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 6 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

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

US Judge Temporarily Stops West Texas Immigrant Deportations Under Alien Enemies Act

DON'T MISS

Shedeur Sanders’ Long Wait Ends When Browns Take Him in the 5th Round of the NFL Draft

DON'T MISS

Only About Half of Republicans Say Trump Has Focused on the Right Priorities

DON'T MISS

ICE Deports the Mother of an Infant and a 2-Year-Old Who Is a US Citizen

DON'T MISS

Israeli Airstrike Kills 10 People, Half of Them Children

DON'T MISS

Shedeur Sanders Is Still Waiting for a Call as the NFL Draft Enters the Final Day

DON'T MISS

Israel’s AI Experiments in the War in Gaza Raise Ethical Concerns

DON'T MISS

Paul Skenes Strikes Out 9, Wins Duel With Yamamoto in Pirates’ Victory Over Dodgers

DON'T MISS

Eovaldi Outlasts Verlander as Rangers Beat Giants

DON'T MISS

Rams Take Oregon Tight End Terrance Ferguson in Second Round After Trading Out of First

UP NEXT

Shedeur Sanders Is Still Waiting for a Call as the NFL Draft Enters the Final Day

UP NEXT

Paul Skenes Strikes Out 9, Wins Duel With Yamamoto in Pirates’ Victory Over Dodgers

UP NEXT

Eovaldi Outlasts Verlander as Rangers Beat Giants

UP NEXT

Rams Take Oregon Tight End Terrance Ferguson in Second Round After Trading Out of First

UP NEXT

Fresno Elderly Woman Evicted, Forced to Leave Dogs Behind. One Still Needs a Home.

UP NEXT

Selma Mayor Charged With Electioneering Violation on Election Day

UP NEXT

Fresno Air Improves. Where Does It Rank in the US?

UP NEXT

Driving Near the Fresno Airport Next Week? Plan for Road Closures

UP NEXT

Misty Her: Push for Fresno Unified Turnaround Starts Now With ‘Boots on the Ground’

UP NEXT

Fresno Man Arrested in 2004 Cold Case Rape and Murder

ICE Deports the Mother of an Infant and a 2-Year-Old Who Is a US Citizen

4 hours ago

Israeli Airstrike Kills 10 People, Half of Them Children

4 hours ago

Shedeur Sanders Is Still Waiting for a Call as the NFL Draft Enters the Final Day

4 hours ago

Israel’s AI Experiments in the War in Gaza Raise Ethical Concerns

4 hours ago

Paul Skenes Strikes Out 9, Wins Duel With Yamamoto in Pirates’ Victory Over Dodgers

4 hours ago

Eovaldi Outlasts Verlander as Rangers Beat Giants

4 hours ago

Rams Take Oregon Tight End Terrance Ferguson in Second Round After Trading Out of First

5 hours ago

The Latest: Francis Is Remembered as a ‘Pope Among the People’ as He Is Laid to Rest

5 hours ago

ICE Is Reversing the Termination of Legal Status for International Students Around the US

6 hours ago

Trump Is a Revolutionary. Will He Succeed or Fail?

6 hours ago

US Judge Temporarily Stops West Texas Immigrant Deportations Under Alien Enemies Act

A federal judge in west Texas joined other courts in temporarily blocking the deportations of Venezuelan immigrants under an 18th-century wa...

8 minutes ago

8 minutes ago

US Judge Temporarily Stops West Texas Immigrant Deportations Under Alien Enemies Act

15 minutes ago

Shedeur Sanders’ Long Wait Ends When Browns Take Him in the 5th Round of the NFL Draft

3 hours ago

Only About Half of Republicans Say Trump Has Focused on the Right Priorities

4 hours ago

ICE Deports the Mother of an Infant and a 2-Year-Old Who Is a US Citizen

4 hours ago

Israeli Airstrike Kills 10 People, Half of Them Children

4 hours ago

Shedeur Sanders Is Still Waiting for a Call as the NFL Draft Enters the Final Day

4 hours ago

Israel’s AI Experiments in the War in Gaza Raise Ethical Concerns

4 hours ago

Paul Skenes Strikes Out 9, Wins Duel With Yamamoto in Pirates’ Victory Over Dodgers

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend