There are four seasons for college football fans.
There's recruiting season. This is where fans fall in love with stars, four and five kind-of stars. It's the time when fans celebrate a top 20 ranking or conclude anything in the 50s means their program is doomed.
There is spring football. Everyone loves the spring. It's a time of celebration and joy because a new year is on the horizon and spring gives every fan base a belief this is their year. During this time, players look bigger and faster and everyone believes every position is loaded with depth...it's not.
Then there is the actual season in the fall. We play games and evaluate everything. When we win, we celebrate and even if we win on a last second field goal we will explain how we dominated.
And finally, the there is "who can we get" season. You know this one. This is the time of year when your fan base has given up on winning a title and after a few losses, or even ONE, you start to move on from the coach you currently have and play a fantasy game of who the next coach can be. You know that coach. He's the one that will never lose a game. He will deliver championship after championship and never break your heart.
In fact, you believe every other coach wants to quit their current job and come coach your team because who would not want to coach at your school.
The fourth season doesn't happen for all fans. No one at Alabama has had a fourth season in a long time. But there are plenty of places where the honeymoon is long after and you want to start divorce proceedings asap.
But what fans always forget is that there is no list of coaches who will never lose a game. Everyone will eventually break your heart at some point. But facts should also matter. Fans often never want to let a few facts get in the way of a good opinion.
Think about this; SportSource Analytics says since 2012, of the 29 coaches hired at the FBS level, not a single one is still coaching at the school that hired them that year. 19 of the 29 were fired. 7 upgraded to a bigger job and 3 either retired or resigned.
But fans have created this problem. Patience just doesn't exist. While some donate money to their school, most fans have no problem spending someone else's money to fire and hire coaches. And expectations have never been more unrealistic at some places. But welcome to college football.
If LSU and Florida even play this Saturday, imagine a third straight loss for the Tigers. No, I do not think Ed Orgeron will be fired if he loses. But four games after one of the greatest seasons in the sport's history fans will whisper about his choice for a defensive coordinator and his ability of hiring assistants and reloading a football team.
Two games after he was crowed a man who had come to change the SEC, the local paper covering Mississippi State football asked what's wrong with the Bulldogs and Coach Mike Leach. Leach's offense went from national praise after beating LSU to failing to score in a 24-2 loss to Kentucky. After the game, Leach was always does after losses like that. He blamed his players.
At Florida, defensive coordinator Todd Grantham apparently can no longer coach. Yes, Florida's defense has struggled but they are also missing several key players and just because someone said you were worthy of four or five stars during the recruiting process, doesn't mean you are ready to play in year one.
At Texas, Tom Herman is in year four of what Longhorn fans thought would be a return to glory in Austin. Instead, Texas may be looking at a four or five loss season and supporters now seem bothered by the same attitude they praised when Herman was hired.
An FSU fan emailed me after the Noles WON their game against Jacksonville State and asked if I thought Mike Norvell was in over his head? What? Are you serious?
There's a group of UCF fans who are convince Josh Heupel can't get it done despite a 24-5 record.
Yet, ask all of these fan bases who they want to be their head coach and....
Urban Meyer is not coaching your team and there is no one else who can guarantee you that they will win every game...forever.
But this is where we are in college football. No one has patience and everyone believes they are owed perfection. But in a world where the send button on social media gives one a sense of power, it means every college football coach will always be a on a hot seat, especially is FAN02453 on Twitter think so...
Final thought: You big toe's nail grows 2mm a month.