Every offseason, certain college football coaches have to deal with being labelled as “on the hot seat.” In most cases, that label comes from the media. Last month, Texas A&M AD Scott Woodward effectively put Aggies coach Kevin Sumlin on the hot seat when he told Paul Finebaum that, “Coach knows he has to win and he has to win this year and we have to do better than we’ve done in the past.”

Sports Illustrated might not call it a hot seat list, but Sumlin was one of three SEC coaches to show up on its list of “10 coaches under the most pressure to win in 2017.”

Joan Niesen, the article’s author, points to the recent 8-5 finishes as one reason Sumlin must win, but she points to the finances in play:

Last winter, Texas A&M would have had to pay a $15 million buyout to fire Sumlin. After this season, that number drops to $10 million. With a job as desirable as this one, there’d be no shortage of talented candidates to replace Sumlin, and it’s easy to imagine Texas A&M snaring the next big, young name should it wave goodbye to Sumlin.

One of Sumlin’s biggest wins last year came over Tennessee. The Volunteers have the toughest annual SEC West rival in Alabama, so losses to rotational opponents like TAMU don’t sit well on Rocky Top. Niesen doesn’t think Jones is gone after this season, but she knows UT wants to see the Vols take the next step:

Tennessee fans and administrators know Jones can recruit, but so far, he’s failed to use those talented classes to rise to the top of the SEC. The Vols want to contend with the Alabamas of the world, not score just one touchdown against them, and so far, there’s been little evidence from Jones that he’s the guy to get them there.

At the top of Niesen’s list is Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze. Tiger Woods famously said “winning solves everything” and it’s no secret that coming off a 5-7 season with an NCAA cloud hanging over Oxford, Freeze needs some wins:

 The Rebels went 5–7 in 2016, winning only twice in conference play, and it’s hard to imagine them hauling in classes with players the likes of Tunsil, Robert Nkemdiche, Laquon Treadwell and Evan Engram going forward. Should things continue to go south in Oxford, Freeze will likely pay the price.

Niesen’s full list can be viewed here.