http://www.texasfootball.com/college-news/view/180101
BOTH Coaches are on hot seat:
Many an eye in Texas will be looking in the direction of Austin on Saturday when West Virginia and Texas clash in a game with major implications. Others will look to Lubbock, where Texas Tech will try to win two straight over OU for the first time in program history.
TCU's first-ever home game against a Big 12 team will steal some glances, too, while the Aggies will be watching intently as their team plays its first SEC road game against Ole Miss.
But the game that could have the biggest impact on the future of a Texas program will take place as far west as you can get before leaving this great state.
Call it the Coaching Hot Seat Bowl, or maybe Survivor: Texas.
When SMU travels to El Paso to take on UTEP this weekend, more than each team's first Conference USA win will be on the line. The jobs of the coaches at each programs could very well depend on this outcome.
That's not being over-dramatic. Both the Miners (1-4, 0-1 in CUSA)) and Mustangs (1-3, 0-0) have a single win to their credit this year, and a loss Saturday would sink either program down the C-USA standings and create even more rumblings from their fan bases.
It wasn't supposed to happen this way.
It's hard to believe this season marks nine years under Mike Price for UTEP. He made a huge splash in his debut season, leading the Miners to an 8-4 record in 2004 and a trip to the Houston Bowl. He equaled that mark again in 2005, and the Miners appeared to be on the rise. Since then, however, Price is yet to have a winning season at UTEP.
And after last year's collapse -- UTEP lost four of its last five games to finish 5-7, one win away from bowl eligibility -- UTEP in effect gave Price a vote of no-confidence, allowing him to enter 2012, the final year on his contract, without an extension. Unless it's been behind closed doors, there hasn't been any discussion between Price and UTEP about negotiating a new contract.
June Jones, after a 1-11 debut season in 2008, brought SMU out of the abyss with an 8-5 record in 2009, taking the Mustangs to their first post-death penalty bowl game. He didn't stop there, making it three straight postseason appearances with bowl games in 2010 and 2011. It was just the second time in SMU's history it made three straight bowl games. But unlike the 1982-84 seasons, this was done on the up and up.
Then came the 2011 offseason. Fresh off his latest success, Jones accepted a job as the Arizona State head coach -- until ASU got cold feet. The Sun Devils removed their offer, and SMU made the decision to retain Jones as head coach.
At the time, it looked like the right thing to do. Jones had restored the SMU program. Keeping him around could keep momentum going and prevent a lengthy and costly coaching search.
But I have to question whether Jones wanted to be back. Through four games, I've seen mostly an unorganized and sometimes mismanaged team. It got so bad that after the loss to TCU this past weekend, a reporter asked Jones if his team has spent time working on a two-minute offense. Jones just rolled his eyes, as he should've, because that's like asking a defensive coordinator if he practices tackling. You should expect coaches to work on fundamentals.
Still, the question deserved to be asked. Watching SMU, it did look like the last-minute offense was an afterthought, and that's quite a an indictment on a coach known for fast-paced offenses.
The way SMU's season has started, SMU might be questioning its decision to keep Jones around. Is his heart in it? Is he as focused in 2012 as he was when he took over the program?
The questions for Price are somewhat similar -- As his late sixties approach their end, is this still Price's passion, and is there a chance the game has passed him by?
After Saturday, there's a lot of season left to be played. But after such rough beginnings, a loss this weekend for either Jones or Price could mark the beginning of the end.
