I don’t like telling anybody how to spend their money.

It seems preachy. It also doesn’t seem fair for someone like myself, who has never made a multi-million dollar decision, to act like an expert on the subject. I wouldn’t make the world’s best financial advisor.

Having said that, I know how much value the Arkansas football program means to the university. Hence, I have no problem giving Arkansas athletics director Jeff Long the green light if he feels compelled to do what many are calling for in Fayetteville.

That is, fire Bret Bielema and pay him his massive $15.5 million buyout.

The season is young, but after Saturday’s loss to Texas A&M dropped the Hogs to 1-2, the subject seems to be gaining steam. What will it take for Bielema to keep his job? Would Long really be willing to write a check that big?

Those are fair questions at this point. Bielema’s 10-23 record vs. SEC competition has his seat as hot as it’s been since he arrived in Fayetteville.

But while that hefty buyout might give Bielema a bubble-wrapped layer of security, it should be popped if his team crumbles.

Credit: Joey Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

Before the start of the season, I wrote why Bielema had an extremely favorable situation to prove his worth and squash any hot seat talk.

He had a guy who many believed was the SEC’s best quarterback in Austin Allen, he figured to have an improved offensive line and the revamped defense looked promising. On top of that, Arkansas’ conference schedule was about as friendly as it could be for an SEC West team.

That would make it that much more frustrating if Arkansas collapsed in 2017.

Sure, TCU was better than many thought, especially after it just went into Stillwater, Okla., and knocked off Oklahoma State. And losing Rawleigh Williams III was obviously a tough pill to swallow for Arkansas.

But Bielema would still have no excuse if his team missed the postseason.

There’s no reason that in Year 5, Bielema’s offense is stuck in neutral. He was supposed to be the guy who would build the team around a bulldozing offensive line and a power running game, just like he did at Wisconsin.

Do you see this Arkansas team bulldozing any SEC team in 2017?

That’s the perception problem with Bielema right now. In five years — more than enough time in today’s era of college football — he hasn’t accomplished his main objective. That’s Arkansas fans’ biggest knock on him, and understandably so. Fans booed Arkansas in the fourth quarter against TCU in a 14-7 game largely because Bielema’s offense was a disaster.

If the Hogs get smacked in the mouth by SEC defenses week in, week out, what would make Long think Bielema is capable of ever consistently establishing that kind of culture?

You don’t get six years to find your identity in this coaching climate. There’s too much money at stake for teams to keep overpaying an underachieving coach. At some point, you have to cut your losses.

In Long’s perfect world, Bielema’s team hits its stride and finishes with eight wins. As of right now, however, that doesn’t look like reality. Reality is that Long’s big, splashy hire is still struggling to make Arkansas a consistent Top 25 program.

Bielema’s schtick, while entertaining, shouldn’t overshadow a disastrous season. For lack of a better phrase, that’s putting lipstick on a pig.

The thought of eating $15.5 million is as daunting as it gets (or so I hear). Making the wrong hire in today’s college football landscape often comes at a hefty price. Programs like Auburn (Gene Chizik), Nebraska (Bo Pelini) and Notre Dame (Charlie Weis) made that tough decision.

If Bielema can’t turn around his team’s season, nothing should stop Arkansas from joining that club.