Coaches making the news at CBS

Just a few familiar names:

Quotes:
One month's hot name could be collecting unemployment by the end of the season. It's the nature of the business and one reason why the hours are long and dollar figures equate to hazard pay. Just two years after winning a national title, Auburn coach Gene Chizik sits with a 6-11 record since raising the crystal ball in 2010 and can't sit down with his pants being toasted. Saturday's loss to Vanderbilt gave him a 22-35 mark without quarterback Cam Newton. He's just one of many head and assistant coaches dealing with disappointing seasons and primed to suffer the consequences.

The Good
David Cutcliffe (Duke head coach)
It has been 18 years since the Blue Devils have been to a bowl, but they're headed to one this season after becoming eligible in the most dramatic way possible -- with a win over North Carolina on Saturday. Bruce Feldman has a good piece on the work that Cutcliffe has done with this program to get them this far.

Sonny Dykes, Tony Franklin (Head coach/offensive coordinator Louisiana Tech)
You might be better off listing which offensive records these two haven't broken while in Ruston than ones they have. With the No. 1 scoring offense in the nation and an impressive collection of talent that can compete with anybody (just ask Texas A&M), these two have the Bulldogs ranked in the Top 25 and looking like one of the top non-AQ teams in the country.

Kirby Smart, Doug Nussmeier (Alabama defensive/offensive coordinator)
Yes, Nick Saban is a big part of why Alabama is No. 1 in the country this year. But don't overlook the work of Smart and Nussmeier. All Smart has done is replace a number of NFL draft picks and managed to somehow still have the best defense in the country. Nussmeier, in his first season at Alabama, has opened up the offense despite fresh faces at wide receiver by bringing along quarterback AJ McCarron and turning him into a legitimate Heisman Trophy threat. It helps to have the best talent, but managing all those five-stars counts for something, and these two have done it at the highest level so far this year.

The Ugly
Scot Loeffler (Auburn offensive coordinator)
No offensive line, no quarterback, plenty of struggles for a team that won a national title two seasons ago. The transition from Gus Malzahn has been a tough one, and the Tigers are close to the bottom in most categories on this side of the ball. Made worse is how the quarterback play has actually regressed from last season. That's a chief reason why Loeffler winds up down in this section.

Joker Phillips (Kentucky head coach)
A dead man walking, the Wildcats are 1-7 and unlikely to pull out of their tailspin anytime soon. The quarterback position has been a walking wounded. While the team did show some fight against Georgia last week, this isn't close to being an OK team much less one that can compete in the SEC.

John L. Smith (Arkansas head coach)
The Razorbacks have been dreadful on defense and might go from being ranked in the preseason with talent like Tyler Wilson and Knile Davis to sitting at home in December without a bowl. On top of how bad the team has looked this season, Smith's financial troubles have added yet another bizarre twist to a crazy season in Fayetteville.

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