The Pac-12 has never been as competitive nor as flush with elite teams as it is heading into the 2015 season, and that's bound to lead to increased scrutiny for the coaches of the conference's 12 football programs. Taking that into account, here's our pick of the 3 Pac-12 Football Coaches With The Most To Prove In 2015.
Sonny Dykes - Cal Golden Bears
Cal rebounded from an absolutely putrid 2013 campaign with a five-win 2014 season which provided flashes of just how effective Dykes' Air Raid offense can be at peak efficiency. However, the heat is now on Dykes to meld his wealth of returning talent and new recruits into a machine that can not only get into shootouts, but (*gasp*) PLAY DEFENSE. No team in the nation last year lost more Arena Football-like football games than Cal, and that needs to stop soon for Dykes to keep his job safe and sound.
Steve Sarkisian - USC Trojans
Sarkisian isn't on the hot seat after a 9-4 campaign in his first season with the Trojans, but there is no college football coaching job west of the Rockies which demands instant success quite like USC. And rightfully so -- Sarkisian has one of the game's most enduring and effective brands at his disposal in recruiting, aiding him in securing audiences with blue chip recruits that other schools are left dreaming about. USC has been earmarked as the Pac-12 superpower ready to supplant the Marcus Mariota-less Oregon Ducks, and anything less than a 10 or 11-win season is going to be an unquestioned failure for Sarkisian at this juncture.
Mike MacIntyre - Colorado Buffaloes
MacIntyre has done a fine job changing the culture around the program in Boulder, but that has been accompanied by just six total wins and a ghastly 1-17 record in conference play over his two seasons on the job. Colorado stepped back from four wins in 2013 to just two in 2014, and another bottom-feeding year for Colorado in Pac-12 play may be too much for MacIntyre to overcome in the court of public opinion (and the Colorado athletic department.)
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