Coaches on the hot seat after Week 8: Sam Pittman, Tom Allen and Dana Holgorsen among other notable targets

Coaches being placed on the hot seat is nothing new in sports. Teams typically cannot have major turnover on the roster, and in college football, the coach is the main person in charge. Once a voice gets stale and does not produce up to expectations, it is time to question their job security.

Today, we will look at some of the coaches who are on the hot seat after Week 8 of the college football season and explain why they are struggling and if they can turn it around.

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College football coaches on the hot seat after Week 8

Sam Pittman - Arkansas

The first step for change has already happened as the Razorbacks fired offensive coordinator Dan Enos on Sunday. Coach Sam Pittman holds a respectable 21-23 record but is just 10-21 in the Southeastern Conference, and that is not enough.

Through his first four years, Pittman has not competed in an SEC championship game, and with a 0-5 conference record, he will not be doing so in 2023. Things are bad for the Arkansas Razorbacks right now, and having Sam Pittman on the hot seat might lead to some changes for the program's future.

Tom Allen - Indiana

Tom Allen has been coaching the Indiana Hoosiers since the 2016 bowl game and has struggled to get going. In that time, he has two winning seasons (2019 and 2020) but has an 0-3 bowl record and struggles to get going since switching up the offense this year.

As a coach, Allen is 32-45 (17-39 in Big Ten) and teams are lapping them. Indiana could look for a coaching change with new additions next season to provide a spark.

Dana Holgorsen - Houston

With the Houston Cougars joining the Big 12 conference this season, they are 3-4 (1-3), but Holgorsen is 30-24 (19-15 in AAC/Big 12) since taking over the program in 2019.

The leap in competition may be too much for Dana Holgorsen to take control of, so expect to see his name on the hot seat for the next few weeks. With his current contract lasting until 2027, it may be difficult to replace him this season.

Ken Wilson - Nevada

College football is brutal to get your program going, and it could be challenging to win in a tough place like the Mountain West Conference. Ken Wilson is in his second season as the Nevada Wolf Pack coach and is 3-16 (1-10 in Mountain West).

Wins are not coming with any sense of regularity, and it could be time to pull the plug on Wilson's first head coaching tenure. It could be the program or that Wilson is an outstanding coordinator but struggles as the main guy.

Jimbo Fisher - Texas A&M

Every type of hot seat list needs to include Jimbo Fisher, and it could be a hefty price tag if he loses the Texas A&M Aggies job. Fisher would be owed $76.8 million in buyout money if he is fired this season, per Bleacher Report. However, the Aggies are getting frustrated with his lack of performance and could find ways to pay that out and replace him.

Fisher's lack of success is in the Southeastern Conference, as since taking over in 2018, he is 43-24 (25-20 in SEC). However, the Aggies want to be viewed as a top program. With all their talent, they have not been ranked since the 2020 season, and Fisher should be on the hot seat right now.

Dino Babers - Syracuse

Dino Babers has coached the Syracuse Orange for eight seasons, but he has been unable to put the program in winning situations. Since taking over, he is 40-52 (18-42 in the Atlantic Coast Conference). He also has a 1-1 record in bowl games but has not had much success since 2018, as he is 22-33 since winning the Camping World bowl game and has not been ranked since then.

It has been a lot of time, and with Syracuse being 0-3 in conference play, it is getting late for Dino Babers' job security. This could be the final year of his deal, but the details are not made public, with Syracuse being a private university.

Danny Gonzalez - New Mexico

The New Mexico Lobos have been a struggling football program under coach Danny Gonzalez. He has been with the school since 2020 and has not had more than three wins in any season. With a 10-28 (4-22 in Mountain West) record as the main coach, he just snapped his 14-game conference losing streak this week. However, things are still not looking good for the Lobos.

This is the fourth year of his five-year, $3.5 million contract, and he should be on the hot seat right now for his team's poor performance.