By John Sarianides

Big time college football is a big time business, particularly in conferences like the SEC, Big Ten and the Pac-12. The expectations are high from both administrators and the fans. 

Coaches have much shorter leashes these days. If you are not winning a minimum of eight games a season, the buzzards start circling around you.

Here are five coaches who must meet expectations or they could be out of a job.

1. Kevin Sumlin, Texas A&M: Sumlin and his staff raised the bar when they beat Alabama in 2012. Since then, the program has been in a steady decline. Now Sumlin faces a win the SEC West or you are out scenario in 2017. The pressure is on. Can Sumlin and his staff meet expectations? If not, they are out. 

2. Brian Kelly, Notre Dame: Kelly has been able to keep his job despite the fact that the program has been trending downward the past two seasons. 

Kelly is an excellent recruiter but talented players have not equaled more wins the past two years. Now he has two new coordinators and a complicated quarterback situation. The administration in South Bend has been patient with Kelly but their patience could run out if Notre Dame doesn’t have a winning season and get to a big time Bowl. 

3. Todd Graham, Arizona State: Graham arrived in Tempe with a lot of fanfare but has yet to deliver the success the Sun Devil faithful were hoping for. 

Arizona State has scored plenty of points in Graham’s tenure but his vaunted 3-3-5 defense has struggled to stop opposing offenses in the PAC-12. Graham needs to compete for PAC-12 South title or he could be out. 

4. Mark Dantonio, Michigan State: What the heck happened to the Spartans last season? Michigan State was a model of consistency in the Big Ten but the program completely fell apart in 2016. 

Not only did the team underachieve on the field, there were a lot of issues off the field as well. That is very uncharacteristic of a Mark Dantonio team. 

If Michigan State has another losing season, the locals will start getting restless and there will be pressure on the administration in East Lansing to make a change. 

5. Butch Jones, Tennessee: Jones is a tremendous recruiter who has brought elite talent to Knoxville in recent years but hasn’t had the success Tennessee fans are craving. 

This is a big year for Jones. Can he win without Josh Donna and Jalen Hurd? He has to prove he can because if the Vols fail to meet expectations again, Jones could be out.

6. Steve Addazio, Boston College: Addazio has taken the Eagles to three bowls in four years but he has not won more than seven games in a season in his tenure at B.C. 

The administration and alumni expect more out of this program. Addazio and his staff need to capitalize on last season’s strong finish. If they don’t and the program goes backwards again, Addazio’s job could be on the line. 

7. Rich Rodriguez, Arizona: Rodriguez’s tenure at Arizona has been up and down thus far. The program was down last season. Now there is pressure on the spread guru to turn things around and get the program back on track. 

If Rich Rod doesn’t get the Wildcats back to a bowl game, there could be a change in Tucson.