Big 12 Head Coach Hot Seat Index: Mike Gundy is Alone at the Top

Gundy is testing the patience of the program he built while other head coaches cool off their own seats.

Oklahoma State head football coach Mike Gundy walks of the field following the college football game between the Oklahoma State Cowboys and the Arizona State Sun Devils at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Okla., Saturday, Nov., 2, 2024. / SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Welcome back to the Big 12 Head Coach Hot Seat Index. 

Week 10 in the Big 12 had something for everyone. There were upsets, close games, and some of the usual blowouts. But which head coaches got big victories, and which ones suffered huge defeats?

Here is a look at the Hot Seat Index for the Big 12 head coaches after Week 10.

Big 12 Head Coach Hot Seat Index - Week 10

Scorching: Mike Gundy (Oklahoma State)

There is a new solo resident in the scorching section of the heat index. Gundy’s Cowboys have lost six games in a row and are still winless in conference play. This season has been an unmitigated disaster. It once seemed impossible that Oklahoma State would ever consider firing the man who has been the face of their program since 2005. But with every loss, it seems more and more possible.

Hot: Lance Leipold (Kansas), Dave Aranda (Baylor), Gus Malzahn (UCF)

Last week, Leipold was alone in the hot section of the index. While he was on a bye week, he got some more company from head coaches who picked up big wins. Aranda and Baylor continue to pile up victories. They defeated TCU 37–34 on a game-winning field goal to win their third straight game. The Bears are now 5-4, quite the turnaround from the way their season began with Aranda on the scorching section of the heat index.

Malzahn also picked up a huge victory as UCF destroyed Arizona 56–12. It was a badly needed victory for the Knights after they had dropped five games in a row. However, it was also a bit of a frustrating performance, as it left fans, wondering where this offensive explosion has been in the past few games.

Warm: Brent Brennan (Arizona), Sonny Dykes (TCU)

Brennan and Dykes both suffered losses this week. Arizona was destroyed by a UCF team that was on a five-game losing streak. Now, Arizona themselves are on a five-game losing streak. It has been a disastrous season for the Wildcats, but the fact that this is Brennan's first year keeps him from moving up any higher on the index. Dykes and the Frogs just lost a heartbreaker to Baylor. Despite the loss, TCU is starting to look much better than they looked earlier in the season.

Room temperature: Willie Fritz (Houston), Scott Satterfield (Cincinnati), Kenny Dillingham (Arizona State), Neal Brown (West Virginia)

Fritz is sitting on his coolest seat in weeks after a big upset win over Kansas State. The Cougars have now won two games in a row and are starting to round into form late in the season. Satterfield and Brown were both on a bye this week. Meanwhile, Dillingham and Arizona State destroyed Oklahoma State to get back in the win column. 

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

Sitake now coaches the only undefeated team in the Big 12. His Cougars were on a bye week as Iowa State suffered its first loss of the season to Texas Tech. For that victory, McGuire moved down into the most comfortable section of the heat index. Although, Iowa State losing to Texas Tech hurts the conference’s chances at getting two teams into the playoffs.

Whittingham was on a bye week as he tries to sort through his team’s disappointing season. Sanders was also on a bye-week as his Buffaloes enjoyed some much-deserved rest. Klieman’s Wildcats saw their playoff chances take a massive hit with their second loss of the season. 

The Big 12 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. We will update the index next week.

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