Big Ten Head Coach Hot Seat Index After Week 9

Some coaches cool off after important wins.

Oct 19, 2024; College Park, Maryland, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley stands outside the lockeroom before the game against the Maryland Terrapins at SECU Stadium. / Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

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

Week 9 had a lack of upsets but there were still some intriguing games. Some of the top coaches looked great, while others struggled to put away lesser opponents. It is a great time to update the Heat Index ahead of some big games this weekend.

Here is a look at the Hot Seat Index for the Big Ten head coaches after Week 9.

Big Ten Head Coach Hot Seat Index - Week 9

Scorching: Ryan Walters (Purdue)

Walters and Purdue had a bye this week, so they could not do any more damage to themselves. However, he was also not able to pick up a win to cool off his seat. Walters will remain where he was on last week’s index as he heads into a matchup with struggling Northwestern. 

Hot: Lincoln Riley (USC), DeShaun Foster (UCLA), Sherrone Moore (Michigan)

Riley was able to pick up a win over struggling Rutgers to stop the bleeding of his three-game losing streak. Despite the victory, USC is 4–4 and is in the midst of a very disappointing season. The upcoming game on Saturday against Washington is crucial for both teams, but especially for Riley’s Trojans.

Foster and UCLA were on a bye week as well, saving them from any potential damage. This week, the Bruins will face Nebraska. The Huskers will be desperate for a victory after losing two games in a row. Foster and UCLA will be in for a huge challenge on the road in Lincoln, which is a very tough place to play.

Moore and Michigan picked up a rivalry win over Michigan State 24–17 on Saturday. That victory will temporarily cool things down in Ann Arbor, but it will not eliminate the reality of how disappointing of a season the Wolverines are having. Moore is going to have to win a lot more games if he wants to shake the “temporary coach” label that it still feels like he wears prominently.

Warming up: Greg Schiano (Rutgers), Mike Locksley (Maryland)

Rutgers has now lost four games in a row since starting the season 4-0. Schiano is probably safe because of the low expectations around Rutgers’ football program, but a four-game losing streak will test the patience of any fan base. The Scarlet Knights are on a bye this week, so they will have to wait even longer to try and end this losing streak. 

Locksley followed up his upset victory over USC with a blowout loss to Minnesota. Maryland is now 1-4 in the conference and is showing little signs of improvement in Locksley’s sixth season, but back-to-back eight-win seasons before this one have given him some freedom to have a down year.

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

Fleck and Minnesota had a convincing victory over Maryland on Saturday. The Golden Gophers now have a 3–2 conference record and have won three games in a row. Braun’s Northwestern team did not have as much success. They were destroyed 40–14 by Iowa to drop their second game in a row. They have a great chance to break that losing streak next week against a struggling Purdue team.

Rhule’s Cornhuskers showed remarkable improvement after their blowout loss to Indiana. The Huskers played Ohio State even for four quarters but were unable to close the deal. Still, with a young star quarterback in Dylan Raiola and an improving roster, things are looking up in Lincoln. Meanwhile, Ferentz and Iowa were business-like in the Hawkeyes’ destruction of Northwestern. It was a classic defensive performance by Iowa as they dominated the Wildcats 40-14.

Day and Ohio State avoided what would have been a disastrous upset by holding on to defeat Nebraska 21-17. It was an ugly game offensively for the Buckeyes, who looked like they were sleepwalking agaisnt a Huskers team that is too good not to take seriously. The Buckeyes may have been looking ahead to this week's showdown with Penn State, and who can blame them?

Bielema and Illinois are still having a great season, but they were absolutely dominated by Oregon on Saturday. The Fighting Illini did not look like they belonged on the same field as the Ducks. They were still able to remain in the top 25 after the blowout loss, and they have a chance for a bounce-back victory against Minnesota on Saturday.

Ice cold: Dan Lanning (Oregon), Curt Cignetti (Indiana), James Franklin (Penn State), Jonathan Smith (Michigan State), Luke Fickell (Wisconsin), Jedd Fisch (Washington)

These coaches occupy the most comfortable spot on this index.

Lanning, Franklin, and Cignetti are still undefeated heading into Week 10. Franklin and Penn State have their biggest game of the season, hosting Ohio State. Lanning travels to the Big House for a road test with Michigan, and Cignetti’s Hoosiers get a much-deserved bye week. The week off should give Kurtis Rourke plenty of time to be ready for Michigan.

Smith and Fisch are both in their first seasons leading their respective programs, while Fickell is still building Wisconsin from the ground up. The Badgers kept it close for a while with Penn State on Saturday before losing it late.

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

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