After looking at the coaches on the hot seat recently in the stable SEC, the Big 12 has a lot more coaches who need a strong 2015 season to keep their jobs. Let’s see who is on the hot seat heading into this season from the Big 12:
Big 12 Coaches on the Hot Seat
Bob Stoops, Oklahoma
After being ranked in the top four this time last year, it was an immensely disappointing season for the Sooners as they dropped to just eight wins and got hammered at the Russell Athletic Bowl against Clemson. Stoops has consistently done a good job at Oklahoma but rather like the situation that unfolded at Nebraska for Bo Pelini, the fan base wants them to take that next step from eight or nine win team to making the College Football Playoff. Some Sooner fans have their doubts about Stoops ability to take this team back to a national title and if they have another eight win season then it might be the end of Stoops in Norman, Oklahoma.
Kliff Kingsbury, Texas Tech
The former Texas A&M offensive coordinator has shown signs of his ability as a head coach in terms of recruiting and some impressive performances by the Red Raiders. But at some point Texas Tech needs to take the next step which is to reach bowl eligibility and start beating some of their tougher conference foes. Last year they only beat Iowa State and Kansas in conference while coming close to upsets against Baylor and West Virginia. Kingsbury at least needs to find an extra win from somewhere to prevent another four win season and more doubts about his long term future at Texas Tech.
Dana Holgorsen, West Virginia
Holgorsen has done a good job in Morgantown leading the Mountaineers to three bowl games in his four seasons in charge, including a ten win season back in 2011. West Virginia has appointed a new athletic director in Shane Lyons to replace Oliver Luck who is part of the playoff committee. If Lyons isn’t a fan of Holgorsen and the Mountaineers miss out on a bowl game this year then he might be inclined to look elsewhere for a head coach.
Paul Rhoads, Iowa State
Last season was close to disaster for the Cyclones as they were swept in conference play including an embarrassing 34-14 loss at Kansas. The only saving grace for the entire season was that they won Cy-Hawk Trophy for beating in-state rivals Iowa on the road. This year the Cyclones should manage two out of conference wins against Toledo and Northern Iowa but Rhoads has to win at least two other games either in the Big 12 or against Iowa to have a chance of keeping his job in Ames for another year.
Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State
It’s unlikely that Oklahoma State would want to move on from Mike Gundy given his track record but past success can only allow you to survive for so long if the team is struggling now.
The signs do look positive for the Cowboys as they finished 2014 strongly with an overtime win against rivals Oklahoma to become bowl eligible which they followed up with a win in the Ticket City Catcus Bowl against Washington. The concern though was the five straight conference defeats that preceded those two wins as they lost those games by a combined 133 pts and never really looked close to winning any of them. The schedule is more manageable this year but if somehow Oklahoma State doesn’t become bowl eligible then Gundy could be moving on.
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