Big 12 Football Head Coach Hot Seat Index: Neal Brown Fired and Gus Malzahn Bails

Some Big 12 football head coaches had great years, while others struggled mightily. With the regular season completed, which coaches might follow Neal Brown to unemployment?

Nov 23, 2024; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers head coach Neal Brown argues a call during the fourth quarter against the UCF Knights at Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images / Ben Queen-Imagn Images

The final week in the Big 12 regular season was upset-free, but that does not mean it was drama-free. The hot seat index looks very different than it did just one week ago. 

Here’s an updated look at the Hot Seat Index for the Big 12 head coaches after the regular season ended.

Departed: Neal Brown (West Virginia), Gus Malzahn (UCF)

Despite being in the room temperature section of the heat index after leading West Virginia to a bowl game, Brown was fired after losing 52–15 to Texas Tech. The Mountaineers will now be in search of a new head coach to replace Brown after he never could live up to the expectations of the program. A 37–35 record over six years isn't going to cut it in Morgantown.

Malzahn was in the hot section of the index last week, and then he lost 28–14 to Utah. The Utes ended their seven-game losing streak by beating Malzahn and the Knights, and then the unexpected happened. Malzahn left UCF to be the offensive coordinator for Florida State. It is a similar move that we saw Chip Kelly make last season when he left UCLA to call plays at Ohio State. 

Scorching: Mike Gundy (Oklahoma State), Brent Brennan (Arizona)

Oklahoma State's humiliation is complete after a 52–0 loss to Colorado to end their regular season. After starting the season 3-0, the Cowboys lost their final nine games and finished 3-9. An 0-9 record in conference play for a team that was expected to contend for the Big 12 Championship is one of the biggest surprises of the entire college football season. Gundy’s reputation in Stillwater could be the only thing that saves him from losing his job.

Brennan finished the season with two losses in a row, bringing his final conference record to 2-7. An overall record of 4-8 is unacceptable for a team with the talent that Arizona has. The Wildcats started the year ranked, and we're expected to be contenders in the Big Ten. This level of drop-off will bring a lot of scrutiny Brennan’s way.

Hot: Willie Fritz (Houston), Scott Satterfield (Cincinnati)

Fritz and Houston fall to 4–8 after a 30-18 loss to BYU. Frtiz’s first season at Houston did not go according to plan. His reputation will protect him from too much scrutiny this off-season, but the honeymoon period is over for Fritz. He's going to have to start producing wins in his second season.

Satterfield’s Bearcats had to beat TCU to make a bowl game, but they failed to do so. The Bearcats were a frustrating team to watch all season. It is fitting that this team will not be playing in the postseason, considering their inconsistencies throughout the year. A five-game losing streak to end the season will put any coach on the hot seat. 

Room Temperature: Sonny Dykes (TCU), Lance Leipold (Kansas), Dave Aranda (Baylor)

After facing much scrutiny earlier in the year, Dykes has TCU back where they want to be. They finished the year 8–4 after defeating Cincinnati in the regular season finale. The offense finally started living up to its potential in the second half of the season for the Frogs. Dykes deserves credit for the way he closed out the season after pressure for him to lose his job was mounting. 

Leipold’s Jayhawks came back down to earth with a 45–17 loss to Baylor. Nevertheless, the way that Kansas ended the season was an encouraging sign. Missing a bowl game by finishing 5–7 is a very tough pill to swallow for a team with as much potential as Kansas had. Close losses early in the season ended up being this team's undoing. 

Aranda deserves immense credit for his six-game-winning streak to close the season. Baylor finishing 8-4 seemed impossible at one point this year, but Aranda was able to orchestrate a fantastic turnaround.

Ice Cold: Kalani Sitake (BYU), Matt Campbell (Iowa State), Kyle Whittingham (Utah), Joey McGuire (Texas Tech), Chris Klieman (Kansas State), Deion Sanders (Colorado), Kenny Dillingham (Arizona State)

Campbell and Dillingham will meet each other in the Big 12 Championship for a chance to go to the College Football Playoff. Both teams have had great seasons, especially Arizona State with the way they have finished the year. It should be a conference title game to remember.

Sitake and BYU missed their chance to go to the playoffs after losing two of their last three games. Nevertheless, it was still a very successful season for the Cougars. 

Sanders and Colorado finished the regular season strong by destroying Oklahoma State 52–0. Going from 4-8 to 9-3 is not an easy task. Sanders deserves immense credit for the coaching job he has done this season for Colorado. 

Whittingham and Utah were able to end their winning streak by defeating UCF 28–14 last Friday. It was an important win for a program that has had a very bad season in their first year in a new conference. Despite the disaster of 2024, Utah's program has a strong enough foundation to recover next season. 

McGuire and Texas Tech beat West Virginia, so badly that the Mountaineers fired their head coach. This regular season finale was a testament to the kind of potent offense that the Red Raiders ran this season. The future looks bright in Lubbock. 

Klieman and Kansas State were unable to ruin Iowa State's season by beating them and keeping them out of the conference championship game. It was a disappointing season all around for the Wildcats, but their program is poised to bounce back in 2025. 

Stay tuned: The Hot Seat Index will return for bowl season.

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