Nebraska Football: 5 reasons Mike Riley is squarely on the hot seat

Despite receiving a contract extension earlier this fall, Nebraska football coach Mike Riley should be squarely on the hot seat.

Nebraska is one of the toughest places to coach in the country as the fans and the program as whole have always had the highest expectations. Bo Pelini was ousted prior to Mike Riley’s hiring after seven straight winning seasons for the Huskers.

Pelini was not fired for his number of wins and losses but because of the the results from some of the losses. Pelini never could get over the hump to getting Nebraska back to national prominence. He seemed to win the games the program was expected to win but struggled in the games that mattered.

Mike Riley took the reins as the new head football coach in 2014 after athletic director Shawn Eichorst dismissed Pelini. After serving a long tenure at Oregon State, Riley was ready to take the Huskers to the next level. The hype immediately surrounded Riley and the Huskers and everyone was on board.

Riley took his new team in his first season and recorded the first losing season at Nebraska since 2007. The program then took a step forward the next season after finishing 9-4 and making the Music City Bowl. Riley landed huge recruits from around the nation and the fans were excited for the 2017 season.

Now it’s Week 4 of the 2017 college football season and the Huskers are sitting at a dismal record of 1-2 and they’re on the brink of yet another losing season. Here are five reasons why Mike Riley is simply on the hot seat at Nebraska.