Before taking a look at which top five coaches are in the hot seat after Week 7, let's recap what happened during the weekend. Last week brought thrilling games and some surprising results. Washington made a statement with its 36-33 victory over the Oregon Ducks, although this defeat is arguably on coach Dan Lanning's reckless decision to go on fourth down with less than four minutes left.
In another surprising turn of events, Caleb Williams had perhaps the worst game of his career as the USC Trojans lost 48-20 to Sam Hartman's Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Williams had only 199 passing yards, with only one touchdown pass and three interceptions. He was sacked six times.
In a stunning turn of events, Arizona broke the back of No. 19 Washington State 44-6. Quarterback Noah Fifita threw for 342 yards. In another upset, Pitt defeated the No. 14 Louisville Cardinals 38-21.
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Being beyond the halfway mark of the regular season, schools will need to think about how their seasons are shaping up and if they're anywhere near what they expected at the start of the year. Some coaches might start to feel the hot seat, as their schools might start to wonder if it's better to part ways, especially with signing day two months away.
Top 5 Coaches in the Hot Seat after Week 7
Sam Pittman, Arkansas
Leading the way for our coaches in the hot seat is Sam Pittman. The embattled Southeastern Conference coach hasn't seen the light of day since all the way back in Week 2 when the Razorbacks defeated Kent State. What followed were five straight defeats, falling to BYU, LSU, Texas A&M, Ole Miss and Alabama.
Pittman's agent probably reminded him that after falling below .500 in his overall record with the Hogs, the school has to pay him only 50% of his contract if it fires him and not 75%.
Dino Babers, Syracuse
Babers seems to fall in and out of the coaches in the hot seat. In 2022 he started in the hot seat after going 5-7 in 2021. A 6-0 start brought him out of danger, only for the Syracuse Orange to go 1-6 in the second half of the season and the coach to enter the hot seat again.
A 4-3 record this season hasn't brought him out of danger, as the Orange sit dangerously close to the bottom of the Atlantic Coast Conference with a conference record of 0-3.
Brent Pry, Virginia Tech
Pry is just in his second year with Virginia Tech, but an overall 6-12 record has him in the coaches in the hot seat list. The Hokies have a record of 3-4 this year, while their 2-1 ACC record has allowed them to climb to the sixth spot in their conference. A Week 7 victory over Wake Forest has given Pry breathing room, with the Week 8 clash with Syracuse being a battle of embattled coaches.
Ken Wilson, Nevada
The Nevada Wolfpack sit at the bottom of the Mountain West Conference with an 0-6 record. A 45-27 defeat at the hands of their rival, UNLV, is the latest insult to the school during Ken Wilson's second season. A 2-10 record in his first year doesn't help his cause.
Tom Allen, Indiana
The Hoosiers sit at the bottom of the Big Ten East, with an overall record of 2-4 and a conference record of 0-3. Tom Allen achieved important things at Indiana with the eight-win season of 2019 and a 6-2 shortened 2020 season. Since then, the Hoosiers have posted an 8-22 record and a 2-20 Big Ten mark. He is surely feeling the heat.
Coaches in the hot seat honorable mentions
- Billy Napier, Florida
- Brian Kelly, LSU
- Jimbo Fisher, Texas A&M
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