Yesterday I wrote about how speculation is already building around the country about this possibly being a make-or-break year for James Franklin and why I think it should not be, barring some sort of total program meltdown.

Today, I present an examination of 11 Power Five-conference head coaches who were canned after either their second or third seasons in the last decade. That's only about one per year, the trend does not seem to be accelerating and, as you'll see, most had really ugly final seasons. It usually takes a lot to get most guys fired inside four years. These are in roughly chronological order (excepting the Kansas duo) with overall record, best-season record and last-season record.

Orgeron

Ed Orgeron, Mississippi (2005-07)

Overall: 10-25; Best: 4-8; Last: 3-9

Hired from Pete Carroll's staff at USC, the defensive specialist actually got a vote of confidence from the Ole Miss administration midway in his final season. But an ugly finish both on the field, including a come-from-ahead loss in the Egg Bowl to Mississippi State, and unruly player conduct off it sealed the Cajun's fate. It made a difference that Orgeron's tenure came on the heels of David Cutcliffe's largely successful 6-year run.

Prince

Ron Prince, Kansas State (2006-08)

Overall: 17-20; Best: 7-6; Last: 5-7

Can it get any tougher than both succeeding and preceding the legendary Bill Snyder at K-State? You could easily argue that, had Snyder never set foot in Manhattan, Kans., Prince would have not only survived the end of his third year but might still be at KSU now. Any other coach in Kansas State history who knocked off Texas not once but twice directly on the heels of its 2005 national championship would have been bronzed living had the natives not been spoiled by Snyder. But a slow decline near the end of 2008 capped by an embarrassing 52-21 loss at Kansas got Prince dismissed three games before the end of his third year. Snyder came out of retirement at age 69 to replace him and is still there at 76.

Jagodzinski

Jeff Jagodzinski, Boston College (2007-08)

Overall: 20-8; Best: 11-3; Last: 9-5

Extenuating circumstances here. Jagodzinski was so successful in his two years at BC (11-5 in the ACC, two division titles) that he got NFL interview offers after the 2008 season and decided to take one - a sit-down with the New York Jets. Not only did he not get the job (Rex Ryan did), the Jets interview didn't sit well with old-school BC athletic director Gene DiFilippo who had expected him to honor more of a 5-year deal. Jags was fired the next day.

Kragthorpe

Steve Kragthorpe, Louisville (2007-09)

Overall: 15-21; Best: 6-6; Last: 4-8

Pretty much a disastrous hire in every way for AD Tom Jurich. Kragthorpe was a Westerner/Texan who fit a template of offensive-minded Rocky Mountain types Jurich had previously hired (John L. Smith, Bobby Petrino). But his offense never took and the neglected defense sprang leaks. Even after a 63-14 loss to Rutgers in 2008, Jurich stuck with Kragthorpe for another season. But fan apathy and crowds in the 20,000s eventually forced Jurich's hand after the 2009 season.

Rodriguez

Rich Rodriguez, Michigan (2008-10)

Overall: 15-22; Best: 7-6; Last 7-6

The classic case of an administration attempting to energize a program with an outside-the-box hire and ending up with someone who simply never fit. RichRod was an innovative offensive mind from West Virginia who developed zone-read option play. Michigan imagined he would invigorate a staid organization that had never employed anyone but "Michigan Men" all the way back through Bennie Oosterbaan in the 1940s. But the austere locals never took a shine to him or his methods. He did put an exciting offense on the field and recruited on a national level. But his defenses were some of the worst in Michigan history, his teams lost all six games to Ohio State and Michigan State and a Detroit Free Press expose uncovering NCAA violations of practice-time rules in 2009 helped seal his fate. He's much better off at Arizona where he's had four straight winning records and a Pac-12 South title in 2014.

Dooley

Derek Dooley, Tennessee (2010-12)

Overall: 15-21; Best 6-7: Last: 5-7

The man Vols fans still blame for their early decade demise, the mercurial son of Georgia coaching institution Vince Dooley got his shot in the bigs after Tennessee found itself scrambled in the Lane Kiffin fiasco. His teams were hamstrung by recruiting defections borne of the previous instability when Kiffin left for Southern California after only one season. But Dooley didn't help himself with questionable in-game decisions and his fate was sealed after a 41-18 November loss to none other than James Franklin's Vanderbilt Commodores.

Embree

Jon Embree, Colorado (2011-12)

Overall: 4-21; Best: 3-10; Last 1-11

You could blame the Dan Hawkins hire or this one but, either way, this is about the juncture where it all went south for Colorado football. At least Boise State emigre Hawkins managed to win two conference games every season and since Embree the Buffaloes have not won more than one. Embree was hired on the cheap for a mere $750,000 per year which even in 2011 was extremely low for a Power Five school. He'd been a longtime assistant under both Rick Neuheisel and Gary Barnett in the 1990s and early 2000s and a tight ends coach at two NFL stops but little indicated he was of head coaching tensile. That proved to be the case. Following the worst season in CU history in 2012, Embree was eased out after only two years.

Phillips

Joker Phillips, Kentucky (2010-12)

Overall: 13-24; Best: 6-7; Last: 2-10

This was a catastrophic meltdown in the third season that no one could have survived. Even Phillips seemed to know his dismissal was inevitable after an 8-game losing streak. Phillips was eased in to replace retired Rich Brooks after a 7-year tenure under him as an offensive assistant. But the home-state native proved to be over his pay grade as a head coach and his tenure effectively ended after a 40-0 November home loss to, yes, James Franklin's Vanderbilt Commodores. Just call him Dos Equis.

Gill

Turner Gill, Kansas (2010-11)

Overall: 5-19; Best: 3-9; Last: 2-10

The great glory-years Nebraska quarterback was considered a hot coaching star on the rise for years, first after mentoring Tommie Frazier and Eric Crouch at his alma mater, then turning MAC tire fire Buffalo into a viable program. When Mark Mangino's erratic behavior became too much to tolerate, Kansas decided to fire him and hire Gill even after a 5-7 final season at UB. But Gill's tenure with the Jayhawks was such a total disaster - from on-field performance to off-field dysfunction in the strength-and-conditioning staff and player discord - that KU opted to eat the remainder his 5-year, $10 million deal after only two seasons. That, and KU had big ideas for a successor in Charlie Weis.

Weis

Charlie Weis, Kansas (2012-14)

Overall: 6-22; Best: 3-9; Last: 2-3

Big in girth only, as it turned out. While Weis could've challenged Mark Mangino on a livestock scale, he couldn't touch his twice-removed predecessor in Big 12 play. The former Notre Dame coach and offensive mastermind of three New England Patriots Super Bowl winners proved again he was better off as a coordinator than a head coach. Weis' offense had even less success than Gill's and KU again decided on a premature buyout - just halfway through Weis' 5-year contract. This time, it cost Kansas effectively $6.5 million. And the replacement David Beaty went 0-12 last season.

Shafer

Scott Shafer, Syracuse (2013-15)

Overall: 14-23; Best: 7-6; Last: 4-8

A long slow slide for a very accomplished lifetime defensive coordinator who slid into Doug Marrone's chair when he left to head coach the Buffalo Bills. Marrone's successful tenure including bowl wins in 2010 and 2012 probably served to hasten both Shafer's hiring and firing. But his bland, Midwestern sensibilities, lack of recruiting pizzazz and injury trouble at QB doomed him. When Syracuse hired a new athletic director in Mark Coyle before Shafer's final season, it didn't help. New bosses who're not connected to the hire never do.

DAVID JONES: djones@pennlive.com