There are 80 days until the College Football season returns, and there is no better time to bring back the “Hot Seat Meter”. Below, you’ll find the Big 12 coaches that will at least be uncomfortable going into the 2023 season. All Hot Seat Meter rankings are in bold.
Dave Aranda (Baylor) Room Temperature: Going 6-7 after coming out of nowhere to win the Big 12 the year prior was a huge disappointment for Dave Aranda’s Bears. A bounce-back may be tougher than it appears with almost a full rebuild on offense. Another 6 win year could have the people in Waco questioning if the 2021 season was “fool’s gold”.
Matt Campbell (Iowa State) Luke Warm: It should be stated that Matt Cambell’s contract ends in 2028. He has helped Iowa State become a respected program in the Big 12, but hasn’t gotten to double-digit wins in Ames. His best year was during the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic season when he led the Cyclones to 9-3 and a Fiesta Bowl win. In 2023, the Cyclones should rebound with 16 starters returning. If Iowa State is consistently winning 7 or 8 games Cambell keeps his job. Another awful season and the heat could be turning up.
Brent Venables (Oklahoma) Warm: Any first-year coach that gets 6 wins usually gets a pass, but not at Oklahoma. Venables is already feeling some hostility from the Sooner fanbase after their worst season since 1998. Of their 7 losses 5 of them were one-score games, however the blowout loss to Texas was a giant black eye to the program under Venable’s leadership. If the Sooners don’t improve in 2023 Brent Venables will be feeling the heat.
Neil Brown (West Virginia) The Sun: The pieces of a great football culture at WVU were crumbling before Neil Brown even got to Morgantown, but unfortunately he hasn’t done much to fix it. After 4 seasons Brown’s Mountaineers have an overall losing record of 22-25. With an unreliable offense and a defense that needs work in every facet, West Virginia may have been better off firing Brown after last season to use 2023 as a transition year to a new regime. With a roster full of question marks, and a tough schedule, Neil Brown would need a miracle to save his job. Seems inevitable that he’ll be gone before the season is over.
