Pac-12 football first coach to be fired odds: UCLA's Chip Kelly will be on hottest seat over Herm Edwards, Clay Helton with opening loss to Hawaii

The 2021 college football season begins Saturday with five games in what is technically Week Zero, and the lone Pac-12 team in action is Chip Kelly's UCLA Bruins, so now is as good a time as any to look at coaches from that conference on the hot seat – on which Kelly is certainly one. He's not quite the favorite via SportsLine oddsmakers to be the first one fired/leave his position, but he would certainly jump to the favored role if the Bruins were upset at home Saturday as 18-point favorites against Hawaii.

Frankly, the bloom has been off the rose – pun intended, I guess, since UCLA plays at the Rose Bowl – regarding Kelly since 2015. He was obviously spectacular at Oregon, and his Philadelphia Eagles went 10-6 in each of his first two seasons, but he was fired with Philly at 6-9 in 2015 and then lasted just one 2-14 season in 2016 with the 49ers.

UCLA threw a five-year, $23 million contract at Kelly to hire him before the 2018 season, as the school was competing with Florida for his services, and the closest the Bruins have come to finishing with a .500 record in his three years was at 3-4 in 2020. Overall, Kelly is 10-21 in Westwood and the only reason he isn't favored on his prop is a $9 million buyout for a school that is crying poor; that buyout does drop a bit after Jan. 15, 2022.

This could be Kelly's best team with a Pac-12 co-leading 20 starters back, but the Bruins better beat Hawaii or they are probably staring at 0-2 with a game vs. No. 16 LSU up next. UCLA might only be favored in three Pac-12 games. The Bruins have an Over/Under season win total of 7 at Caesars Sportsbook. If they go Under that, Kelly is surely gone.

USC's Clay Helton was among the favorites on this same list last year because the school wasn't recruiting that well and coming off a disappointing 8-5 record in 2019. The Trojans ran the table in the shortened 2020 regular season – although they easily could have been 2-3 instead of 5-0 and that seemed to take some pressure off Helton … until USC was upset by Oregon in the Pac-12 title game, that is. That cost the Trojans a spot in the Rose Bowl, and the school ended up opting out of any other bowl.

Helton's recruiting has improved, but money won't be an object there in terms of buying out Helton if necessary and hiring a big-name coach because it's arguably one of the Top 5 jobs in the country. Urban Meyer was linked to it a year ago. Penn State's James Franklin also has been mentioned. USC has an Over/Under win total of 8.5.

Finally, Herm Edwards has done a solid job at Arizona State with a 17-13 record, but the program is in the midst of a recruiting scandal -- prospects were allegedly brought in during the COVID-19 dead period despite the obvious health risks -- that has seen three assistants suspended.

Edwards was an outside-the-box hire as it was and should things so south this season, he could simply opt to retire at age 67 and head back to ESPN. The Sun Devils could be pretty good, though, with 20 starters back, including excellent QB Jayden Daniels. They have an Over/Under win total of 8.5.

Washington State's Nick Rolovich is listed not so much following his 1-3 season in 2020 replacing Mike Leach, but also bringing some negative attention on himself for refusing to get the COVID vaccine -- he attended Pac-12 Media Days virtually as the only coach in the conference not vaccinated. The state of Washington is mandating the vaccine for workers at schools, colleges and universities by Oct. 18, so circle that date. 

On the Hot Seat rankings by CBS Sports' Dennis Dodd, he lists Helton and Edwards with grades of 4 (start improving now) and Kelly at 3 (pressure is mounting). Every other Pac-12 coach seems safe for now.

Via SportsLine oddsmakers: Who will be the first Pac-12 head coach fired/leave job?

• Herm Edwards +200
• Chip Kelly +300
• Clay Helton +400
• Nick Rolovich +700
• Other +1000

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