We are back for another year of SEC Football and with that, another round of coaches fighting for survival. Les Miles was unable to survive the 2016 season after another last minute debacle at Auburn. Hugh Freeze was also fired in July after Ole Miss officials discovered he made calls to an escort service. Miles’ main issue was clock management while Freeze’s was cock management (allegedly).

Anyways, let’s get to the hot seats for 2017.

1. Kevin Sumlin, Texas A&M

Kevin Sumlin is a mainstay when it comes to SEC hot seats. Sumlin’s 44-21 record in six seasons at Texas A&M doesn’t look bad on the surface, but we can’t forget he is the eighth highest paid coach in college football. Aggie fans have been left wanting more since Johnny Manziel came onto the scene. Just last year, the Aggies reached a spot in the original College Football Playoff poll only to fizzle out and lose in the Advocare Texas Bowl. This season Sumlin will face many challenges beginning with the quarterback position. Trevor Knight has moved on and it appears he has not settled on a starting quarterback yet. That isn’t very settling when Sumlin needs to get off to a fast start to keep Texas A&M from jumping into the Chip Kelly(or other big name) sweepstakes.

2. Butch Jones, Tennessee

As long as Butch Jones is competing for life championships rather than SEC Championships and National Championships he will continue to be on the hot seat. Tennessee opens the season against Georgia Tech in Atlanta and based on recent history, that will be their only time playing there this year.

3. Bret Bielema, Arkansas

Bret Bielema is 10-22 in the SEC in his first four years at Arkansas. In the SEC, this kind of record will not keep you employed for long no matter where you are. After a rough ending which saw the Razorbacks lose three of their last four, Arkansas will undergo some changes on its coaching staff. Bielema will lean on new defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads to shore up a defense that gave up 437 yards per game a year ago. Florida A&M should be a nice tuneup before Arkansas takes on some stiffer competition in TCU and Texas A&M in the upcoming weeks.

While those are the names on hot seats in Week 1, there will likely be others to join as the season progresses. Nobody is safe in the SEC unless you’re Nick Saban who is going into his eleventh season at Alabama and showing no signs of slowing down.