Will Indiana's Tom Allen be fired? Big Ten coach on the hot seat going into Week 8

Indiana Hoosiers coach Tom Allen could be on the hot seat following their 2-4 start in the 2023 season.

Indiana was blown out 52-7 by the Michigan Wolverines on Saturday. The Hoosiers have lost two straight games, and many fans are asking for Allen to be fired.

Allen has been the Hoosiers head coach full-time since 2017, as he did coach one game in 2016. He's currently 32-44 but is making $4.9 million through the 2027 season after restricting his deal in 2021.

The Hoosiers coach has already made a change this season, as Tom Allen fired offensive coordinator Walt Bell. It was a move that some felt like it was necessary, including Allen.

“I felt we need a new direction on the offensive side of the ball,” Allen said. “Rod brings a wealth of experience and success along with a familiarity with our personnel. I wish Walt and his family the best moving forward and thank him for his contributions to our program.”

However, after firing his offensive coordinator, Indiana's offense struggled against Michigan. Allen has been rotating between two quarterbacks during the game, which made it hard for the team to find chemistry and click on offense.

So, following the loss, Tom Allen confirmed that he will stop rotating quarterbacks and will pick a guy going forward:

"There's no question we'll make a decision on who we feel like needs to be the guy. Just trying to use this as an opportunity to see who would step up and take it. Hopefully, one of them would have done that, and that was really the goal for the day. ... So obviously, we're going to make a decision. We will not continue to rotate guys in that manner moving forward."

Although Indiana has struggled under Allen, there were low expectations for the Hoosiers this season. With that, it seems likely that Allen will at least finish this season, and perhaps in the off-season, Indiana could make a change.

Another reason why Allen likely won't be fired is due to his buyout and contract. He's under contract through the 2027 season, and if Indiana fires him before the end of the year, he would still be owed $20 million, per IndyStar. That is quite a lot of money for the Hoosiers program, which means Allen will likely remain the head coach for the time being.

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Tom Allen's coaching career

Tom Allen got his first chance to be a college football head coach in Indiana after serving as the Hoosiers defensive coordinator in 2016.

Allen has notable experience at Ole Miss from 2012 to 2014 as the linebacker and special teams coach. He then went to South Florida as its defensive coordinator in 2015 before landing the DC job in Indiana the following season.

Allen has just two winning seasons as head coach of Indiana but is also 0-3 in bowl games.