Dan Wolken

USA TODAY Sports

When things get tense at Nebraska, when the pressure of the job and the thirst of the fan base starts to weigh on Bo Pelini, he appears to have a defense mechanism.

Whether it's orchestrated or instinctual, Pelini's trigger response to criticism is daring Nebraska to fire him.

He did it last season when things started to go the wrong way. Heck, he sort of did it in the audio clip that surfaced when Pelini, following a 2011 win against Ohio State, basically told the fan base and administration in an expletive-laced rant, "Good luck trying to do better than me." Then once again last week, Pelini responded to a critical caller on his radio show by saying, "If (this) isn't the right direction you have a conversation with (athletics director) Shawn Eichorst and they're free to go in another direction."

One of these days, Nebraska is going to take Pelini up on that offer.

Because at some point, the notion that Nebraska fans expect too much or that the job isn't what it used to be or that a return to Tom Osborne-era dominance is impossible has no relationship to the evaluation of Pelini's job performance.

Strip all that extraneous stuff away, just look at where the Nebraska program is right now relative to its peers and ask whether that's good enough. The answer is no.

After seven years of Pelini, Nebraska fans know what they have and what they're going to get. And at some point, if the program has become incapable of winning anything meaningful, that's a problem Nebraska needs to address regardless of Pelini's overall record (66-27) or the fact he has never had a bad season by any standard.

But don't let anyone — including Pelini — tell you that that Nebraska should just be happy with its nine wins a year because this isn't 1994 anymore. Look behind the numbers. Pelini's best win this season? Over a mediocre Miami team. Last year? Nebraska didn't beat anyone with a pulse until it survived, 24-19, against a beat-up Georgia team in the Gator Bowl.

Meanwhile, Nebraska losing to ranked teams has become so routine and predictable, you barely even need to watch with just two wins in its last 10. At 8-1, the Cornhuskers had a chance to turn that narrative around but a 59-24 loss to Wisconsin dropped them out of the race for anything significant. Then, they backed it up with a 28-24 home loss to Minnesota. Minnesota, for goodness sakes.

Does unhappiness with that trend sound like a spoiled fan base that doesn't appreciate Pelini the way it should, or does it sound like a fan base justifiably ready to see if they can indeed do better?

As Nebraska stumbles toward the end of the season, we may be getting ready to find out.

(Disclaimer: This isn't a ranking of worst teams, worst losses or coaches whose jobs are in the most jeopardy. This is simply a measurement of a fan base's knee-jerk reaction to what they last saw. The way in which a team won or lost, expectations vis-à-vis program trajectory and traditional inferiority complex of fan base all factor into this ranking.)

(Disclaimer No. 2: By virtue of their decision to make coaching changes, Florida, SMU, Kansas, Troy and Buffalo are hereby excluded from this and future editions of the Misery Index, as fans can look forward to a new regime taking hold in 2015.)

1. Nebraska: If the Cornhuskers lose at Iowa on Friday to finish 8-4, you can bet there will be major howling from the fan base to move on from Pelini. Is that what it will take? Is Pelini's fate already sealed? Is he definitely coming back? Who knows? Eichorst, the athletics director, is difficult to read because he hardly ever says anything publicly or interacts with the media. It certainly seems, though, that the tipping point is close — if it hasn't already arrived. None of this means Pelini is a bad coach. He's clearly a good one. But if he can't get the program beyond this barrier, he's not a good one for Nebraska. It doesn't have to happen every year, but it has to happen some time. And the way Nebraska plays now, especially in big games, it becomes increasingly more difficult to see a day when it will happen for Pelini.

2. Miami: If you look hard enough, there have been signs of life at Miami the past couple of years. But every time the Hurricanes make a stride forward, they fall on their faces and get lapped in the mediocre ACC, prompting fans to fly airplane banners calling for Al Golden to be fired. It's not healthy, it's not productive, but hey, at least a few people still care enough to spend money on such frivolity. Of course, given that Miami doesn't really have the fan base or financial wherewithal to be a significant national player in this college football environment, the Misery Index is quite sure athletics director Blake James would prefer Miami "fans" just write a donation check. For a whole lot of reasons, Miami isn't what it used to be, even if its fan base doesn't realize all the factors that have contributed to the mediocrity. Still, losing 30-13 at Virginia on Saturday wasn't a good look. And even if the Hurricanes beat Pittsburgh this week to finish 7-5, the season has been nothing to brag about. The former players aren't happy, the fans are mostly apathetic and the administration is caught between wanting to win like Miami used to win and the comfort of having a solid, buttoned-down coach who projects an image of doing it the so-called "right way." It would be hard to believe Golden is legitimately in trouble, especially with a stud freshman quarterback to build around in Brad Kaaya, but losing to Virginia is not the kind of performance that does wonders for job security.

3. Southern California: If you fire Lane Kiffin, you should hire a coach who is appreciably better than Lane Kiffin. In theory, that should be easy. The "better than Lane Kiffin" club is pretty big. But at this moment, it looks like Southern Cal might have failed in that regard. Steve Sarkisian is a super nice guy who is far more likeable than Kiffin, but whether he's a better coach is very much up for debate. Kiffin went 8-5 in his first season at USC, but at least he beat UCLA. Sarkisian might end up with a similar record after Saturday's 38-20 loss to the Bruins, dropping the Trojans to 7-4 with Notre Dame coming. Make all the excuses you want, this is a very talented USC team that underachieved in Sarkisian's first season. Moreover, UCLA looks like an all-around better outfit right now with better coaching and a better outlook over the next couple of years. At this point, USC's best bet to restore order in Southern California may be to root for Florida to lure Jim Mora Jr. to Gainesville. Don't bet on that happening. UCLA has recruits coming in and facilities being built that will continue to even the playing field with USC. After this season, how can USC fans have any confidence that Sark is capable of keeping pace with what's going on across town?

4. Virginia Tech: Frank Beamer doesn't want to talk about change. He made that clear Saturday after the Hokies suffered one of the most embarrassing defeats in the modern history of the program, losing 6-3 in double overtime to Wake Forest. "We're not talking about that right now," Beamer told reporters when asked if he would look at shaking up his staff in the offseason. "We're talking about trying to go back home and get ready for Virginia. That's what we're talking about." That may be what you're talking about, Frank, but the rest of us who live in the reality-based world are talking about how your program has become an ACC punch line and whether the best thing for the Hokies' future would be for you to step aside. As painful as that might be to hear, somebody needs to say it. Beamer is 68 years old, and history says it's very difficult for someone past retirement age to suddenly turn back the clock and fix a program that is trending the wrong direction. The crazy part about it, though — and the reason Beamer might try to hang on until the bitter end — is that Virginia Tech owns victories this season against Ohio State and Duke, which are legitimate highlights. But if the Hokies can't beat Virginia this week, they'll finish 5-7 and miss a bowl game for the first time since 1992. Even if they win, Virginia Tech would finish 3-5 in the ACC, which is just not very good for one of the nation's best programs between 1995-2011. There needs to be a lot of soul-searching at Virginia Tech the next few weeks, but it's useless if Beamer isn't willing to engage in an honest evaluation of the program and why it has slipped. Beamer has probably earned the right to go out on his own terms, and there is some young talent in the Virginia Tech program, but if he doesn't recognize that some things need to change, athletics director Whit Babcock needs to take that decision out of his hands — as ugly as it may be in the short term.

5. Notre Dame: Earlier this week, coach Brian Kelly was asked about chatter he's a candidate for the Florida job and offered a response laced with self-deprecating humor. "What else am I up for?" Kelly told reporters. "Can I be up for the Notre Dame job? Because we're 7-3 right now? I'm hoping to hold on to this job." Point of fact, Kelly is now 7-4 following Saturday's 31-28 loss to Louisville. And even though Notre Dame has a depth chart that will return mostly intact next year, if he has an opportunity to go to Florida — or anywhere, really — he should probably take it. Kelly isn't on the hot seat right now. But the way this season has played out for Notre Dame, Kelly better win big next year or he'll definitely be on it, which means there isn't a huge margin for error. For the sake of self-preservation, if might be in his best interests to bounce now. Why? The Notre Dame fan base isn't particularly forgiving, and it most definitely isn't self-aware about the difficulties of the job. Meanwhile, Notre Dame has lost four of its last five games after a 6-0 start. Three of those losses have come by a grand total of 10 points. The Irish are a handful of plays from being in the mix for the College Football Playoff. But as it stands now, this has been a disappointing year for Kelly, and if he sticks around for Year 6, it's going to be the most pressure-packed of his tenure. The Misery Index would advise not finding out what that's like.

6. Michigan: There's no mystery about what's going to happen with Brady Hoke. There really hasn't been for a couple of months. Ever since Michigan lost to Utah on Sept. 20, the Wolverines have pretty much been playing out the string, and Saturday's 23-16 loss to Maryland only served to ensure that Michigan won't have to deal with any awkwardness about firing a coach while preparing for a bowl game (at 5-6, the Wolverines would need to pull the biggest upset of the college football season at Ohio State to get bowl eligible). Change at Michigan is inevitable, which is what the fans have been clamoring for all year. Still, those same people have to be uneasy about the future. Based on his public comments, university President Mark Schlissel doesn't appear to have any investment in the school's athletic future (though he did apologize). There is no long-term athletics director in place. Industry insiders are confused about who's calling the shots or what Michigan really wants out of its next coach. In other words, the lack of organization in the coaching search combined with a scattershot athletic department vision and crunched timetable could lead to chaos in the next few weeks. Unless they pull a Jim Harbaugh or Les Miles out of the hat, this could be a coaching job that several people turn down before Michigan settles on someone who is seen as an underwhelming hire. Michigan needs to do what Alabama did after the 2006 season and hire its Nick Saban. But that took big money and an athletic department that knew what it needed and what Saban needed to be pulled from the Miami Dolphins. It's hard to see Michigan, with a dumpster fire athletic administration, no clear leadership and a school president with only a passing interest in winning football, pulling that off. But good luck!

7. Vanderbilt: The firestorm of outrage from Vanderbilt fans about Derek Mason's first season has faded into a low flame. It still doesn't make it any better. This has been a debacle from all angles. Offensively, this is one of the worst Vanderbilt teams in years. Defensively, which is Mason's specialty, they're not nearly good enough. Consdering the way the season has gone, it shouldn't be a huge surprise that Vanderbilt lost 51-0 to Mississippi State on Saturday. Still, given everything the Commodores have invested in the program to make it respectable, falling to 3-8 in that fashion isn't something that should be tolerated. Vanderbilt had just 228 yards of offense against the Bulldogs, continuing a theme from the beginning of the season. The Commodores allowed 502 yards and couldn't get off the field on third down, allowing Mississippi State to convert 11 of 15. After being incredibly competitive in the SEC the last three years, the Commodores haven't come close to winning a conference game this season and will likely suffer the final indignity by allowing in-state rival Tennessee to become bowl eligible next weekend. Vanderbilt fans are going to demand that Mason make some changes to his staff, and particularly with offensive coordinator Karl Dorrell. Mason's flexibility and willingness to change things that aren't working could determine whether he has a chance to stick in this job or get swallowed up by it like so many coaches before him.

8. Ole Miss: The good news for Ole Miss fans is there are no longer any "what-ifs" about this season. The Rebels weren't good enough or deep enough to make the College Football Playoff, and even if Laquon Treadwell hadn't gotten hurt, it's hard to envision any scenario in which Saturday's 30-0 loss to Arkansas would have turned out much different if he was healthy. Still, this season for Ole Miss is the football equivalent of the Beverly Hillbillies going bankrupt and being sent back to the Ozarks. For a few precious weeks, Ole Miss was living in the mansion with a 7-0 record, a win against Alabama and legitimate dreams of winning the SEC West and making the playoff. The Rebels also had a big thumbs-up from an analytics community that was enamored with their defense while ignoring that the mediocre production from their offense was going to catch up to them sooner or later. Before Saturday's beatdown in Fayetteville, Ole Miss fans could talk themselves into a lot of torture over the LSU and Auburn losses. But the Arkansas flop pretty much negates all that, and since all the playoff talk in Oxford, Ole Miss has lost three out of four games, with the only win coming against Presbyterian. Now, what once looked like an Egg Bowl for the ages this weekend has become only about spoiling Mississippi State's chances to get that fourth playoff spot. And if the Bulldogs win, completing an 11-1 season and the greatest moment in their program's history on Ole Miss' field, the misery for Hugh Freeze will extend far into the offseason.

9. Penn State: "Did we hire a dud?" That's what one Penn State fan asked the Misery Index via Twitter on Saturday, referring to the 16-14 debacle at Illinois which marked James Franklin's worst loss as a head coach. No, Penn State fans, you didn't hire a dud. Franklin was the hottest coaching prospect in the country last year, and if he hadn't taken the Penn State job, he'd be a lock for Florida or Michigan this time around. Franklin has proved he can recruit and motivate, and getting four consecutive undermanned teams to bowl games at Vanderbilt and Penn State is no small feat. Particularly given this roster situation at Penn State, a bad loss here or there may be unavoidable. However, to ignore the fact that Penn State has looked really messy at times or that Franklin's game management is usually all kinds of weird would be to ignore reality. And here's the problem with all that. Part of the deal with Franklin is that his charisma makes people believe too much. The same stuff that makes players go hard for him and sometimes play above their ability filters to a fan base that is pre-programmed to ignore reality until the moment it smacks them in the face. Because of his ability to sell himself and the fact Penn State locked up some big-time recruits quickly, the Penn State fan base elevated Franklin to Paterno-like levels of sainthood before he ever coached a game there. That's a bad recipe for a letdown, and now the knives are out, dissecting why quarterback Christian Hackenberg has regressed, why Penn State can't protect him and why the 6-5 Nittany Lions look right at home in the soft middle of the Big Ten. When you sell as hard as Franklin sells, it's never pretty for a fan base like Penn State when things don't go their way.

10. Rutgers: The fact that Rutgers' first season in the Big Ten hasn't been a total disaster is counter-balanced by the fact that it hasn't been competitive at all against good teams. And it leaves the Rutgers fan base and coach Kyle Flood in a tough position as he completes his third season. Is it fair to demand more of a program that has moved up in competition? Is Flood equipped to recruit and coach at the level that will be required to become a factor against the competition they now face on a weekly basis? And do the key results this season — 56-17 against Ohio State, 42-24 at Nebraska, 37-0 against Wisconsin and 45-3 at Michigan State — tell the full story of a 6-5 record? Moreover, there's something else hanging over the program right now: The Greg Schiano factor. Schiano, who built Rutgers from nothing to the point where it became attractive for the Big Ten, is unemployed right now after his failed NFL venture. But that won't last long. If Rutgers is ever going to engineer a Schiano reunion, the window of opportunity is probably right now. Doing that, however, would require throwing a coach under the bus who has played the good soldier, been moderately successful and just signed a contract extension before this season. That's a lot of pressure on athletics director Julie Hermann, who can barely do anything without walking into a public relations nightmare. If Rutgers keeps Flood and Schiano winds up resurrecting, say, Michigan, it probably won't play too well in Piscataway. On the other hand, with so many attractive openings, what if Hermann fires Flood but can't lure Schiano back? Would that be an even worse look? Given her short but bumbling history as an athletics director, it's hard to have confidence she'll play this the way it needs to be played.

Honorable mention (miserable, but not quite miserable enough): Syracuse, Iowa State, UConn, Auburn, Purdue, Tulsa, New Mexico, Iowa, Colorado ​

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