CFB HC's on the Hot Seat: Applewhite 8th

https://247sports.com/college/houston/ContentGallery/College-football-coaches-hot-seat-10-are-heating-up-in-2018-119117453//#119117453_3

247Sports take: Applewhite’s promotion to head coach was met with mixed reviews following Tom Herman’s departure, much like Josh Heupel’s introduction in Orlando after taking over for Scott Frost this season at UCF. It’s an obvious challenge for a program in the AAC to hire a big-name replacement when their own savior jumps ship for greener pastures, but the Cougars aren’t ready to pull the plug on this former Longhorns quarterback just yet. Four of five losses last fall came by a touchdown or less and Houston did beat 17th-ranked USF on the road. The Cougars won’t be able to summon the national momentum sustained under Herman unless Applewhite manages wins over Arizona and Texas Tech in September to get people talking, a lot to ask for a team whose game-changing playmaker is a defensive tackle.

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I agreed. Texas Tech is not as good this year on offense and their defense aren’t world beaters. Arizona is good, but so is UH. Advantage, UH because the game is at the cage. It’s also a noon game.

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To think that Coach Applewhite is someone who is on the hot seat right now seems absurd to me.

Some folks seem to think that UH should go somewhere between 10-2 to 12-0 this year. If we accomplish that, I think that other schools like Texas Tech and LSU will most likely be wanting to interview Coach Applewhite.

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Let them.

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Coogs went to a bowl game in his first season and now he is on the hot seat? I remember when getting to a bowl game would get you an extension! My how the bar has risen…both from UH fans and media types. I guess this is a good sign.

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In complete agreement, Major’s first season was full of near misses. He needs to show clear improvement in year 2, but hot seat strikes of a hot take.

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I just re-read this. It was one season – a very good season with lots of publicity but finishing 3rd in the AAC West after beating two #3 teams but losing to Navy, Memphis and SMU (!!!) pretty much killed the national momentum along with the rumor mill. It’s a stretch to call this “sustained”.

Fickell is way too high at 4 and probably shouldn’t be on the list. Cincy isn’t going to boot him after his 2nd year considering his recruiting was very good last year and that high buyout. He’ll get at least another year and probably a couple. Writer makes it seem like his Ohio State tenure should carry over to Cincy.

I’d also be surprised if Michigan lets Harbaugh go.

Here’s the rest of their top 30: http://coacheshotseat.com/

Scotty Montgomery should be very high on this list and I noticed he comes in around 23.

Phillip Montgomery should also be higher than 25.

Sumlin at 13??? He just got hired.

Edsell at 20…no chance they fire him. He’s their last shot and they’ll give him time.

with the talent he was left with i sure hope year 1 we would have gone to a bowl under him. that’s not the bar now.

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Bowl games are worthless because even teams with losing records get to go. So saying applewhite is more than mediocre for bowling is not a good barometer.

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It’s a good problem to have if we do go 10-2 or better.

you forgot about the OU and Louisville wins?

losing to Tulsa and Tulane is not a high bar !!

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No, I said beating two #3s.

But I think the “national momentum” started to diminish after the SMU loss and then ultimately with the rumor mill and Memphis eye-twitch / loss. It was so short-lived that I find it odd they considered it “sustained under Herman”. Do you agree with the writer that Herman had “sustained national momentum” at UH?

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But Herman lost to UConn and SMU. I strongly believe that had CMA had Ward, Chance Allen, Brandon Wilson, Steven Taylor, McCloskey, Bowser, Malveaux, and B.J. Singleton, he would have done far better than he did. But the fact is, he didn’t and the QB brought in from aTm by LTH, that was supposed to be the next Case Keenum, turned out to be a bust. Our QB situation was a real drop from Greg Ward and our defense lost a ton of NFL talent.

It’s easy to say what we should have done; but the fact is, we had a tremendous drop in talent from a 9-3 team. That we were expected to do better, with a first year coach with a mostly new staff, and less talent, was unreasonable. Sure, I predict us to go undefeated every year (and so far we are on track for 14-0 next year, haven’t lost yet); but that is my hope more than my true expectation. I will keep predicting an undefeated season, some day it may happen. But, I will use reason if we don’t and surely not call for a new coach. I will leave the coaching decisions to Chris Pezman.

Of course we would have been with Ward. He hid the glaring deficiencies of the offense when CMA was OC.

And of course Allen was a bust in that offense. Lets put an average at best runner with a great arm in a QB run first offense. Keenum would have been a bust last year in that offense because while he was elusive, he was not a Ward/King type runner

Ok, I’ll play along. CMA goes 5-7 this year. All you know it all will get rid of him. Which coach from the SEC do you bring in? Sorry most likely not happening. Which coach from the Big10 did you persuade to come? Sorry most likely not happening. Play your silly little games, but come back when you have a better option.

For the record I still think CMA is a good option. The talent may be better at wide receiver, last year was bad. Second year for DC so hopefully no free td like the Tech game. Yet another oline coach. Team will go undefeated.

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While I am not now or ever have been a CMA fan, even I know he needs 3 years to show what he can do.

Herman was the beneficiary of some good recruiting by the previous coaching staff (too bad they couldn’t coach), but he did bring in an excellent coaching staff ( not withstanding CMA) IMHO and coached the team up.

But, in the end Herman was nothing more than a self promoter. Like I have said before, the jury is still out as to whether Herman is a good HC.

We will see how CMA performs this year especially with in game adjustments and decisions. That is where I think he doesn’t shine. But yes, he has only had one year.

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promote Kendal Briles to HC duh

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Sorry to bring logic to your tantrum & name calling.
Regardless of where we get the next HC.
We all can agree better a HC unknown from _____ than a HC who goes 5-7 vs this schedule.

Regardless, its just message board fodder during the slow time.
Very, very slim chance of a losing record.

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