Yes, it's the first week of October and the silly season has already begun.
UTEP's Sean Kugler became the first coaching casualty of the season when he resigned Sunday. There promises to more openings, including some of the most sought-after jobs in the country.
If the likes of Notre Dame, UCLA, Tennessee, LSU and Texas A&M come open, we're talking about some of the most high-profile searches in recent years.
We got a reminder Saturday when Tennessee got skunked by Georgia and LSU lost at home to Troy. What used to be patience now causes coaches to look over their shoulders.
Given the rapidly changing landscape, I wanted to reshuffle my original set of Hot Seat Rankings from the summer.
A reminder of our ranking system …
| Rating | Status / What it means | Now | Preseason |
|---|---|---|---|
5 | Win or be fired | 2 | 2 |
4 | Start improving immediately | 10 | 4 |
3 | Pressure is mounting | -- | 15 |
2 | All good ... for now | -- | 31 |
1 | Safe and secure | -- | 66 |
0 | Untouchable | -- | 12 |
Below you will find a new ranking of the 15 coaches with the hottest seats in college football along with two coaches whose seats have cooled down considerably after the first month of the season. Click here for a look at where all 130 FBS coaches ranked to begin the season.
Coaches on the hot seat (15)
| Team | Name | Status | News |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Butch Jones | 5 | We were told the bottom would have to fall out for Jones to be fired. It might be falling out after a 41-0 loss to Georgia. Is Chip Kelly waiting in the wings? (Previous: 2) |
 | Barry Odom | 5 | The Tigers quit against Purdue and got wiped out by Auburn. Then, Odom went on a weird rant. Odom fired his defensive coordinator two weeks in. It's trending toward two years-and-done for a nice guy. (3) |
 | Mike Riley | 4 | They fired his athletic director three weeks in so as not to risk him being able to replace Riley. Never a good sign. That means Riley must win his job back in Year 3 with no sitting AD. So far, he's 2-0 since Shawn Eichorst was canned. (2) |
 | Matt Luke | 4 | Ole Miss' interim coach has done OK but with so many possible big-time possibilities to replace Hugh Freeze, the administration isn't retaining an interim. (NR) |
 | Kevin Sumlin | 4 | If it had not blown a 31-point lead to UCLA in the opener, the Aggies would be in the top 10. Sumlin hasn't let pressure from his AD, a regent and a racist letter distract him. Word is that Sumlin has to win 10 to keep his job. That's still possible, not likely. (4) |
 | Ed Orgeron | 4 | Next to Jones, Orgeron is on the hottest seat on this list. But five games into a five-year contract, he isn't getting fired anytime soon. (2) |
 | Todd Graham | 4 | The Sun Devils' two losses this season have come by a total of eight points. One of those was against Oregon, which looks good now. We'll see. This is not a good defensive team, and we'll find out a lot more in Arizona State's next three games against Washington, Utah and Southern Cal. (4) |
 | Rich Rodriguez | 4 | Rich Rod is about where we thought he would be. His Wildcats racked up 60 points against Northern Arizona and UTEP but lost to Houston and Utah. (4) |
 | David Beaty | 4 | Beaty is 3-25 with one FBS win in three seasons. With $350 million in facilities improvements coming online, does AD Sheahon Zenger want Beaty to be the face of the program? (1) |
 | Gary Anderson | 4 | After leaving Wisconsin because he was uncomfortable with the culture, Anderson needs to start winning. In Year 3, he is 7-22 with the Beavs. (3) |
 | David Bailiff | 4 | With the naked eye, Rice looks like one of the worst teams in the FBS. In Bailiff's 11th season, it might be time for a change. (2) |
 | Paul Haynes | 4 | Haynes took a medical leave of absence at the beginning of the season. The guy definitely deserves our sympathy, but his Golden Flashes are 13-39 in his four-plus seasons, 1-4 this season. (4) |
 | Bret Bielema | 3 | Being pushed around by TCU, plus a sixth straight loss to Texas A&M, did not help Bielema's cause. AD Jeff Long will have a big decision to make after Year 3. The next three weeks should tell a lot -- South Carolina, Alabama and Auburn. (2) |
 | Scottie Montgomery | 3 | ECU probably isn't going to eat a lot of money, but already in Year 2 under the former Duke assistant, it just looks like it isn't working out. (3) |
 | Jim Mora | 3 | Josh Rosen doesn't have an offensive line, a defense or a running game, but he does lead the country in touchdown passes (17). How do you get rid of the coach of a quarterback who is a Heisman finalist? (3) |
Coaches who took themselves off the hot seat (2)
| Team | Name | Status | News |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Brian Kelly | 2 | Kelly is proving it's possible to have a down year and bounce back. The Irish's only loss is by one point at home to Georgia. Kelly has regained control of the team that had lost its way. ND is a New Year's Six Bowl contender. (Previous: 5) |
 | Kliff Kingsbury | 2 | New quarterback, new defense apparently, too. Nic Shimonek is the Big 12's leading passer (almost 400 yards per game). David Gibbs' defense has gone from worst in the country to 110th. That qualifies as improvement in Lubbock. After a 3-1 start, a bowl is a possibility. (4) |
