Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Bulldogs' Football Schedule Packed With Coaches on the Hot Seat
GV-Wire-1
By gvwire
Published 5 years ago on
August 13, 2019

Share

As Fresno State football fans analyze the Bulldogs schedule, there’s a big factor that could go overlooked: the hot seat.
Four of the Bulldogs’ opponents in 2019 — USC, UNLV, Colorado State, and San Jose State — have coaches who are feeling the heat.
And San Diego State’s Rocky Long, who turns 70 next January, is coming off of a 7-6 season. He could be ready to retire if the Aztecs fail to meet their customary high expectations.
How this reality will affect the play of Fresno State opponents on any given week is tough to predict. Teams can rally around a coach fighting for his job or pack it in.
Certainly, Bulldogs coach Jeff Tedford will focus on preparing his team to play its best without regard to what might be happening on the other sideline.
Here’s a look at the five coaches on the Bulldogs’ schedule for whom 2019 is — or could become — a make-or-break season:

USC’s Clay Helton

Helton kept his job after the Trojans went 5-7 last season — a development that angered many Trojan fans, including some of their alumni now playing in the National Football League. That might not have happened if USC had a more experienced athletic director and a university president in place at the time, but the school’s general dysfunction provided Helton a chance to fix the issues with a staff makeover. Most notably, Graham Harrell was brought in as offensive coordinator.
Helton went 21-6 with a Rose Bowl victory and Pac-12 title in his first two full seasons as USC coach, but his job clearly is on the line. How many victories will it take for him to keep the gig? Eight? Nine? 10? Every week will be a referendum on the state of the Trojans, who possibly face the most challenging first six games of any team in the country. If all that isn’t enough, Urban Meyer will be camped out in Los Angeles as a Fox Sports analyst.

UNLV’s Tony Sanchez

Leadership at UNLV made it clear after last season the Rebels need to get to a bowl game in Sanchez’s fifth season. With the program moving into a shiny new NFL stadium in 2020, the fans are hungry for progress and the university needs to give them a reason to buy tickets. Absent a slew of victories, UNLV’s only choice is a coaching change.

(GV Wire/Alexis DeSha)

Colorado State’s Mike Bobo

The Rams headed in the wrong direction with a 3-9 finish after three consecutive 7-6 seasons. The university and its fan base aspire to be a Group of Five powerhouse and have made the financial investments to back those hopes. Once rumored to be headed to an SEC gig, Bobo is now coaching for his job. But he does have one insurance policy: His $5.5 million buyout is a big pill for any Mountain West school to swallow.

San Jose State’s Brent Brennan

Overshadowed by Stanford, Cal and two NFL teams in their backyard, the Spartans are one of the perennial doormats of college football. Brennan is 3-22 after two seasons. This is one of the hardest jobs in the country. Still, Brennan needs to show substantial progress. Finances could affect his future because the athletic department is broke.

San Diego State’s Rocky Long

In nine years with the Aztecs, Long has an impressive 71-35 record with eight bowl appearances. However, as he approaches age 70, talk of his retirement is heating up.

(Associated Press contributed to this article.) 

DON'T MISS

5 Reasons Early Voting Is Overwhelmed With Falsehoods

DON'T MISS

Christian McCaffrey Returns to Practice for the 49ers From Achilles Tendon Injury

DON'T MISS

California Sues LA Suburb for Temporary Ban of Homeless Shelters

DON'T MISS

You May Have Blocked Someone on X but Now They Can See Your Public Posts Anyway

DON'T MISS

Some Republican-Led States Refuse to Let Justice Department Monitors Into Polling Places

DON'T MISS

Fresno Police Arrest Suspect in Fatal NW Apartment Shooting

DON'T MISS

Fresno Murder Suspect Stopped in Las Vegas, Others Wanted

DON'T MISS

Trump’s Crowds Are Dwindling as His Campaign Winds Down

DON'T MISS

Trump Threatens 25% Tariff on Mexico to Curb Immigration

DON'T MISS

Music Legend Quincy Jones, Architect of Pop’s Greatest Hits, Dies at 91

UP NEXT

Sanger Men Arrested in Connection with Slingshot Vandalism Spree at Businesses

UP NEXT

What Is Sierra Unified’s Plan to Boost Lagging Student Achievement?

UP NEXT

Bass’ Record 61-Yard Field Goal Lifts Bills Over Dolphins in Thriller

UP NEXT

Saints Fire Head Coach Dennis Allen After Seven-Game Losing Streak

UP NEXT

Raiders Fire Offensive Coordinator Luke Getsy and 2 Other Offensive Coaches

UP NEXT

Demarcus Robinson’s One-Handed Catch in OT Gives Rams Win Over Seahawks

UP NEXT

Herbert Shines, Chargers Defense Dominates in Win Over Browns

UP NEXT

Fresno State Bulldogs Stumble in Fourth Quarter, Suffer Narrow Loss to Hawai’i

UP NEXT

Challengers Seek Seats on Tulare County Irrigation District Boards

UP NEXT

Shy Pup Finds Hope with Foster Family, Evasion from Euthanasia

You May Have Blocked Someone on X but Now They Can See Your Public Posts Anyway

55 mins ago

Some Republican-Led States Refuse to Let Justice Department Monitors Into Polling Places

1 hour ago

Fresno Police Arrest Suspect in Fatal NW Apartment Shooting

2 hours ago

Fresno Murder Suspect Stopped in Las Vegas, Others Wanted

2 hours ago

Trump’s Crowds Are Dwindling as His Campaign Winds Down

2 hours ago

Trump Threatens 25% Tariff on Mexico to Curb Immigration

3 hours ago

Music Legend Quincy Jones, Architect of Pop’s Greatest Hits, Dies at 91

3 hours ago

Big Pharma Backs Harris 6-to-1 Over Trump in Presidential Campaign Contributions

3 hours ago

Sanger Men Arrested in Connection with Slingshot Vandalism Spree at Businesses

3 hours ago

What Is Sierra Unified’s Plan to Boost Lagging Student Achievement?

4 hours ago

5 Reasons Early Voting Is Overwhelmed With Falsehoods

This year’s early voting period appears to be far more polluted with election misinformation than those in previous presidential races, acco...

29 mins ago

Voters cast their ballots at Desert Breeze Community Center in Las Vegas during the last day of in-person early voting in Nevada on Friday, Nov. 1, 2024. Nearly 75 million people have cast early ballots, making their voices heard amid worry about the process, the outcome and democracy itself. (Bridget Bennett/The New York Times)
29 mins ago

5 Reasons Early Voting Is Overwhelmed With Falsehoods

37 mins ago

Christian McCaffrey Returns to Practice for the 49ers From Achilles Tendon Injury

42 mins ago

California Sues LA Suburb for Temporary Ban of Homeless Shelters

55 mins ago

You May Have Blocked Someone on X but Now They Can See Your Public Posts Anyway

1 hour ago

Some Republican-Led States Refuse to Let Justice Department Monitors Into Polling Places

Gerrick Franklin (pictured), 34, was taken into custody Sunday in Madera County on suspicion of killing Tyler Hamon, 33. (Fresno PD)
2 hours ago

Fresno Police Arrest Suspect in Fatal NW Apartment Shooting

2 hours ago

Fresno Murder Suspect Stopped in Las Vegas, Others Wanted

Former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, on stage during a campaign rally in Lititz, Pa., on Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. Trump told supporters on Sunday that he “shouldn’t have left” the White House at the end of his term during an end-of-campaign rally where he vented angrily about a spate of new public polls showing him losing ground to Vice President Kamala Harris and joked about reporters being shot at. (Doug Mills/The New York Times)
2 hours ago

Trump’s Crowds Are Dwindling as His Campaign Winds Down

Search

Send this to a friend