Here we are nearing August, approaching the start of college football practice, finally distancing ourselves from recruiting ratings and off-season booster functions. Time for the games. Time for the results. Time for a dose of a reality.

And for several coaches, you know what that means.

Hot seat.

We’re just not going to see the likes of Florida State’s Bobby Bowden and Penn State’s Joe Paterno. Three-plus decades (or longer) at a single school! The system no longer allows that type of tenure.

There is too much money, too much pressure, less-forgiving memories and withering 24/7 exposure. Expectations are everywhere — whether it’s chasing a national title, reaching a bowl game or getting a winning record. With the unprecedented number of postseason opportunities (68 bowl slots), falling short puts you among the undesirables.

Sometimes, coaches just need a change of scenery. But there also mistakes made in the hiring process. Great coordinators don’t necessarily make for great head coaches.

So to get your mind right before things get serious, here is our list of this season’s win-now-or-else coaching club. Some of the names might seem surprising. But check the records and you’ll understand why the heat is on ...

Tyrone Willingham, Washington
Just six seasons ago, Willingham was the toast of college football at Notre Dame, building the Irish into a national threat, helping to bury the embarrassing legacy of hiring George O’Leary.

Now his program seems lost.

Willingham is 11-25 in three seasons. The Huskies haven’t made a legitimate move toward the Pac-10 hierarchy, a sad state of affairs for a program with a lot of positives (location, tradition, facilities).

Washington’s schedule is murder (non-conference games with BYU, Oklahoma and Notre Dame), so it’s very difficult to see this ending happily for the classy coach who desperately needs a winning record.

The Huskies should be competing for titles (Pac-10 and national) instead of sinking to these levels.

Mike Stoops, Arizona
Well, what can you say here? Stoops has had four seasons — 17-29 and no winning records.

The Wildcats thought they had something special brewing. The head coach certainly had name recognition, but it’s clear that his brother, Oklahoma’s Bob Stoops, is in another league with his building prowess and savvy.

It really doesn’t take much to make them happy in Tucson. Winning records. Decent bowl games. Heck, a Rose Bowl would be great (Arizona has never played in Pasadena), but fans would even understand that to be a lofty goal. If Arizona again fails to make a bowl, the decision should be clear-cut.

Kirk Ferentz, Iowa
After the 2005 season, then-Iowa athletic director Bob Bowlsby said Ferentz could probably be elected governor of the state — “if he could stand the pay cut.’’

Ferentz had the Hawkeyes playing at the highest level — winning at least 10 games for three straight seasons, beginning in 2002, when Iowa made the Orange Bowl and tied Ohio State (the eventual national champion) for the Big Ten title.

But in the last three seasons, Iowa hasn’t had better than a seven-victory season. It looked like Iowa was moving into the rarefied air of Ohio State and Michigan, but now it has settled back in the pack, hoping to avoid the Big Ten’s murky middle (or worse). Ferentz’s contract ($2.8-million per year) will continue to be a contentious issue if the results don’t swing back toward the major bowls.

Greg Robinson, Syracuse
It’s staggering to see how far the Orange program has fallen. Syracuse not only struggles to win, it often struggles just to score points.

Under Robinson, a former defensive coordinator whose hiring caused more than a few eyebrows to be raised, the Orange is 7-28 (with two wins against Buffalo).

Paul Pasqualoni was fired because Syracuse had slipped to mediocrity. The slippage has continued under the new guy, who likely needs a dramatic reversal to save his gig.

Steve Kragthorpe, Louisville
OK, maybe this one is a bit premature. Or maybe not. When Bobby Petrino departed for the NFL after the 2006 season, the Cardinals had a program with designs on a national title. They had a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate quarterback in Brian Brohm. There was a fleet of good skill players.

Then it all came apart.

We’ll give Kragthorpe the benefit of the doubt. Maybe the coach needed a season to adjust to his new players — and vice versa — but Louisville’s 6-6 finish was a major step backward. The Cardinals are now an ambitious, hungry program in the Big East. Their 3-4 record in the league was the program’s first losing conference effort since 1997.

If Kragthorpe stays closer to .500 than double-digit victories, there will be some grumbling in Derby City.

Tim Brewster, Minnesota
Again, another one-season coach who surely believes better things are ahead. Frankly, they better be ahead. The Gophers were 1-11 and their defense was the worst outfit in America.

After going winless in the Big Ten for the first time since 1988, and looking for a big splash to open a new stadium, Minnesota needs to show a lot more improvement.