Saturday Blitz
Fansided

College Football: 10 coaches on the hot seat entering 2019 season

By Dante Pryor

LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 24: A banner towed by an airplane is seen above Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum asking Lynn Swann, USC's athletic director, to fire current head coach Clay Helton prior to the start of a college football game between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the USC Trojans on November 24, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 24: A banner towed by an airplane is seen above Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum asking Lynn Swann, USC's athletic director, to fire current head coach Clay Helton prior to the start of a college football game between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the USC Trojans on November 24, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
6 of 12
Next
LINCOLN, NE – NOVEMBER 17: Head coach Mark Dantonio of the Michigan State Spartans walks on the field with the team before the game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Memorial Stadium on November 17, 2018 in Lincoln, Nebraska. (Photo by Steven Branscombe/Getty Images)
LINCOLN, NE – NOVEMBER 17: Head coach Mark Dantonio of the Michigan State Spartans walks on the field with the team before the game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Memorial Stadium on November 17, 2018 in Lincoln, Nebraska. (Photo by Steven Branscombe/Getty Images) /

7. Mark Dantonio, Michigan State

Michigan State was awful on offense last season. It wasn’t just because starting quarterback Brian Lewerke got hurt last year either. They looked like they didn’t have enough good players after a plethora of injuries, which led to scoring six points against Oregon in the Redbox Bowl.

In fact, they scored six points three times (all losses) last year and over 30 just three times. Their offensive woes weren’t an anomaly; they’re more of a trend. They haven’t averaged 30 points a game for a season since 2014 when they averaged 43 with Connor Cook at the helm.

The Spartans’ points per game average has declined every year since their Cotton Bowl appearance in 2014. According to The Detroit News, Mark Dantonio’s solution was to shuffle the staff instead of overhauling it. Brad Salem takes over as the lone offensive coordinator taking the place of co-coordinators Dave Warner and Jim Bollman.

They have a big-time defense, but Dantonio better hope the staff changes — or shuffling — works out and they can score some points. He has two very important data points on his résumé that might keep him off the hot seat for a while. First, he’s 8-3 against “big brother” Michigan, and he’s been to the College Football Playoff.

Dantonio’s exceeded expectations for a place like Michigan State. He considers himself a “fox hole guy” and that’s why he didn’t overhaul his offensive staff. If they score 18 points a game again those guys in the fox hole with might cost him his job.

Home/College Football News