Why LSU really may dump coach Les Miles

One of the favorite preseason areas of discussion in college football is the list of "coaches on the hot seat," those who may be feeling the weight of expectations from a fan base that wonders why their favorite team can't be like Alabama.

You can have any number of coaches on your list. We're going with these five:

Les Miles, Louisiana State

Gus Malzahn, Auburn

Charlie Strong, Texas

Dana Holgorsen, West Virginia

Darrell Hazell, Purdue

Yes, the first guy is a surprise. How can a coach who is 112-32 at his school, who has won two SEC championships and a national title, who has taken his team to 16 straight bowl games, be in any trouble.

Well, it was just last November, with LSU in the midst of a three-game losing streak, when Miles appeared to be the target of disgruntled boosters who were ready to pay $15 million to buy him out. However, after the Tigers defeated Texas A&M in the regular-season finale, university president F. King Alexander told Miles his job was safe.

"I didn't try to spend any time trying to figure it out," Miles said then. "It wouldn't have done me any good anyhow."

Still, surprises usually abound with big-time programs, especially those in the SEC. Auburn was a popular preseason choice last season to land in the College Football Playoffs but flopped, finishing 7-6 (2-6 in the SEC). The team placed 10th in the league in total offense, a major embarrassment for Malzahn, considered an offensive wizard, and the buzz for his departure grew louder.

With their first five games at home this season, however, Auburn has a chance to get off to a quick start. Then again, three of those contests are against Clemson, Texas A&M and LSU.

As for the others on our list, Strong is only 11-14 - the most losses in a two-year stretch at Texas in the last 60 years - and fans are demanding to see some life from the Longhorns this year. Holgorsen and West Virginia are finding the Big 12 to be a tough league; the Mountaineers have a losing conference record in three of four seasons. Hazell, a native of Cinnaminson, has only six wins in three seasons at Purdue, three of them against FCS opponents, and the Boilermakers are predicted to finish last in the Big Ten West.

You could say it was a rather "smart" move by Georgia's new coach to go with fifth-year senior Greyson Lambert as starting quarterback for the team's season opener instead of highly regarded freshman Jacob Eason. But first-year coach Kirby Smart said he won't hesitate to use Eason if the situation warrants.

"We're going to play the guy who gives us the best chance to win . . . I have no reservations about a guy's age," Smart said in an Associated Press story.

The fans want to see more of Eason, who completed 19 of 29 passes for 244 yards and a touchdown in the Bulldogs' spring game, because they were happy with the offense last season.

With Philadelphia's own Will Fuller having moved on to the NFL, Torii Hunter Jr. is ready to become the go-to receiver in Notre Dame's passing game. Hunter is expected to move to the outside receiver position, where Fuller caught 62 balls for 1,258 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2015. Hunter is the son of the former major league outfielder of the same name and has signed a contract with the Los Angeles Angels, who selected him in the 23rd round last June. In football, though, he wants to make his own name and "not necessarily live in the shadow of my father," he said. "He's a great guy, but you want to be your own person."

It should be a tremendous scene at Lambeau Field in Green Bay when fans of LSU arrive for their game against Wisconsin. The Green Bay Post-Gazette reported that seven chartered flights from Louisiana have landed there, in addition to folks arriving by RV, bus and car. One LSU season ticket-holder said the Wisconsin fans with be the ones with the "different, funny accent." But when it comes to hard-core tailgating, both sides are ready. "We'll trade boudain and andouille for kielbasa and cheese and brats," the LSU fan said.

Former Glassboro High star Corey Clement is looking for a strong senior season for Wisconsin after having been limited to four games last year with a sports hernia injury. The 5-foot-11, 227-pound back rushed for only 221 yards last season. In his career, Clement has scored 21 touchdowns, averaged 6.6 yards per carry and has posted eight 100-yards game, with the Badgers holding an 8-0 mark in those contests.

jjuliano@phillynews.com

@joejulesinq