Just about every assistant coach in the country considers the possibility of eventually getting a chance to run his own program.
Rarely do they imagine taking over at midseason with no advance notice.
Yet that's the situation facing North Texas' Mike Canales, South Carolina's Shawn Elliott, Southern California's Clay Helton and Maryland's Mike Locksley. They were named interim head coaches this week after the sudden departures of their bosses.
People who've had this job before understand its challenges. Interim coaches must guide teams through adversity without being distracted by their own uncertain futures.
"You're thrown into a leadership role just all of a sudden, and you have the fact that you're worried about what you're going to do once this is over if you're not allowed to keep the job," said North Carolina State cornerbacks coach George Barlow, who was New Mexico's interim coach for its final eight games in 2011.