CBS Sports updates college football Hot Seat rankings

CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodd has updated his coaching Hot Seat Rankings as the 2023 season progresses and certain coaches play their way onto or off of the hot seat.

Because there’s such nuance to each coach’s individual situation, CBS Sports has developed a rubric with six levels to describe where a coach stands, from untouchable (0) to win or be fired (5). Several coaches have moved significantly up or down that scale since the season began.

Let’s dive into which coaches rank where on the scale, starting with the seven coaches with the most notable movement since the preseason ranking.

Tom Allen, Indiana (5 – Win or be fired)

Allen had some strong seasons at Indiana initially but has struggled to maintain that level of success over the course of his seven seasons in charge. The Hoosiers went just 2-10 in 2021, then went 4-8 in 2022. It’s looking like 2023 will probably be somewhere in that range, as well.

As Dodd notes, though, Allen’s contract situation could prove difficult for Indiana if it wants to fire Allen. He would be owed $20 million if he’s fired before December 2024. That’s a hefty chunk of change.

Jimbo Fisher, Texas A&M (4 – Start improving now)

Fisher has been on the coaching Hot Seat Rankings radar for a while now, and his movement shouldn’t be terribly surprising given Texas A&M’s volatility the last couple years. Simply put, Texas A&M isn’t getting what it’s paying for at the moment, with only one New Year’s Six bowl in Fisher’s tenure.

Now, Texas A&M is tracking for a better finish than last year’s 5-7. But how much? The team is currently at 4-3 but has only one sure non-conference win left, then four tricky SEC contests. Fisher needs to pull his weight in those or the heat will intensify. He remains where he was in the preseason in terms of the hot seat: a 4.

Jim Harbaugh, Michigan (3 – Pressure is mounting)

Here’s where the movement in the rankings comes in, as Harbaugh was previously a 0 — untouchable. Now he’s all the way up to a 3, with pressure mounting thanks to a string of off-the-field issues. The latest is a sign-stealing scandal that figures to be a black eye for the program for a while.

There’s no doubt Harbaugh has the winning part of the equation down. He’s been to back-to-back College Football Playoffs and has the team to make a third straight appearance this year. But will the off-the-field issues start to strain his relationship with Michigan? We’ll see. Regardless, Harbaugh is one of the biggest movers in Dodd’s Hot Seat Rankings.

Sam Pittman, Arkansas (3 – Pressure is mounting)

Pittman’s fortunes have changed rather rapidly, as just two years ago he was wrapping up a nine-win season and being praised for doing one of the best coaching jobs in the SEC. After a decline to seven wins in 2022, Arkansas has really hit the skids in 2023.

The Razorbacks are just 2-6 without much light at the end of the tunnel. Pittman has already fired offensive coordinator Dan Enos, which should give him a little bit more breathing room. Still, Pittman’s looking for something to turn things around in a hurry after entering the season in the “1 – safe and secure” category on the Hot Seat Rankings.

Brady Hoke, San Diego State (3 – Pressure is mounting)

Hoke had a 12-win campaign in his second season in charge at San Diego State, but the team dropped off to seven wins a year ago. Worse, it looks like the trend is continuing in the wrong direction.

With eight games played, San Diego State sits at just 3-5 and the final month of the season will pit the squad against some tough Mountain West foes. Bowl eligibility is in serious doubt, which might be problematic for a program that has lofty ambitions going forward. Hoke moved to the “3 – pressure is mounting” category after being a “2 – all good … for now” in the preseason.

Dabo Swinney, Clemson (2 – All good … for now)

Swinney’s seat is starting to warm just a little bit, as he has moved from the untouchable category to the “2 – all good … for now” designation. Clemson’s having a bit of a rough year, starting out 4-3 and losing early enough in the year that playoff hopes were basically off the table from Day 1.

It’s very difficult to argue against Swinney’s track record at Clemson, but if you’re looking at trends they’re going the wrong way. This will be the third straight year that Clemson has lost at least three games. Should the Tigers lose a fourth it would be their first time with four losses since 2011. Swinney has a lot of cushion built in, but it’s time to start at least mentioning him when it comes to movers.

Lincoln Riley, USC (1 – Safe and secure)

Riley joins Swinney in moving off the untouchable list and into the Hot Seat Rankings fray. He is still remarkably secure with a designation of 1 on the rubric, though. But there are question marks, which should be readily apparent at this point.

The biggest one currently appears to be Lincoln’s loyalty to defensive coordinator Alex Grinch, whose unit continues to underperform. Riley will likely be forced to make some changes in the offseason, given that the defense has helped squander two excellent chances to make the College Football Playoff with a Heisman Trophy winning quarterback. How willing Riley is to make those changes remains to be seen.

Holding Steady

The seven coaches above are the coaches who have had the most notable movement from the preseason rankings, but there are some other inclusions that Dodd made on the Hot Seat Rankings that are equally worth talking about. Specifically in this category we’re looking at coaches that have held steady in their preseason rankings.

Florida‘s Billy Napier and Notre Dame‘s Marcus Freeman both entered the season as a “2 – all good … for now” and have since maintained that ranking. Napier has the Gators at 5-2 but with a very, very tough closing stretch. There are signs of building, albeit slower than most Florida fans would like. Freeman, on the other hand, has a very competent team that is just a little short of College Football Playoff caliber. But he too appears to be building and is further ahead of Napier with his program right now.

Cooling Off

No coach has cooled his seat more than Brent Venables, who went from a “3 – pressure is mounting” to a “1 – safe and secure.” After a subpar first season, Venables has his Oklahoma squad undefeated at 7-0 and vying for a College Football Playoff berth.

Then there are a handful of coaches who cooled their designation off by one slot. Missouri‘s Eli Drinkwitz and Miami (Ohio)‘s Chuck Martin went from a 3 to a 2, while Rutgers‘ Greg Schiano went from a 2 to a 1. All three coaches have done nice jobs with their teams this fall. As an extra bonus, Dodd also mentioned that David Braun might not be the worst option as the permanent head coach at Northwestern, though he didn’t throw any coaching Hot Seat Rankings on Braun.