There are plenty of coaches on the hot seat as the college football season continues. Here are the seven biggest names that could be in danger, ranked in order.

RELATED: Farrell: The right move | LSU recruits react | Who should replace Miles?

Overview: The situation at USC is dire already and is bordering on catastrophic only a few games into Helton’s first season. The Trojans were embarrassed by Alabama to start the season and Stanford handled them comfortably. Then this past week, USC blew a 14-point second-half lead to lose at Utah where a controversial punt on fourth-and-3 helped lead to Utah’s game-winning score. Athletics director Lynn Swann did not hire Helton, so moving on might seem premature but possible if things continue to go downhill. USC is averaging just 22 points per game, the Trojans have already changed quarterbacks and another bad sign: Former players are speaking out about the state of the program.

Farrell’s take: This was a lazy hire, bottom line. The USC job is one of the top five or six jobs in the country and a national coaching search, with interest from other Power Five coaches as well as NFL coaches, should have been done. Pat Haden may be a Rhodes Scholar, but he was not smart as an AD. Swann lives and breathes USC football and he won’t stand for this. USC finishes with a losing record and Helton is gone after one year.

Overview: Did Malzahn save his job by beating LSU by the narrowest of margins this past weekend? Tough to say, but we know Les Miles lost his after dropping Saturday night’s nail-biter. Malzahn signed an extension this past July, but that probably means little if Auburn’s brass wants to make a change. They gave former coach Gene Chizik little leeway and that was after Chizik led the Tigers to a national championship. Prior to the LSU win, Auburn had lost seven straight home games to Power Five opponents, a puzzling mark since it’s such a tough place to play. And the quarterback situation has been befuddling as well. Malzahn is an offensive coach with a great offensive mind, yet he cannot get much production from the QB spot.

Farrell’s take: Would Malzahn had been fired if his team lost to LSU? I don’t think it would have happened this week like it did with Miles, but it would have helped seal his fate. Malzahn will need to pull a couple of upsets, namely Arkansas and Ole Miss and likely have to win on the road at Georgia. And even if all that happens, if Alabama thumps his team at the end of the season, he could be gone anyhow. Winning six out of his last eight could be the only way to save his job. And that’s amazing, considering in 2013 he led his team to the national title game. That’s the SEC West for you.

Overview: Now in his fourth season at Kentucky, Stoops has only won five SEC games, with one coming last week at home against South Carolina. Stoops is 14-26 overall with a 2-10 first season followed by back-to-back 5-7 campaigns. There just doesn’t seem to be a ton of improvement by the Wildcats. Kentucky lost to Southern Miss and got blown out by Florida to start the season before winning its last two games. But Alabama is on the docket this week and the Wildcats are about five-touchdown underdogs. That’s the state of the program.

Farrell’s take: The win over the Gamecocks was huge because the season started off in embarrassing fashion. But the Gamecocks are not a good team and are rebuilding, so the true measuring stick comes this weekend. I don’t expect Kentucky to beat Alabama, but if they lose by 40 points or something crazy, his seat will be sizzling. The key will be wins over Vanderbilt, Mississippi State and how they fare against Louisville at the end, another game that could get very ugly. However, can Kentucky do better? Stoops has recruited very well and is a good coach. The problem is, he hasn’t pulled a James Franklin at Vanderbilt (three bowls in three years) and that is expected by now.

Overview: Franklin has changed offensive coordinators, changed style of offense and still the Nittany Lions are not producing on the field and it could cost Franklin his job. Penn State is running more up-tempo spread, but the Lions are averaging only 101.2 rushing yards per game. They ran for 70 yards, gave up 515 yards and got pummeled 49-10 at Michigan last weekend in a game where the Wolverines probably let off the gas. Penn State didn’t even look competitive. Franklin has dealt with the Jerry Sandusky scandal and limited scholarships and other things during his tenure. But in his third season, Penn State still looks rudderless and there are talent deficiencies at many positions. With Ohio State, Michigan and Michigan State passing them by, how long do the Nittany Lions wait to see this program turned around?

Farrell’s take: Things are iffy right now. This is the first time he’s had a full team of scholarship players and he gets some undue criticism from fans and alumni who expect a bit too much. But what if Penn State loses to Minnesota this weekend, something that could happen? With expected losses to Ohio State, Iowa and Michigan State left on the schedule, Penn State needs to beat the Gophers, Maryland, Purdue, Indiana and Rutgers to finish 7-5. If they finish 6-6 or 5-7, watch out.

Overview: Helfrich might have a little more leeway than some others on this list because he took the Ducks to the national championship two seasons ago, but maybe not much more. After that title game run, Oregon finished 9-4 last season and embarrassingly relinquished a 31-0 halftime lead to TCU and lost the Alamo Bowl 47-41 in triple overtime. This season has hit the skids as well. After plowing through UC Davis and Virginia to start, the Ducks lost at Nebraska and at home to Colorado to go to 2-2 with the tough parts of the Pac-12 schedule ahead. When will Oregon return to its status as a regular national player and not just the program with the coolest facilities and the coolest uniforms that can’t win the big game?

Farrell’s take: Like Malzahn, Helfrich isn’t far removed from a national title game. But unlike Malzahn, Helfrich is not in the SEC West and he coaches a program that has been very loyal to coaches and very patient. But losing to Colorado at home? That’s bad stuff, no offense to the Buffs. This is the second year Oregon has had to rely on a former FCS quarterback to lead the team, recruiting had been down the last couple of years and many feel Helfrich was just the guy who inherited Marcus Mariota and Chip Kelly’s talent. He’s pretty safe barring a 4-8 season, but I also don’t see many gimme wins left on the schedule.

Overview: Things started off so well for Strong and the Longhorns with a 50-47 win over Notre Dame in the season-opener, a game that proved Texas turned things around after the South Bend Debacle last season. Blowing out UTEP in Week 2 was another nice step. But then the Longhorns traveled to Cal and gave up 50 points and 396 passing yards in a seven-point loss. Oklahoma State and Oklahoma are Texas’ next two opponents and neither game will be a cakewalk. Strong has made strides this season after going 11-14 in his first two years in Austin. But that Cal game hurt and the Big 12 is dangerous, so Strong isn’t in the clear yet.

Farrell’s take: The loss to Cal was disappointing and Strong once again questioning his assistant coaches and saying a few of the wrong things just makes him look unsure of himself. That being said, this is a Texas team that has clearly improved on the field and he recruited lights out down the stretch last recruiting cycle. The biggest threat to Strong could be the courting of Tom Herman by USC, LSU and others. If Texas has an average year, say 7-5 or so, does Texas sit back and let Herman go elsewhere if he’s interested in making a move? The Longhorns job would be the most attractive option for the star coach at Houston.

Overview: This season has been a flop so far for Notre Dame with a 1-3 start and a defense that clearly cannot stop many teams as evidenced by Duke’s 38-35 win last weekend where the Blue Devils put up 381 passing yards. Defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder has been fired, but Kelly has a lot to answer for as well with how this season has played out. Thinking he could be fired is probably a long shot, especially since the Irish went 10-3 last season and played for the national title in 2012, but there are certainly concerns and those need to be addressed for Kelly to feel completely comfortable in South Bend.

Farrell’s take: The way the defense is playing, and as you know I think it’s a recruiting and talent thing as much as a VanGorder thing, Notre Dame could lose to Syracuse, Navy and even USC in addition to likely losses to Stanford, Miami and Virginia Tech. So if Notre Dame finishes 4-8 or 5-7 is Kelly gone? I don’t think so, but he will be put on notice for sure for the 2017 season.