so the thought was likely that Bielema could continue that winning culture - a task he has yet to accomplish. Arkansas has just one season of eight wins in the fifth year of Bielema's reign, and its recent performance against TCU already has some fans calling for his removal.
Todd Graham - Arizona State
Anyone who believes in the power of omens likely doesn't see a bright future for Todd Graham at Arizona State.
The school elected not to offer the 52-year-old a one-year contract extension for the first time in six seasons, and Graham later admitted even he didn't think he deserved the added security. The Sun Devils have rebounded poorly in 2017 from back-to-back losing seasons, and have a tough road ahead with consecutive matchups against Oregon, Stanford, Washington, Utah, and USC. If those games don't go well, Graham could be in some seriously hot water.
Butch Jones - Tennessee
The SEC seems to be taking the brunt of the head coaching flack, and there's arguably no target more popular than Butch Jones.
Tennessee may be 2-1, but a crushing last-second loss to Florida and a narrow overtime victory over Georgia Tech have done little but raise questions regarding Jones' play-calling competency. Supposing Tennessee takes care of business against lowly UMass, the Volunteers will have a stretch of games against Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, and Kentucky that could either solidify or decimate Jones' future in Knoxville.
Kevin Sumlin - Texas A&M
If there's going to be a head coach let go in the coming weeks, the betting favorite is likely Kevin Sumlin at Texas A&M.
Sumlin made an incredible impression on the Aggies in his first season with an 11-win campaign, but every season since has been more disappointing than the last. The team's collapse against UCLA to kick off 2017 was more than enough for one Texas A&M regent to call for Sumlin's job, and more sentiments like that are likely to follow with another big defeat.
A storm is brewing in College Station, and it may not be long before we find out if Sumlin can stand the rain.