College football: Interim coaches rule the week with perfect record

New York, New York - After an unprecedented slew of early season head coach firings, interims ruled Week 6 of the college football season, going 4-0 and emphatically stating their case.

(From l. to r.): Interim coaches Shaun Aguano of Arizona State, Jim Leonhard of Wisconsin, Mickey Joseph of Nebraska, and Brent Key of Georgia Tech.
(From l. to r.): Interim coaches Shaun Aguano of Arizona State, Jim Leonhard of Wisconsin, Mickey Joseph of Nebraska, and Brent Key of Georgia Tech.  © KEVORK DJANSEZIAN / JOHN FISHER / STEVEN BRANSCOMBE / JUSTIN BERL / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / GETTY IMAGES VIA AFP

What do Brent Key of Georgia Tech, Shaun Aguano of Arizona State, Mickey Joseph of Nebraska, and Jim Leonhard of Wisconsin all have in common? Wins, wins, and more wins.

For the first time since the Football Bowl Subdivision and the Football Championship Subdivision split in 1978, FBS teams with interim head coaches went 4-0 or better in a week.

Programs that started the season out of rhythm have found their groove and are beginning to have some fun.

Georgia Tech’s Brent Key earned a big win over Duke to leap into the second spot of the ACC Coastal. The Yellow Jackets were one of the biggest movers in the ACC's Coastal, along with UNC.

In the Big Ten, Wisconsin interim head coach Jim Leonhard got the win over Northwestern, and Nebraska's history-making coach Mickey Joseph won his second consecutive game of the season, handing the Scarlet Knights their 21st consecutive loss at home to a Big Ten Conference opponent.

In the sunny side of the West Coast, Arizona State’s Shaun Aguano won the huge upset over top-ranked Washington in the Pac-12 Conference.

While they may still be considered temporary replacements until next season's new potential hires, each coach so far has made a strong case as to why they should get the job full time.

Interim coaches making a strong case for division champions

Nebraska and Wisconsin earned huge wins during Week 6 of college football.
Nebraska and Wisconsin earned huge wins during Week 6 of college football.  © JOHN FISHER / RICH SCHULTZ / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / GETTY IMAGES VIA AFP

Despite a very short turnaround, the new Big Ten interim coaches have made some huge improvements.

When Nebraska beat Rutgers to garner its second straight victory of the season, it propelled the Cornhuskers into the second half of the season tied for first in the Big Ten West.

The last time the Cornhuskers won the division title of the Big Ten was in 2012 against the Wisconsin Badgers.

While releasing former head coach Scott Frost in the middle of the season seemed like bad timing, Joseph has brought a new fire to Husker nation that might take them far.

And just once week as the Badgers new head coach, Jim Leonhard got his first career win under his belt with ease, cruising past Northwestern for a 42-7 win.

If Wisconsin can keep their momentum for the rest of their conference play matchups, the Badgers can play their way to the top as Division West champions – perhaps even meeting the Cornhuskers for a division showdown title game.

On Saturday, the Badgers will face Michigan State for a 4:30 PM EDT kickoff, while the Cornhuskers play at Purdue starting 7:30 PM.

Cover photo: KEVORK DJANSEZIAN / JOHN FISHER / STEVEN BRANSCOMBE / JUSTIN BERL / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / GETTY IMAGES VIA AFP

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