It’s only one game? Pfft.

Tell that to Jack Crowe.

The former Arkansas coach was fired one game into his SEC career — actually, he never even got to coach in the league. Long before his successful tenure at Jacksonville State, Crowe was canned on the Sunday after his Hogs lost to the Citadel in the season opener in 1992, their first year in the SEC.

That was 23 years ago, and the college football coaching profession hasn’t gotten any less cutthroat since then. Coaches need to win, win quickly, and win a lot. And then after they do that, they need to keep winning.

A good game only buys you as much goodwill as you can spend in your next loss, and last season’s warm feelings can go cold long before autumn sets in.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at the SEC coaches with the most riding on Week 1.

Most to gain

Kevin Sumlin: The Aggies come in as a slight underdog, and no other SEC team faces a Week 1 opponent ranked as highly as No. 15 Arizona State. One could even form the argument that Texas A&M has nothing to lose in this one. Though Kyle Allen started the last half of 2014, he’s still a young quarterback who will get the benefit of the doubt if things don’t go perfectly smooth Saturday night. On the other hand, a win for the Aggies would not only strike a blow in favor of the SEC, it would set Texas A&M up to be sitting at 3-0 when it opens conference play against Arkansas on Sept. 26. Sumlin and the Aggies have decreased in wins each of the last two years. Starting 2015 off with a win would go a long way toward nipping that nasty trend before it actually becomes one.

Steve Spurrier: The Head Ball Coach has made it clear he’s no longer satisfied with the 7-6 records that were the norm during the first five years of his tenure in Columbia. Prior to last year, the Gamecocks had reeled off three straight 11-win seasons and 42 wins in four years. Maybe that’s why last year’s 7-6 mark felt so much like a disappointment. A win over North Carolina would send a message to the rest of the conference and surely bring a confidence boost to a defense that struggled last season, not to mention to the Gamecocks’ new quarterback, Connor Mitch.

Gus Malzahn: A win over a well-respected Louisville team would solidify the preseason hype for the sixth-ranked Tigers and prove that Malzahn has his offense rolling at an institutional level that can’t be slowed by the nuisance of players going pro or exhausting their eligibility.

Most to lose

Gus Malzahn: Such is life in the SEC. Win and you’re a hero, lose and the whole season is in doubt. A loss to Louisville obviously wouldn’t have any effect on Auburn’s conference title aspirations, but it would leave the Tigers with some ground to make up on the national stage. Aside from that, nobody wants a loss to Bobby Petrino hanging over their heads, especially not a program that once employed him.

Nick Saban: A second straight loss, both to the Big Ten? Wouldn’t be a great look. Similar to Auburn, the Tide will be sitting perfectly fine within the SEC, regardless of what happens this weekend. But they’d have to deal with the (albeit silly) national narrative asking if the program is declining if they were to fall to Wisconsin on Saturday night. Alabama comes into 2015 with its share of question marks — at quarterback and receiver, primarily. The fact that the Tide is ranked No. 3 in the country anyway demonstrates the college football community’s faith in the strength of the program, as well as in the depth and talent of that defensive front seven. A win against a quality team Wisconsin is expected at this point. But if the defense gets gashed again like it did by Ohio State in last year’s playoffs, the resulting loss might invite some doubt.

Derek Mason: If anybody is in danger of suffering Jack Crowe’s fate, it’s Mason. Not that we really think a loss to the Hilltoppers would get the head Commodore fired, but Mason can’t afford an ugly start after last year. Vanderbilt went from unprecedented back-to-back nine-win seasons in James Franklin’s last two years, to nine losses last year in Mason’s first season at the helm — and nine mostly lopsided losses, at that. The Commodores need something to feel good about heading into next week’s game against Georgia.