Dennis Erickson’s seat is rather warm

With expectations come, well, expectations, and the Arizona State football team is preparing for what could be a make or break year for their head coach.

Entering his fifth season in Tempe, Dennis Erickson has seen his team go 15-21 since a 10-3 campaign in 2007. Bowl-less in three straight years, the time is now for Erickson to return the Devils to the postseason…or else.

According to Rivals.com, Erickson’s spot is third on a list of the hottest seats in the nation.

The buzz: It all started so well for Erickson in Tempe. He notched a 10-3 record and a first-place tie in the Pac-10 in his debut in 2007, capping the season with a Holiday Bowl trip. Since then, the Sun Devils have gone 15-21 overall and 10-17 in the Pac-10, with no winning seasons and no bowls. There are high expectations this season, and for Erickson’s sake, the Sun Devils need to meet them.

Rivals is probably right. Erickson came to the Valley with a reputation as a winner, but his teams have instead found ways to lose games seemingly every year.

A favorable schedule along with plenty of returning starters means the stars are aligning for something positive to happen, but if people don’t start fearing the fork Erickson will have every reason to fear the unemployment line.

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