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

Warriors Guard De’Anthony Melton to Undergo Season-Ending Knee Surgery

DON'T MISS

Massive Ground Beef Recall Affects Restaurants Nationwide, USDA Warns

DON'T MISS

Chris Stapleton Wins 4 CMA Awards, but Morgan Wallen Is Entertainer of the Year

DON'T MISS

These Fresno Schools Are Unsafe and in Bad Condition. And No One Is Complaining

DON'T MISS

Putin Says Russia Has Tested a New Intermediate Range Missile in a Strike on Ukraine

DON'T MISS

SEC Chair Gary Gensler, Who Led US Crackdown on Cryptocurrencies, to Step Down

DON'T MISS

Is Fresno Mobile Home Park Controversy Over? Tenants Applaud Federal Judge’s Ruling

DON'T MISS

Wiggins, Curry Power Warriors to Dominant Win Over Hawks

DON'T MISS

Sale and Skubal Claim Cy Young Awards After Historic Pitching Triple Crown Seasons

DON'T MISS

What Will Happen to CNBC and MSNBC When They No Longer Have a Corporate Connection to NBC News?

UP NEXT

These Fresno Schools Are Unsafe and in Bad Condition. And No One Is Complaining

UP NEXT

Wiggins, Curry Power Warriors to Dominant Win Over Hawks

UP NEXT

Sale and Skubal Claim Cy Young Awards After Historic Pitching Triple Crown Seasons

UP NEXT

Bulldogs Stack Double-Doubles Like Burgers on a Plate to Beat Prairie View

UP NEXT

Fresno County Men Arrested in Armed Robbery Near Sanger High, Sanger Academy

UP NEXT

Love Seeks Redemption as Packers Prepare for 49ers Rematch

UP NEXT

Suspect Arrested After Oakhurst Crime Spree Leaves K9 Injured

UP NEXT

With or Without Lockridge, Can Bulldogs Get Out of Their Own Way to Become Bowl Eligible?

UP NEXT

This Kitty Seeks a Quiet Home to Call Her Own

UP NEXT

Madera County Shooting Strikes K-9, Investigation Ongoing

These Fresno Schools Are Unsafe and in Bad Condition. And No One Is Complaining

16 minutes ago

Putin Says Russia Has Tested a New Intermediate Range Missile in a Strike on Ukraine

22 minutes ago

SEC Chair Gary Gensler, Who Led US Crackdown on Cryptocurrencies, to Step Down

41 minutes ago

Is Fresno Mobile Home Park Controversy Over? Tenants Applaud Federal Judge’s Ruling

50 minutes ago

Wiggins, Curry Power Warriors to Dominant Win Over Hawks

1 hour ago

Sale and Skubal Claim Cy Young Awards After Historic Pitching Triple Crown Seasons

1 hour ago

What Will Happen to CNBC and MSNBC When They No Longer Have a Corporate Connection to NBC News?

2 hours ago

Bulldogs Stack Double-Doubles Like Burgers on a Plate to Beat Prairie View

2 hours ago

Bitcoin Is at the Doorstep of $100,000 as Post-Election Rally Rolls On

2 hours ago

US Regulators Seek to Break Up Google, Forcing Chrome Sale as Part of Monopoly Punishment

2 hours ago

Warriors Guard De’Anthony Melton to Undergo Season-Ending Knee Surgery

SAN FRANCISCO — Golden State Warriors guard De’Anthony Melton will undergo season-ending knee surgery. The team announced Wednesday th...

4 minutes ago

4 minutes ago

Warriors Guard De’Anthony Melton to Undergo Season-Ending Knee Surgery

8 minutes ago

Massive Ground Beef Recall Affects Restaurants Nationwide, USDA Warns

11 minutes ago

Chris Stapleton Wins 4 CMA Awards, but Morgan Wallen Is Entertainer of the Year

16 minutes ago

These Fresno Schools Are Unsafe and in Bad Condition. And No One Is Complaining

22 minutes ago

Putin Says Russia Has Tested a New Intermediate Range Missile in a Strike on Ukraine

41 minutes ago

SEC Chair Gary Gensler, Who Led US Crackdown on Cryptocurrencies, to Step Down

50 minutes ago

Is Fresno Mobile Home Park Controversy Over? Tenants Applaud Federal Judge’s Ruling

1 hour ago

Wiggins, Curry Power Warriors to Dominant Win Over Hawks

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

Search

Send this to a friend