Jonathan Smith’s seat hasn’t cooled down in over a month. Ever since that first loss in the losing streak to USC, the second-year Michigan State coach has been spiraling, losing six straight, watching his seat go up in flames.
The Spartans went from 3-0 with some promise after a “nice” overtime win over Boston College early in the season to 3-6 with no end to the bleeding in sight in just 1.5 months.
Michigan State fans were looking forward to a potential bowl berth, but now it looks like the Spartans are going to miss the postseason for the fourth straight season. This would be the second 3-0 start spoiled by a mediocre finish under Smith, and that lack of progress is why he appears to be on the hot seat, likely to lose his job at the end of the season.
But all is not lost for Smith. He’s due a nice buyout if he is fired (over $30 million), and there’s even talk that he’s a top candidate for another job opening.
That’s right, according to oddsmakers, Smith is still one of the favorites to take the UCLA job.
Per the oddsmakers, Smith is the seventh-best candidate, in terms of betting odds, to be hired at UCLA, just behind James Franklin — Smith has 14/1 odds. Washington head coach Jed Fisch is the odds-on favorite to take the job at 2/1 odds.
It feels unlikely that UCLA will hire Smith after this horrendous two-year stretch in East Lansing, but the Bruins could look at this as a better fit for the head coach.
Smith is a West Coast guy with ties out there in the recruiting landscape, and he was born in Pasadena, so the fit makes sense. He could return home to try and turn the Bruins around — something that no coach has been able to do for years. Michigan State fans would love this move for Smith. Not so sure Bruins fans would feel the same, though.