Muschamp needs strong finish to save job at Florida

Speculation is running rampant at Florida, where coach Will Muschamp is scratching and clawing to hang onto his job.

If the Gators (5-3) can run the table and beat South Carolina, Eastern Kentucky and Florida State to finish the regular season, Muschamp’s job might be saved.

Muschamp gave himself a fighting chance with the recent rousing upset of Georgia, and last week’s romp at Vanderbilt behind redshirt freshman quarterback Treon Harris has fueled hopes of a fast finish. But most Southeastern Conference sources think Muschamp might need to beat the Seminoles in the finale to have any chance to be retained.

The Gators are drawing sharp money as 6½- to 7-point home favorites over the Gamecocks on Saturday.

At Michigan, coach Brady Hoke’s plight seems far more tenuous, especially with athletic director Dave Brandon stepping down last week. Most Big Ten sources think not even a season-ending upset of Ohio State would be enough to save Hoke, whose team is 5-5 after a 10-9 win over Northwestern.

The situation at Florida also has cast a different spotlight upon Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen, whose stock never has been higher. Some SEC sources think it will be time for the Bulldogs to reward Mullen with a major, mega-money contract upgrade after this season or risk their star coach getting poached, perhaps by Florida, where Mullen served as Urban Meyer’s offensive coordinator, or maybe another brand-name school such as Michigan.

If Hoke walks the plank as expected in Ann Arbor, Big Ten sources expect obligatory calls first will be made to gauge the interest of Michigan alumni such as Louisiana State’s Les Miles and the San Francisco 49ers’ Jim Harbaugh, though few in the region think either will have any interest, which is when an inquiry regarding Mullen could occur.

Stay tuned as the coaching carousel begins spinning. Here is a conference-by-conference update on coaches on the hot seat:

American Athletic: The situation at Southern Methodist is a mess after the early-season departure of June Jones. Elsewhere, no coach appears in immediate trouble other than perhaps Tulsa’s Bill Blankenship, in the final stages of a second straight massively disappointing season with the Golden Hurricane.

Atlantic Coast: All eyes are on Virginia coach Mike London, working under what most think was a bowl-or-else ultimatum this season. He has presided over another late-season fade, with four straight losses now forcing the Cavaliers to win their final two to qualify for the postseason.

Meanwhile, the Frank Beamer retirement rumors at Virginia Tech are heating up again with the Hokies in danger of missing a bowl for the first time since 1992, Beamer’s sixth season on the job. Now might be the time for Beamer, the longest-tenured BCS-level coach in the country, to resign after 28 seasons.

Big 12: Charlie Weis is long gone at Kansas, where he was a miserable failure. The only other current trouble situation could be at Iowa State, where Paul Rhoads is staring down the barrel of a two-win season after last year’s 3-9 and could not have been helped by last week’s loss to the Jayhawks. The bar is set lower at Ames, and Rhoads might be saved by his buyout, estimated at $5.3 million.

We would monitor the situation at Texas Tech, where Kliff Kingsbury, a former Red Raiders quarterback who was a rock star in Lubbock after winning his first seven games as coach last season, has quickly fallen out of favor. But regional sources do not think he is in any immediate trouble.

Big Ten: Michigan is not the only hot spot in the league. At Indiana, Kevin Wilson was generally thought to need a bowl bid this season — his fourth year at the school — to keep his job. At 3-6 overall and 0-5 in the conference, Wilson must hope that administrators give him a mulligan because of injuries at quarterback.

A bowl-or-else edict was supposedly in effect at Illinois, where the Fighting Illini had endured a miserable two seasons on Tim Beckman’s watch. But Beckman has a chance to get to six wins with games remaining versus Iowa, Penn State and Northwestern, and injured starting quarterback Wes Lunt is expected to return this week against the Hawkeyes.

Elsewhere, Nebraska’s big year has taken the pressure off Bo Pelini, and Purdue’s improved play has temporarily removed the heat from second-year coach Darrell Hazell.

Conference USA: Most situations seem safe for now, with the possible exception of Florida International, where Ron Turner needed to see improvement from last year’s 1-11 disaster. Insiders think improved efforts from the Golden Panthers (3-7) will keep Turner safe for now.

Mid-American: Buffalo has a coaching opening, and Kent State seems headed in the wrong direction under Paul Haynes. But MAC insiders don’t think the Golden Flashes pull the plug after just two seasons.

Mountain West: There are two situations to watch closely. At Hawaii, Norm Chow has a 6-28 record in three seasons. Though the Rainbow Warriors have improved slightly this season, the program has yet to gain traction, and the long-awaited opportunity for Chow to finally become a head coach looks to be coming to a sad conclusion.

Similarly at UNLV, another one of the good guys in the profession, Bobby Hauck, is on a slippery slope as the Rebels are poised for a fourth two-win season in his five years. The momentum from last year’s apparent breakthrough and Dallas Bowl bid has dissipated, and sources suggest the school might be poised to make a change.

Pac-12: The only situation to watch might be at Oregon State, where the Beavers are suffering another downturn for Mike Riley. The Beavers need two wins in their final three games to get bowl-eligible. Sources say Riley will survive with a bowl-minimum six wins.

Sun Belt: Troy has several possibilities for the retiring Larry Blakeney’s successor. A trio of second-year coaches, including New Mexico State’s Doug Martin, Idaho’s Paul Petrino and Georgia State’s Trent Miles, are likely to be on the hot seat in 2015, but should survive disappointing seasons this year.

Las Vegas handicapper Bruce Marshall is editor of The Gold Sheet (goldsheet.com).