Big Ten Football Head Coach Hot Seat Index After Week 10

Penn State's James Franklin drops to 1-10 against Ohio State, while Lincoln Riley's Trojans continue their free fall.

Penn State's James Franklin, left, talks to Ohio State's Ryan Day before a game on Nov. 2, 2024 in University Park, Pa. The Nittany Lions lost, 20-13, pushing Franklin's all-time record against the Buckeyes to 1-10. / Adam Cairns / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Welcome back to the Big Ten Head Coach Hot Seat Index.

Week 10 had a top-five matchup and saw a few head coaches get much-needed victories. Let's take the temperature of every head coach in the Big Ten after Week 10’s results.

Scorching: Ryan Walters (Purdue)

Walters and Purdue lost again to drop their record to 1-7 overall and 0-5 in conference play. The Boilermakers were close against Northwestern, losing 26–20 in overtime, but it was not enough. It is fair to wonder how many more games Walters can lose before he loses his job.

Nov 2, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley watches pregame warmups against the Washington Huskies at Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium. / Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

Hot: Lincoln Riley (USC), Sherrone Moore (Michigan)

After beating Rutgers a week ago, USC is back to its losing ways after dropping a game on the road to Washington 26–21. Riley is now making a quarterback change to try and help the Trojans' struggling offense. They are benching Miller Moss and turning to Jayden Maiava. This feels like a desperation move as USC's season continues to go off the rails.

Moore’s Wolverines were obliterated by Oregon on Saturday. Even though the Ducks are the best team in the country, a blowout loss like that at home is unacceptable for Michigan. The defending national champions look like shells of themselves. Moore will likely be given time to see if he can fix the program, but he is off to a terrible start after inheriting a winning situation.

Warm: Greg Schiano (Rutgers), Mike Locksley (Maryland), DeShaun Foster (UCLA)

Rutgers and Maryland were both on byes this week, and their head coaches will stay put in the index, but they are now joined by Foster, who cooled down from hot status after his Bruins picked up a huge victory at Nebraska. This win could be a turning point for UCLA if the Bruins can keep this momentum going forward. Their next opportunity will be Friday night against Iowa.

Nov 2, 2024; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck during the second half against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Memorial Stadium. / Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

Room temperature: P.J. Fleck (Minnesota), David Braun (Northwestern), Matt Rhule (Nebraska), Kirk Ferentz (Iowa), James Franklin (Penn State), Bret Bielema (Illinois)

Fleck’s Golden Gophers upset Illinois on the road on Saturday, marking one of their biggest wins of the season. Northwestern hung on against Purdue in overtime and avoided what would've been a terrible loss for the Wildcats. 

Rhule and the Huskers had a disappointing performance in a 27–20 loss to UCLA. Nebraska is now 5–4 and has lost three games in a row. Rhule needs to make sure he gets his team to a bowl game. He cannot afford a repeat of last season when the Huskers lost four games in a row to end the year and miss out on the postseason.

Ferentz's Hawkeyes destroyed Wisconsin 42–10 in an impressive showing for the second straight week. That is now back-to-back games where Iowa has scored at least 40 points. Meanwhile, Bielema and the Fighting Illini are still having a better season than most thought they would in the preseason, even if things are starting to slip a little bit.

Franklin’s loss to Ohio State reignites concerns about his ability to win big games. Although the Nittany Lions remain in a favorable position to qualify for the playoffs, they continue to struggle to overcome their big-game woes. There is a lack of confidence in the team’s capacity to win a national championship despite their talent.

Indiana's head coach Curt Cignetti looks on during the second quarter during the game against Michigan State on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. / Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Ice cold: Dan Lanning (Oregon), Curt Cignetti (Indiana), Ryan Day (Ohio State), Jonathan Smith (Michigan State), Luke Fickell (Wisconsin), Jedd Fisch (Washington)

These coaches occupy the most comfortable spot on this index.

Day picked up the biggest win of the weekend for any head coach when the Buckeyes defeated Penn State on the road. It was a huge confidence-building victory, and it puts the Buckeyes in great position to make it to Indianapolis for a rematch with Oregon.

Lanning and Cignetti are still undefeated after each of their teams had another dominant performance this past weekend. Smith and Michigan State had an early lead against Indiana before the Hoosiers exploded on them by scoring 47 unanswered points to win 47–10. This loss is less of an indictment on the Spartans and more of an example of how good Indiana is.

Fisch picked up another big win over USC, continuing his trend of winning important games on the Huskies’ schedule. Meanwhile, Fickell’s Badgers were destroyed by Iowa. It is clear that this rebuild at Wisconsin won't be an easy task.

The Big Ten Head Coach Hot Seat Index will continue to change as the season progresses. Some seats will get hotter, while some seats may cool down. Stay tuned for an update next week.

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