OPINION

By Matt Hayes

updated 5:06 p.m. ET Oct. 3, 2008

The tell-tale sign a coach is in trouble: He claims he neither reads nor hears criticism. Al Groh says he's bunkered down in his office, working 14-hour days to get his Virginia team back on track.

Meanwhile, he has no legitimate Division I quarterback and a lack of skill-position talent has left his offense last in the nation in scoring (nine points per game) and second-to-last in total offense (behind only Florida International). It gets worse: Last week's game against Duke was the Cavs' final chance at victory--and they lost 31-3. Check that, there still is Clemson.

So there's hope.

On with this week's rundown of coaches on the hot seat...

Gone

1. Tyrone Willingham, Washington

The fit for '09: Lane Kiffin, former Oakland Raiders coach.

2. Greg Robinson, Syracuse

The fit for '09: Skip Holtz, East Carolina

Feelin' the heat

1. Al Groh, Virginia: That 1-6 record vs. Virginia Tech and 7-10 record vs. nonconference BCS teams (including two wins over Syracuse) won't help, either.

The fit for '09: Tim Murphy, Harvard

Special feature Heisman Hopefuls Who will win prize this season? NBCSports.com

2. Phil Fulmer, Tennessee: It's not so much the losses as it is a lack of elite players. Gone are the days of Jamal Lewis, Peerless Price and Al Wilson. Fulmer and his staff don't recruit as well as they used to. It's as simple as that.

The fit for '09: Brian Kelly, Cincinnati

3. Kirk Ferentz, Iowa: Forget about the big buyout (as much as $4 million-plus); this program is in a perpetual rut and has zero confidence. This could get ugly quickly in the second half of the season.

Special feature BCS Busters Taking a look at the non-BCS teams that have the biggest chances of getting to a BCS bowl. NBCSports.com

The fit for '09: Randy Edsall, UConn

4. Tommy Bowden, Clemson: Bowden's new contract means little; his team's annual underachieving means everything. Tigers can still technically win the ACC Atlantic Division, but who among us sees that happening?

The fit for '09: Tommy Tuberville, Auburn.

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5. Joe Glenn, Wyoming: Maybe the toughest job in Division I-A football. Laramie is beautiful, but a long way from home. It's all about players, and getting them there is the first big step.

The fit for '09: Bobby Hauck, Montana.

6. Chuck Long, San Diego State: Long's success as Oklahoma's offensive coordinator hasn't translated to SDSU, which is 80th in scoring offense after two seasons of 76th (2007) and 113th (2006).

The fit for '07: Chip Kelly, Oregon offensive coordinator

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