Miami Hurricanes head coach Al Golden is on the hot seat entering the year, but what does he need to do to keep his job beyond the 2015 season?

There were high hopes in Coral Gables at the start of last year’s football season as the Miami Hurricanes were looking to capitalize on a nine-win season in 2013 and improve on their win total. 2014, however, was not the year Miami fans across South Beach were hoping it would turn out to be.

Also Read: Coaches who will get off the hot seat in 2015

Al Golden and the ‘Canes started off the year last season in a promising way, securing six wins out of their first nine games before going into Tallahassee and losing to Jimbo Fisher and the Florida State Seminoles. From there, the wheels fell off the wagon and Miami lost all of their remaining games, including their bowl game to South Carolina, bringing their final record to 6-7.

The end of the season drew a sigh of relief for the orange and green faithful, but their frustrations brought forth the question of Golden’s job security. There is no doubt The U will have to increase their win count for Golden to keep his job as head coach.

If Golden and company repeat last season, Miami will most likely be looking for a new coach at the end of the year. Miami will probably have to win at least eight games for Golden to remain the head coach, but even then, he’d probably have to find a way to secure a bowl game victory to quiet his many critics.

Their schedule this season is difficult, however, especially for a team trying to force their way back into the spotlight. Nine of Miami’s opponents for the fall played in bowl games last season with their three toughest games against Florida State, Georgia Tech, and Clemson. All three of those teams are ranked in the top-20 of the recently released Coaches Poll and he can’t go 0-3 against this trio.

Golden can’t come away o-3 in these three games and needs a signature win on his resume, because the win against Florida two years ago doesn’t qualify. If Miami can get a crowd to support their team, they should benefit from playing Georgia Tech and Clemson at home.

The Canes’ schedule doesn’t look favorable for a team trying to bounce back from another underwhelming year, but if they can manage to keep afloat and win at least eight games, including one against the top three in the ACC and a bowl win, it would mark an incredible improvement over last season.

Can you really fire a coach who shows that kind of marked improvement?