Week 11: Neal Brown's Weekly Hot Seat Rating

Here we are in Week 11 of the college football season, and the more things change, the more they stay the same. Don't get me wrong, WVU letting go of Jordan Lesley had to be done. He continuously failed to put the defense in position to keep the foot on the gas and put games away on that side of the ball. But will it be enough for WVU to have a miraculous finish and win out? And how will it affect the Neal Brown Hot Seat Rating.

The last time we checked in on this rating was entering Week 8 -- the rating had jumped to a dangerous 7 out of 10 as another poor performance against a ranked team in Iowa State had soured the fanbase on Neal Brown after it seemed the season was turning around.

However, since then, WVU has lost another home game to a ranked opponent, seen starting quarterback Garrett Greene benched with an injury, watched as a fan-sponsored billboard campaign called for Neal Brown's job, rebounded as backup quarterback Nicco Marchiol led them to a road win against Arizona, fired Lesley, and have completed their second bye week.

We all feel that if WVU were to win its last four games, it would be possible for WVU to keep Neal Brown for yet another season. This could be the case with WVU's final four opponents having a combined record of 20-15. It looks like the Texas Tech game in Morgantown will prove to be the toughest test out of this stretch. So things have changed.

But things have also stayed the same. Fans are still unhappy -- perhaps unhappier than they were before that aforementioned sequence over the past month. This week, the Neal Brown Hot Seat Rating is currently at an 8 out of 10; and if you have been keeping up, that's legitimately pretty scorching. If the team were to win out, I could foresee the seat cooling to a 6. Playing in a decent bowl and winning may cool it even further, but fans are optimistic with the rumblings of Jimbo Fisher coming out of retirement. Is this a legitimate possibility? Time will tell.

You may have heard rumors stating, "Neal Brown is as good as gone, no matter the outcome." But this is just speculation at best. No one knows what conversations have transpired (if anything) behind closed doors with Wren Baker. Sitting in press conferences, you get a vibe that something has occurred, but again, It all remains to be seen.

WVU will look to keep the winning ways rolling on Saturday against the University of Cincinnati. Not to be overlooked, the Mountaineers will have their hands full in the trenches.