SEC hot seat rankings: Bryan Harsin is at top, but where does Jimbo Fisher rank?

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Bryan Harsin has been in possession of the hot seat for so long, he might have to pay property tax.

Auburn's second-year coach is 9-11 at a school that fired the previous coach despite eight consecutive winning seasons.

Auburn already has parted with Allen Greene, the athletics director who hired Harsin. Every game now feels like it could be Harsin's last. His Tigers (3-4, 1-3 SEC) will host Arkansas (4-3, 1-3) on Saturday.

After Harsin, though, who in the SEC sits on the hottest seat?

On this edition of "SEC Football Unfiltered," a podcast from the USA TODAY Network, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams consider three candidates for consideration for next up on the hot seat.

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Here's how they see the pecking order, after Harsin relinquishes the hot seat.

1. Eliah Drinkwitz (Missouri)

It's getting warmer. The natives are becoming restless amid Drinkwitz's third season, which likely will end short of bowl qualification. Drinkwitz built some excitement with his successful tour of the recruiting trail, but Missouri fans are eager for him to hand the reins to four-star freshman Sam Horn in an effort to jumpstart a stagnant Missouri offense. The Tigers squandered an opportunity to beat Auburn in September, a result that will loom over Drinkwitz. Plus, Drinkwitz is working for an athletics director who did not hire him. That's never a good situation for a struggling coach, although Drinkwitz probably will receive a fourth season after Missouri survived a scare from Vanderbilt.

TOPPMEYER:Nick Saban's farcical explanation of Jermaine Burton incident sets a dangerous precedent

ADAMS:Which unbeaten teams have easiest - and hardest - path to CFP?

MORE OPINIONS FROM TOPPMEYER AND ADAMS:Sign up for our SEC Unfiltered newsletter for exclusive columns to your inbox

2. Jimbo Fisher (Texas A&M)

It's getting warmer. The embarrassments keep mounting for the Aggies' fifth-year coach. The latest: a loss Saturday to Shane Beamer's South Carolina Gamecocks, which dropped A&M to 3-4. It marked A&M's first loss in program history to South Carolina, an annual opponent since 2014. Fisher looks nothing like the one-time quarterback whisperer who won a national championship at Florida State. He's protected by a buyout that would be $87.5 million, as of Nov. 1, but often, when we think a buyout will protect a coach, we're proven wrong. This would be a buyout unlike any we've seen, but the Aggies are a revenue behemoth. Fisher is probably fine through this season, though.

3. Mike Leach (Mississippi State)

Not warm yet. Leach led MSU to seven victories last season, and the Bulldogs (5-3) appear bound for another bowl berth. But are seven-win seasons as good as it will get under Leach, a third-year coach? If so, how long can that last? MSU (5-3) has a talented, veteran team with a star quarterback. This year offered the potential for raising the bar. But after back-to-back losses, a record more reflective of last season seems likely. Check back on this one next November.

Later in the episode

– Toppmeyer says Nick Saban's explanation for why he played Jermaine Burton in Saturday's game against Mississippi State was a farce, and it sets a dangerous precedent. What will stop Alabama players from lashing out at fans who rush the field after victories in the future? Burton reached out his right arm and struck a celebrating Vols fan who joined thousands of her peers in rushing the field after UT's upset win over the Tide on Oct. 15.

Week 9 picks against the spread!

Toppmeyer closed the gap on Adams last week, but each remains a ways off from .500. For the season, Adams is 19-25, while Toppmeyer is 16-28.

Georgia (-21.5) vs. Florida – Adams: Georgia; Toppmeyer: Georgia

Missouri at South Carolina (-5.5) – Adams: South Carolina; Toppmeyer: South Carolina

Kentucky at Tennessee (-11.5) – Adams: Tennessee; Toppmeyer: Tennessee

Arkansas (-3.5) at Auburn – Adams: Arkansas; Toppmeyer: Arkansas

Ole Miss (-3) at Texas A&M – Adams: Ole Miss; Toppmeyer: Ole Miss

Ohio State (-14.5) at Penn State – Adams: Ohio State; Toppmeyer: Ohio State

Lock of the week – Adams: East Carolina at BYU (-3); Toppmeyer: Virginia Tech at North Carolina State (-13.5)

Blake Toppmeyer is an SEC Columnist for the USA TODAY Network. John Adams is a senior columnist for the Knoxville News Sentinel. You can subscribe to their podcast, SEC Football Unfiltered, or check out their SEC Unfiltered newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY NETWORK: SEC hot seat rankings: Bryan Harsin is at top, then Jimbo Fisher?