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Big 12 Coaching Hot Seat Rankings


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A hot seat isn't always what the media makes it out to be. When a coach is on the proverbial hot seat, usually it means he needs to win now or he'll be fired, but it could also mean a lot more. It could mean a coach needs to start winning because he's under pressure (Mark Richt), but isn't under real threat of being fired. It could mean he's winning, but is in an impossible situation and can't afford a slip (Jim Tressel after last year's loss to Purdue). Or it could mean he needs to win big just because he does (Urban Meyer).

 

So keeping in mind that for this, Hot Seat doesn't necessarily mean win-or-get-fired and it's more about who's under a lot of pressure (and yeah, in some cases it is a win-or-else situation), here's the ranking of the all 120 coaches and where they fit in on the warm butt scale.

 

Ranked from highest to lowest on the pressure scale

 

Dan Hawkins, Colorado

 

If it wasn’t for budget concerns, Colorado might have a new head coach. Everyone wants Coach Hawk to succeed, but this has been a puzzling disaster.

 

Status: A winning season and a bowl game keeps him around. Anything less and he’s done.

 

Tommy Tuberville, Texas Tech

 

There’s a large segment of Red Raider fans who still believe Mike Leach should be the head coach. Tuberville will get exactly 14 seconds of grace period.

 

Status: Win or else. Not only must Tuberville come up with a good year, but the offense had better be explosive.

 

Mike Sherman, Texas A&M

 

Offense … good. Defense … really, really bad. Sherman was able to pull the program up out of the Dennis Franchione nosedive, but he needs to come up with a huge win or three while showing that the program is close to contending for the Big 12 title.

 

Status: Fine for this year, but there has to be a big step forward or 2011 will be do or die.

 

Art Briles, Baylor

 

He’s not on any real hot seat, but after the Bears went into the tank after the loss of one player (QB Robert Griffin), it would be nice if Briles can bring some more success.

 

Status: Fine … it’s Baylor. If anything, Bear fans are worried someone else might swoop in and take Briles away.

 

Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State

 

2009 was supposed to be Gundy’s big season, and it was just okay. At some point, he needs to start beating Texas and Oklahoma to be in the thick of the South chase.

 

Status: He’s a man, but he’s no longer 40. T. Boone is going to want a superstar head man if Gundy can’t get it done.

 

Turner Gill, Kansas

 

There wasn’t exactly an outcry when Mark Mangino got fired (unlike the uproar at Texas Tech when Mike Leach got canned). However, there are sky-high expectations surrounding Gill and the pressure is on to be special.

 

Status: He doesn’t have the team, but anything less than a bowl game will be considered a disappointment.

 

Gary Pinkel, MiSouri

 

Pinkel made Mizzou relevant so he’s not going anywhere any time soon, but the program has to prove it can reload with Nebraska rising and a big turnover from the success of a few years ago.

 

Status: He could survive two bad years, but the expectations are higher in Columbia now.

 

Paul Rhoads, Iowa State

 

After the Gene Chizik fiasco, Rhoads’ ability to swoop in and take the team to a bowl win has made him a star. If he can get the Cyclones another bowl victory, he’ll be one of the nation’s hotter coaching prospects.

 

Status: Remember, Iowa State was mad to lose Chizik. Rhoads, after actually succeeding, can hang around for a few years no matter what happens.

 

Bill Snyder, Kansas State

 

Don’t forget, it’s not like the Snyder era ended on a positive note the first time around. He’ll never get canned, but it’s been a while since the Wildcats were special in any way.

 

Status: It’s not like the guy has a stadium named after him. Oh, wait ...

 

Bo Pelini, Nebraska

 

He’s not Bill Callahan, and that alone will earn him a job in Lincoln for a few more years. Pelini is a big-time coach who might be on the verge of being a superstar if the arc keeps going up.

 

Status: Nebraska has become a destination job again because of Pelini. He’s being seen as the one who’ll bring the program to national title prominence again.

 

Bob Stoops, Oklahoma

 

Stoops could’ve had the Notre Dame job for the asking, and he could take any big job opening he wants. However, he proved he really does want to be at Oklahoma, and for that, he’ll be forgiven another bad year or two.

 

Status: If Oklahoma even thinks of letting him go, around 100 other programs would take him in a heartbeat.

 

Mack Brown, Texas

 

Brown always preaches that Texas is bigger than any one player or coach, but it’s getting to the point to where he is Texas football (at least over the last decade). It’s easy to forget how mediocre the program was before he arrived.

 

Status: The University of Texas is having budget issues and it still boosted Brown’s salary to make him one of the highest paid coaches in the game.

 

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Does anybody really think Paul Rhoads will hang around Ames if he has another 1 or 2 good seasons there? Answer....NO unless they are willing to lock him in for a long term deal with some big $$$ attached.

 

Hawkins is gone no matter what he does this year unless he happens to win a Big 12 Title. CU's AD Bohn will pull the ripcord on Hawkins if it even looks like his job will be in question for coming years.

 

Tuberville will be fine at TT. However, the school's administration jobs may be in jeopardy if Tuberville doesn't perform. Advice to Craig James and his son Adam -- transfer out. If the Red Raiders lose to any of the weak sisters of the Big 12, James will be hiding in that famous closet to escape the pitchforks and torches coming for him in Waco.

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I can't believe Bo doesn't have the most secure spot. His first year here, he could've run for King of Nebraska. Then he came back and resurrected our program. I don't think anyone wants him gone ever. I think some people want Mack gone because of that huge DC contract, and I think some people want Stoops gone because he's had a hard time winning the big games.

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