Big 12 Football Head Coach Hot Seat Index: Upset Saturday Causes Chaos

Which Big 12 football coaches are in the most danger of being fired with just one week to go?

Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham argues with a call against BYU during the second half at Mountain America Stadium in Tempe on Nov. 23, 2024. / Patrick Breen/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Week 13 in the Big 12 was full of enough chaos to last an entire season. With that chaos comes changes to how each head coach is feeling heading into the final week of the regular season. 

Here’s an updated look at the Hot Seat Index for the Big 12 head coaches after Week 13.

Scorching: Mike Gundy (Oklahoma State)

Gundy remains alone in the scorching section as Oklahoma State’s nightmare season continues. After losing to Texas Tech, the Cowboys have now lost eight games in a row and are 3-8. Gundy’s reputation will likely still save his job, but this season has been his worst nightmare, especially considering the preseason expectations.

Hot: Gus Malzahn (UCF), Brent Brennan (Arizona)

Malzahn is still in the hot section after losing to West Virginia to drop UCF’s record to 4-7. Missing out on a bowl game is not what the Knights had in mind for this season.

Brennan had cooled off after a nice win over Houston, but after a blowout loss to TCU, his seat is hotter this week. The Wildcats are also 4-7 and will not be making the postseason this year.

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

Fritz and Houston fall to 4–7 after a 20-10 loss to Baylor. It's the Cougars’ second straight loss and eliminates them from bowl contention. Fritz’s future is safe for now as the program is still adjusting to the Big 12 in his first season, but it was a disappointing debut.

Satterfield’s Bearcats have now lost four games in a row and are 5-6 after getting blown out by Kansas State. The pressure to make a bowl continues to mount, and Satterfield’s seat could heat up even more if he misses out on one.

Room Temperature: Sonny Dykes (TCU), Lance Leipold (Kansas), Dave Aranda (Baylor), Neal Brown (West Virginia)

Dykes is closing the season strong and the Frogs are now 7-4 after defeating Arizona 49-28. After a bad start to the year, Dykes has recovered nicely and is far from the hot seat.

Leipold’s Jayhawks pulled off a stunning upset for the second straight week, this time over Colorado. Kansas can reach a bowl game with a win over a surging Baylor team. Even if the Jawhawks miss the postseason, it has been a nice turnaround from the horrendous 1-4 start to conference play.

Aranda and Baylor are on a roll and have won five games in a row after defeating Houston. From scorching to safe, Aranda has had the most impressive turnaround in the conference. 

Brown and West Virginia are back on the winning side after beating UCF 31-21. The Mountaineers are now bowl-eligible, an important step in saving this disappointing season. 

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)

Sitake and BYU have now lost two games in a row and have possibly missed out on the Big 12 title game. However, BYU could still get to Arlingon with some help. 

Campbell and Iowa State beat Utah 31-28 to keep their conference title hopes alive too. Sanders and Colorado suffered a shocking setback against Kansas, taking their destiny out of their own hands. However, Sanders has still led one of the best turnarounds in the country.  

Whittingham and Utah’s woes continue after a 31-28 loss to Iowa State. Even at 4-7, Whittingham’s job remains safe due to his legacy at Utah. Missing out on a bowl game (ignoring the 2020 season) for the first time since 2013 hurts a program that has as much pride as Utah. 

McGuire and Texas Tech won a shootout to keep Oklahoma State winless in conference play. Meanwhile, Klieman and Kansas State got back in the win column with a dominant performance against Cincinnati. 

Dillingham and the Sun Devils got the most important win of the weekend in dramatic fashion over BYU. He has done one of the best jobs in the country and is on as cold of a seat as possible.

The Big 12 Head Coach Hot Seat Index will return after the final week of the regular season. Stay tuned to see whose seat cools or heats up as the season nears its end.

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