Blog Article
Week 11 Coaches Hot Seat Rankings: Rutgers Keeps Greg Schiano, and Deion Sanders Takes No. 1
Plus 8 fired assistants, and every head coach who fired one still has a job.
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Greg Schiano was No. 1 on Monday. On Tuesday, Rutgers announced he’s coming back in 2027, and he dropped to No. 16.
Every week, Coaches Hot Seat ranks all 138 FBS head coaches by how much pressure they’re under, from the hottest seat to the coolest. We measure pressure. We don’t root for anybody to get fired.
Here’s the Top 10, and how each coach got there.
1. Deion Sanders, Colorado (3-6) | Last week: No. 4
Colorado needed 23 minutes to pick up a first down at Arizona State and lost 20-10. With Schiano out of the Top 10, Sanders takes over No. 1.
2. Sonny Dykes, TCU (4-5) | Last week: No. 2
TCU led Arizona 28-20 with under two minutes left. Then it fumbled a kickoff, threw an interception, and lost 29-28.
3. Tony Elliott, Virginia (4-5) | Last week: No. 3
Virginia had a bye, which beat its last three Saturdays. The Cavaliers have lost three straight, including 51-7 at Wake Forest.
4. Brent Venables, Oklahoma (5-4) | Last week: No. 5
Venables fired his offensive coordinator, gave the play sheet to Jason Witten, and won 23-7 at Florida. One win doesn’t wipe out four losses.
5. Matt Rhule, Nebraska (5-4) | Last week: No. 15
Illinois beat Nebraska 24-13 for the Huskers’ fourth straight loss. Rhule fired offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen the next day.
6. Kyle Whittingham, Michigan (5-4) | Last week: No. 32
Michigan lost 15-6 at home to Michigan State, and Whittingham fired offensive coordinator Jason Beck. ESPN says Beck’s buyout of up to $10.1 million is believed to be the largest ever for a college assistant.
7. Dabo Swinney, Clemson (6-3) | Last week: No. 6
Clemson beat Syracuse 18-13, and its only touchdown came on a fumble return. A win is a win, and Swinney slides a spot.
8. Joe Moorhead, Akron (1-8) | Last week: No. 8
Akron led Ohio in the fourth quarter on Tuesday night, and Ohio needed 13 seconds to take it back. The Zips lost 28-20.
9. Tim Albin, Charlotte (1-8) | Last week: No. 13
Charlotte forced four turnovers at UAB and still lost 23-12. Four takeaways should buy you more than 12 points.
10. Lance Leipold, Kansas (3-6) | Last week: No. 9
Kansas led UCF with four seconds left and lost 33-32 on the final play. SI counts 12 fourth-quarter leads Kansas has blown over the last three seasons.
Just outside the Top 10
Lincoln Riley falls to No. 11 after a bye. Brent Key is No. 12 after firing four assistants in one day. Rutgers athletic director Keli Zinn says keeping Schiano isn’t “an indication that everything is fine.” Tosh Lupoi is No. 20, and his own general manager, Ron Rivera, told a radio audience Lupoi “has bumped his head a lot.”
See where all 138 coaches rank: coacheshotseat.com/#rank
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