SEC Hot Seat: Jones kills any support left at UT

Butch Jones is gone at Tennessee.

The hokey cliches were fine, but the problems started creeping up in 2014 when he blew games fans felt he should have won, rose in 2015 with unexplainable losses to Oklahoma and Arkansas, then exploded in 2016 when they were projected to win the East.

Now, after three straight weeks of “what the …?” it’s likely enough is enough.

The only question left is whether he’ll finish the season as coach.

For Jones, having a bye week right now is going to be two weeks of a living hell. He can say what he wants, but you don’t lose to Florida and get whitewashed by Georgia at home and keep your job.

Not in Knoxville. Remember, they let one assistant (Phil Fulmer) stab a legend (Johnny Majors) in that back, then made HIM a legend. Then they fired Fulmer.

Which begat Lane Kiffin, which begat Derek Dooley and a decade of frustration of a fan base that has always been somewhat delusional, but at least they have valid reasons now.

Jones will be fired this year, barring a convincing miracle win over Alabama. That means at least a two-touchdown victory.

And that may lead to him being fired during this bye week time. They don’t want to make the mistake of waiting and giving him time to build a case for another year (which never works out well for anyone).

Ed Orgeron at LSU has seen his situation drop like the proverbial rock in a pond. They are figuring out he’s not cut out to be a head coach, which folks at Ole Miss could have told them, but they were just glad he was in Baton Rouge.

Considering the blowout loss to Mississippi State and losing to Troy, unless Orgeron turns things around big-time, he’ll be a one-and-done in Baton Rouge.

Bret Bielema may publicly act like he’s oblivious to what’s swirling around him, but there is a groundswell of discontent with strictly his record of wins and losses.

It’s starting to sweep up the athletic director, too, who in a moment of complete stupidity, allowed the announced attendance at Saturday’s game against New Mexico State to be announced at over 70,000.

While that may have been the number of tickets sold (which likely includes a healthy amount of heavily discounted sales), the actual number at any point in the game was at least 20,000 less than that.

Bielema has no negatives off the field. It’s all about the fact what he’s tried to put together isn’t working. It hasn’t worked and while they like to throw out three straight seasons with seven wins there’s the flip side that this is the longest period of time without a nine-win season in over 60 years.

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He keeps saying this team is getting close, but no one can figure out exactly what it’s close to other than mediocrity.

The order, from most likely to be fired to safest:

1. Butch Jones, Tennessee … It would probably take a miracle for him to save his job. Of course, the Vols still think they can get Jon Gruden, but failing that, want Chip Kelly and, of course, Bobby Petrino will be in the discussion around that one.

2. Ed Orgeron, LSU … While he may get more than one season, patience is short in Baton Rouge. If it wasn’t, Les Miles would still be the coach. Orgeron has taken a team in the conversation for the college football playoff last year to the point of not being in the discussion for a bowl game, ANY bowl game.

3. Bret Bielema, Arkansas … Some of Bielema’s problems are not of his doing. The poor marketing job of the football program, the slogan of #uncommon they hoisted on it and the relentless pursuit of making the phrase “woo pig” something anybody feels good about. The football program is definitely uncommon from what fans are used to in that it has gone from medicore to maybe very bad. The phrase “Go Hogs!” has been the staple for decades. To be honest, it was doubtful from day one that what he wanted to do was going to work in the SEC West, much less at Arkansas.

4. Matt Luke, Ole Miss … This probably should have an asterisk since he was interim from the first day. If there was any doubt, Alabama 66, Ole Miss 3 removed it.

5. Barry Odom, Missouri … Another bad hire to start with, so you have to live with bad decisions, but you wonder how long it will last with the Tigers, who seem to have some sort of drama nearly every week. If there’s anybody left up there that cares, Odom is on the hot seat, but at the most wildly liberal school in the SEC, who knows?

6. Kevin Sumlin, Texas A&M … To be honest, it may not be this hot after SEC wins over Arkansas and South Carolina. Memories really are short once the season starts and your status changes almost weekly, if not daily. People are willing to forgive the first three weeks if the Aggies pick up the pieces and win nine games, which surprisingly looks very, very likely.

7. Jim McElwain, Florida … Can the Gators get past Georgia in Jacksonville again? While the Bulldogs look like the Beast in the East, at this point the last two seasons Florida appeared to be middle of the road and found themselves in Atlanta. McElwain is going to have to start winning some bigger games, though.

8. Mark Stoops, Kentucky … Considering the Wildcats’ lack of success in football over the last, well, forever, Stoops probably has more security than anybody could guess. He has improved the Wildcats to the point that people still show up after basketball practice starts, but he needs to finish strong.

9. Gus Malzahn, Auburn … This changes hourly down on The Plains, depending on you talk to. Considering athletics director Jay Jacobs is having to battle for his own job, it’s hard to imagine the football program getting a lot of scrutiny, depending on who you talk to. Plus, wins like the ones over Missouri and Mississippi State (not getting a win, but the margin) have made life easier for Gus.

10. Derek Mason, Vanderbilt … He’s safe for awhile, although he can’t have many repeats of the Alabama game. It wasn’t the result that was so bad, but the mouthing the week before putting the spotlight on a tailkicking a lot of people didn’t care for.

11. Dan Mullen, Mississippi State … Getting the big win over LSU probably bought him two years. People keep talking about him leaving, but no one is thinking realistically. Coaching today is more about money than winning to so many of these coaches. He makes $4.5 million a year in Starkville, Miss., where winning 7-8 games a year probably means they will build a statue for you.

12. Will Muschamp, South Carolina … He has the Gamecocks still competitive after losing their best player. They won’t be holding Muschamp’s feet to the fire this season unless there is a complete collapse. He has a quarterback younger than some high school seniors and nothing in their play this season is anything to hang your head about.

13. Kirby Smart, Georgia … He could get a motorcycle and nobody would pay attention.

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14. Nick Saban, Alabama … His job is safer than any elected official in Alabama.