College Football Hot Seat Coaches: Win NOW, Or Else
These five coaches will likely hang on to their respective jobs with an okay final record, but they all need to put together a strong string of wins NOW.
5. Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern
Up Next: at Maryland
Okay, fine, he’s not going to get fired if Northwestern loses to Maryland. He’s almost certainly not going to get fired no matter what this season – that’s what happens when you make two Big Ten Championship appearances since 2018.
But how much longer does the guy who IS Northwestern football get a free pass?
The Wildcats are winless in their last 11 games played in the United States.
Home losses to Duke, Southern Illinois, and Miami University were all painful, the loss to Penn State was in a monsoon, and then came last week’s 42-7 loss to Wisconsin when the team had absolutely no spark.
That’s four home losses in the last five games played after starting out with a win over Nebraska in Dublin, and there’s an honest shot the team will be double-digit underdogs the rest of the way.
4. Jeff Hafley, Boston College
Up Next: at Wake Forest
Just 14-15 in just over two years, this is when it needs to kick in.
There’s no shame in losing to Clemson 31-3, especially coming off a clutch win over Louisville to get off this list. But now Hafley needs his Eagles to go on a run.
Losing to Wake Forest would almost ensure a losing season with at NC State, at Notre Dame, and Syracuse to close the season out after going to UConn and hosting Duke.
Speaking of losing to Boston College …
3. Scott Satterfield, Louisville
Up Next: Pitt (Oct. 22)
A win was sorely needed, but taking out Virginia on the road is hardly a big deal this season.
Whatever – the Cardinals will take it.
Now the program is at a crossroads. It’s 3-3 and Satterfield is 21-22 since 2019. Worse than that, he’s 13-17 in his last 30 games.
Pitt, Wake Forest, James Madison – all are tough, and all are home games. No pressure, but Satterfield’s Cardinals might have to sweep to get to six wins and a bowl game with at Clemson, NC State, at Kentucky to close.
2. Jeff Scott, USF
Up Next: Tulane
Scott’s USF team has been competitive at times.
Last week gave Cincinnati a ride in a 28-24 road loss, but that’s just it – it was a loss.
The team is playing better, but it still has yet to beat an FBS team this season and now Scott is 4-23 as the team’s head coach with just one conference victory.
To be very, very fair, there was the distraction of Hurricane Ian and the aftermath to deal with in the Tampa area. Even so, football-wise the Bulls need a win at home over Tulane, because three of the next four games after that are on the road.
Most of the remaining games are winnable – if not all of them – and the team really is playing better, but the wins have to start coming.
1. Bryan Harsin, Auburn
Up Next: at Ole Miss
Vanderbilt almost certainly won’t go bowling, and it’ll take a big upset or two for Missouri to get a fun exhibition. 11 SEC teams are almost certain to get bowl eligible, and Auburn is – to be kind – a bubble team.
Here’s the positive. It’s the SEC. One win over Ole Miss this week, and even a simple step like a two-game winning streak to give the base hope of a bowl appearance might change the narrative.
Here’s the negative: at Ole Miss, Arkansas, at Mississippi State, Texas A&M, WKU, at Alabama. At 3-3 and with an offense that can’t score more than 17 points in a game over the last four, find the three wins out of that slate.
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