College Football Hot Seat 2017: 5 coaches who must win in Week 12

Job security is a fleeting thing in the coaching business. These men are starting to run out of time. Here are 5 hot seat coaches than need to win in Week 12.

On Sunday afternoon, Butch Jones of Tennessee became the second casualty of the coaching carousel during the 2017 season. This comes only two weeks after Florida relieved former head coach Jim McElwain of his duties. Jones finishes his career in Knoxville with a 34-27 overall record, but a poor 14-24 record in the SEC. Former Michigan coach Brady Hoke was named his interim for the remainder of the season.

More: 5 Best potential replacement options for Butch Jones at Tennessee

With Jones now out of the hot seat watch, it opens up a new spot for a coach that needs to be watched closely this weekend. The new member of this list isn’t located that far from Knoxville and remains in the state of Tennessee — for now.

5. Derek Mason, Vanderbilt

Lost in the shuffle due to the drama that unfolded in Knoxville throughout the season, is the regression of Mason’s team’s in Nashville. Mason took over in 2014 after former head coach James Franklin left to become head coach at Penn State. Following two sub par seasons, the Commodores finished 6-7 in 2016, appearing to getting over the hump to some degree.

Vanderbilt looked like a possible darkhorse in the SEC East following a 3-0 start to the season, including a win over then 18th-ranked Kansas State. But following a 59-0 thrashing at the hands of mighty Alabama, the Commodores went on to lose their next five games, finally picking up a win against Western Kentucky in Week 10.

Now that the focus has shifted on Mason’s Vanderbilt team, some are beginning to question whether or not he will be around after season’s end. All hope is not lost for the Commodore’s, however. They end the season with games against Mizzou and Tennessee, two very winnable games for Mason’s crew to reach bowl eligibility.