Rival Views: Which coach owns hotter seat, Malzahn or Miles

Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell and National Recruiting Analyst Adam Gorney don’t always see eye to eye. In this edition of Rival Views, the two debate which coach has a hotter seat in the upcoming LSU-Auburn matchup.

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It may appear to be Gus Malzahn based on his current record, his horrible 2015 season and the fact that he can't stop playing musical quarterbacks, but I think it's Les Miles. The reason? Miles was almost sent packing last year and whether it was a deal with Jimbo Fisher falling through or some soft-hearted alumni, something saved him at the last moment. But after that, it became clear that he not only needed to beat Alabama this year but he also needed to win the SEC West or he’s likely gone.

And right now neither of those things seem likely.

Malzahn has a better chance of weathering a storm if the season goes south because he wasn’t as close to being fired last year. Miles won’t get another last-second reprieve like last season and the standard is set much higher this year at LSU with so much talent than it is at Auburn. Both of them could end up being fired, don’t get me wrong, and the loser of this game will be in hot water. Overall, Miles is already a dead man walking after the opening loss to Wisconsin and the hesitancy to make a change at quarterback and with the offense until the last few games.

Auburn coach Gus Malzahn is on the hottest seat in college football and it’s only going to get worse if LSU comes to town this week and wins the game.

That would mean Auburn went 1-3 in September with all of its games lost at home. The Tigers have lost six straight SEC home games entering the LSU contest. That’s not going to cut it for a fan base and a school that already knew Malzahn had to win this season to probably keep his job.

At Tuesday’s press conference, Malzahn sounded either deflated, supremely disappointed or resigned to the fact that his offense just isn’t that good, certainly not the caliber needed to win the SEC, and that his defense alone cannot win games.

When a coach starts saying that the team is really close and that this coaching staff is going to get the program turned around, a lot of times that’s the first sign a change might be needed.

I’m not certain firing Malzahn helps all that much. The guy knows how to put points on the board, but the quarterback situation is so unsettled and the options are not great, I wonder how Auburn got there in the first place.

It could be Malzahn’s undoing. LSU thrashed Auburn, 45-21, last season and running back Leonard Fournette raced for 228 yards and three touchdowns. If that happens again, it might be time to get that resume polished up.