ESPN's Chris Low: LSU athletic director Joe Alleva might be on a hotter seat than Ed Orgeron

It’s July and there’s already speculation about Ed Orgeron’s future in Baton Rouge.

Coming off the heels of a 9-win season, the LSU coach faces a daunting schedule in his second full season at the helm. The subject of his long-term prospects have been speculated about throughout the offseason.

On Thursday, ESPN’s Chris Low joined Bo Mattingly on “Sports Talk With Bo Mattingly.” The college football insider provided some insight about what Orgeron is facing in 2018.

But according to Low, Orgeron doesn’t have the hottest seat in the LSU athletic department:

Low on if this is a make-or-break year for Ed Orgeron: I think it’s pretty close. … They need to have a big year. If they go out and have a mediocre year, it’s not going to bode well. But the guy who hired him, AD Joe Alleva, might be on the hotter seat.

— Bo Mattingly (@SportsTalkwBo) July 12, 2018

It was obviously Alleva who fired Les Miles and made the controversial decision to shed Orgeron’s interim tag at the end of the 2016 season. Since taking over for Miles, Orgeron is 15-6 overall and 10-4 in the SEC.

It’s not uncommon for athletic directors to get fired before the head coach if an athletic department doesn’t feel like the standing A.D. will go that route. That’s what happened at Arkansas with Jeff Long and Bret Bielema at the end of the 2017 season.

Could it happen at LSU in 2018?

Surely this wouldn’t be an ideal time for the Tigers to end their streak of 18 years in a row with 8-plus wins.