Hot Seat: Temperature rising for Richt
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Recruiting: The Eagles are No. 10 in the ACC team rankings and tied for No. 57
overall. Linebacker Ethan Tucky is the lone four-star in the class.
Overview: Boston College is the only ACC team to still be winless in the
conference, with its victories this season coming against Maine, Howard and
Northern Illinois. An outstanding defense cannot bail out an offense that
averages 17.3 points per game.
Recruiting: The Razorbacks are No. 11 in the SEC and No. 39 overall in the team
rankings. Four-star DE McTelvin Agim leads the class with DT
Briston Guidry as the only other four-star in the class.
More than anything, Bielema's antics on and off the field could be the biggest
concern.
Farrell's take: "That was a huge win against Ole Miss, but he's a guy who
continually embarrasses the programs with his antics on the sideline, the way he
interacts with the press and his winning percentage (15-19 at Arkansas) isn't great."
Recruiting: The Mountaineers are third in the Big 12 team rankings and No. 34
overall. Four-star ATH Steven Smothers and DB Kyzir White are
the two four-stars in the class.
Overview: West Virginia is 1-4 in the Big 12 and 4-4 overall after a brutal
TCU by an average of 20.3 points per game.
Farrell's take: "As West Virginia fans expect him to take the team to the
next level, it's just been way too up and down, especially when you look at the
success of Baylor, TCU and Oklahoma State have had."
Recruiting: Auburn is eighth in the SEC team rankings and No. 23 overall.
Five-star DE Marlon Davidson leads the recruiting class.
Overview: The season could have been disastrous after a close call against
Jacksonville State and then losses to LSU and Mississippi State and then again
with defeats to Arkansas and Ole Miss but it seems like things turned at least a
little in recent weeks. A win at Texas A&M was big. Huge games against Georgia
and Alabama are coming up.
Recruiting: The Commodores are last in the SEC team rankings with no four-star
pledges and only 12 players committed. Vanderbilt is No. 65 overall.
Overview: Vanderbilt has lost a lot of close games this season, but its offense
has to improve for any hope of victories. The Commodores are averaging just over
14 points per game and that's not going to be enough in the SEC.
Farrell's take: "That's an improved team but arguably have one of the worst
offenses you'll ever see. He's a defensive coach, the defense has really
improved, he got his first SEC win, but that offense is just horrendous."
Recruiting: Syracuse is No. 12 in the ACC team rankings and No. 63 overall. The
Orange have no four-star commitments and only seven three-star pledges.
Overview: The Orange have lost six in a row and host top-ranked Clemson on
Saturday. The honchos at Syracuse say Shafer will be evaluated after the season,
never a promising sign for any coach. Syracuse's only conference win so far is
against Wake Forest.
Recruiting: With only nine commits, the Longhorns are seventh in the Big 12
rankings and No. 60 overall. Four-star QB Shane Buechele is the lone
Rivals100 prospect in the class.
Overview: It started with an embarrassing loss to Notre Dame after which Strong
changed offensive coordinators. Then Texas went 1-4 after a 43-point defeat at
TCU. The worst, though, came on Halloween when Iowa State blanked the Longhorns,
24-0. Strong might not get fired after only his second season, but things need to
change quickly.
Farrell's take: The Iowa State loss was even lower than the TCU blowout and it
must have been frustrating after the Oklahoma win. He's going to get time, but
heading into next season he's firmly on the hot seat."
Recruiting: The Aggies are ninth in the SEC team rankings and No. 24 overall.
There are five four-stars in the class -- all from the state of Texas.
Overview: This might be a surprising name, but the Aggies have lost three of their
last four, including a bad showing against Auburn and the quarterback situation
is an absolute mess. In the brutal SEC West, is Texas A&M getting better or
worse?
Farrell's take: "It's hard to put in a guy who's had his team in the top 25
the last couple years, he had a Heisman Trophy winner and has been mentioned for
other jobs, but the internal strife in regards to the quarterback situation and
the disturbing trend of quarterbacks who regress quickly could haunt him if it
continues."
Adam Gorney
National Recruiting Analyst