NCAAF · 1 year ago

Ranking 10 College Football Coaches on the Hot Seat After Week 4

TJ Inman

Host · Writer

10. Scott Satterfield - Cincinnati Bearcats (up from #13)
The Cincinnati Bearcats have a proud football history but are attempting to adjust a step up in competition. The Bearcats moved from the American Athletic Conference at the same time that Luke Fickell left for Wisconsin, and many immediately questioned the hiring of Scott Satterfield. Satterfield is in his second season, and his contract would make it difficult to move on, but his first season was a disaster. The Bearcats were only 3-9 and last in the Big 12. It was the worst season for Cincinnati since 1999. The Bearcats were way ahead of Pittsburgh and should be 3-0 right now, but they fell apart in the second half and lost at home to the Panthers. That loss dialed up the urgency against Houston and they responded by winning 34-0. Cincy visits Texas Tech before a bye week.

2024 Record: 3-1 (1-0)

Next Game: +2.5 @ Texas Tech (9/28)

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1. Billy Napier - Florida Gators (Up from #3)
The Florida administration may have entered this season with the plan to be patient and give Billy Napier time to continue building the program. The schedule is brutal, and just showing progress on the field was likely enough to give him another year. After three weeks and two ugly losses at home to Miami and Texas A&M, patience can no longer be tolerated in Gainesville. The noise around the program has gotten loud enough that Napier is unlikely to survive the season with his job intact. When the head coach responds to criticism with a sad look and says, "I would boo me as well," the end is nigh.

2024 Record: 2-2 (1-1)

Next Game: vs. UFC (10/5)

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2. Sam Pittman - Arkansas Razorbacks (down from #1)
Sam Pittman nearly got let go from Arkansas after the 2023 season. He entered this campaign on the hot seat after the Razorbacks brought Bobby Petrino to revitalize the offense. The offense has looked great with new quarterback Taylen Green, but they lost a big lead late to Oklahoma State and snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. That was a costly loss for Pittman, and his status has not changed entering a big two-game stretch against Auburn and Texas A&M. If the Razorbacks can follow up their upset of Auburn with a win over A&M, could his seat cool?

2024 Record: 3-1 (1-0)

Next Game: +4.5 vs. Texas A&M (9/28)
3. Kenni Burns - Kent State Golden Flashes (up from #13)
An abysmal Year 1 for Kenni Burns at Kent State has only gotten worse in 2024, and things show zero improvement. The Golden Flashes lost by 31 points to Pittsburgh and then got hammered by 71 at Tennessee. Still, it was the game between those contests that spells doom. Kent State lost at home to the Saint Francis Red Flash. That is an FCS program based in Loretto, Pennsylvania, and it was possibly the only winnable game on the schedule for the Golden Flashes. Burns is now staring a winless season in the face, and it would not be surprising to see him only last two seasons in charge.

2024 Record: 0-4 (0-0)

Next Game: +14.5 vs. Eastern Michigan (9/28)
4. Dave Aranda - Baylor Bears (down from #3)
Dave Aranda entered the season on the hot seat, and the heat has been turned up after an uncompetitive loss at Utah. The Bears needed quarterback Dequan Finn to play like a star, and he is already out after being underwhelming early on. Aranda is safe for now, but Baylor's loss at Colorado might have been the first nail. They will host BYU on September 28. Aranda needs, at minimum, a split in their first two Big 12 games to feel remotely safe heading into the bye week on October 12 (after a trip to Ames to play Iowa State).

2024 Record: 2-2 (0-1)

Next Game: -3.5 vs. BYU (9/28)
5. Joe Moorhead - Akron Zips (up from #6)
The Akron Zips must show progress under Joe Moorhead, and the three-week results have been underwhelming. They were always going to lose to Ohio State and Rutgers, but losing by a combined score of 101-23 is not promising. Plus, the Zips were then limited to just 5.5 yards per play and only scored three second-half points in an uninspiring 31-20 win over Colgate. Akron lost 50-7 at South Carolina before entering conference play with games at Ohio, vs. Bowling Green, and at Western Michigan before an off week. Fellow MAC schools keeping games competitive (or even winning) against high-major competition makes the blowouts look worse, and Moorhead needs a couple of wins to cool things down.

2024 Record: 1-3 (0-0)

Next Game: +11.5 @ Ohio (9/28)
6. Sonny Cumbie - Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (down from #4)
The critical 2024 campaign for Louisiana Tech and head coach Sonny Cumbie has gotten off to an as-expected start. They survived a scare against Nicholls, had a bye week, and then lost at North Carolina State. The Bulldogs had a shot against the Wolfpack before fading in the second half. The season began last weekend as Louisiana Tech lost a toss-up Conference USA game against Tulsa before they head to Pitbull Stadium against Florida International. If LA Tech finds its footing and gets Cumbie off the hot seat, it will need to happen now.

2024 Record: 1-2 (0-0)

Next Game: -2.5 @ FIU (9/28)
7. Stan Drayton - Temple Owls
Through two seasons at Temple, Stan Drayton was 6-18, and the program was backsliding with no positive momentum. The first three weeks of 2024 have continued the slide, and the Owls were 0-3 with a pair of blowout losses plus a disappointing home defeat to Coastal Carolina. They picked up their first win of the season vs. Utah State and get Army at home before traveling to UConn, and the pressure is on to win at least one more of those contests if they want to have any hope of improving on the 2023 results. Temple scored 34 points through three games, and they have given up at least 28 points in each contest. The American Athletic Conference is down, but Temple looks further away than ever from contending.

2024 Record: 1-3 (0-0)

Next Game: +12.5 vs. Army (9/28)
8. Will Hall - Southern Miss Golden Eagles (up from #9)
Will Hall was widely praised when Southern Miss hired him. The Golden Eagles went just 3-9 in his first season, but the optimism around his hire appeared validated in 2022 when Southern Miss built a 7-6 record. They fell back down to 3-9 again last season, and the pressure is now on in year four for Hall in Hattiesburg. Southern Miss is in the competitive Sun Belt and was blasted by Kentucky and South Florida. They began a critical three-game stretch against Jacksonville State, Louisiana, and UL-Monroe with a blowout loss (44-7).

2024 Record: 1-3 (0-0)

Next Game: vs. Louisiana (10/5)
9. Mike Neu - Ball State Cardinals (up from #11)
Mike Neu is a former player at Ball State University. Coaching at your alma mater typically provides a bit more of a runway if there are struggles, as schools might be reluctant to fire a former player early. Still, Neu has had eight seasons in Muncie and only one winning season. It was in 2020 when the Cardinals went 7-1 and won the Arizona Bowl. They have had three straight losing seasons since that campaign, and the 2024 season has gotten off to a rough start. Ball State barely beat Missouri State and then lost 62-0 to Miami in week three to drop to 1-2. Neu is 16 games under .500 in MAC play. Ball State is not a MAC power historically, but they are usually more competitive than they have been under Neu, and the 2024 season needs to be a success for him to keep his job. Central Michigan, James Madison, Western Michigan, and Kent State are next.

2024 Record: 1-2 (0-1)

Next Game: +20.5 vs. @ James Madison (9/28)
10. Scott Satterfield - Cincinnati Bearcats (up from #13)
The Cincinnati Bearcats have a proud football history but are attempting to adjust a step up in competition. The Bearcats moved from the American Athletic Conference at the same time that Luke Fickell left for Wisconsin, and many immediately questioned the hiring of Scott Satterfield. Satterfield is in his second season, and his contract would make it difficult to move on, but his first season was a disaster. The Bearcats were only 3-9 and last in the Big 12. It was the worst season for Cincinnati since 1999. The Bearcats were way ahead of Pittsburgh and should be 3-0 right now, but they fell apart in the second half and lost at home to the Panthers. That loss dialed up the urgency against Houston and they responded by winning 34-0. Cincy visits Texas Tech before a bye week.

2024 Record: 3-1 (1-0)

Next Game: +2.5 @ Texas Tech (9/28)

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1. Billy Napier - Florida Gators (Up from #3)
The Florida administration may have entered this season with the plan to be patient and give Billy Napier time to continue building the program. The schedule is brutal, and just showing progress on the field was likely enough to give him another year. After three weeks and two ugly losses at home to Miami and Texas A&M, patience can no longer be tolerated in Gainesville. The noise around the program has gotten loud enough that Napier is unlikely to survive the season with his job intact. When the head coach responds to criticism with a sad look and says, "I would boo me as well," the end is nigh.

2024 Record: 2-2 (1-1)

Next Game: vs. UFC (10/5)

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Ranking 10 College Football Coaches on the Hot Seat After Week 4

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