Charlie Strong, Brian Kelly
 

At the collegiate level, sports are constantly turning over. Sometimes, that is for the best, and sometimes, for these eight schools, that is for the worst.

These eight have 32 claimed national championships among them, and four have appeared in the national championship game since 2001 -- two winning national titles. Two teams have reached the College Football Playoff in its first two seasons.

But through eight games, many of the coaches at these schools are fighting for their jobs, and all eight are struggling to reach the six-win plateau. The NCAA Division I FBS considers six-win teams "bowl eligible." With 80 bowl spots and 128 teams, there is a chance a few five-win teams will be called upon to fill bowl spots. Teams are then selected based on Academic Progress Rate (APR).

Miami Hurricanes (4-4)

Getty Images Miami Hurricanes (4-4)

What a fall it's been for The U (talking about just this season, not the past 15 years). Miami started 4-0 and reached No. 10 in the AP Poll. The Hurricanes then suffered a heartbreaking 20-19 home loss to rival Florida State. Things have only gotten uglier since, losing at home against North Carolina, at Virginia Tech and at Notre Dame. The Hurricanes will need to figure out how to two games down the stretch vs. Pittsburgh, at Virginia, at North Carolina State and vs. Duke.

Texas Longhorns (4-4)

Getty Images Texas Longhorns (4-4)

This is all too familiar territory for Texas, which finished with six regular-season wins in 2014 -- Charlie Strong's first year in Austin -- and five wins in 2015. The Longhorns took a big step toward bowl eligibility with a 35-34 upset of No. 8 Baylor this past Saturday, but there is still work to do. While a trip to Kansas should give Texas one win, home dates with No. 14 West Virginia and rival TCU, and a stop at Texas Tech, could derail the Longhorns' postseason hopes and Strong's residency in Austin.

TCU Horned Frogs (4-4)

Getty Images TCU Horned Frogs (4-4)

Gary Patterson's team only lost three times in 2014 and 2015 combined, but the Horned Frogs have already dropped four games in 2016. TCU actually has an even harder schedule remaining than Texas: At No. 13 Baylor, vs. No. 22 Oklahoma State, at Texas, vs. Kansas State. After two years on the College Football Playoff bubble, TCU has taken a clear step back.

Michigan State Spartans (2-6)

Getty Images Michigan State Spartans (2-6)

It's been an ugly autumn in East Lansing. Michigan State was 2-0 after beating No. 18 Notre Dame on Sept. 17. The reigning Big Ten champs peaked at No. 8 before getting blown out, 30-6, at home, in their Big Ten opener vs. Wisconsin. That started a six-game losing streak, which has seen losses to Indiana, Maryland and Northwestern. The Spartans should win the next two weeks against Big Ten bottom dwellers Illinois and Rutgers, but the team needs to win out for bowl eligibility. With match-ups vs. No. 6 Ohio State and at No. 20 Penn State looming in the final two weeks, Michigan State is in severe danger of missing its first postseason since 2006, the last year before the Spartans hired Mark Dantonio.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish (3-5)

Getty Images Notre Dame Fighting Irish (3-5)

Brian Kelly is fighting for his job, and the win over Miami this past week may have been a turning point. The Fighting Irish finish the season vs. Navy, vs. Army, vs. No. 23 Virginia Tech and at USC. It won't be easy, but Notre Dame needs to pull three wins out of that schedule to avoiding missing a bowl for the first time since 2009, Charlie Weis' last season in South Bend.

Oregon Ducks (3-5)

Getty Images Oregon Ducks (3-5)

On Sept. 17, then-No. 22 Oregon blew a 32-28 fourth quarter-lead with 2:29 left at Nebraska. The loss sent Oregon into a tailspin, losing five straight. Oregon had not lost five games in a season since 2006. With a home win over Arizona State this past weekend, Ducks fans tasted winning again. Now, it is the players' job to steal three out of four from a nasty stretch of at USC, vs. Stanford, at No. 16 Utah and at Oregon State.

UCLA Bruins (3-5)

Getty Images UCLA Bruins (3-5)

On the other side of the Pac-12, UCLA is having far and away its worst year under Jim Mora. The Bruins, who started the season at No. 16, are 1-4 in Pac-12 play. With at No. 21 Colorado vs. Oregon State, vs. USC and at California left, UCLA has a more forgiving schedule than Oregon, but it is no easy look at three wins.

Ole Miss Rebels (3-5)

Getty Images Ole Miss Rebels (3-5)

What happened to Ole Miss? Yes, the schedule is hard -- all five Rebels losses have come against ranked teams -- but Ole Miss, who opened the season at No. 11, is supposed to be up for the test. A upcoming date with Georgia Southern should get the Rebels to four wins, but stealing two from at No. 7 Texas A&M, at Vanderbilt and vs. Mississippi State will be a stressful endeavor.

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