It may only be June, but one thing is clear: there are several coaches that are feeling the heat from their seat.
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Earlier this week, Auburn athletic director Jay Jacobs gave something Gus Malzahn something that could be a bad sign: the "dreaded" vote of confidence.
"He's our coach and he'll be our coach for a long, long time," Jacobs said.
Considering Auburn's 15-11 record since going to the BCS Championship Game in the 2013 season, that statement may be more fluff than fact. And considering that Malzahn and the Tigers have one of the tougher schedules in football in 2016, that record may get worse before it gets better.
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That statement led us to one question: not only is Malzahn on the hot seat, but could he be the first coach fired mid-season in 2016? Looking at some of the other candidates on the list... Malzahn might be the best candidate.
When looking at other Power 5 coaches that might be in trouble, a couple of names come to mind: Texas's Charlie Strong and Georgia Tech's Paul Johnson. However, Texas could be on a bit of a rise this season, and Georgia Tech might not even be able to afford dismissing Johnson if they have a poor season.
Auburn might not have that kind of patience, though.
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I want to think the Tigers will be better in 2016 than they were in 2015, but their first few games are brutal. They may have both of them at home, but Auburn opens with Clemson and LSU — both likely to be in the AP preseason Top 5 — before September ends.
Auburn will have games at home against Texas A&M and Arkansas, and road games against Mississippi State and Ole Miss... and that is BEFORE they get to games at Georgia and at Alabama before the season ends.
This will be the year that could test Auburn's patience. After a title in 2010 and a title-game appearance in 2013, poor records in back-to-back years might not be what the school's administrators are looking for, and a poor record in 2016 is definitely possible with that schedule.
Malzahn probably deserves to stay on longer, but if things go sideways on The Plains this year, Malzahn might be taken with it.
