Week 13 College Football Coaches' Hot Seat Rankings

November 22, 2023

Tony ranks the top power five head coaches in danger of being fired after the 2023 season. Which coaches are on the hot seat following Week 12?

As we enter Week 13 of the 2023 college football season, let's shift our focus to the head coaches who are experiencing heightened pressure regarding their job security. College football is an intensely competitive arena with lofty expectations, placing coaches squarely in the spotlight. If they've been on a prolonged losing streak, it can lead to significant job uncertainty.

Two names who have lived on this list all season long have already been fired, as Jimbo Fisher at Texas A&M was canned following Week 11 and Dino Babers from Syracuse was fired after their 31-22 loss at Georgia Tech in Week 12.

Now, let's delve into the midseason NCAA College Football Hot Seat Rankings for remaining Power Five Coaches, following Week 12.

5. Jeff Hafley, Boston College Eagles

Record at School: 21-25 / (6-5 in 2023)

Jeff Hafley is the newest member on this list after the firings of Babers and Fisher, and he's now the only one on this list with a winning record. The Eagles are the only team on this list that has already secured bowl eligibility, marking the third time in Hafley's four years that they have achieved this feat.

However, since his first year in town, Boston College has been horrific in ACC play. After a solid 5-5 in a COVID-ridden 2020 season, the Eagles went 2-6 in ACC games in 2021 and were 2-6 the following year in the ACC, finishing with a 3-9 overall record in 2022. This season, although sitting at 6-5, they are just 3-4 in conference play with a tough game against Miami to end the year.

While the six wins and bowl eligibility are nice for Hafley, it hasn't been pretty getting to this point. They lost Week 1 to Northern Illinois, barely beat Holy Cross at home, and have other unimpressive wins like close victories over Virginia, UConn, and Syracuse. The Eagles have now lost two in a row, performing poorly against Virginia Tech and falling to 3-8 Pitt in Week 12. With new teams coming next year and a track record of struggles in the conference, Boston College could look to make changes after the season.

4. Dana Holgorsen, Houston Cougars

Record at School: 31-27 / (4-7 in 2023)

Dana Holgorsen has been on and off this list all season and now moves up to four with all the firings in the country. The Cougars had a tough matchup against a struggling Oklahoma State team in Week 12 at home and lost by a score of 43-30, officially eliminating them from bowl contention.

In their first year in the Big 12, the Cougars have struggled with just a 2-6 record in conference play. Just two weeks ago, Houston lost to former AAC rival Cincinnati, marking Cincinnati's only conference win of the season so far. They will miss a bowl game for the first time in Holgorsen's era since his first year in 2019.

Although some conference heavyweights are leaving, Pac-12 teams are joining to keep the competition high. While it would be a little surprising if they move on after one down year, Holgorsen's seat is definitely warming after a very disappointing first season in their move to the Big 12. If he cannot turn it around fast, they might look elsewhere to keep them out of the conference basement.

3. Justin Wilcox, California Golden Bears

Record At School: 35-42 / (5-6 in 2023)

Cal kept their bowl game hopes alive this past week with a 27-15 road win against a 3-8 Stanford team. They have knocked off struggling Pac-12 teams in back-to-back weeks, defeating Washington State and Stanford, and now have something to play for in a tough matchup at UCLA in Week 13.

The Golden Bears haven't made a bowl game under Justin Wilcox since 2019 but will look to change that with an upset this week. They currently sit as nine-and-a-half-point underdogs to the Bruins, but a win would almost certainly guarantee another season for Wilcox. The standards of Cal football aren't too high, and getting to a bowl game might just be enough.

With the pending move to the ACC, it seems like a great chance to make a change at the coaching position. Wilcox will have to show the university for the rest of this season that he can be the guy to lead a team in a new conference and that they will have success in their move despite recent struggles in the Pac-12. Taking down UCLA is a tough challenge but would almost certainly buy him another season.

2. Tom Allen, Indiana Hoosiers

Record at School: 33-48 / (3-8 in 2023)

Indiana head coach Tom Allen had a very nice two-game stretch earlier this year where the team nearly knocked off Penn State on the road and then took care of Wisconsin at home, but things have fallen off since then. After two favorable matchups against Illinois and a struggling Michigan State team, there was a glimmer of hope for a bowl game.

The Hoosiers suffered a tough overtime loss at Illinois and then followed it up with a brutal 24-21 home loss to the Spartans, who are now just 2-6 in conference play. Over the last three years, the Hoosiers are just 3-23 in Big Ten games, and life isn't getting any easier with Oregon, Washington, USC, and UCLA on the horizon.

Indiana heads to Purdue to take on a 3-8 Boilermaker team to close the season out, and they really need a good showing to secure their coach another season. They haven't made a bowl game since 2020 and have struggled immensely in conference play. With new changes on the horizon, it wouldn't surprise me to see a coaching change in Bloomington to move them up a tier in terms of Big Ten teams.

1. Dave Aranda, Baylor Bears

Record at School: 23-24 / (3-8 in 2023)

The wheels seem to be falling off in Waco, as Baylor has fallen to 3-8 with embarrassing losses in back-to-back weeks. Following a 59-25 blowout in Week 11 against a solid Kansas State team, Dave Aranda and the Bears were even more embarrassed this past week, losing 42-17 at TCU, who is just 3-5 in conference play.

Aranda had Baylor trending in the right direction when he first took over, leading them to 12 wins after a bad first year and a Sugar Bowl win. Since then, Baylor sits at 9-15 overall with a 6-11 record in the Big 12. Being just above Cincinnati and tied with BYU, UCF, and Houston was not how Bears' fans envisioned the season going, as Baylor has fallen to the level of all the newcomers from the AAC.

Baylor wraps up their season with a home game against the West Virginia Mountaineers, who sit at 7-4 with a 5-3 Big 12 record. A win likely isn't enough to change anyone's mind on the job he's done, but a loss, especially in embarrassing fashion, almost certainly would end Aranda's tenure at Baylor.

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