The Hot Seat Meter returns with the brand-new ACC. Cal and Stanford joined from the Pac-12 and SMU was a surprise, making the jump up from the American Conference. How hot are some of these seats?
Justin Wilcox (Cal) Lava: Last year I rated Justin Wilcox’s seat as “Lava”, and I’m keeping that rating. Overall Wilcox is 36-43 and 21-37 in conference. Last season, Wilcox did lead the Bears to a bowl game with a 6-6 record where they would lose to Texas Tech 34-14. Going into his 8th year this seems to be the Wilcox experience. The Golden Bears will be scrappy, but they will hover around 6 wins, likely less. The Cal athletic department needs a giant shot in the arm, and a good start would be moving on from Justin Wilcox.
Pat Narduzzi (Pitt) Warm: After 9 seasons Pat Narduzzi has made his mark at the University of Pittsburgh. He has an overall record of 65-50 with an ACC Championship in 2021. In 2022 the Panthers followed their championship season with a 9-win, Sun Bowl victory while finishing the year ranked 22nd. Unfortunately, Pitt had a disastrous year in 2023 finishing 3-9. Even if they aren’t exactly there yet, a fork in the road moment is approaching for the Pitt athletic department. Another bowless season and Narduzzi will be feeling the heat.
Tony Eilliot (UVA) Warm: The University of Virginia’s football program was getting stale, and had a “bare cupboard” once Tony Elliot took over. This was a tough situation but the Cavaliers need to show improvement in 2024 to prove their program is heading in the right direction. Anything under 5 wins will have Elliot’s seat getting hot.
Troy Taylor (Stanford) Room Temperature: Stanford has been in a rut since the latter half of the David Shaw era. With all of the academic restrictions that come with coaching at Stanford, it’s a hard place to be consistently good. Jim Harbaugh and David Shaw found success, but Troy Taylor is still trying to build that foundation. 3-9 isn’t an ideal start, however the Cardinal athletic department will give him time. The seat isn’t near hot but it’s not exactly cold.
